I don't know where I'm gonna go when the volcano blows!

San Jose, Costa Rica --- 7AM!!!!  For some damn reason I'm awake... but for once in my life I'm not exhausted and grumpy in the morning so kudos to me!  Neel and I clean up and head out to explore, our destination, the gold museo.  Its somewhere to the west of us about 6-10 blocks, how hard can it be to find.. yeah right!  We wander past the locals getting started for the day, dirty city by and large but very friendly and incredibly unremarkable.  I did manage to get a yummy doughnut (mmmmm doughnuts!!) for $.75 from a great local bakery.  I'm happy again.

Looking lost but wandering and enjoying just exploring we are finally helped by a pink haired local who points us about 6 blocks back the directon from whence we came.. oh well.  Finally we find it and yes folks, its closed.. Sunday morning and all :)  So we decide to have breakfast at the Grand Hotel and then wander some more.  I have to say, the Costa Rican coffee is the best I've ever had, but then Im not a big Coffee Drinker either.

Never eat spinach with a stranger - Ben Franklin (highland appliance commercial)

After the breakfast of champions, Neel and I wander the streets just deciding to discover what San Jose has to offer.  Discussion ranged from the hookers the night before (do they have any special talents?) to politics to sports.  I think by the end of this trip, world peace will have been achieved, famine will have been eradicated and healthcare will be brought to the world.

Well on our walk we discover the beautiful building of the National Museo (closed) and a couple of great parks and what we think is a hotel that would have been perfect for us.   Towards the end of the walk a lovely tourist van pulls up and asks us when we are leaving.. we say 12 and he drives on.. very odd... Neel tells me shortly thereafter that was our driver Rolando... whooops!

Well back to the hotel for some printing of possible lodging in Arenal near the volcano and we're down to meet Ronlando and our van.. he greats us with a big smile and a cooler with water and most importantly.. IMPERIAL BEER :)  I'm in love!

Off we go, the scenery along the way.. stunning.. green carpeted valleys, pastoral scenes of all variety and just about every cash crop that Costa Rica has to offer.. plantains, coffee, Jicama, pinapple, mango, and guava.. oh and the "perfume" plant that Rolando didn't know the name of.

Along the way we stopped for lunch.  Let me tell that my tradition of eating in strange out of the way places that look like nothing more than plywood held together by duct tape has again proved genius.  This place had THE BEST garlic shrimp and garlic fish meals I have tasted in a long long long long long time.  Simply a gastronic festival of unsurpased joy... two more Imperials certainly helped as well!

Back in the van, Neel and I wrestle with the technology of the radio to try and connect my MP3 sansa Fuse directly into the radio via the USB hub.  It works but the printing is too dang small for us to effectively work from the back seat.  So we fall back to the great gift John got me for my birthday and smply broadcast the signal to the radio and it works like a charm!

Arrival in La Fortuna, the gateway to Arenal.  There is only one hotel that has a nighttime view of the lava flows and that is the Arenal Observatory Hotel (very highly recommended by Fodors and Lonely Planet).  Problem, Rolando says that it is booked full.  I'll be honest, he called while we were getting some beer (surprise!) and snacks at the grocery store and I think he just didn't want to drive out there.  I say this becuase La Fortuna was DEAD!  Nobody was there.  I know this is the begining of rainy season but even when I went to New Zealand in the dead of winter there were people everywhere.  Maybe its the global economy.. who knows but I find it hard to believe with the deadly quite nature of this town that the other hotel is booked solid.

So Rolando has a deal for us.. the hot springs that we are wanting to soak in cost $60 USD for the two of us.  He can get us a room at the very nice hotel bim bim.. hotel bam bam.. hotel bali.. hotel bangali.. something.. I'm sitting here and don't even know the name of it.  But basically we get the room, two meals and access to the hot springs for $120.. not a bad deal all said and done..and the bellman carried our cooler of beer to our room and wasn't even expecting a tip.

Neel and I then spend some time soaking in the 104, 102, 100, 146, 116 and 110 degree hot springs all situated in the lush gardens and waterfalls of the surrounding grounds.  We just had a very mediocre but filling meal and now are waiting for Rolando to arrive and take us to the very hotel he said was booked so we can see the nighttime lava flows.  There are some thunder boomers overhead so we are wondering if we'll be able to see but we're going anyway.

Our first potential change to the projected itinerary is currently under consideration.  Do we skip Monteverde and go straight to the coast or spend another day inland.. frankly neither of us can remember why we wanted to go to Monteverde in the first place.

Well, Neels computer is not working well so I'm going to give him his time after I upload some pics to this.  I hope all is well back home and I haven't checked work email in two days.. I'm so proud of myslef!