Arenal
INTRODUCING COSTA RICA’S HOTTEST HOT SPOT
The earth trembles from deep within and an echoing rumble pulls my
attention upwards in hope of witnessing the glories of Volcán Arenal, Costa Rica’s most consistently spectacular natural pyrotechnic show. But nature was playing with me on that pre-dawn occasion 13 years ago as I sat at the volcano’s very feet with my new husband looking in vain for Arenal’s famous fireworks. Despite the noise and preamble, nothing of the lightshow penetrated the heavy veil of cloud that frequently shrouds the mountain. That’s the way it is with luck sometimes, particularly at Arenal, but the experience was still very exciting; and “Whoosh” the nearest sends a plume of salty spray into an assemblage of delighted human faces. It smells a bit like kippers but no one seems to mind as we are all having such a great time.
Sierra Goodman, founder of ‘Delfin Amor’ whale and dolphin encounter tours, claps her hands with delight each time one of the marine mammals performs a particularly well choreographed somersault. It’s obvious that as far as she is concerned, she has the best job in the world, and I can’t help but agree.
A further thirty minutes passes before Sierra makes the announcement we have all been waiting for, “The dolphins seem relaxed enough about our presence, I think its time we all got in the water!”
Our excitement is palpable, and we almost trip over each other in our haste to don flippers and masks.
“Sloosh,” I slip into the water like a torpedo and immediately feel the blue warmth envelope me as a comforting blanket does. The visibility is good today, and I find myself in a world of purest cobalt, alive with sun rays that pierce the surface and cast dancing patterns across the smooth-skinned dolphins below. They circle me slowly; satisfying their curiosity as to what I might possibly be; smiling, as dolphins always do.
Other human torpedoes drop from the deck into this wondrous scene of movement and sound. They look clumsy in comparison to the elegant creatures which glide like figure skaters through this watery realm.
They click and squeak, probing us with sophisticated radar, smiling enigmatically. There are so many swirling around us that I feel like Dorothy in the wizard of Oz; only this time the tornado is not made from wind, but from dolphins instead.
Like the dolphins, I too find myself smiling; an expression which has no practical value under the sea for a human like me. Water gushes into my mouth and I splutter and cough, and the dolphins smirk at me in amusement.
The whole experience is absolutely breathtaking – I had no idea that you could do this sort of thing in Costa Rica.
They stay a while longer, coming so close that I feel the movement of water upon my body whilst they sail back and forth from one delighted visitor to the next.
And then they are gone.
“It’s a wonderful experience isn’t it?” asks Sierra rhetorically once we were all back on board. “The Osa Peninsula has the potential to be one of the dolphin and whale watching hot spots of the world. We have 25 different species, as well as migrating Southern and Northern Humpback whales. There’s nowhere on earth like this.”
I can’t help but agree.
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Visitors to Costa Rica and residents alike enthuse at the heavy wooden carts hauled by plodding oxen heading for their daily labor. The boyeros, or oxcart drivers, and their often brightly decorated carts on unsprung wheels are uniquely Costa Rican. Traditionally used to bring produce, charcoal and salt to town, they also helped transport building materials for churches, bridges and schools. It is still possible to see them pulling ploughshares or circling steadily round a trapiche (mill) grinding the sugar cane to extract the juice. Somewhat incredibly in this age of tractor and harvester .
