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 Arenal Volcano. -- Photo by Karl Keough, CANOE reader |
At first, the sound barely registers in my nearly-awake brain. Then I hear it again, this time a more insistent, deep, guttural sound. My mind grasps for fragments of consciousness the way a baby grasps for brightly colored objects -- with an enthusiasm and curiosity unhindered by full awareness.
Now, fully awake, I realize that the sound is coming from the forest just beyond our window. I lay there motionless, trying to imagine what kind of ferocious creature is responsible for this other-worldly sound.
Finally, I realize that I am hearing the sound of the Howler Monkey, one of several species of monkey that calls these Central American rainforests home. I reach over to wake Darlene, but she is also already fully awake and staring wide-eyed at me.
After years of dreaming and months of planning, we have finally embarked on our trip to Costa Rica. We arrived the previous day at the airport in San Jose, the capital city, after a long flight from St. John's via Toronto.
With some trepidation, we rented a 4WD at the airport and drove along Costa Rica's notoriously horrific roads to reach our first destination -- the Arenal Observatory Lodge. This was the first time we have ventured beyond the relative safety and familiarity of the "developed" world, so our first day was a long one, filled with excitement and nervous anticipation. We checked into the lodge, grabbed a quick bite to eat and called it a night.
As the morning light fills our room, we lay there for a few more moments, awash in the sounds of the rainforest. Darlene is particularly excited as, more than anything, she hopes to see real monkeys, living in the wild, on this trip. It sounds as though they are right outside our window. The howling of the monkeys is quickly joined by the sweet sounds of birds.
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As we peer out the window, Darlene grows even more excited as she sees dozens of extraordinarily beautiful birds showing off their many vibrant colors -- bright reds, baby blues, florescent greens, and deep yellows. Several different types of tiny hummingbirds are among the favourites, but by far the most entertaining of the lot are the four or five large, black and yellow birds perched in the neighboring trees. As they swing forward on their perch with a mock fainting motion, they make a shrill cackling sound before catching themselves at the last moment and swinging back into their normal upright position. They do this repeatedly, their piercing sound almost like a laugh.
Beyond the birds and rising over the forest, we can also see the lower slopes of the Arenal Volcano, one of Central America's most active volcanoes. The guidebooks tell us that the Arenal Observatory Lodge, a former research station for Smithsonian Institution volcanologists, is nestled into the forest on the volcano's lower slopes and offers the closest and most spectacular views of the volcano. They are not kidding.
As we lay in bed, the cone-shaped mountain fills the view through the large picture window. We have been warned that the top -- rising 5,000 feet into the sky -- is often shrouded in cloud, so we don't even hope to see the full majesty of the fiery mountain, but already it is spectacular.
The monkeys, birds and volcano provided for an invigorating wake-up call. We quickly get dressed after a cold shower and head to the dining room for breakfast. As we wait for our order, we are enthralled watching the birds feed on fresh fruit, placed on makeshift bird feeders by the restaurant staff.
After the apprehension of the previous day, our level of comfort -- and our excitement -- is growing. Following breakfast, we sit outside on the benches near the birdfeeders. Darlene can hardly contain her excitement and I have suddenly turned snap-happy, snapping picture after picture of the colorful birds and beautiful scenery.
After a half an hour or so, we head out to the parking lot area to check out the complimentary tour offered by the lodge, and realize that we are just in time. It leaves in about five minutes. We gather our gear for the hike and climb in the van with Bernardo, our tour guide.
Following a short drive down the hill, we stop at the trailhead and begin our guided tour through the rainforest and lava fields. Bernardo tells us many interesting things about the rainforest and its inhabitants.
The way some of the plants adapt to their surroundings is amazing; two striking examples are the large leafy plants whose leaves change position in response to the level of precipitation and sunlight, and the plants that grow horizontally near the forest floor until they find an open patch of sunlight, and then grow vertically toward the sky.
Partway along the trail, Bernardo stops us and points out an unusual musty smell as he looks upward to the treetops. The smell indicates that there is, or has recently been, a Howler Monkey in the area. He moves off the trail into the forest, still looking up into the trees. After a few fruitless minutes, he returns and we continue along the trail.
As we near the lava field, Bernardo stops again and points to a large brown object growing off the trunk of a small tree. Apparently, it is a termite nest. He tells us that there may be as many as five million termites in this single nest, which is about twice the size of a basketball.
We continue on, moving out of the forest and onto the lava field -- a visceral reminder of the volcano's awesome power. From this elevated position, there are great views over the forest canopy, across Arenal Lake and especially of Arenal Volcano.
As expected, it is cloaked in cloud at its higher elevations. We can see the lower slopes, and occasionally, parts of the higher elevations as the clouds thin. Every now and then, we also see steam from the volcano reaching like ghostly fingers down the sides of the mountain. We hang around the lava field for an hour or so, hoping to catch a glimpse of the top. It does seem to be clearing slowly, teasing us with near-clear views. We finally leave to return to the lodge as wisps of cloud linger at the top.
We return to the lodge for lunch and again enjoy watching the colorful birds who have now been joined by several coatamundis -- small, raccoon-like animals with a pig-like snout. They hang out at the base of the feeders, waiting for chunks of fruit to fall. One seems intent on getting into the restaurant, poking his snout through the narrow gap between the doors. Like their raccoon cousins, they are scavengers, and are regarded by many local people as pests.
As the day moves into early afternoon, the skies clear more and more until finally we get a clear, spectacular view of the volcano. The skies remain clear for most of the afternoon and as we wander around the lodge we get new views of the great spectacle at every turn.
We continue wandering around the area, and hike to a nearby waterfall. We spend hour or so of relaxing by the small pool with our books. As we lay quietly in the warm afternoon sun, steam and smoke continue to rise slowly from the burning crater, and every now and then we hear a deep rumble and look up to see large puffs of smoke rising into the sky.
Although this is far better than either of us ever expected, we have yet to see the best of its awesome display. In recent years, the other side of the volcano has been most active. Large chunks of rock and lava commonly tumble and roll down the lower slopes, and poisonous gases escape from vents that reach deep into the earth. There are great views of this from the town of Fortuna and from the many restaurants and hotels between the town and the turnoff to the lodge.
We decide to make the rough trek down the road from the lodge and check this out. We find a nice steakhouse along the way and stop for supper. Although it has started to cloud over a little, we can still see the red-hot lava and rocks rolling down the mountainside.
Darkness comes on quickly and, again, nature's show is spectacular. The red-hot rocks burst from the top of the volcano, and they explode into smaller and smaller bits as they bounce and roll down the mountain, all glowing against the darkness of the mountain like shooting stars against the night sky.
It has been a wonderful day. We return to the lodge and look forward to new adventures the next day as we head to Santa Elena and the world-famous Monteverde Cloud Forest.