Pura Vida and Happy Halloween Week! When you don’t have pumpkins, watermelons will do! It has been a super rainy week here in CR, but we still managed to have some great adventures…a little rain never hurt anyone!
One of those days that it was just raining buckets! Can you see the little plants starting to grow on our neighbors roof?
Caught this cute duo trying to catch the rays in between the rain…. if I haven’t mentioned it lately… this picture is my WHY!!!! My two girls just getting to know each other better!
I grew up catching lizards, living on the mountain side of Centerville. Here in CR…the “lizards”, which are everywhere, seem to enjoy the pool area as much as we do! Iguanas are the best! They are fast, can swim, climb trees, jump pretty far, and can get pretty big. The big tree in front of our place just might be an iguana hot spot, as we see them daily climb the big tree, pass each other with little head nods and even jump from limb to limb.
This week’s big adventure took us to La Fortuna in search of this big guy…Arenal Volcano. Located in the north central part of the country, this beautifully shaped volcano was CR’s most active volcano until 2010. But if you look closely you can see the long trails coming down from the top where lava once flowed. The areas around the Arenal have much to offer besides just a pretty site. Mountains to hike, rivers to float, waterfalls to repel, hot springs, and just beautiful little towns full of the kindest people.
Here are a few different pictures of the volcano. Did you know that it is illegal to climb Arenal? But not to worry, there are several trails at the base that lead to an observation point and have some fun surprises on the way.
One of the greatest things to see as you hike around Arenal is the massive trees that adorn the path. Check out the huge and crazy roots that grow partially above ground.
And as if the trees weren’t cool enough, they are all covered in this beautiful, soft moss, and rain droplets.
Along with the thousands of shades of green that I will truly miss here in CR, I LOVE all the flowers and look…are those blue berries…??? I wouldn’t let the kids eat them… something in my head screamed Hunger Games?!
We have seen these leaves a few times now, but they are fascinating! You can see in the first picture, the tiny leaves are all spread out. The second picture you can see what happens if you touch them. They just fold up and become limp as if you just killed the plant. But not to worry, they eventually open back up. It’s the craziest thing. Serious natural entertainment for hours.
This tree is famous on the hike around the volcano. It is ginormous! By far the biggest tree I have ever seen.
As we continued to hike the trails, you could see lots of black, volcanic rock.
When we got to the highest point allowed, we were welcomed with an afternoon shower and lots of fog. You can see the faint outline of the surrounding mountains and Arenal Volcano, hiding in the clouds.
A little lunch made by a local organic farm. They taught us about the foods they grow and even gave us samples and demonstrations on some of the things they are known for.
Of coarse we found the local Panaderia, and yes, you just learn to swim in the rain and love it! Also, found out that Marshall and Kymble did a lot of chess playing on the mission. Good ole “Quarantine Days” led to lots of card games and chess. One old man that Kymble found in a park in Santiago was a chess master. KJ said they had a deal that if he ever beat him in chess, he would have to get baptized. He agreed. Let’s just say that KJ baptized many people, but chess guy was not one of them.
We took the opportunity to run the rapids at La Fortuna. The river was roaring and we had a great guide that helped us navigate the Class 2 and 3 rapids. Don’t mind my face that looks like I am headed to my watery death!
Yes, we all got soaked. No, none of us fell out. Good job us!
This is the Johnson Family 2021Halloween Costume.
It’s a good thing we all have a camera on our phone. Every time I would turn around, there was something beautiful to snap a pic of. Such a COLORFUL COUNTRY!!! “The best camera is the one you have with you.” -Not sure who said this:)
I loved all the farming that blanketed the hills of this beautiful country.
Most towns have a little cemetery. This is typical to what you might see in CR. Some are buried in the ground, but many are not. Boxes stacked on top of each other, perhaps in family groups. People are often buried the day after they die, because there is no embalming process here, unless you pay a large fee that is very uncommon.
Closing out the week with a little homemade Arroz Con Leche (this is commonly sold on the streets by people with little stands of homemade goodies,) and the beautiful church of La Flortuna. Pura Vida Everyone.