Nuevo Arenal

I left Tamarindo and headed to Nuevo Arenal.  Susan, my good friend's mom, is house sitting in Costa Rica for a couple of weeks, so I am visiting her for several days.  The planets certainly aligned, because our timing could not have worked out better.

The last few days have been fantastic, and this week is a great transition for me.  I am essentially going from 8 weeks of  routine and being in 1 spot, to several months of being on the move MUCH more often, so stopping in between to visit an old friend has been perfect. PLUS, Susan likes to explore, so we have been enjoying lots of stuff in  the area.

Casa de Susan has also been very relaxing - great views, a cool breeze, a nice pool, and a bird feeder-  yes, a bird feeder!  Sounds cheesy, but I am totally into the birding thing at the moment.  Just sitting on the patio, we have seen all kinds of intereting and colorful birds....birds are neato, in a cool nerdy way......well, at least the birds in Costa Rica.

On an unrelated note, the house has super hot water in the shower, there are fluffy bath towels, I can flush the toilet paper (a rare occurrence in CR), ceiling fans, AND  (drum role, please) a washer and dryer!!  I am in heaven!

We spent the first 2 days hanging out in La Fortuna, near the Arenal Volcano.  We visited natural hot springs, hiked to a giant waterfall where we got to go swimming, and also visited another area where we got to do some waterfall repelling (yet another activity where I somehow end up dropping off a platform, bridge or cliff).......Fun, as always.  I suppose I like dropping off of things (when it's not an accident, of course).

Glad I didn't leave CR without a visit to Arenal!