Next we made a short stop at the Mas Por Menos grocery store to pick up some snacks and water bottles. This was a quick cultural immersion for the students as they learned about the new currency, the Colon (approximately 500 colones = 1$.
After breakfast, we boarded to bus and headed to Poas volcano. We had a short 15 minute hike to the crater at about 8500 ft. high. Unfortunately it was very foggy and we were not able to see the crater and the lagoon. We headed back to the bus for our next stop.
We stopped in Sarchi to learn about the ancient ox carts. The ox carts are now a craft of local artisans that are beautifully decorated and painted. They were once used for transporting coffee and sugar. We all got a chance at decorating them by sitting down for about 45 minutes and painting our own masterpieces (see pictures). We then had a tasty Costa Rican buffet lunch in the same building and finally had a chance to shop for some souveniers made by local artisans of leather, wood or coffee.
After Sarchi, we continued our travels to the volcano Arenal. This volcano has been active for years but has quieted down within the last few years. Our tour guide Berni heard some romblings a few days ago and also saw some rocks fall and feels that it is building up pressure again and will hopefully become more active again.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel, Arenal Hot Springs. We were greated with cool moist washcloths and fresh squeezed juice. What a welcome! After finding our rooms, we all changed and tried out the hot springs that are heated by the volcano. What a relaxing end to a couple long days of travel. We had dinner at 7.30 and celebrated Michaela´s birthday. The hotel made her an awesome volcano cake. Check out the pictures. At 10.00 pm, everyone checked in for the night.
Jen Cornell
Looks like fun. I can't wait to hear all about it and see lots of pictures
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