motogobi

There’s something so very good about putting warm volcanic mud on your sunburn. Oh yes there is.

I put most of the photos from Costa Rica up for you to check out. We went there thinking that we were going to hang out for a couple of days on the beach or by the pool, relax, let the stress of the wedding fall away. The thing was, there wasn’t any stress around the wedding. The wedding was a blast - and fun, and relaxing, and such a great time. So by the time we got to the Grand Papagayo in Costa Rica, we were itching to be on the move again. I learned how to snorkel - and was that guy out in the bay frantically waving at Anna and pointing to all the fish below me in the coral.

The first day we spent teaching me what “all-inclusive” means - the idea of just walking up to a bar, grabbing a drink, and walking away was sort of foreign. Same with the food (which was good, but not native). So we ran into a guy named Erick hawking his tour guide skills on the beach, sort of ignored him, then ran into a couple who had gone with him the day before who recommended him - and hired him for the following day. Much zipline, monkey-spotting, ATV, horseback riding, and volcanic mud bath happiness ensued, punctuated by the hands-down best meal we had while in Costa Rica - traditional rice, beans, chicken, fish, plantains, tortillas… I’m probably something like 57 pounds heavier now.

Then struck out on our own: to Palo Verde National Park, south of Bagaces. Pretty, and boring. I stepped in iguana poo, we saw some pretty birds, and Anna decided to liven things up on the way back by wheeling the BeGo more like the overgrown ATV that it really is. Back to the bar, then.

We got up early the following day and set out for Arenal National Park, about 3 hours away. We got lost three or four times - and always, within a couple of minutes, we had some friendly person ask us if we were lost, sending us on our way with a smile. One of the people who we followed up the mountain road was the owner of a local coffee and macadamia nut plantation. Anna, always one for a nice cup of coffee, was in heaven. I’ve also never been near an active volcano before and was a little unnerved by all the signs telling you to park backed in. So you can pull out faster when the volcano erupts. Um, yeah.

Sitting by Arenal was amazing, peaceful, awe-inspiring. Here is this massive, classic cone-shaped, denuded… well… volcano in front of you. And it’s doing things. You hear this “boom… boom… boom…” and watch car-sized boulders rolling down the hillside for thousands of feet. And every now and then it just makes this massive “WHOOSH!!!” sound like thunder but more drawn out as it vents something. Walking through the forest to the 1992 pyroclastic flow you’re struck by the lush fecundity of the forest, followed by this barren moonscape of strewn pumice rocks. And you’re hearing that rumbling, and the thunder, and you’re making sure you’ve got a good grasp on where your car keys are.

To cap off our trip, we signed up for a rafting trip on the Rio Tenorio, the headwaters of which are in Tenorio Volcano National Park. Jumping in with some British travelers from another hotel, we delighted in how much fun everyone had - even those who took the tour guide’s warnings about crocodiles (too cold for ‘em) and imminent death (the rapids were fun, not terrifying) a little too seriously at first. We like that we can say that we rafted through the rain forest, but really? It was beautiful, and peaceful, and exciting, and we portaged the raft and ran sections again and generally slept like the dead at the end of the day.

I’ve never been to any place tropical and I’d say that I’m hooked. So much was so accessible, and so many people were so nice and helpful. We moved through the countryside with ease, the blur of life and green moving past - sometimes slowly, sometimes with a rush. The pace of life was half-speed, and we eased into that. I find myself already trying to find deals to Cabo San Lucas or Yucatán… more photos to follow, I’m sure.