Gonecruisin
novice
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2008
We never made it to a traditional Soda Never had the time. They get rave reviews though.
Day Five
The day dawned bright once again but the volcano was still under a cloak of clouds. It seemed like we were just not destined to get a good view of it.
I set about taking some pictures of the lovely grounds - this really was a pretty tranquil hotel.
La Chica and I were watching a large flock of white birds descend on the pond area behind our room when we spied this
The clouds around the volcano had dropped and formed what looked like a snow cap but those are clouds. It happened so fast - one minute cloud covered, then next this. We were grateful to get a near perfect, if unusual, view of the volcano and kept an eye on it as we headed off to breakfast.
Breakfast today was heuvo rancheros spicy goodness. And of course, some rice & beans and plantains. A slice of some sort of local cheese on top. The bowl holds some watery oatmeal - they tend to put brown sugar in it which I found odd and too sweet. The pretty colored glasses held a thin type of yogurt that you drink rather than eat. It was flavored though I forget which flavors, it was good. A side of pineapple and papaya and some good strong local coffee The breakfast of champions! The food so far has been very good.
Just as La Chica and I were settling in to feast, this appeared and had everyone buzzing.
A picture perfect view of the volcano! Something that hadn't been seen in weeks. That's smoke coming out of the top not clouds. We reveled in our good fortune even if the volcano had mostly been built up to be more than what we encountered. It still had the feel of one of those moments brought to you by magic - sort of like "The volcano hasn't made appearances for weeks now but because you are on a ABD, we have this special treat to eat your beans and rice by."
But we couldn't linger too long because today was white water rafting day! I was looking forward to being cool if even for a little while. We stopped at the headquarters before heading up to the river. This is also where we would return to eat lunch. Lunch was supposed to happen on the banks of the Tenorio River I'm not sure why this didn't happen but lunch here was fine too.
It was a nice restaurant and the food was fine. They showed some pictures of our rafting trip while we ate which was entertaining and fun. My camera is not waterproof so I don't have any pictures of the actual trip yet. It was basically a mild but warm river with an occasional smallish rapid. Nothing too scary. The boats held about 4 guests and a guide. They ran out of oars so not everyone had one for example on my boat only the guide and the front two people had oars. The back two people got a free ride This was the case for most of the boats. Not a big deal, the guide could pretty much manage the boat on his own anyway and we took turns sitting up front but ... I don't know ... shouldn't a white water rafting outfit have enough oars for everyone?
The rafting itself was fun though. Our guide was hilarious, capable and the best part of the excursion. I wished I had thought to bring some money (in my bathing suit? lol) to tip him but it hadn't occurred to me. We saw many animals along the way - even a cow! - and while the day was very hot once again, the water was nice and I had a great time.
At the end, we met in a small patio area for fruit and drinks. There was a bathroom for people to change into dry clothes but there was no running water to flush toilets or wash We then had a long l o n g hot drive back to the bus. If people weren't complaining about the change of plans for lunch, lack of oars, the lack of water by now well, they were certainly complaining about this ride. It was hot and dusty and bumpy and the kids were melting and I had never been so happy to see Jorge and our bus!
We went back for lunch which as I said was pleasant and then settled in for a ride to our next destination - Villas Sol Hotel & Resort. We were running late again. We arrived at the hotel after dark. We were met by the pool with delicious fruit drinks and a lovely view but most people were too tired to enjoy either.
This was Kids dinner and a movie night but I was told the kids all fell asleep as soon as the movie started. La Chica and I weren't even hungry. We had a cocktail by the deserted pool, a relaxing swim and then headed off to bed.
Day Five
The day dawned bright once again but the volcano was still under a cloak of clouds. It seemed like we were just not destined to get a good view of it.
I set about taking some pictures of the lovely grounds - this really was a pretty tranquil hotel.
La Chica and I were watching a large flock of white birds descend on the pond area behind our room when we spied this
The clouds around the volcano had dropped and formed what looked like a snow cap but those are clouds. It happened so fast - one minute cloud covered, then next this. We were grateful to get a near perfect, if unusual, view of the volcano and kept an eye on it as we headed off to breakfast.
Breakfast today was heuvo rancheros spicy goodness. And of course, some rice & beans and plantains. A slice of some sort of local cheese on top. The bowl holds some watery oatmeal - they tend to put brown sugar in it which I found odd and too sweet. The pretty colored glasses held a thin type of yogurt that you drink rather than eat. It was flavored though I forget which flavors, it was good. A side of pineapple and papaya and some good strong local coffee The breakfast of champions! The food so far has been very good.
Just as La Chica and I were settling in to feast, this appeared and had everyone buzzing.
A picture perfect view of the volcano! Something that hadn't been seen in weeks. That's smoke coming out of the top not clouds. We reveled in our good fortune even if the volcano had mostly been built up to be more than what we encountered. It still had the feel of one of those moments brought to you by magic - sort of like "The volcano hasn't made appearances for weeks now but because you are on a ABD, we have this special treat to eat your beans and rice by."
But we couldn't linger too long because today was white water rafting day! I was looking forward to being cool if even for a little while. We stopped at the headquarters before heading up to the river. This is also where we would return to eat lunch. Lunch was supposed to happen on the banks of the Tenorio River I'm not sure why this didn't happen but lunch here was fine too.
It was a nice restaurant and the food was fine. They showed some pictures of our rafting trip while we ate which was entertaining and fun. My camera is not waterproof so I don't have any pictures of the actual trip yet. It was basically a mild but warm river with an occasional smallish rapid. Nothing too scary. The boats held about 4 guests and a guide. They ran out of oars so not everyone had one for example on my boat only the guide and the front two people had oars. The back two people got a free ride This was the case for most of the boats. Not a big deal, the guide could pretty much manage the boat on his own anyway and we took turns sitting up front but ... I don't know ... shouldn't a white water rafting outfit have enough oars for everyone?
The rafting itself was fun though. Our guide was hilarious, capable and the best part of the excursion. I wished I had thought to bring some money (in my bathing suit? lol) to tip him but it hadn't occurred to me. We saw many animals along the way - even a cow! - and while the day was very hot once again, the water was nice and I had a great time.
At the end, we met in a small patio area for fruit and drinks. There was a bathroom for people to change into dry clothes but there was no running water to flush toilets or wash We then had a long l o n g hot drive back to the bus. If people weren't complaining about the change of plans for lunch, lack of oars, the lack of water by now well, they were certainly complaining about this ride. It was hot and dusty and bumpy and the kids were melting and I had never been so happy to see Jorge and our bus!
We went back for lunch which as I said was pleasant and then settled in for a ride to our next destination - Villas Sol Hotel & Resort. We were running late again. We arrived at the hotel after dark. We were met by the pool with delicious fruit drinks and a lovely view but most people were too tired to enjoy either.
This was Kids dinner and a movie night but I was told the kids all fell asleep as soon as the movie started. La Chica and I weren't even hungry. We had a cocktail by the deserted pool, a relaxing swim and then headed off to bed.