Costa Rica Unplugged: Day 6, Part 1- A Stiff and Wet Morning

I woke up with the stiff neck last Friday. I hadn't woken up like that since my stay in Arenal, Costa Rica.

The rain was beyond welcoming that first night in the volcanic town. I hoped it would cease by breakfast so I could find relief in the healing powers of the hot springs. It was my first free morning since the trip started and I would have slept in had it not been for the constant thunder. Most of the the people in our group were off canyoneering. Other than running low on funds to participate in the activity, I had no desire to partake in it. A few months before, during a hike to Forest Falls near Big Bear, I witnessed three hikers descending from the waterfall. They came down one at a time very slowly because they had no grip against the wet rockwall. After a few minutes, each one emerged from the curtain of water. Since then, I knew canyoneering was not for me because I hate water and being cold (white water rafting is the only exception). I was glad most of the tour group had decided to go because that guaranteed more room in the hot springs for me.

But the rain didn't care about my plans or the kink in my neck. It continued to pour until the end of breakfast. That's when Jackie and I threw on our rain gear before we missed the most important meal of the day, also the first of three Jackie had become accustomed to since leaving for UC Berkeley in 2001. We walked to the cafeteria and took a tour of the grounds when we finished. We passed a pool and its bar before coming across about 5 hot springs. One of the girls had told us that the further up we went, the warmer the water got. Behind the last pool was a trail. We asked an office worker how long it would take to get to the waterfall but he didn't recommend it. The trail would be too slippery because of the rain, he adviced. It started sprinkling but decided a few raindrops wouldn't be bothersome in the hot springs. So we went back to our room to change.

Hot Springs ingredients. 

Rolling Springs...

Hot Springs...

Armadillos on our beds when we arrived. No, those red flowers weren't their eyes but their ears, don't be fooled like Jackie.

As soon as our cover-ups were secured, the sky introduced its own version of the Ice Bucket Challenge: the water bucket challenge. Gazzilions of buckets of water came down for a few minutes. And just when we thought the sky had spilled all of its contents, more water started falling. Apparently, the delays occurred as the receptacles refilled. 

Tropical Storm.

Jackie and I succumbed to the rain. We went under the covers and watched Anthony Bourdain and National Geographic or the Discovery Channel, recognizing a lot of the animals on our trip.

By 1pm, the stormed stopped, just in time for our visit to a local school and La Casona, one of Costa Rica's oldest houses. We put on real clothes and waited in the lobby for our daily ride to a new adventure.