It’s about as first world problems as they get, but sitting here in this beachfront resort I find that I really don’t like it much. I’m not sure it is any one thing, more likely it is several taken together that just don’t make it feel right. Everything about it is nice, and there are scores of people (mostly Americans and Canadians) that feel right at home by the pool with their umbrella drinks so it is probably me that is a little broken.

Breakfast is full on resort style and included with our room so we back up the truck like everyone else. Waffles, fruit, omelettes, fresh tortillas, pastries, and more all soon blend into one another as we do our best to make sure we won’t need to buy $22 hamburgers for lunch. I guess that is my biggest beef about the place – that we are completely isolated from anything other than the resort unless we want to fetch the car and weave around 15 minutes worth of potholes to get to the closest shops and restaurants. I don’t have that in me today so we flop down by the pool instead.

By evening people are starting to get a little stir crazy. I’m perfectly content firing up a tasty noodle soup (spicy chicken flavor) and turning in, but my fellow adventurer will have none of it. It takes a little convincing but I finally cave and agree to drive into Tamarindo where we find a nice place on the beach to sit and have dinner.

It is the low season of course, so the beach vendors are still the JV team. There are a group of hippies spinning fire sticks nearby – not the cool fire spinner kind thing you might see in Hawaii or Indonesia, more like the kind of fire spinning you might see if you signed up for a class with a Groupon. Nevertheless, they live in Costa Rica and work on the beach everyday so who’s the idiot here?

Tamarindo is everything our resort is not. There are restaurants everywhere, a much younger crowd of people wandering the streets, and a wide, white sand beach, full of options for activities. It’s possible that it is just as extreme in the opposite direction of where we are staying, but if the opportunity ever presents itself, I think I’d choose to establish base camp here.

This is our last day in Arenal, but before kicking off the 4 hour drive to Guanacaste, we first need to conquer the white water of the Balsa River. Four people just died here rafting, so my fellow adventurer isn’t exactly sold on the idea, but we found the best rated group in La Fortuna and owner has used a little dog fu to put her mind at ease.

The shuttle out to the river takes about 45 minutes, with a brief stop a roadside stand to pick up some snacks. A two-toed sloth has made a comfortable home up in the rafters of the place, although it is perilously close to some wiring that looks not quite up to code and supposedly gets a wake up jolt every once in a while.

Arriving at our launch point, the guides take a moment to explain the rules, check our gear, and figure out which people will go in which raft. Since I am traveling with the most nervous person on the bus, I will be placed in the granny boat with the rest of the noobs.

The river is broken into two sections – the first with class II and III rapids where most of the action will be, and a second, calmer stretch where we’ll get to relax a bit more and look for wildlife. Despite her reservations, my trusty crew mate is a beast with an oar, powering us through the waves with abandon.

Part way through, the non-granny boat hits a rock and nearly flips, tossing nearly everyone into the river. Trailing in behind we paddle over to pick up one of the stragglers. He is grateful for the rescue, flashing a hillbilly smile as we pull him aboard from where he has landed face first on a rock and broken half of his front tooth off.

That is by far the most exciting part of the day, and after a much calmer segment spotting some animals (including a poison dart frog), we are at the end of our adventure. Fears conquered, my brave traveler looks like a new woman.

From here the day takes a much less exciting turn. For the four hours we crawl our way up and over the mountains behind a variety of trucks, tractors, and other excruciatingly slow drivers. We do pass through a large wind farm along the way, and since we are only moving at 12 miles an hour, are able to get some good pictures.

As seems to be our habit, we finally roll into the hotel after dark. It is another resort, although the road into it is easily the worst we have been on. The potholes are not for the faint of heart and once in a while we hit one so hard it feels like the wheels are going to come up through the floorboards.

We have managed to score a upgrade to the Iguana Suite which, as anyone that has travelled with my fellow adventurer knows, makes this the high point of her vacation. For all the smack she talks about roughing it in third-world countries and crapping her brains out after eating street meat, for her, they call it a Heavenly Bed for a reason. She has cocooned herself in the blankets and fallen asleep before I even have a chance to check in back home.

There are no real plans on the agenda for our time here, so over the next few days we’ll see where the winds take us. Given the road in, it’s entirely possible they may take us nowhere.

Another work day for the traveling duo. With a number of conference calls scheduled and a pile of emails to answer there isn’t much exciting to report. We promise to step our game back up tomorrow.

Being so close to an active volcano there are plenty of hot springs in this area, and spending a day just relaxing in the warm water is pretty high on the “must do” list for most visitors. Today is that day for us. There are plenty of options, ranging from a free spot along the river most of the local use, to blinged out resort complexes costing several hundred dollars a night to gain access.

A few nights back, we met a couple from Toronto at dinner who highly recommended the Springs Resort. It sounds like the kind place I would run screaming from – a glance at their website highlights visits by the Kardashians and scenes from The Bachelor – but they swear by a day pass package that combines access to the springs with events such as horseback riding and river tubing (the two we chose from a list of five). So, we’re giving it a shot.

It is a short drive from our hotel and, after checking in, we are loaded up on a bus that will take us down to the Club Rio area of the resort where all of the activities take place. It has a completely different feel than the main building, with hammocks and loungers along the riverbank and a big open air palapa with a restaurant. There are also hot springs nearby so while our initial plan was to finish our activities and catch the bus back up, I think we can hang here for a little while.

First up is horseback riding. My fellow adventurer wasn’t too keen on this event, but it is one of the better options available and she has begrudgingly given in.

During the busy season they go in groups with as many as 18 people, but today there is just two of us and the guide. Before long, we have the horses galloping for short spurts and I swear I hear the sound of a school girl giggling.

The trail takes us through the jungle, up to the top of a hill with great views over the property, and finally (unexpectedly) through the river.

We don’t ride horses a lot, but of the time we have, this has been the most fun, even though I’m sure my ass cheeks will be looking to collect on a debt tomorrow.

Next up is river tubing. Here the bus takes a half mile or so upstream where we start our journey through some mild rapids before doing it all over again a second time. The river gods are not in my corner this day as the current quickly separates me from my float buddy, taking away all opportunity to flip her into the cool water. Even so, slowly drifting down the river, bouncing off of rocks and spinning around makes for a pretty good time, and as we reach the exit point, we’re more than ready to do it again. No waterproof camera though so, unfortunately, no pics.

Our day pass also include lunch, which I fully expect to be some mediocre rice and beans number with a dry piece of grilled chicken. To my pleasant surprise, it is three course affair ordered from a menu, including a great ceviche. For dessert, I go with the gelato (obviously), which shows up in a plastic bag. The waiter explains this is how it is common in Costa Rica and how you would find it in small towns all across the country. To eat, you bite of the end of the bag and then squeeze.

It tastes great but, for the record, I have yet to see ice cream sold in tiny bags in any store we have stopped in, so it is entirely possible I have just been punk’d.

Thoroughly exhausted from allowing horses to carry us around and sitting in rubber tubes we’re in desperate need of a hot soak and head of to the nearby springs. Traveling in November pays out once again as they are virtually empty, allowing us to just relax and look out over the river through the trees.

The Club Rio area closes at 4pm and we push the boundary as much as we can before catching one of the last busses back up the hill. The springs at the main building are open until 10pm and we spend the next several hours giving those a try as well. Pushing 5 hours of sous vide, I feel fork tender all the way through so when the timer goes off, I’m ready to move along.

We make a quick run into town for dinner and to book a whitewater rafting trip for the day after tomorrow and then, despite no really doing anything all day, I’m out like a light by 9:00pm.

Yesterday was about as uneventful as it gets but it did give us the opportunity to catch up on life back home and to recharge our batteries. The rain continued through the night, finally tapering off as we headed out for breakfast. The plan is to hedge our bets today by hiking to a waterfall/swimming hole a few miles out of town. The skies still look angry but with a water activity we’re going to get wet anyway so we’re less concerned with what direction it comes from.

The walk in starts from above the falls, taking us down roughly 400 stairs through the jungle to the base.

There, we actually find two falls, with this one hidden by the trees almost until you are almost next to it.

There are strong currents at the base of the main falls so no swimming permitted there, but we do break for a few pics.

Another 50 yards or so further along, the water quiets down into a nice pool that is perfect for a relaxing dip. The rains start and stop a few times while we’re here, but neck deep in the cool water, we’re indifferent. Of far bigger concern are the looming 400 steps back up to the car…

We do manage to push through, taking breaks along the way to look for wildlife. It is all hidden pretty well from laypeople like us, but we do come across a few cool things like these white tent bats resting together under a leaf.

Next on our agenda is Hanging Bridges Park (which is not so much a park as it is a private tourist attraction). We deferred this from a few days ago hoping for better weather but probably ended up on the wrong side of that one. It is far more overcast as we pay for our tickets and start down the trail, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed the rain will hold off for a little longer.

The hike is a few kilometers, passing over 14 bridges according to the marketing pieces. In practice, a fair number of them are short, simple footbridges, but they don’t say that upfront, focusing instead on the handful of grand suspension bridges high up in the trees.

The first few are pretty fun, but much like temples, by the 3rd or 4th one, they all start to look the same.

Coming as a surprise to absolutely no one, the rain does not wait until we are safely back in our car, instead coming down with a vengeance as we try to find small patches of ground with enough canopy to absorb the worst of it. In a matter of minutes, the trails we are standing on turn into rivers which, in retrospect, make Tevas a poor footwear choice. At least on a suspicion bridge the water doesn’t pool around your feet.

On a sunny day, when the animals are out, Hanging Bridges Park would likely make for a nice outing. I’m sure there are monkeys, sloths, snakes, tarantulas, and all kinds of birds to see both above and below the canopy. On a cloudy, rainy day, it is really just an expensive walk through the trees. Some you win, some you lose.

Wow. Pretty much all day. Can’t say they didn’t warn us though – it’s right there in the name.

We got a good dose of rain overnight, not entirely unexpected given the time of year and how close we are to the rainforest. Nevertheless, the heavy pounding on the metal roof of our cabaña made for some nervous moment as to what the day might bring. Our plan is to drive about 20 minutes to Arenal National Park and hike a couple of trails there with views of the volcano and the lake (second largest in Central America).

Breakfast is a step down from the resort in Jaco but the fruit here is delicious no matter where you are (the pineapple especially) so it’s hard to go wrong. A few things we need to try to figure out exactly what they are, but nothing comes back up so we have no complaints.

The drive to the park is uneventful and while the parking lot has some cars in it, there are still plenty of spaces and no tour busses to be seen. Most places in Costa Rica have fees for tourists that are a little steeper than we are used to ($15 each to enter the park here), but everything is well maintained and sustainability is such a huge focus here that it does make handing over the colones a little (but just a little) easier.

The first of the trails is a 5km loop to a lookout point for the volcano. The rain comes and goes along the way, but the jungle is fairly think and not a lot of it makes it through the canopy, although we are uncharacteristically prepared in waterproof boots and jackets.

About two-thirds of the way in, the trail passes by a giant Ceiba tree that is supposedly more than 400 years old. It is one of the only trees that survived the hot ash and gas from the last volcanic eruption. I am traveling my own personal Lorax, so the need to stop for a full on photo shoot comes as no surprise.

Finally able to move on, we make our way to the volcano lookout. The weather has cleared somewhat, but not near enough to see the summit.

In the other direction, we can see a fair-sized piece of Lake Arenal.

With the long part of the loop out of the way it is a short final leg back to the car, unless of course you decide to go back the long way to hug the Ceiba tree one more time.

Despite the healing power of trees, the extra few kilometers take their toll on my beloved treehugger who opts to stay in the car instead of tackling the second trail. It is much shorter (only 1.8km) and we’ve come all the way to Costa Rica so I definitely feel I made the right call heading out on my own. Until the rain starts. Lots and lots of rain.

When they made this particular trail, one of the goals was to make it accessible to as many people as possible. It is nicely paved and very wide which, on a sunny day would make for quite a pleasant walk. Today it just means the canopy has been cut away above my head and that my high-tech waterproof jacket merely channels a downpour of water to my shorts.

It would be unmanly to let a little tropical rain force a retreat so I press on, stopping briefly to climb an observation tower before reaching the end of the trail at the lakeshore. Although the rain has stopped for the time being, the clouds are still pretty thick and the pictures less exciting than from the first lookout. On the way back to the car, however, I do come across a couple of wild turkeys also enjoying a stroll down the trail.

By this point, I’m soaked, the Lorax is tired, and the weather doesn’t look like it is going to change any time soon. So rather than head to another hiking spot we opt instead to head into town. It turns out Joey would actually like more ducks wearing shoes, meaning we now need to stop and check every souvenir shop in town trying to find one (without success). On a happier note, we do find a nice restaurant that serves up a nice ceviche. Suck it, Nick!

We’re on the move today, leaving the beach and our quiet resort for the town of La Fortuna near the Arenal volcano. It has been a relaxing five days in Jaco and, in retrospect, we came at the perfect time. The weather has been great and other tourists have been few and far between. That said, we’ve definitely done all we really care to do here so we’re ready to put it in the rear view mirror.

The drive to La Fortuna takes about 3.5 hours, even though it is only about 150km away. Narrow roads, slow trucks, and no room to pass make driving here a test of patience and today’s trip is no exception.

About 30 minutes out of Jaco, we come to a bridge over the Taracoles river. On our way south from San Jose we noticed people standing all along the edges which seemed a little strange, but had places to be and never gave it much thought. We probably wouldn’t have stopped going back across it today had one of our guides not mentioned that this is the best place in Costa Rica to see crocodiles.

Sure enough, looking out over the railing there are a dozen or more healthy-sized crocs lounging in the shallow water and parked up on the shore.

As there always is where tourists gather, trinket shops surround the parking lot, including one selling these guys, which remind us of the great trip to Indonesia we had with Joey not so long ago.

Not far from Taracoles, we start picking up elevation, passing through countless small villages as we wind back and forth along good, but not great, mountain roads. It is a huge change of scenery from the coast and, as we stop for a quick lunch, notably calmer (not that any part of Costa Rica has felt that hectic).

After working in a few other short stops, we finally roll into La Fortuna close to sunset. The town looks a little bigger and a little busier than Jaco, which seems like a good thing as there are more shops and restaurants along the main street as we pass through. Our hotel is a few minutes past the town on the way to Arenal, so we are able to get a good lay of the land on our way to check in.

There are far more tourists here than we have seen so far, although the hotel feels about half full and there are plenty of signs for discounted tours so clearly it gets much, much busier than this. A good number of travelers have packed into one particular restaurant and for good reason. For about $15 they drop a platter of piled high with chicken, ribs, beans, patacones, and the most delicious tortillas we’ve ever had on the table in front of us.

It is the best food of our trip so far but, despite our best efforts, we can’t finish. The mix of carbs keeps the meat sweats at bay, although by the time we get back to our room, a full on food coma has set in. Time to catch up on a few messages back home and watch a little TV in spanish (no english channels) before closing the book on another day.

One of the minor goals for this trip was to research whether if could be a place for us to have a place to spend part of the year. The hotel we are staying at is part of a big complex with about 600 homes, a golf course, marina, restaurants and so on. It feels a little sterile but would definitely have all of the creature comforts we are used to.

It turns out that having a place with all of the North American bells and whistles costs pretty much the same as having that place in North America. Everything is very nice, but by the time you add in all the various fees, it probably makes more sense to have the same thing in Florida or Arizona, which are both closer to home and easier to get to.

We’re headed up into the mountains tomorrow so for our last dinner in Jaco we set of in search of something different. There are a few different options we come across, but once we drive by a place that specializes in french fries, my trusty navigator will go no further. Salchipapas rank right up there with poutine, even with the gas station nacho cheese which seems like a Costa Rican twist.

As planned, we spent most of the day not far from a power outlet. Fortunately, we were able to find one near the pool so at least made it outdoors. And while it makes for a pretty boring travel report, we did manage to catch up of a fair number of things that were starting to fall behind.

We did finally venture out for dinner, walking down the beach after sunset to a small strip of restaurants we noticed on a previous drive by. The large river emptying into the ocean is much harder to spot in the dark, and for all of her previous aquatic adventures, my fellow traveler is less than enthused about having to wade through it. I take some solace that Costa Ricans seems environmentally conscious enough to not dump raw sewage directly into the rivers behind their houses, but I’m also glad that I’m sporting no open cuts on my legs.

We’ve also settled into a bit of a pattern of stopping by the small hotel cafe/bakery in the evenings when their fresh items are 2 for 1. Everything is pretty good, but the Tres Leches is fantastic and I usually pick up a couple to keep in the fridge as a healthy snack.