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.