June+30,+2011

June 30, 2011 We had an early start (530 AM). We had to have the luggage down at the bus and then we ate breakfast. Had our first meal with rice and beans along with eggs and fresh fruits (pineapple, watermelon and papaya). Everyone tried something! They are super about experiencing new things. We drove through the busy city streets with our driver for the week (George). We have decided that he is quite good because he was able to maneuver the bus over open man-holes and potholes. Costa Rica is very interesting but not really 3rd world. Most of the homes are neat but made of cement block with a metal roof. It is common to see iron fences everywhere - a European style.

Our first stop was the Biodiversity Institute. We were the first group of the day. Before we toured their gardens/displays (former coffee plantation) we were shown a Map program that explained some folklore that accompanied all the CR National parks. It is amazing how much of CR is actually parkland. They have all but three of the world’s biomes here since there is so much country in the hills and mountains. The trade winds bring most of the weather from the east so the east coast tends to be more rainy (by very little). At the Biodiversity Park we got to see many rainforest species including butterflies, tree frogs and snakes. We also saw their whitetailed deer (goat sized) and some ducks and iguanas. Some of the group got to see spiders too. The next thing we did was travel up 7000 ft to the top of an active volcano, Poas. We had to hike about 300 meters to the overlook. From our overlook, we stared down into the mouth of an active volcano. There was a murky pool of steaming water on top with occasional belches of steam. We once even saw a small “explosion” that gurgled out of the greenish grey water. Of course the smell of sulfur was very prevalent, which explains why so few species of plants could survive around the rim of the volcano. On our hike back to the bus, Mario explained about some of the flora in the area and we saw some hummingbirds too.

From the volcano, we had a LONG drive to the Arsenal area (more volcanoes). In route we stopped to see a oxen wagon wheel maker/artisan. All the tools were run by a water wheel. It was amazing to watch how the shop worked. We also had time to shop in the gift store. It was hard to choose between all the nice items.

We arrived in the Arsenal area after dark (the sun sets much earlier here since we are in the tropics). We eat dinner in a lovely open-aired restaurant at the hotel during a deluge of rain/thunder. We then found our rooms and settled in for the night.