Arenal

My first lodging was situated  quite close to the airport.  Initially, I wondered  why my host handed me a pair of ear plugs when he gave me my room key, but I discovered the reason at 4am the next morning when aircraft started flying about 100 ft over my room.  But that at least drowned out the noise of the guy coughing all night next door undoubtedly with the CoronaVirus.  How thin do the walls have to be before you can actually catch the virus? 

My first day took me from San Jose about 2 hours northwest to the famous Arenal Volcano.  Arenal, even if no longer visibly smoking, is indeed one impressive mountain, having an almost perfect conical shape.  I was lucky enough to see it entirely on a rare clear day-

Notice the scars from the most recent lava flows.  Being intrepid, you will see that I am standing right where the last lava flow stopped-

Of course, that was in 1992... It is truly amazing how fast the vegetation recovers and sprouts from the solidified rock.  I guess that is what 300+ inches of rain per year will do for you (this place being one of the rainiest places on earth). 

But being the explorer that I am, I ventured deep into relatively unknown and very inhospitable parts where creature comforts were pretty much unknown-

Of course, being into sustainability and naturalness in all things I did stay in an Eco Lodge in the jungle (just putting Eco in the name was enough for me).  I did wonder why it was so cheap, but
the cold showers and lack of actual internet receptivity, notwithstanding the 'free Wifi,' started to give some clue.   No more Ecos for me, though it did have some appeal-

street signs and sea turtles

I arrived at the San Jose Airport in Costa Rica and picked up my rental car.  The rental car was reasonably priced, but for some reason my driving record must have preceded me as the cost of the insurance doubled the price of the car.  This despite the fact that declined all insurance.  Not sure how the Costa Rican police discovered my penchant for speeding but there you go.  A huge insurance premium and a mere $3000 deposit and I was on my way. 

As a novel approach to navigation, there are no street signs in Costa Rica.  Perhaps they did away with them when they abolished the army.  Or perhaps their teenagers went on one of those sign vandalizing binges and wiped them all out.   Everyone apparently relies on Waze.  But what did people do before Waze and the internet?   Maybe they used Google Maps.  Or maybe they just went where the road took them and settled down in place. 

 In any case, my BnB was located less than 1km from the airport and.... I arrived about 1 hour later (after having passed the no name street maybe 5-6 times.  Waze in Spanish is not all that easy. 

But wildlife abounds in Costa Rica and I did manage to spot a sea turtle my first night-