Arenal

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September 5, 2004\r Duncan: The volcano (El Arenal) exceeded expectations. We were wary of getting our hopes too high, because most of the time during the rainy season it is covered in clouds and nothing can be seen. On Saturday when we arrived in Arenal, the volcano was in plain view. We saw several small eruptions, and from about two miles away heard and saw molten rocks tumbling down the slopes. During the day the sun is too bright to see the glow or to tell that the rocks are indeed red hot, but we could hear the volcano belching and rumbling away and see the smoke. In the afternoon we took a hike with David, our guide who was extremely knowledgeable about anything and everything relating to Costa Rica. We were able to see several howler monkeys as well as toucans before retiring to the natural, although very refined and upscale, hot springs for dinner. The springs were fully tiled with a bar built into one of them, and ranged in temperature from just over 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 187 degrees Fahrenheit. Nobody was doing more than dipping their legs in for a second or two in the hottest one.\r

\r After dinner we went back to a viewpoint at the trailhead that we had hiked earlier and were able to witness the Arenal volcano totally free of clouds at night. The top had a constant reddish orange glow, and every minute or two would flare up, accompanied by rumblings, and sent a cascade of molten rocks sliding down the face, which, according to a guidebook, could reach over 70 mph, some as big as a VW beetle.\r

\r The next day we hiked down to a spectacular waterfall before driving the four hours back to Monteverde. The dancing I said I'd mention in the last entry was amusing, mostly because everybody was pretty terrible with the notable exception being the teacher. Still, I think everybody learned something and had a good time.\r

\r Tuesday, Sept 7\r      Peggy Here with an update from Monteverde: \r     We just visited an intriguing local private school here, called The Cloud Forest School, which serves students in preschool through grade 11 (the end of schooling in Costa Rica) and has about 215 students (90% Costa Ricans or Ticos) . It has a clear mission to "nurture a new generation of ecologically aware, bilingual individuals by providing them with the skills and motivation to make environmentally and socially conscious decisions on a local, national, and global scale." The primary language of instruction is English, but 7-12th students take Civics and French\151in Spanish (all students take Spanish). Sound environmental practices and land stewardship are integrated into all aspects of their curriculum. They are situated on the hillside above town on a land easement purchased/donated from the US Nature Conservancy of more than 100 acres. Its outdoorsy feel, separate modest buildings for middle and upper school classrooms connected by dirt paths, a very muddy soccer field, and cozy quarters reminded us of Mountain Shadows. (no goats or cows, but we heard a toucan!) Interesting manifestation of a multicultural practice for all of us to consider. (for more info: www.cloudforestschool.org) \r

\r \r \r The picture below is one of many small eruptions that we saw at the Arenal volcano.\r