We left by shuttle from the Pension Santa Elena around 5:30PM and started the hike shortly after 6:00. Our guide, Marcos, was very knowledgeable, and he took us on a very vigorous hike (mostly uphill) to see as many "creatures" as possible. And so...we saw a tarantula, two side-striped vipers, a possum, a grey fox, and a number of cool insects. Towards the end, we trudged uphill for what seemed like an hour...to see a salamander.
By the time that we returned to Santa Elena, it was after 8:30PM, and the little taco place next to the Pension was closed. I did not have the strength to walk (uphill) into the main part of town to find a restaurant. So...I made do with some nut, potato chips and several cold beers.
My reward for a strenuous day of hiking was to sleep in my tent on my puny "backpacking mattress". Starting from the bottom up...my feet hurt, my ankles are sore, my calves ache, my knees are buckling, and my back is hurting.
Well, a bad night turns into a better tomorrow. This morning I was up at 6:00AM...fresh coffee on the deck with a cigar. I'm really hungry, so I'm thinking about cooking myself a huge breakfast. But...I find that I get a free breakfast at the little taco place...a pile of fresh fruit and a great breakfast taco with crispy fried potatoes, beans, vegetables and a little meat. It really hits the spot.
Allison is off by bus at 8:30 to the Pacific Coast for her friend's wedding. I spend an hour or so breaking camp...pack up the sleeping bag and mattress...take down and pack the tent. The house kitty cat helps with my packing!
At about 9:30, I start my drive from here in Santa Elena to the Arenel Volcano area.
It turns out to be an absolutely splendid day!
I've hooked my iPod into the radio of my faithful Daihatsu Terios...and today I'm listening to a "Chill" playlist that I put together...along with some Deadmaus, a little Skrillex and Gotye...and my favorite Kruder & Dorfmeister CD.
The first thirty miles are dirt and gravel...with lots of sharp turns and steep grades as I come down out of the mountains. Around 10:30 or so, I'm feeling thirsty, so I start looking for someplace to buy a bottle of water. But...this is Costa Rica...why drink water when you can have icy-cold sugar cane juice! I'm driving along, and I see a sign that says..."Jus de Cana". So...I stop and meet the owner, Jose, of a small artisanal sugar cane farm and processing facility. He takes a few stalks of cane from an ice-packed cooler and puts them in a crusher...built in Hillsboro, Ohio in the 1880's. He and his partner turn the wheel and produce a large pitcher of juice. It's delicious and refreshing...not too sweet with a slight vegetal flavor. I also taste a tiny sample of Jose's homemade cane liquor...very potent!
I ask Jose how much for the tour and the juice...nothing, he says. Still...I want to pay something, so I buy a map that I don't need for $5.00.
Now I'm back on the road...and...thirty miles into the trip, I start to see some real pavement...so I'm traveling a little faster. Around 11:30, I'm feeling thirsty again. I'm looking for a place to stop for water...when I stumble upon a Microbrewery...one of only two in all of Costa Rica. Naturally, all they have is ale, but the Gato Malo dark ale isn't bad. And...the first glass is free!
Back on the road, I start seeing signs for some place called "Toad Hollow"...they have signs every 50 feet for at least 20 miles. When I finally get to the place, I stop for lunch...fish tacos that are pretty good given the remoteness of the location.
After lunch, I'm back on the road...and I start to get a few glimpses in the distance of Arenel Volcano...then, later, I spot Lake Arenel for the first time. Both volcano and lake are pretty spectacular. I have to drive all the way around the lake to get to my hotel, so I get to see it all.
I cross the Lake Arenel Dam around 2:00. On the other side of the dam, I see a welcome sight...a man and his wife selling fresh coconut water. They've got a big cooler with small young coconuts on ice. The man hacks off the end of the coconut with a machete and...voila...I've got a great drink. It's only 50 cents, so I have two...very refreshing!
At 2:30, I arrive at the Arenel Observatory Lodge. I've booked a room in the "Casona"...a small cluster of buildings set off from the main lodge. It's a nice room with a really great bed...plus...a view of the lake from one window and a view of the volcano from another. First off, I take a much-needed hot shower...shave. Then I'm off on a short walk to the jacuzzi...this does wonders for all of my aching joints and muscles. At the pool area, I meet some very nice people...a couple from Colorado on their honeymoon, a nice couple from New Hampshire, and a group of people from Long Island. When someone mentions that I must be the husband of one of the women from Long Island, I say that I'm not, but I sure wish that I was. I mean this as a compliment, but the woman and her friends do not view it the same way...and I feel that I have offended her...quite unintentionally.
Psst...keep this "under your hat". I've been working on a "top secret" project known only to me, the President and a handful of his closest aides. It's called "The Manhattan Project". It started in Duty-Free at Miami Airport where I acquired some highly-enriched Woodford Reserve Bourbon. And...later...in San Jose at the Walmart where I picked up some fissible Cinzano Sweet Vermouth and Angostura Bitters. All I needed was the "trigger" and, yesterday in Santa Elena at a small Tienda, I found it...there, on the shelf, was a jar of Maraschino Cherries...the last piece of the puzzle.
So, tonight before dinner, I am constructing not a crude device, but a highly sophisticated Manhattan...three shots of Bourbon, one shot of Vermouth, two dashes of Bitters, a half teaspoon of cherry juice...and a cherry. An absolutely perfect Manhattan on the rocks before dinner.
Up at the main lodge, I head to the dining room for dinner...where the nice couple from New Hampshire invites me to join them. It's a very pleasant dinner...nice conversation, a few glasses of wine and a decent "Churrasco-cut" filet.
After dinner, I head back to my "Casona" and enjoy a few cold beers before bed. There are fireflies...and the sounds are amazing...all types of insects, some birds (owls, maybe)..and a few unidentifiable "animal sounds". It's all quite relaxing.
At 9:30PM, I climb into bed...a real bed...a comfortable bed. I'm asleep within a few minutes...bringing to an end a wonderful day.
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