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Adventure Pacifica 50th Birthday Tour

By : Patricia Bolgosano
Trip Begins July 31, 2010
Trip Ends August 8, 2010

We toured with Adventure Life and took the Adventure Pacifica tour. We had a great adventure, met lots of people and stayed in the very nice hotels. Costa Rica is a country rich with diversity lending interest, education and adventure to all.
See my photos : Adventure Pacifica 50th Birthday Tour

Want to go? Adventure Pacifica Express

I went to: Costa Rica, San Jose, Arenal, Manuel Antonio, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Savegre Valley, Playa Espadilla, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Hotel Montana Monteverde, Le Bergerac Hotel
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July 31, 2010
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Arrival in San Jose

Le Bergerac Hotel, San Jose

We arrived in San José in the late morning. Elegant, with beautiful gardens, Le Hotel Bergerac is a worthwhile walk away to downtown San José. Our first stop in San José was the Museo Nacional. It is a great place to learn about the history and culture of the Costa Rican people. There is a beautiful garden in the center court and while we were there an exhibit of textile art. Well worth the admission price and a great start to our Costa Rican journey.
Our next stop was the Parque Nacional. The beautiful Flame of the Jungle tree outlines the sky in brilliant orange flowers while people feed themselves and the birds too. Next we walked past the Plaza de la Democracia. This is where people gathered to rest, socialize and play boardgames.
Just beyond the Plaza de la Democracia is the Calle Nacional de la Artesania where one can buy handmade gifts and chat with merchants about their crafts. Do walk through, it's fun and so much to see!
Continuing our walk on the Jimenez Oreamuno pedestrian walkway we came to the pedestrian mall with shops and restaurants. We ate at El Patio with an open air table facing the pedestrian mall, making it possible for us to watch the people while we enjoyed the food. The Azteca soup I ordered was absolutely delicious.
It was starting to get dark, remember it gets dark early in Costa Rica, so we walked back to the hotel. In the evening we wrote emails to let our family know we arrived safely in Costa Rica. The Hotel Bergerac has free internet access. Later on we watched a little TV and slept with excitement to start another day in Costa Rica.

August 1, 2010
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Fire and Rain and Waterfalls

Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal

We met our guide Jeffery in the morning for our trip to La Fortuna. We stopped for lunch and as we ate we heard the rumble of Arenal and saw it's plume rise into the sky...our first sighting of it's power, certainly not our last. On our way to Arenal Observatory Lodge we stopped at La Fortuna Waterfalls for a hike that left us sweaty in the heat of Costa Rica in August. Ah...but much to our enjoyment the La Fortuna Waterfalls supplied refreshing relief as we swam around in it's cool pools.
Upon entering our room at the Arenal Observatory Lodge my breath was taken by this exquisite room with view. And what a view...gorgeous! Gardens with exotic birds and flowers in the forground and in the background the opposing volcano. A juxtaposition of sight and sound.
Speaking of sound, here was the first time I heard the Howler Monkey. In our room in the evening the unfamiliar sound left me wondering, what in the world? It wasn't until the next morning when Jeffery told me it was a Howler Monkey. And Howler Monkeys we heard, along with bird songs, I knew we were in the jungle.

August 2, 2010
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Coati and Toucan and Guan, oh my!

Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal

We woke up early to the rumbling of Arenal Volcano sending black smoke skywards. It was so very cool to hear and see a live volcano. In the observatory lodge you can watch the seismograph needle vibration to the movement of the earth causing the volcanic reactions.
After breakfast we hiked in the rain forest and saw two species of Toucan, a Crested Guan any many different epiphytes. It seems that no tree stands alone in the rain forest. Living within it's branches are orchids, ferns, mosses, vines and bromeliads. You can hardly recognize the host tree with all that life growing on it's branches! I was very fascinated by the plant life of the rain forest. There are flowers shaped for the 50 species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica as well at the night blooming Angel Trumpet Tree that gets pollinated by bats. On our way back to the hotel we took a detour stop at an insect and butterfly museum. This was a nice diversion and the guide was very knowledgeable about the life of the butterfly.
Once back at the Arenal Observatory Lodge we had the afternoon to explore the gorgeous property and it trails. Here we saw a Coati, which is a relative of the raccoon. The Coati was not afraid of us and continued foraging while we stood and watched at a meters distance. We also saw the unusual looking Crested Curassow. There are many hummingbirds and the beautiful Passerinin's Tanager flies throughout the property. There is a fun hike down to a waterfall where people swim and played. We spent one evening swimming in the pool and soaking in the hot tub. A great end to a day of hiking!

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