San Jose and La Fortuna
As the American lads were leaving we decided a night out was in order so after dinner headed out to El Pueblo. El Pueblo is a complex of more than 100 bars, clubs, restaurants, art galleries and shops. It was pretty quiet early on as it was a Thursday night but a couple of the clubs got busier later on and because we were a big mixed group one place let us in free - quality.
Got up next day with a bit of a fuzzy head and had a stinking bag of laundry to deal with (remember the Volcano walk from Phil versus the Volcano?) After attending to that I joined Liz and Caroline who were going to an out of town shopping centre. I left the girls to shop and just wandered around - it was pretty strange to be somewhere so Americanised and you could really see the gap between Costa Ricas rich and poor.
That day I met my new room mate - Wayne a lad from Australia (G'day if your reading this!). We went out for a few beers and a bite to eat and ended up in a strange restaurant.
Next day we set out bright and early for La Fortuna.
La Fortunas main attraction is the nearby active Volcano - Arenal, which has been constatntly erupting since 1968.
When we arrived we set straight out to the Hot Springs (Baldi Springs) which had loads of different pools some of which were so hot you couldn't even dip your toe in them. My favourite pool was one with built in loungers under the water. There was also a swim up bar which we figured it would be rude not to take advantage of...
After the springs we headed up to a viewing point overlooking the volcano - the volcano had been in cloud most of the afternoon so we didn't hold out much hope. As we could see nothing from the viewing point we decided to go and have some grub and see if the cloud would clear. We had seats outside and during the meal the clouds cleared and we had quite a good view although the volcano was quite a way off. The best way to describe it is like fireworks as it flares up and the molten lava crashes down the side of the volcano.
Ended the day with a few more beers in a bar accross from the hotel - the bar was actually up in the roof of a restaurant and we followed the music to find it. The roof stands out from any point in town as it looks well out of place - it was originally wood but they have covered it in reflective metal.
Next day, Fathers Day, watched some football Brasil v Austalia and took it easy. That night we decided to do a night time volcano walk to get a closer look. We had an American guide who knew his stuff (and he'd heard of Sunderland - it was his brother-in-laws surname) - on the way to the start of the walk we stopped to see some Howler Monkeys in the trees over the road. The guide told us lots about the plants and trees as well as the best way to spot the animals and birds. On the walk we saw a Toucan, more monkeys and a Two Toed Sloth - it was really hard to spot and although you could see it through the scope the pictures I got weren't too good. The walk ended at a viewing point overlooking the Volcano - it was much closer than where we had been the previous night - the view was spectacular and you could hear the volcanic rocks crackling and crashing down the side of the Volcano. The guide had brought a cooler and made us all a very alcholic volcanic cocktail which we sipped whilst watching the action.
The volcano was very hard to take pictures of with my camera because of the light and distance so if anyone got any good shots they want to share it would be nice to get some up on this blog.
We came down and met up with the rest of the group and headed out for food. After dinner some of us headed to the local pool hall - well at first it seemed to be strictly locals only, but they cleared a table for us. After a couple of games we cleared out back to the local bar which was the only place open - we could hear the terrible ear piercing Karaoke from down the street and it didn't get any better. An American lad (not with us) got up to do a Michael Jackson number but it was painful as he was the worst dancer but insisted on showing us his moves even though half the bar couldn't see him - sit down!
Got up next day with a bit of a fuzzy head and had a stinking bag of laundry to deal with (remember the Volcano walk from Phil versus the Volcano?) After attending to that I joined Liz and Caroline who were going to an out of town shopping centre. I left the girls to shop and just wandered around - it was pretty strange to be somewhere so Americanised and you could really see the gap between Costa Ricas rich and poor.
That day I met my new room mate - Wayne a lad from Australia (G'day if your reading this!). We went out for a few beers and a bite to eat and ended up in a strange restaurant.
Next day we set out bright and early for La Fortuna.
La Fortunas main attraction is the nearby active Volcano - Arenal, which has been constatntly erupting since 1968.
When we arrived we set straight out to the Hot Springs (Baldi Springs) which had loads of different pools some of which were so hot you couldn't even dip your toe in them. My favourite pool was one with built in loungers under the water. There was also a swim up bar which we figured it would be rude not to take advantage of...
After the springs we headed up to a viewing point overlooking the volcano - the volcano had been in cloud most of the afternoon so we didn't hold out much hope. As we could see nothing from the viewing point we decided to go and have some grub and see if the cloud would clear. We had seats outside and during the meal the clouds cleared and we had quite a good view although the volcano was quite a way off. The best way to describe it is like fireworks as it flares up and the molten lava crashes down the side of the volcano.
Ended the day with a few more beers in a bar accross from the hotel - the bar was actually up in the roof of a restaurant and we followed the music to find it. The roof stands out from any point in town as it looks well out of place - it was originally wood but they have covered it in reflective metal.
Next day, Fathers Day, watched some football Brasil v Austalia and took it easy. That night we decided to do a night time volcano walk to get a closer look. We had an American guide who knew his stuff (and he'd heard of Sunderland - it was his brother-in-laws surname) - on the way to the start of the walk we stopped to see some Howler Monkeys in the trees over the road. The guide told us lots about the plants and trees as well as the best way to spot the animals and birds. On the walk we saw a Toucan, more monkeys and a Two Toed Sloth - it was really hard to spot and although you could see it through the scope the pictures I got weren't too good. The walk ended at a viewing point overlooking the Volcano - it was much closer than where we had been the previous night - the view was spectacular and you could hear the volcanic rocks crackling and crashing down the side of the Volcano. The guide had brought a cooler and made us all a very alcholic volcanic cocktail which we sipped whilst watching the action.
The volcano was very hard to take pictures of with my camera because of the light and distance so if anyone got any good shots they want to share it would be nice to get some up on this blog.
We came down and met up with the rest of the group and headed out for food. After dinner some of us headed to the local pool hall - well at first it seemed to be strictly locals only, but they cleared a table for us. After a couple of games we cleared out back to the local bar which was the only place open - we could hear the terrible ear piercing Karaoke from down the street and it didn't get any better. An American lad (not with us) got up to do a Michael Jackson number but it was painful as he was the worst dancer but insisted on showing us his moves even though half the bar couldn't see him - sit down!
posted by Phil at 7:52 AM
1 Comments:
Alright Boss
You could have given that American fellow your single white glove (See mountain biking blog). That would have made him much better!
I will try and show Stanley and Sheila how to post comments, but I wouldn't hold your breath!
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