Costa Rica – Coast to Coast

Our hotel – Arenal Backpackers’ Resort – picked us up at the airport for $60/pp. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s our first day here, and the Grayline and Interbus shuttles were leaving about 10 minutes after we landed. I didn’t want to be stranded in San Jose so I made the arrangements for the hotel transfer.
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James and I slept in until 8 today and were very thankful we picked the 11am tour instead of the 7am tour. I wanted to see if the volcano was totally visible (we could only see the bottom last night) and ran out on the balcony to check. Sure enough, there it was:

I feel so fortunate to have seen Arenal in all of her glory…I’ve read many posts from people who didn’t see the whole volcano once…even over a period of a few days. The lava flow was not on our side of the volcano, but seeing the top made up for that! 🙂

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After the hot, dusty roads, we were craving the cool water of the pool. We headed down, grabbed a few Imperials, and read for a while in the sun. Jay and Andrea (our new Canadian friends) came down a bit later, and the four of us started talking. They were only staying in La Fortuna one more night and were then heading to the Pacific coast somewhere. We discovered that we were on the same flight to San Jose, were all ending the trip in Puerto Viejo, and were on the same flight back to Charlotte on the 17th.

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We had to wake up earlier than we wanted today and the excitement of a new adventure kept me up most of the night. We had to be ready by 6:30am, which meant waiting for 30 minutes for the bus. I’m not really sure why they wanted us there 30 minutes before the bus even showed up, but okay. Andrea and Jay were feeling a bit rough from a late night by the pool with other new friends, but were still in good spirits. Here are some photos of the hotel, and waiting for the bus. 🙂

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I woke up first today and decided to go out to the pool. It was already blazing hot at 9am, but I was craving a cappuccino. The hotel office sold them for about 750 colones (about $1.50 USD) and it was great. I talked to one of the girls in the office, who recommended we go to Playa Carrillo, which is the next beach over. I went back to the pool to read and get some sun, then cooled off a bit in the water.

Jay and Andrea came out and said the hotel served free continental breakfast, so I dried off and went to the room to see if James was awake. He was already ready, so we went to the outdoor restaurant for breakfast. It consisted of rice and beans, eggs, stale white bread, juice, and coffee. It was much, much better than a typical US hotel continental breakfast, I do know that!

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I searched for sea shells while everyone else got some sun…we swam and walked, and just enjoyed the gorgeous day and clear, beautiful water. Around 3pm, we decided to head back and try to find something to eat and/or drink. While I absolutely LOVE the fact that there are no hotels or restaurants or bars to detract from the beauty of Carrillo, I was really, really thirsty too. 🙂

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I woke up first again (I’ve always been a morning person) and went to the ATM and store to get some things for the trip. I discovered the best cookies ever.

I wish I would have had my camera with me…all the school children were walking down the street in their uniforms and looked so cute. The public schools system requires uniforms, and from what many have told us, the uniforms are welcomed. The children don’t have to deal with class systems – at least not by who has the most expensive jeans or shoes – and they can focus on school work. I think it’s great.

One thing I’ve been craving is ICE COLD WATER…so I also bought a bag of ice for our Nalgene bottles – it was going to be a lonnnnng day.
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After Leo dropped us off at Banana Azul, Colin showed us around the property a bit and introduced us to Roberto. Andrea and Jay were staying at Casa Barbara down the road, so they went to settle in and shower while James and I also showered and got ready for dinner. A taxi picked us up and we were ready for our first night in the Caribbean!
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I woke up early to write a bit in my journal and read. Colin had told us that coffee started around 7am and breakfast would be ready around 8am, so I had some coffee and sat in one of the chairs by the turtle pond. The birds were very active and their sounds alternated between squawking and singing. The ocean breeze was wonderful and hearing the waves made me feel so peaceful. Jay and Andrea found their way back for breakfast and James was soon up and about, so the four of us went upstairs to eat. Colin and Roberto employ a lovely woman named Cleaver who cooks breakfast and cleans the guest houses. She’s a great cook and we had a big plate of rice mixed with eggs, vegetables, and bacon, amazing homemade bread, homemade granola and yogurt, fresh fruit, and jams. The pineapple jelly is definitely my new favorite! Nearly everything was purchased or made locally, and we were all stuffed.

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I think they deserve their own post. They definitely enhanced our stay at Banana Azul…they were all so sweet and their presence made us feel more secure. Here they are…
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