"Pura Vida", Tico style in Costa Rica!: Where did the Arenal Volcano go?

Somewhere behind those dense clouds, fog and rain hides a majestic volcano, the famous "Arenal volcano" which is a sight that cannot be missed from anywhere in La Fortuna! Nonetheless, the beginning of the so-called "Dry season" is not quite dry after all! A walk through our hotel grounds in the morning made us appreciate how picturesque the gardens are. The breakfast was filling and the outdoor seating in a beautiful setting made it extra special! Besides, a good nights sleep had helped everyone recover from a day of travel!

We hit downtown La Fortuna, a 10 minute and $10 ride away to "hang out" and book our excursions for the next day or two. The former agenda was kind of hampered by the heavy downpour, the later was successful. After a laid back lunch at a newer bright restaurant, "Punta Fusion", we boarded the bus to go to the Arenal hanging bridges in the rain forest (completely true to its name today!). Hiking through a series of suspension bridges and trails through the dense rain forest with our guide, Pedro explaining the flora, fauna and wild life on our way was exciting for all of us. The kids had lost count of the bridges after about half a dozen of them! The highest bridge was 120ft above ground, however it didn't feel that high because of the extremely dense vegetation underneath. It was cool to view the canopies of the trees, the tree-tops of the tallest trees and even cooler to spot a mama sloth and a baby sloth climbing on a tree above us! While we missed the wild boars, some of our co-travelers had the pleasure of seeing them briefly. After a short drive back to our hotel, we made it just in time for the happy hour. Our "Pura Vida" cocktail failed to impress either me or Adya; we were happy nonetheless chatting and watching the kids have a blast by the pool! Dinner at a "soda" (generic name for a cafe style eatery in Costa Rica), 'Soda el Rio' was disappointing to the point that even the grown-ups decided to indulge in an ice cream for dessert!