Grecia to Termales del Bosque: What a birthday!

We had a lazy morning, including playing some catch outside in the nice weather and strolling the grounds looking at bugs. With some reluctance, we left our cozy hotel to head for our next stop, where the next two nights will be spent.  We decided to take a route that was recommended to us by the hotel owner. He stated that this particular road went through some of the highlands of Costa Rica, and that it was very similar in appearance to Switzerland.  We were not disappointed.  On the way, we passed through several small towns. Loads of people were out and about on the streets, even for a Monday.  One town of interest was Sarchi. This town in particular is known to be unique because of the two things it is famous for. Traditional Costa Rican ox carts are made here.  My understanding is that most made these days are decorative or ceremonial, but they represent one of the handicrafts with a longstanding tradition and important cultural significance here.  In addition, there are innumerable handmade furniture stores along the main road through town.  Because our space is limited, we did not buy any of either.  I think Sullivan would've enjoyed having one of the ox carts, though.  Maybe someday.

"Hey Dad, I want one!"

Sure enough, the road was narrow and twisty, but fortunately not enough so to cause any vomiting in the backseat, as has happened in the past. There were several large trucks hauling loads of freshly harvested sugarcane that were impressively handling the curves, with the occasional motorcycle simultaneously passing on the left.  We had been given some basic instructions as to the direction we were headed and felt we were pretty successful in navigating the roadsigns through the small towns. We stopped for lunch in a relatively large roadside restaurant. The highlight, in addition to the food, was certainly the view of steep hillsides through large open windows in the side of the building.  The kids were concerned that the entire restaurant might fall down into the gully that it fronted. In spite of their concerns, we escaped unscathed.

Lunchtime vista

Once we arrived in Zarcero (about 1700 m in elevation), we were greeted by the uniquely sculpted bushes in the central park. They are the entity for which Zarcero is known and certainly were unlike anything we've ever seen in the past.  The adjacent old church has recently been renovated and was quite colorful without being gaudy, especially in the afternoon light.  Again we appreciated the recurring theme of a central park, central church and at least one school in each small town.  

Unique topiary

Zarcero's colorful old church

We drove on without mishap along the twisty roads, which are somewhat on par to Highway 1 through California, just without the ocean view.  Our views did include cows, big buses belching diesel fumes, big trucks belching diesel fumes, impressively aggressive drivers passing despite double yellow lines before blind curves, distant volcanos and nearby lush vegetation.  Plenty of rustic houses and people outside in the sun.  In early afternoon, we arrived at the much-anticipated destination chosen for Nik's birthday, Termales del Bosque (thermal pools of the forest).  This is one of the many hot springs resorts located near a volcano in Costa Rica. This particular beauty is about 2000 meters high and is named Volcan Platanar. Termales del Bosque is a bit more off the beaten path than some of the other locations, and we certainly have been rewarded with solitude.  

Inside the biological garden, there are eight large pools that are filled with natural mineral water from volcanic hot springs. Each pool is a different temperature and has varying amounts of cooler water mixed in.  The coolest pool is 30°C and you can swim in the adjacent small river as well. The warmest one is 45°C which is too hot for any of us to enter.  The pools have a reputed therapeutic property because of their mineral content. There is no question in my mind that the mental benefits are fantastic as well.  In addition to a pineapple-eating pizote, lizards, birds and insects entertained us.  No monkey sightings this time.  Or snakes.  All in all, a pretty fantastic way to spend my birthday.

Not-yet-so tan birthday Jones

A well-fed pizote (coatimundi), cousin to the raccoon

A recurring theme of our time in Costa Rica is the friendliness of the Costa Ricans themselves. It is very common to strike up conversations with other families or groups of people. We are pictured here with our new friends, Gustavo Sr., Gustavo Jr. and Maryann. Gustavo Jr. is currently studying English at a local university near San Jose, with the eventual plan of becoming a civil engineer.  He had a big oral exam in English earlier in the day that did not go very well. For this reason, he was very interested in speaking more English with us to practice his pronunciation. We saw them again at dinner and they insisted on singing happy birthday to me in the restaurant.  Many hours were spent in the termales by our crew over the last couple of days.  Tomorrow, our plan is a morning horseback ride then to head towards Lake Arenal and to begin to try and decide for sure if we want to live in the town we’ve been planning on, Tilaran.  Vacation time is coming to an end.  There is more work to be done.

Pura Vida!