Day 1....Our Hotel is AWESOME!!!

So before I get to the hotel I have to give the other info from our day. 

I was actually early and got to Muma and Lisa's for our shared cab ride at 4AM.  

Lisa, Muma and I  got to the airport and it was lines everywhere!  Turns out JetBlues international flights all go out in the morning in the weekends.  We waited about 20 minutes to check our bags (At 37 pounds I think I didn't pack enough).  Thankfully Lisa had printed our boarding passes so we could skip that line.  Then off to the security line.  When will people learn how to get through security without wasting time I ask!   But we finally made it through and then it was off to wait in line at Dunkin Donuts ( some of us can't survive without our AM caffeine fix!).  Note to all, if you plan to travel through terminal C and want your coffee allow a good hour for it.  Worst DD I've ever been to. But we got our breakfast and waited for our flight. 

So enough about that; let's move on. You'll note that I didn't mention Jen above.  She was taking an Uber in from Chelsea. It started out that the driver was circling around and then went to Revere. He finally got to her place (about 20 minutes late) and then he didn't know how to get to the airport; Jen had to direct him. After he dropped her off he didn't turn off the fare so Jen got a lovely $42 bill for her $7 ride.  Ugh!  

We forgot to book Grover a seat so we smuggled him aboard as a stow away. 

Turns out that was not necessary as the seat between Jen and I was empty and Grover got himself buckled in and ready for flight. 

Aside from the extreme turbulence (the second worst flight I've ever been on for that), the flight was fairly uneventful. 

Here's the view from 10,000 feet

 7,000 feet

Some unknown elevation (but decidedly closer!):

 

And touchdown at a tiny airport:

Getting through customs was long (about an hour). We talked to a couple (about 60 years old) who were part of a spring break tour that this group has done the last 6 or 7 years.  Gives me ideas.....

Once we got through customs we took the shuttle to national  rental car.  I had planned to use my Am Ex to pay so I'd have insurance through that but there is apparently a mandatory insurance you have to take in this country so I wouldn't be covered.  It kills me to pay for insurance in a rental:-(.  And we were told insurance wouldn't cover is if the car was damaged during a drug deal or if "some other guy" drives it....because obviously we look like a bunch of drug dealers...So we finished our paperwork and got our car (named Juan Paco), 

 

I put on my super awesome driving hat (Lisa got me a sloth hat for the trip!) and we were off:

We had also opted to use the rental companies GPS. Turns out it was not up to date and had us go down a sketchy road that came to a dead end.  Jen thought the rental car guy set it up so we'd get robbed (joking of course). 

GPS sent us the wrong way a couple times but we figured out, where they built new bridges, we need to get off the road and go under the bridge to stay on track; not over. 

Driving here is an experience.  People drive like maniacs and apparently don't have directional a or sense where the lane lines are. At first I was following the speed limits and such but, after about an hour, I was hugging turns like Mario Andretti. 

The first part of the drive, the landscape was pretty burnt and barren but there were tons of cows and horses.  And Lisa was very excited to see a baby horse running. 

Once we got to the Arenal Lake area, it was much more lush and we got our first views of the volcano

As we drove along Lisa got to see her first sloth sign.  She was so excited about seeing it she could t even get the words out (slight sloth addiction here). Sadly it looks like someone shot through it. 

We also discovers that Costa Rica has its own version of south of the border.  Driving along we saw signs every 50 feet for miles for the German Bakery.  It was like driving down 95 south through the Carilinas with the crazy volume of signage. 

This area is also big for tourists and there were signs all the way along for different types of cuisine from Chinese to Irish to Swiss.  All have free wifi for travelers.  

We made it through a few of the single lane bridges as well

We're not entirely sure how long it took to get to the hotel but we're guessing 3.5 hours.  Jen started talking about how she hoped they'd give her a hot towel upon arrival. Not only did we get that but we also got a very refreshing beverage as we walked in. 

As we checked in we were told we were upgraded to a suite. Jen and I took the room with two beds and Muma and Lisa took the king room. The rooms overlook the volcano and the king room has its own hot spring jacuzzi in it, outdoor shower, hammock and huge soaking tub.  We may never leave this place. 

Once we got settled we headed off to the pools.  There's a cold pool and hot pool with swim up bar as well as hot springs.  So relaxing after our long day of travel. 

After swimming we headed back to shower. We had dinner at the resort and now it's off to bed.  Up tomorrow: white water rafting!