Arenal

“AUGHHH my stomach is hurting me!” whined Ella. “ If she throws up, I’m going to be sick too.” I groused. “Me too!” Chimed Lucia, even though I don't know if she really understood what I was complaining about. We had been on the winding mountain road for a while and I didn't know if I could go another minute without muffling my sister Ella’s whining or getting sick myself. “Mama my ear is hurting too” continued Ella. I pulled my broken headphones out of my bag and put them on. I got one song out of them before my iPod died. “How much longer is the ride?” I asked my mother.  “At least 30 minutes more,” she replied before adding “will you pass this bag to your sister in case she gets sick.”

Good morning Arenal Volcano

Thankfully, Ella did not get sick, and I did not strangle her. We arrived at the hotel right in time for lunch. I ordered fried fish sticks with fries. “I’m not hungry” groaned Ella. I ignored her and began filling my mouth with food. “So does anyone have any facts to share about Arenal?” my Mother asked. “I do! Umm, well its a volcano” said Lucia. “Arenal’s crater is full of water, the lake beside it is the country’s main electrical source, and it is an active volcano.” I volunteered. Just then our dessert arrived. It was a brownie with ice cream and decorative frosting. Ella magically regained her appetite. That didn't stop her from complaining about her ear though. My parents became worried, and scheduled a doctors appointment for the next day.

Dessert, it was worth the wait!

The next day, the first thing we did after breakfast was head to the Costa Rican clinic. The clinic had  that hand sanitizer smell which I strongly dislike. When we were ushered into the office, the doctor checked Ella’s ear, felt it, and pushed on her tongue with a tongue depressor, deducing that she had a slight infection in her ear. He prescribed oral medicine and advised my parents to keep Ella out of the water. We drove around La Fortuna for a bit after visiting the clinic. We stopped for lunch at Pura Vida Chinese Food, which is exactly what it sounds like. Chinese food in Costa rica. I thought it was a bit strange that we were eating Chinese food in a Spanish country, but I was hungry so I didn't complain.  We went home after a lunch of fried chicken wings, rice, and vegetables. After lunch, my parents tried to get Ella to take the odious medicine, but Ella refused to take the medicine. Eventually she threw it up. We scheduled another trip to the clinic for the next day.

These are modified leaves, not flowers!

Crafts of the Malekus

     After several failed attempts to get Ella to take the oral antibiotic (she threw up three times) we went to the Ecocentro Danaus which is an ecological reserve. When we arrived at the reserve, we took a long hot hike through the Ecocentro rainforest, stopping every few minutes to see a bird, bug, or modified leaf. Along the path there was an indigenous art gallery run by a Maleku man. The Malekus are an indigenous group from Northern plains of Costa Rica. There were masks and bowls on display. Later we came to a pond of lily pads and saw Caimans and Boatbilled Herons. Up the path, we passed a trail of leaf cutter ants, as we made our way to the Mariposario or Butterfly house. Inside there were all kinds of butterflies, including Blue Morphos which are one of the world's largest butterflies.

The next day was sad and rainy. Our plans to go zip lining were a wash! We didn't do much, and the very next day we had to say goodbye to Arenal. We packed up our things to go to San José to prepare for the last phase of our trip, a visit to Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast.

La Carolina Lodge

La Carolina Lodge is a rustic, relaxing, environmentally enriching resort that gives people the opportunity to be in wildlife and nature. It is a self-sustaining lodge situated on a very large farm. The food at La Carolina Lodge is grown on the farm. There is minimal electricity, so dinner is by candlelight. The spring fed water comes from the mountains and is drinkable.

Lucia, Don't Pick The Flowers!

Tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a bathroom, we finally arrived at La Carolina Lodge. The last seven kilometers felt like it took 100 hours to drive. The road to the lodge was rocky and we had to drive very slowly. I was thankful when we finally arrived and was greeted by one of the owners, Karien Harwell. She could tell we were hungry and tired and gave us a brief tour. 

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the lodge. Lunch was a delicious spread of black beans, white rice, beef stew (browned chunks of beef floating in a caramel colored sauce), cabbage salad, fresh squeezed juices that shimmered like amber hued jewels and much more. I filled my plate with a little bit of everything.

My own bed, finally!

With a full stomach, I slumped my shoulders and headed to our room, collapsing onto my bed. It felt good to have my own bed again. For the past few weeks, I had been sharing a bed with Lucia, my youngest sister. Our room was in the main lodge. It resembled what I imagined a cabin room at sleep away camp would look like. The walls were made of wood planks, the windows had wooden shutters, there were three small beds, and one big one. The covers were red and above each bed hung mosquito netting. After digesting our lunch, we went down to the rocky river to swim. I dipped my foot in the rushing water. It was as cold as ice.  So cold, my ears hurt when I went under water.  The rushing water created white foam and the current was so strong, I felt my body pulled toward the jagged rocks at the far end of the waterfall. After that, I went to the wood burning hot tub. 

The Rocky River

Dinner was by candle light. It was dark and there was little electricity. We had rice, beans, and fried chicken. The beans and rice had been grown on the farm, as well as the yummy fried chicken we were having for dinner. For dessert, I ate a 100% farm-made lemon cream pie!

Candlelight Dinner

Early the next morning we climbed a hill to milk cows. If you milked cows then the (cocineras) ladies in charge of the kitchen, would make the best chocolate milk in the universe. When we entered the barn, we were welcomed by baby cows mooing and stomping their hooves. We were separated from the hungry calves as the cows were led into the barn. Milking the cows was messy and fun even though I wasn't able to get much milk out of the utters. For the rest of our stay I had warm chocolate milk three or more times a day!

Are these utters?

Yummy hot chocolate....

We were amply warned about the horses, but I was really looking forward to my second all-time horseback ride. The horses were rough and wild. My horse didn't listen to a single thing I was saying or doing. I could barely get my horse out of the barn. I was the only one riding alone as Ella paired with Mama and Lucia paired with Papa for safety. I was scared! The terrain was rocky and steep. I rode my horse for the entire hour-long ride. After the ride, I felt exhilarated, yet happy it was over. I wanted to sleep for hours listening to the water rushing past the lodge. 

Family horseback ride, before we started....

After lunch, I met some local children and played games at the outdoor yoga studio. Later, I was invited to a treehouse dinner by Bill and Karien's two sons. At dusk, we lit candles around the lodge and up to the treehouse. We spent the evening watching Loony Tunes. My dad came in bearing messages from other parents. It was time to go to bed. That was the end of the party for me.

Love you La Carolina Lodge!

The next day, we said a silent goodbye to La Carolina Lodge. I will always have precious memories of jungle treks by the river, delicious meals, dips in the river and the hot tub, hot chocolate, the friends I made, the wonderful staff, and my incredible horseback ride. 

Nosara Wildlife Refuge

We arrived at the Nosara Refuge for Wildlife at 9:56 am. We were going to take a tour of the refuge. The first thing we did was sit outside and watch a slideshow. The slideshow showed us how the refuge works and how it was founded by a woman named Brenda Bombard who moved to Nosara in 1998 with five children, two dogs, two cats, two ferrets and 23 boxes of stuff.

The refuge was built originally for Howler Monkeys because of all the problems cropping up with modern society. Deforestation was one of the biggest problems since Howler Monkeys are very particular with their travel routes and if their trees are cut down, they'll take to electrical cords as a route.  If a Howler Monkey steps on an uninsulated wire and touches a second wire, it will get electrocuted. If its a female, it is likely she will have her baby attached to her stomach and she will call for help. Then, all her family will come and try to help her and there will be electrocuted monkeys everywhere. Amazingly, the babies survive because they aren't touching the cords, however, the refuge has to come and save the orphans before dogs or other animals get to them.

The "Camouflaged" Macaw

Our guide Adriana stopped for questions and my sister Ella raised her hand. "Yes?" said Adriana, "uhh your bird" replied Ella. On the ground crouching was a Scarlet Macaw apparently trying to be inconspicuous, but failing due to his bright plumage. Adriana gasped and playfully seized a broom. The bird instantly retreated into a corner. Adriana stuck out the broom handle and the Macaw obediently hopped on. Then she put it into its cage and locked the door. "He thinks he's the best camouflage artist in the world" said Adriana. "We've had to change the lock four times because he keeps escaping." The Macaw opened and closed his talons as though waving hello.

There came a cluck from down below and an obese chicken waddled out of nowhere. "Does that even count as a rescued wild animal?", I asked, "its a chicken", I stated. "Her name is Henrietta and she was here when Brenda arrived so we adopted her.  She eats scorpions, tarantulas and she once ate a baby Coral Snake!", said Adriana.

We then entered the  monkey nursery and washed our hands. The nursery looked like an ordinary living room, with a  tan couch, porch window, and a gray tabby cat sitting outside. The one thing that showed this was no ordinary room was the abundance of cages with fluffy blankets draped over them. Adriana went into one and pulled out what looked like a gray ball of fluff attached to a teddy bear. "This is a baby Howler Monkey" she said. The fluff reared it's head and a gray, big eyed face looked at me. You cannot possibly imagine how cute the baby Howler Monkey was with it's big brown eyes and its tiny face and hands. It was like a fluffy human infant, except not as loud.  "Baby Howler Monkeys have to cling to their mom for a few months so this one is clinging to the teddy" said Adriana.  This baby monkey had been orphaned and the refuge will be taking care of it for a minimum of three years!  As we were leaving, the tabby cat looked at me and I gasped. One of its eyes was protruding out of the side of its head. I gulped and retreated, the cat went back to ignoring me.

Stella, A Baby Howler Monkey.

We left the nursery and went outside again. Adriana showed us a porcupine who had a habit of jumping down from its post and clinging to your head, a tiny magpie jay who couldn't fly, a pizote, an enormous green parrot who had been taught some unrepeatable words by its previous owner, a baby squirrel whose mom and siblings had been attacked by blue jays, and two grown up Howler Monkeys who we fed through the bars of their cage.  After some cool hibiscus tea, questions and comments, we thanked Adriana for everything, and went home. I was so inspired!

Adult Male Howler Monkey

Rincón De La Vieja

After Spanish school we took a long non-stop drive to the mountainous countryside of Rincón De La Vieja "Corner of the Old Lady" or "The Old Woman's Nook".  The treacherous roads did not take away from the sun setting on the green, grassy hills. Minutes before nightfall we arrived at the Borinquen Mountain Resort & Spa. I had  mixed feelings about visiting Rincon due to the fact it is one of six ACTIVE volcanoes in Costa Rica along with Poás, Irazú, Miravalles, Arenal, and Tirrialba.  In 2016 Rincón de la Vieja erupted, not so cool! Sorry to say, but dying was NOT on my to-do list for this vacation. My parents decided to tell me this AFTER we arrived Borinquen. Settling in took a little longer than usual since they gave away our room. However, they gave us a free waterfall expedition which entailed a horseback ride up the mountain, and a hike to two mysterious waterfalls! 

After a good nights sleep and breakfast with Magpie-Jays and Capybaras, we prepared for a hike though Rincón de la Vieja National Park. At the front desk of the ranger station there were animal specimens, jars full of colorful liquid, beetles, spiders and pickled SNAKES?! Yes, there were jars of snakes, dead, curled up, and preserved. Some were as small as a worm, and others as long, stretched out, as I am tall! The jars varied in  size according to each snake. Thankfully, they didn't have taxidermied animals, but there were bird, animal, insect, and reptile guides.

The path we took was through the woods but as we climbed the trees started to thin.   Then we came out onto a desert-like area of land. There were large sulfur springs, scanty bushes, and browning grass.The mud was gray and bubbling. It smelled awful, like hard boiled eggs! Later we learned the chemicals creating the smell were a combination of Carbon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Hydrogen Chloride, and Hydrogen Sulfide. My mother wrote it all down in MY drawing book, so I probably won't forget these "chemical compounds" anytime soon. We came across more of these smelly sulfur springs as we continued up the path. We also saw steam pouring from cracks in the earth. I noticed the cracked, dry earth and decided to spray a little water on the ground and watched it evaporate in record time. I decided not to go any nearer. I wanted to come out of the reserve with two whole feet and all ten toes.

We began our trek back down to the ranger station, so we could go back to Borinquen. I heard the sound of rushing of water, and sure enough when we rounded the corner we came to a rushing waterfall.

Two boiling mud pots, vocancito (little volcano) and a white faced monkey later, we were back on the path to our car. I was tired, the day was hot and the bugs were swarming. We kept having to STOP because one of my sisters had to pee. When we got out of the forest and started walking toward the main road, I saw the man who was supposed to be running a booth, taking a siesta on the back of his little building. Lucky him. I wanted to take a nap too! Soon enough we were in the car and driving down the dirt road to Borinquen!