I had always wanted to go to Costa Rica.  Several years ago, a co-worker of mine had told me about a trip to Costa Rica and how much he fell in love with the place. Now his girlfriend’s family has a business there and he travels there almost every other month to visit. The stories he told and photos he shared of Costa Rica really peaked my interest and placed it high on my bucket list.

Costa Rica’s unofficial slogan is “Pura Vida” which means Pure Life. Costa Rica is mostly a rural country, decorated with tropical rainforests. Biologically, Costa Rica might be one of the richest places on earth where you can find some of the greenest vegetation, as well as hundreds of species of birds and other wildlife. The beauty of this country is the peacefulness of the people. My experience is that the “Ticos” (locals) were very warm and welcoming with a laid back type of lifestyle.

It was the summer of 2011 and I had just returned from Greece. I took a trip to Barnes and Noble and bought Frommer’s guide to Costa Rica and started thinking about my next trip. I looked online, searched through pictures on the Internet and found travel blogs about Costa Rica. It looked so lush, green and beautiful and the idea of wandering through a rainforest really excited me. I love animals and wildlife and I dreamt about the day that I would come face to face with a sloth or a monkey.

In 2011, a friend of mine Joe who was a commercial airline pilot and I were sharing travel stories.  One of the things we had in common was a desire to travel. He traveled many times for work, but typically on the east coast of the US.  One of the great benefits of a commercial pilot is the ability to fly to different places around the world for next to nothing.   I remember sharing stories of places we had been and places we wanted to travel. One of the places we talked about was Costa Rica. We then decided to plan a trip together.

Joe had travel connections so I allowed him to make the hotel reservations as long as we were able to visit the places I wanted and included some of the activities I like. I enjoy staying in nice hotels, but honestly when I travel; I spend very little time in the hotel and prefer being out seeing the country or city. As long as the hotel is clean, safe and provides good service, I may skip on some of the amenities. Joe on the other hand, liked things first class so we came to a compromise. We found that October is the rainy season in Costa Rica and hotels are very reasonably priced and have off-peak rates. We had decided on visiting three different areas in the week we were in Costa Rica:  La Fortuna/Arenal, Montverde Cloud Forest and Manuel Antonio National Park.

We left Fort Lauderdale on Friday morning, October 7^th to fly in to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Upon Landing, we retrieved our luggage and headed to rent a car for the trip. Little did we know what the excitement and danger of renting and driving a car in Costa Rica would be like. We rented a JEEP 4×4 as we were warned that many of the roads were not completely paved and a four-wheel drive was recommended. The Jeep was a manual transmission as were most of the car options we had. There were no bells and whistles in the car, no navigation systems. Just a shell, air conditioning and tires. Now, I personally am not a huge fan of driving to begin with. I always said that when I hit millions, the first thing I would do is hire a driver. I am not a bad driver but when given the opportunity, I prefer to be a passenger. With that being said, Joe would be the sole driver on our trip and I would do my best to navigate as we headed north through potholes and roads temporarily closed due to landslides and of course dealing with maniac drivers.

La Fortuna is approximately 90 miles from San Jose. In the United States, you would guess that is about an hour and a half drive.   In Costa Rica, depending on traffic and road conditions, 90 miles means about three and a half hours. The attendant at the car rental kiosk gave us directions on how to get to La Fortuna. I had a map from my handy Frommer’s guide, but unfortunately, with no street signs, it is somewhat difficult to figure out where you would turn or what road you are on. I remember asking a local (they call them Ticos) directions where our hotel was and the response was “It is fifty meters north of the bank”. I should have remembered to pack a compass.

After about a four-hour drive, Joe and I stopped in La Fortuna for a quick bite to eat and to pick up some drinks before we headed to Arenal. We stopped at a small restaurant next to a market. We had ordered traditional Spanish dishes – Pollo (Chicken) and casado (which is rice and beans mixed together). Casado is a staple item with most meals in Costa Rica, not much different than the traditional Spanish meal you might get in South Florida.

After lunch, we headed to Arenal, which is just northwest of La Fortuna and home to the Arenal Volcano. Arenal is an active volcano and on a clear night, you might see the tip of Arenal if the lava is flowing. At the base of Arenal is a series of natural hot springs. We were staying at the Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal resort. The resort was definitely one of the first class accommodations available in La Fortuna. The grounds were green, lush and scattered with a variety of tropical vegetation. I was impressed that the hotel encouraged their guests to be “carbon neutral” and was actively involved in various local conservation programs. The weather was wet and cloudy, and although our room faced the volcano, we were unable to see the peak the first day we were there. The pool area was large and had a swim up bar. Next to the pool was the spa where you could get a massage after visiting the hot springs or hiking through the rainforest. The hotel had a restaurant in which the food was extremely good. It was however pretty expensive and in the future I would recommend finding a place in La Fortuna for dinner and drinks.

The next day, Joe and I took a hike through Arenal National Park. We had packed water, nuts, dried fruit and various snacks to keep our energy level high in a backpack and had our cameras ready for a sloth sighting.   On this particular day, the weather was warm so we wore shorts and light clothing. The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous day. You cannot actually hike up Arenal Mountain, as it is too dangerous when the volcano is active. Arenal National Park does however, have trails through the forest and over old lava flows.  The forrest was amazing. Ton’s of birds, plants.   There were hanging bridges and tunnels. I am afraid of heights but you cannot resist a walk out on to the hanging bridge to see what is below and around you. That was the easy part of the day.  Now Florida is typically flat, with not a lot of hills. I have hiked many times before during trips to the mountains so when we discussed hiking through Arenal Park, I did not hesitate or worry this would be above my skill level. Climbing through and over volcanic boulders for several hours however , I realized I was not in the shape I used to be.  The view of the Volcano was awesome nonetheless.

In the evening, we chose to visit the hot springs. The hot springs charged a small entrance fee, however because we were staying at the resort, we were able to go for free. There were areas of the hot springs that were warmer than others. The closer to the volcano, the hotter the springs were.  The floor of the hot spring is soft and feels muddy if you are not used to it.   In the center was a large pool. Off to the side was a stronger stream that flowed over a waterfall, which gave an amazing shoulder massage when you sat under it. You also have a great view of the volcano. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting in a hot spring, drink in hand, while receiving a heated natural massage from the waterfall while viewing the volcano.

We did not get to see the lava flow, as the volcano was not active while we were there. We did however get a good view of the tip. The hike through Arenal National Park is a must do, but the hot springs was the definitely the highlight of those few days in Arenal.

The next day we were headed off for our drive to Montverde.