I’ve just decided that the best part of traveling is the planning. At least, that’s how I feel about Costa Rica. I have the usual travel anxieties, but looking at possibilities on my computer in the safety of my bedroom is divine. What’s even nicer about it is that I’m not the one to be doing all the research. Molly is taking care of most of that. All I have to do is respond, “That sounds like fun” (or the opposite). She’s the one who suggested I go to La Fortuna/Arenal on my own.
It was her Internet exploration that led to the discovery of the tree house in Manzanillo.
And then there’s the e-mail I just got from her, in which she proposes a day-trip on the Rio Pacuare (“one of the ten best rafting rivers in the world,” according to somebody). The tour company would pick us up in Puerto Viejo, drive us to Turrialba, throttle us down class III and IV rapids (with names I don’t like, such as Pinball and Magnetic Rock), and then lead us to another shuttle that takes us to our hotel near the airport in San José so I can fly out the next day. Now, wouldn’t that be fun?
I said in my last post that I wouldn’t deluge you with details of my trip until they became a reality, but I’ve changed my mind. Here are some of the possibilities of things to do while in Arenal, which will be rainy every day:
- Horseback riding
- La Caterata de la Fortuna (waterfall)
- Arenal hanging bridges
- Canyoning (rappelling down a waterfall)
- Nighttime jungle hike
As far as what to do during the Molly-portion of the trip, that’s in her head, not mine. For that, you’ll have to wait, if you can bear it.
It’s so FUN to plan this out with us both!
I’m excited to hear what you end up doing in Arenal (I still vote for at least one hot spring, in addition to your options above), and so glad you’re going there all by yourself like a very big girl.