No rain this morning just clouds as Arenal is not visable and if you didn’t know you’d never think a volcano was right in front of you. But that is common and the clouds should burn off by late morning. At breakast we decided white water rafing was in order as their are a number of different trips you can take. We decided against the float trip as much of the wild life is small and alligators would only be out if the weather was right. So we booked a trip with Wave Expeditions that was a 2 hours on the water that included lunch. It was well worth it. The water was great, rapids were challenging but not to scary (class 2 & 3) and views were excellent. After getting out of the river we headed just up the road to a resturant for lunch. What an unbelievable spot for a resturaunt. One of the best views of the Arenal we have had yet.

Once back at the resort we had an opportunity to go view the volcano just after dusk. We were pretty worn out from the rafting so an hour or so’s rest before heading out again seemed to be a good idea. It was about a 30 minute drive to the volcano and their are a number of viewing areas where tourists gather at dusk, and later, to view small eruptions. It was a cloudy night so not much was viewable but we did get to see some lava flowing and large bright bolders tumbling down if only for a a minute or two here and there.

After about 30 minutes at the volcano we headed back to town for dinner. We stopped by Wave Expeditions store to check out their pics from rafting and piced up a CD for $35. A decent deal as that was for both boats as Amy and Alan were not in the same boat as Kay and I. We then stopped in at Nannes for dinner, a quiet little place a block down from the square. The night was capped off with a magic trick from the waiter that like most was to obvious to be figured out without a magician’s slow explanation.

This morning started off rainy, but it is the beginning of the rainy season, and after a few hours it cleared off. We couldn’t decide on what to do so we headed down to the pool around 10:30 waiting for the cloud cover to burn off. The pool, similar to our bungalow, has an excellent view of the volcano. At around 11:30am we were greated with a small eruption where smoke and hot ash were clearly visable. An excellent photo opportuntiy but we only had the underwater camera, so no digital pic of it.

With the clould cover burned off and the sun coming out we scheduled a trip to the Arenal Hanging Bridges which is just a short 20 minute drive from the resort. George, one of the event coordinators here, tagged along as he worked at the place for a few years before coming to the hotel. That and their wasn’t much going on in the way of guest looking for things to do. It was Sunday afternoon and most were either heading out or on their way in.

I was hesitant at first, since heights is not my thing, but after getting there and seeing what it was I felt better. Their were half a dozen suspension bridges made of steel where you walked across metal grates that served as the walk way (see through) and chain link fencing four feet up on each side. Cables came down from the spans and each bridge averaged 60 meters long and 50 meters high. All but two of the bridges had so much rain forest around them you really didn’t notice the height. It was the bouncing and swaying when you walked across which made things interesting. But it was an excellent excursion we got to see monkeys, birds, posionous frogs, snakes, and a variety of plants. George our guide made the trip more enjoyable as we would not have noticed many of those things without his help.

The short trip back was delayed twice as we stopped once for tucan watching and a second to view another erruption of Arenal. Once back at the resort it was a little R & R back at the pool, visiting with some other guests from Pensecola, FL and MD. As they had been here longer than us we picked their brains on what to do. The hot springs and horse back riding seemed to be a favorite. It was about 4:30pm by this time and it was clear weather was moving in. You could see the clouds building and the rain coming so it was back to the bungalow for a shower, wait for a break in the rain and then head to town for some dinner.

For dinner we went to La Choza De Laurel an open air resturant next to Bruger King and Chruches Chicken in downtown La Fortuna. Taxi ride was $8.00 (US) or $3,500 (colonas). Taxis park around the square in the center of town with bus stop style loading, so their’s no trouble getting a ride back. Dinner was capped off with Kay getting the Red Snapper and promptly switching meals with me as she has some trouble with the one eye ball staring at her. Not the way you’d typically have fish served back home, but it was excellent… she agreed to after a few bites.

With the rain had stopped we enjoyed are meal highlighted by the local stray dogs hanging around waiting for any scraps that wandered onto the floor. Even though you’d not see that back home I only wish I could get our two to be that calm and relaxed around people, food, autos and other animals. After dinner it was a short walk through some shops before heading back. Rain was done for the evening and it was off to bed.

This morning started early as our flight left Nashivlle at 6:20am. It was over to Charlotte, NC and a three hour layover till we got on the flight to San Jose, PR. Both flights were uneventful, always nice, but were also a bit cool.

Once in San Jose it was a short wait at customs we picked up our bags and headed out to meet the shuttle. Our driver Albero spoke very little english but lucky for us the other couple we were with new a little spanish. He was very chatty on the trip pointing out various points of interest, explaining the local currency and stopping at a super market for us. From San Jose to La Fortuna, where we would be through Wednesday, is about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive. The majority of the route was via two lane local roads that were very curvy and frequent elevation changes.

We finally arrived at Montana De Fuego, the resort. Located at the base of the Arenal volcano (active) it is made up of small to medium size bungalos made for two to six people. Ours had a small enclosed porch at the entrance with enough space for a couple rocking chairs and a smal table. The back porch was only 5 X 6 but it is good for viewing the local wildlife.

After settling in we headed down to the resturant for dinner and then a quick stop at the main desk to check on activities for tomorrow. We’ll have 10 – 15 pictures daily that will give you an idea of what we’re seeing and doing.

In just less than 36 hours we’ll be on a plane to Costa Rica for a week long holiday. I think the last time I was on vacation for a week was Hawaii. Not to sure about the internet access down there but it will be a good excuse to try out the gps on the Nokia N810. Hope to have plenty of things to write about and pics too.