Day 4, part 1: Kayaking Lake Arenal

Today was a very exciting day, and so I must split it up into three parts. We started with kayaking, moved to caving in some areas I feared my hips wouldn't fit through, followed by getting stuck in a flash flood that had taken out the road and dancing in the rain. Read on to find out....

Our morning started at 8am with kayaking the Arenal Lake at the base of the volcano. We lucked out and ended up being the only two going on today's kayak trip, so we got a private tour! We stopped along the way and got to spot a Howler monkey in the trees! Next, at arrival in the lake, we discovered the most fascinating plant. I'm not the biggest plant person, but I want one of these as a PET! They are so cool! They call them dormilonas, and when you touch them, they close their leaves and hide. They were so cute!

The weather was PERFECT. They said it was the clearest view of the volcano they had experienced in awhile (it's frequently covered in clouds, and today was completely clear). Unfortunately, that also meant that the sun was out, and our 70spf sunscreen was NOT holding up. Despite many reapplications and my body's lack normal desire to burn, I am nice and toasty. I kind of wish I had a skimpier bathing suit... if only for less tan lines!

The way out to the island was fairly easy going, spotting a lot of nature and easy chatting with our guide, practicing my Spanish (although his English was quite good). We explained what snow was (they obviously don't have it in Costa Rica, and he was having a hard time imagining it).

Along the way we heard a deep rumble and realized that the still active volcano was spitting out dark smoke, and lava was visibly smoking down the side of the mountain. Amazing! It was crazy that we were that close to an active volcano. Also, there was a random giant tree trunk in the middle of the lake. I hopped off my kayak to check it out, and then took a nice swim in the water afterward. So memorable!

We stopped for snacks and ate some fresh cut pineapple. Their pineapple here is amazing, but I can see why the guides don't eat it - because there is so much of it! I'm already starting to get tired of pineapple, as good as it is.

The kayaking was quite a workout, but well worth it. Especially on the way back the wind picked up a bit and we were rowing against it. I have a feeling I'll be a bit sore in the morning! Overall it was about a 3 hour kayak tour on the lake.

At that point, I was thinking that it was possibly the most enjoyable part of our trip so far (I keep saying that with every new activity, it just keeps getting better!)... but if only I knew what was to come later in the day....