Arenal Volcano

Last week in between the surf competition craziness we took a trip through the countryside to Arenal Volcano with Melissa and Bryan, of course. Arenal is one of seven active volcanoes in Costa Rica and last erupted in 1968. The drive took a little over 4 hours, stopping along the way to eat some comida tipica. Along the way we saw how beautiful Costa Rica is outside of Jaco and also passed through a few cool little towns. Driving through the cloud forrest on a winding road was quite and adventure, luckily we were not driving. One of the bridges we drove over literally looked like it was about to fall into the water below with huge potholes on either side but when we looked over and saw a long flowing waterfall surrounded by lush green trees, you seem to forget about the bridge that may collapse under you. Unfortunately once we got closer to Arenal the rain picked up and it became gray and overcast. We arrived at Los Lagos, a hotel, spa and resort that sits at the base of the volcano, for lunch and some relaxation in the hot springs. Unfortunately we only caught a glimpse of the volcano in between rain storms/clouds. The grounds of Los Lagos was amazing, hot springs, water slides, swim-up bars, a butterfly farm, turtles, crocs, waterfalls, water slides and amazing views!
We spent several hours relaxing in the natural hot springs, with a swim-up bar of course and flying down the water slides. The combination of the cold rain and the hot water was fantastic. Also on our trip was a wonderful Iranian family (the father and 3 grown children) and an Argentian couple and their two children that we spent part of the day with. After leaving the resort, disappointed in not seeing the volcano, we stopped at Lake Arenal for some photos, before going to dinner and heading back to Jaco. The drive home seemed to take forever, through the hills, rain and cloud forrest. It was a long day filled with lots of driving and we didn't even see the volcano, but it was all worth it!