2 nights in Arenal

Volcano Rice
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After passing many hotels & resorts in the Arenal area, we found the Le Selva Resort where we had reservations. We turned into a dirt road, passed through some cabins & saw a sign for reception. There were couple of people leaving the hotel that evening. Barring us, there were no other guests for next 2 days.

The reception was a desk in the open area where they also served breakfast during the day & had a computer & internet desk for guests to use. We were taken through the garden (it was quite dark) to our free standing cabin with a patio. It was made completely of wood & had a fesh damp ceder smell. The bed was huge, cozy with clean, white linens. The restroom was spacious & had a nice big shower. It was a romantic log cabin. No phone, tv, or room service though!

Our cabin at Arenal Le Selva Adventure Resort
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In the evening, we explored the city of La Fortuna, only a 10 minutes drive from where we were staying. The city boasts serveral restaurants, both local & American fast food. It also has some hostels, internet cafes, banks, a school, a church, shops, etc.

We decided to try one of the local restaurant the receptionist at the hotel recommended to us. It was also open air (although it rains here everyday). The menu was extensive, with America, European & local cusines. We ordered some local beer & wine for us. For dinner, Dipak (my husband) had the typical plate (consisting of salad, egg, rice, plantains, meat or fish) while I ordered the volcano chicken & rice, which turned out to be guess what-chicken fried rice! For dessert, we enjoyed coconut flan, found pretty much everywhere here.

Hanging Bridges Trail
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The following morning, we ate breakfast in the hotel lobby overlooking the Arenal volcano (the top of which was always hidden by the clouds.) Thereafter, we went for a hike through the rainforest with hanging bridges. This was a lot of fun! We casually walked through 2 miles of trails & 9 bridges suspend in the air at various heights. Walking on them made the entire bridge shake, specially if there was someone behind you. Good idea to hold on & not look down if you are scared of heights! It is completely safe though, barring some dizzines when you get off the bridge. We saw some great views of the volcano from here & a lot of greenry. And on the way out, a family of racoon like animals...

View from the top
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After that we drove to Arenal volcano national park, again a few minutes from where we were staying. There were several hiking trails there & you could even walk right upto the lava flow if you had the patience. Having already done that in Hawaii, I passed. Then we drove around through some dirt roads passing the national park & reached a tiny little no name village in the mountains. They had a butterfly garden & a serpent museum ($20/person for each). Suddenly it started pouring like a giant showerhead so we pulled into a hotel & had lunch on the top of the mountain.