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Costa
Rica Adventure
March 5-20, 2005
I learned how to horseback
ride in summer camp when I was about fourteen, but it had been over a decade since
I’d been on a horse. Cathy and I opted to ride to the waterfall near La
Fortuna on horseback, both in order to get used to the riding for the next
day’s trip to Monteverde, and as a way of seeing the waterfall which was
supposed to be spectacular. So after a quick breakfast, we headed to the
stables. Now, the horses for these
rides weren’t wearing comfortable English-style saddles. No, these were old,
Western-style leather saddles that seemed designed to give the rider a sore
backside. We also made the mistake of riding with daypacks. And overnight,
the rainy cool weather had disappeared, giving way to a scorchingly hot sunny
day. The horses themselves were
very docile and seemed to know the route well. We didn’t seem to need to steer or drive or do much except hang
on. For the most part, they walked
and trotted. I tried to post while
trotting, like I’d been taught years ago, for a more comfortable ride. A
couple of times, the horses broke into a gallop, which was fun though my hat
nearly flew off my head a few times.
Horseback riding on the trail to the La Fortuna
waterfall (Photo credit: SHS) The horses seemed to have
favourite spots. Some liked to be out in front. My horse had a strong liking
for the rear end of Cathy’s horse, and also really liked to try to bite other
horses’ necks. I had to give a few sharp tugs on its reins to stop that
practice, something my horse didn’t seem too thrilled about. These horses
definitely had personality. It took a little over an hour
to reach the waterfall. From the top of the trail, we had to hike down a
couple hundred steep stairs cut into the forest to reach the base of the
waterfall. The entire way down, I kept thinking, wow, there’s only one way
up. Yikes!
Stairs down to the La Fortuna waterfall: What goes down
must come up… (Photo credit: SHS) By the time we reached the
waterfall at the bottom, I was too exhausted to really swim or do much
besides wet my toes. It was worth it, though, as the waterfall itself was
beautiful. There were warning signs posted everywhere. One stated simply not
to swim too close to the waterfall itself because of the risk of being pulled
under by the suction. Another more amusing one prohibited “amorous
encounters” at the waterfall.
Cathy and I at the base of the La Fortuna waterfall (Photo credit: SHS) If the hike down was
challenging, it was nothing compared to the climb back up. I kept thinking, okay, I’ll do 40 steps
then rest. Then it was 20. Then 10.
Then 5. It was that hike more
than anything else that made me wish I was more diligent about going to the
gym at home. At any rate, we made it to the top, sweaty and exhausted, and
made a beeline for the little shop to buy cold water. Climbing back on the horse
made me realize how sore I was from the initial ride. The return trip wasn’t
nearly as much fun as the first leg of the ride. However, it was also a bit
shorter, and we returned the horses a bit under an hour later and headed
back. After showering and changing
into shorts, we walked into town for some lunch. Already it was painful to walk or sit, and we were starting to
regret the “pre-ride” ride, since we had no idea how we would get back
on a horse for another three hours the next day. Ah well, the scenery was gorgeous at least. It was a fairly clear day, and
we had the best view yet of Arenal from town. We could see almost the entire peak of the volcano. Arenal is Costa Rica’s most active
volcano. A few decades ago, nobody
knew it was even a volcano; it was thought to be dormant. But in 1968, it
erupted, killing 78 people. Since then, it has been regularly sputtering and
emitting ash and smoke.
Arenal volcano, as seen from La Fortuna (Photo credit: SHS) Mid-afternoon, we departed for
our volcano hike, rescheduled from the previous day. The adventure began
during the drive to the hike, when we stopped several times by the side of
the road, when we saw a sloth, and later a toucan.
Toucan with a beautiful yellow beak and red tail (Photo credit: SHS) You can’t actually hike up Arenal,
since it’s active of course. We went
to a nearby forest where we could walk to a good lookout point to see the
volcano. We hiked through the forest
for a little over an hour, with Alex, our guide, pointing out interesting
trees and plants, including a type of tree that apparently makes monkeys
high. At the end of the hike we
reached the lookout upon the volcano. It had clouded over again, though, so
the view wasn’t as good as it was when we’d set out. Nonetheless, we watched and
waited for it to get dark, hoping to get a glimpse of some lava or ash or
volcanic activity. While we waited,
Alex, our guide, offered us snacks and some kind of alcoholic beverage he
referred to as “lava water”, which was extremely strong. (Alex seemed to
enjoy it more than anyone.) We waited quite a while, and
saw interesting sights including many fireflies and glow-bugs. Unfortunately,
we didn’t see any volcanic lava or ash of any kind. Finally we had to concede
defeat and head back.
Arenal volcano shown on postcards: not quite the
way we saw it (Photo credit: Arenal.net) After returning to town, we
all went out for dinner to a seafood restaurant in La Fortuna, and then made
it an early night. Next: Horseback ride and drive to Monteverde. |
