Family Trip Part 1

My dad, sister and niece Carlee came for a visit this month!!! I picked them up in San Jose and the next day we took off for Arenal (one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world, the WORLD people). This was my fourth trip to Arenal and I was FINALLY able to see the volcano which was spectacular. Not only did the clouds move so we could see the volcano, we also saw it erupt... not like hot lava flowing erupt, just a little puff of smoke out of the top...but that still counts!

Upon arrival to La Fortuna, the small town at the base of the volcano, we checked into our hotel and headed out for our first adventure, a hanging bridge tour. Hanging bridges are exactly what they sound like, bridges suspended in air hanging over the canopy of the rain forest. We didn't see any crazy fun wildlife of anything but we managed to have a great time anyway! The hike was a bit much for Jax but he persevered.

After the bridges, we headed back to town, grabbed some ice cream and chilled at the hotel for the evening. The next day we woke up and waited for our ride. We took a "jeep boat jeep" tour to Monteverde (the cloud forest...go there, its awesome). To get there one does not want to drive as the roads are beyond horrible. The jeep is actually a van, which transports you to the lake, where you transfer over to a boat that takes you across the lake to another van, which then makes the final trip up up up the mountain to Monteverde. The whole process is about four hours.

The road up to Monteverde is treacherous at best. If its not the giant pot holes making you bounce out of your seat, its the steep drop off that will send you plummeting to your death if you edge any closer to the side of the road. The ride however, is totally worth it just for the view. This is what they call the "Swiss Alps of the Americas" (b/c Costa Rica is still in America people, as is Canada, Mexico and all the way down to the very very bottom of South America...so stop saying "Were American" b/c so is everyone else, okay off my soap box)... it's beautiful.

Once in Monteverde we chilled at the hotel, my sister and I drank some beers while the kids swam, and we had a great dinner with live music at the hotel. The next morning we got up and went to the Train Forest, which is really cool train ride taking you thru the rain forest, stopping at a look out point where you can hike around, have some coffee and hot chocolate, stretch your legs, etc... This was a blast. After our train ride it was time for lunch and back down the mountain to return via the Jeep Boat Jeep to Arenal to get the car and head home.

The trip home wasn't our best travel experience since Jax gets car sick... As we were headed around and around super curvy roads I knew his barf session was imminent... he managed to hold out until we stopped to take a photo of the sunset...poor kid.

On the hanging bridge hike...

Small waterfall on our bridge hike...

Family photo

While driving to Arenal we went thru a small town in the middle of a parade. There were several Ox Carts decked out like this one, it was a spectacular sight!

Grandpa and the kids

Me and the Pops.

Arenal Volcano - view from center of La Fortuna. As we were eating lunch everyone in the restaurant ran out to take photos!

Great view from our hotel.

Lake view

Coffee fields on the way up the mountain.

Coffee Beans.

Ready for our train ride!!! Chugga chugga choo choo!!

Jaxon and Carlee

Me and Jax posing with the train.

Sunset over Lake Arenal. I am super talented and was totally multitasking taking this photo while trying to comfort Jaxon and he hurled onto the road and again in the bushes!

Part two coming soon...