Day 1 Monteverde

4 pm local time.Yesterday we drove the short distance then walked on the old larva fields at the base oif the mountain, and learned more about it from the guide. Arenal is very active but unpredictable, currently spilling larva and building a cone but on the other side of the mountain top so out of view. The mountain needs a ring road so you can get around it, but it is forbidden to climb on the mountain or to fly around it because the terrain, weather, and intermittant but sometimes violent eruptions are considered too high risk. Personally I disagree, but risk aversion must have reached Costa Rica. The larva fields are boulder covered, being a steeped sided cone rocks tend to reach the bottom and must make an impressive sight careering dowwn the slops, still red hot. They are dark with iron content, and extremely rough and abrasive with their gas content which froths the rock up as it is ejected. On the way down we saw a small, bright yellow snake, coiled and sitting on a limb. Highly agressive and venomous we were told, and we had to keep 3 m distance. None of us initially saw it for all the world it might have been another fallen leaf. The story is that it likes to position itself in flowering shrubs and whach hummingbirds that come to feed.
After the walk we visited the Tabacon hot springs, several streams in a valley with the mountain at the top. There are areas of hot ground rocks, so these strams heat to various degrees - they are not sulphurous ground water. The facility has both areas of natural stream, in the bush, then fancy pools at the bottom with a poolside bar and restaurant. We spaked happily in the water sipping another cocktail, and admiring the views up onto the mountain very nearby. Lighting started as it got dark, then we had an excellent meal and drove home as rain started to get serious. In the night we had the brightest lightening, loudest thunder and heaviest rain we have experienced probably anywhere. We sat in bed with the blinds open on the sliding door, lightening flahes almost dazzling us. We had all the electrics off but our room lights flickered with the waves of electric charge in the storm. It was a splendid sleeping night with the sound of heavy rain. Next day you wouldnt know it had even happened. If we had that rain at home tghere would be chaos.
Today we drove from Arenal to Monteverde, a seeming short distance but a 3.5 hr drive in a van with 3 young spaniards, from Valencia. The driver was excellent as soon as he knew we were intereted he was on the lookout for wildlife and found us first a 3 toed sloth, then some howler monkeys, all at roadside. WE had good views of both and loved every second of it, getting some photos to show you. The sloth has a shaggy coat, like an old fur rug in the worst of repairs and needing urgent throwing out. Its face was small and round, flushed pink with embarrassment at being seen in that state. The three clawws were long and visible, pale coloured hooks to grasp with. The howlers are called "Congo" by the locals. We saw one large male sitting in a roadside tree, who turned his suprising dark round eyes on us. Over the next few minutes other monkeys moved - thats how you can spot them the foliage moves- and soon we were looking at a troop of about 8 includings some wee fellas. They werent 100% about us walking below them and a couple of times burst into very loud and gruff "huff huff" noises. Yahoo we thought.
Our trip took us round to the back of Lake Arenal, with dwellings all the way. There a real estate boom going on as outsiders buy in and build, for lake and mountain views. Its very pretty and charming. We climbed away from the lake and started ascending, with very windy roads reflecting this steep gullied terrain Ii mentioned previously. All the way to Monteverde there were homes, initially local famers running cattle on hill pasture with bush filled gullies, then higher (and wetter) it was into coffe plantaions; neat rows of dark bushes often on quite steep hillsides, with forested areas on shaded slopes. The occasional small towns of a few more buildings were very cute with their narrow roads, people on horerseback and motorbikes, but obviously indigenous families.As we climbed higher the road deteriorated and the forest was starting to impose more. We reached the township of We did get into the forest, which smells wet, is just what you expect alush tropical forest to be like, is ringinmg with strange bird call, and mysteriously lit with the mist that continually drifts through in wreaths. We loved the atmosphere of it and hopefully will see a lot more tomorrow. However a large fly started locating us and my bare legs, and one went undetected for a few seconds, biting a chunk out of me and drawing blood. Well f that we thought, time to go home. About then a thunder roll cmae through and a few spots of rain started. We now know what that means, not a passing shower but the onset of torrential rain. We were on the money and got to walk home for 3 kms of it, but through gorgeaous bush which glistened as the rain pounded down, It is still bucketing down so Thank you for the emails we have been getting, we love having the contact and sorry I have not responded as yet. These places have time limits so I am focussing on the blog comments but I will write back when I can.
All well this end, lol, sx