Time to complete the Bucket List

From Budapest to Bucharest

Having left our last holiday destination of Budapest, Hungary, we are now on our way to Bucharest, in Romania. Sadly, I cannot find any quirky links between the two, apart from their similar sounding names, but wonder how many people have confused them when booking flights to these cities.

In preparation for our next trip I started to consider what I knew about Romania. Just three things came to mind: the rule of Ceaușescu, Romanian gypsies, and the terrible images broadcast from orphanages in the 1990s which led to appeals for help from families internationally. One young business contact I knew at that time was so taken by the TV appeal to UK viewers that she picked up the phone immediately and offered to provide a supportive home for two Romanian orphans – single handedly. Such was the emotive message.

But what is the wider view? Writing this blog urged me to delve more deeply into the country than just the sites we are scheduled to visit and it was not long before I found rather more points of interest than I had been left with from earlier media reports.

The country today has a lot to be proud of. It has four Nobel laureate prize winners: George Emil Palade for his investigation into cell biology; Elie Wiesel for his work in the peace movement following he and his family’s internment in Auschwitz; Herta Müller for literature, and Stefan Walter Hell for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy. All four have incredible stories worth researching in their own right.

Romania has medieval towns, many UNESCO sites – including its own version of the Arc de Triumphant – painted monasteries and fortified churches. Some of these we will be visiting.

Its capital, Bucharest, has recognition from the Guinness World Records. The city’s Palace of the Parliament is believed to be the heaviest building in the world with huge amounts of steel, bronze, marble and crystal used in the creation of the site’s 1,110 rooms and – in addition to its multi-levels above ground – 8 floors underground.

Jeremy Clarkson considers Romania has the world’s best driving road, the Transfagarasan highway, with an array of tunnels, viaducts, bridges and hairpin bends. It will be interesting to see if our coach driver will take us in that direction.

The country has Europe’s largest mammal, the European bison, and the largest number of European brown bears. Let’s hope we see them before they see us.

Happy for some, a study of 195 countries spanning 26 years concluded that Romanian men are the heaviest drinkers of alcohol, consuming more than 8 drinks a day. It is clearly not a good idea to get into a drinking competition with the locals.

Bucharest has one of the prettiest bookshops, Cărturești Carusel. We hope to get a view inside to see if it lives up to its accolade, although the mention of bookshops takes us back to Kathmandu in Nepal which has the largest number of secondhand bookshops we have ever seen. It must be for all those Everest-climbing wannabes awaiting the ideal climbing conditions to visit this awe-inspiring mountain.

How strange it is that Romania has so many aspects of interest, but all we have learned about via the media over the years is the rule of Ceaușescu until 1989, orphanages and travelling families. It will be good to learn more and put some of these things into perspective… but don’t expect me to explain the workings of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy!

Copyright: Sue Barnard 2019

Our final full day in Budapest dawned. It was another lovely sunny day with a high of 14 degrees centigrade.

We decided to explore the Buda Castle area on the other side of the river to our hotel.

The Buda side of the river is hilly, unlike the flat Pest side, and with the Castle sitting on the top of a hill. It was used by the Germans in the Second World War as their headquarters and was the last part to fall to the liberating (maybe not quite the right term) Russian troops. The Hungarian Government has recently moved into some of the buildings in the Castle complex and sentries now stand guard.

Our wine tour guide from a few days ago told us that she was not sure if the Government occupying this historic building was a good or popular move so perhaps the politicians do need some protection.

The top of the castle hill also has a very ornate church (Matthias Church), restaurants, cafes, houses and shops and for the lucky residents who live their, spectacular views over both the Buda and Pest sides of the river.

We also visited the “Hospital in the Rock” which was another remnant of the Second World War. Under the Buda Castle hill, caves had formed naturally over many thousands of years and at the outset of the Second World War these were excavated and connected to form a hospital. This was very much like the underground hospitals on the Channel Islands for those who have visited them. After the Second World War they were next used in the 1956 uprising of the Hungarian people against the Soviets. After that they were turned into nuclear bunkers during the Cold War era of the 1960s. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos but the hospital is worth a visit.

Before we moved on we visited a small coffee shop called the Waltzer Cafe which was novel as it was set out in the entrance to a large old house, presumably where they parked the horses in the old days. As it was open to the elements at the front, although not overhead, each chair had a blanket for the customers to either sit on or wrap around themselves.

The coffee and cake were good, so worth a visit.

After we left the Buda Castle area we walked on to the Jubileumi Park which is also on the Buda side and is another major view point over the city. The park’s main feature, apart from the views, is the Liberty Statue that can be seen from all over Budapest.

After walking back to the Hungarian Restaurant, Alma Korte, that was opposite our hotel for dinner (would recommend this place as the food was very good), we worked out from our Apple watches that over the four days we had walk a few yards short of 29 miles.

Budapest is a nice city and the people are very friendly. English is very widely spoken (which is good for us Brits) so there are no difficulties getting around or eating out. The transport system, trams, buses and metro, are all easy to use although we walked mostly as we prefer the exercise. Apparently travel was free on public transport for EU senior citizens so get here quick if you want to make use of this perk if you hail from the UK.

Definitely a good place for a short break.

Romania next in June.

Still not quite having got over our wine tour yesterday, we were off this morning for a culinary trip. Our guide Andrea from Taste Hungary had a four-hour eating session planned for us, and there was no time to lose. It was going to be action-packed.

We started at the Central Market, one of five markets in Budapest, but the most popular with locals and tourists. Agriculture is the number one industry in Hungary and markets remain the place to purchase fresh produce, although we had noticed that Tesco has some superstores around the capital.

For the Hungarians seasonality is key, and nothing is wasted. Any excess is preserved, and this is evidenced by the wide range of bottled pickled vegetables on display, which are eaten particularly during the winter. Excess fruits are used in alcoholic drinks, and nothing goes to waste in the meat section either. Slabs of smoked lard, and goose fat could be seen at every butcher’s stall in the market, alongside pigs’ trotters, tripe, and chicken heads, legs and feet. Meat had very little fat because, we were told, the cattle were hardy and tough. Consequently, their meat needed to be slow cooked for tenderness.

The market was also popular for eating. Stalls displayed made-up dishes for inquisitive tourists, as shown below.

Our first taster was larded bread with raw sweet red onion topping – a rather comforting snack which brought back some childhood memories. Lard, and tripe, have rather gone out of fashion in the UK today. Then came Langosh – a circular dough rather like a light unsweetened doughnut, topped with a thin layer of sour cream and mild grated cheese. A whole one (costing around a dollar) could last the consumer all day.

I was looking forward to our move onwards to the strudel stall. There were so many varieties on offer – not just the usual apple and cinnamon, but savoury options containing cabbage (tastier than expected), curd cheese, or potato. My favourite was sour cherry.

Heading to the delicatessen stalls we were introduced to six varieties of dried sausage, ranging from the mild smoked pork, through to hot and spicy horse (didn’t see that one coming), and pork with paprika with its heat slowly hitting the throat upon chewing. Smoked beef tongue, surprisingly, felt like we were actually eating a tongue (fatty and tender). Also a surprise was seeing photos of woolley pigs (mangalica). They look like pigs but have a coat similar to a sheep.

Some stallholders had taken great care with their displays as shown below.

All that sampling and chatting called for a hearty lunch, of course, and this was taken at a small restaurant away from the market and popular with the workers. The tradition here at Bel Varosi Disznotoros was to eat standing up. No seats are provided. We tried goulash and pheasant soups (a thin stock with meat and vegetables), followed by grilled cheese, black sausage, duck confit, deep fried courgette, and a wide variety of salads.

But we were not done. We then moved on to coffee shops which were very popular in the 1800s but were banned in the more recent Communist era. Since 2000 they have made a comeback and several are ornate with their Art Deco interiors. Our visit was to Central where we indulged in eszterhazy, a vanilla and walnut thinly layered sponge cake. A cake visit must, of course, include chocolate and we all managed to squeeze in another slice, namely dobos.

We were never far away from alcohol, however, and to complete our tour we headed to a wine sampling at Tasting Table where we enjoyed three wines from different parts of the country, including a rather nice sweet white named Szamorodni from Tokaj, produced in the north east of the country.

The culinary tour proved enlightening, giving an insight not only about the food, but life in Hungary in general. Our trip was made even more pleasing by our knowledgeable guide Andrea, and our fellow travellers for the day – a family of grandparents, parents and children from the United States. Thanks guys!

Copyright text and photos 2019: Sue Barnard

We went to the central market this morning which was quite close to our hotel.

The construction was impressive and looked like an old building that had been renovated in recent times.

We are going back there tomorrow for a culinary tour with Taste Hungary to experience the Hungarian cuisine so more on the market tomorrow.

We then walked across the Independence bridge which is the most attractive of the bridges notwithstanding the many padlocks that adorn its structure.

We then went back to the hotel to meet out guide for the Etyek Wine Country tour where we visit three small wine producers and sampled three of their wines plus dinner at the last one.

The tour comprised 11 people, 4 from the USA, 3 from Peru/USA and two others from the UK. I was the only male so it was a bit like going to a Pilates class (you will understand if you have been to a Pilates class).

The first vineyard was called Anomie (employing the owner, his wife and one staff member) and produced 25,000 bottles a year, most of which were sold to restaurants in Budapest.

The Etyek region is known for its white wines with the red Hungarian varieties being produced further south, although most vineyards seem also to produce Palinka, the Hungarian version of Grappa (about 45%).

The second vineyard, Vizi, was a two man band of father and son in law who produced 8,000 bottles of wine a year.

The vineyard was surrounded by many other small producers who generally sold their produce to restaurants in Budapest.

The last vineyard, Debreczeni-Ferenczy, produced 75,000 bottles and had vineyards in the Etyek region and further south in the country so producing both red and white wines. We enjoyed a 3 course meal with matched white and red wines with each course that was extremely enjoyable.

By the time that we had drunk 11 glasses of wine/palinka we were friends with all of our group and speaking fluently in Spanish to the lady from Peru.

Tomorrow we are going for our Taste Hungary food tour.

After the Invisible Exhibition yesterday we followed a 3 mile self-guided walking tour of the main sights that included the Hungarian Parliament, St Stephen’s Basilica, Chain Bridge, Freedom Square and the many statues that are dotted around Budapest such as the Fat Policeman and Ronald Reagan.

Part of that walk was The Holocaust Shoe Memorial that is on the bank of the Danube close to the Parliament building.

The Memorial is to remember the Jews and other citizens that we killed by the Nazi secret police group, Arrow Cross, that operated during the Second World War. The victims were shot and pushed into the Danube. All were required to line up and take their shoes off not knowing which of them would be shot. When the Nazis wanted to save bullets they would tie a few people together, shoot one, push the group into the freezing water and watch the dead bodies drag the entire group down.

The Memorial has 60, 1940’s era shoes and represent the shoes left behind by the victims.

Unfortunately people have attached padlocks to the Memorial due to the latest craze to put padlocks in public place (they are all over some of the bridges in Budapest) which rather spoils the Memorial although the chain on the Memorial are authentic.

This was not the last reference we saw to the past history of Hungary in the Second World War.

In Freedom Square, which was named after the Freedom fighters who were executed in the 1840s, their had recently been erected of a new Memorial which was the cause of daily demonstrations.

The Memorial is named “Memorial for the victims of the Nazi occupation ” but the demonstrators say that this is phoney Memorial due to the Hungarian Governments involvement with the Nazis during the Second World War. Their case is set out below.

Recent history still playing out in case we should forget the horrors.

We are off on a wine tour today outside of Budapest and the sun is still shining so more from us later.

First day in Budapest and we were left in the dark. Quite literally. Something that caught my attention when researching places to visit was The Invisible Museum. The venue describes its offering as a ‘unique interactive journey to an invisible world, where in total darkness you find your way only by touch, sounds and scent’. This is a museum like no other. It provides visitors with an experience of what it is like to be totally blind, and is led by guides who are blind or partially sighted. We thought this was something not to be missed.

Even before we entered the museum we became aware of just a few of the difficulties. We saw a blind woman with white stick tapping her way along the path. What would be a convenient waste bin to us, proved an obstacle for her as it was in her line of direction and she hit it with a painful bump. Then there were the steps into the venue, one abnormally high, others of metal more familiar to a construction site, and all within an obscure passageway.

Once inside we were welcomed by our guide Tomaz, who spent time telling us how Braille worked, before teaching us how to type our names in Braille on a small typewriter which only had six keys, but required us to press three at a time to make one character. Just as well we were not called Englebert Humperdinck or we would have been there all day! We also found out that it takes four pages of Braille to produce just one page of text.

The Braille alphabet

Then, not knowing what to expect, we followed our guide through a door and he promptly left us. That was a little uncomfortable as it was impossible to get our bearings in unfamiliar surroundings and total darkness. However, Tomaz soon returned, and with some Mongolian ladies who were joining our party. We realised how difficult it was to acknowledge the newcomers without any of the visual clues we were used to.

Tomaz then described how we were in an apartment. Initially in the hall, and that we were to keep our hand on the left. He also told us of the size of the rooms we would be visiting. This information would have been superfluous in the sighted world, but as we got into our journey we realised how valuable the information was. We inched ahead cautiously feeling with our hands. Was that a telephone I could feel on the wall, ah and a door handle? Our guide said yes go through that door. I felt as if I as intruding in someone else’s property. Then it became apparent about the size of that room. It was quite small and we started bumping into each other. Grappling on we stumbled against an object. Touch revealed it as a sofa, then higher up we felt a picture frame, but could not tell if it was a mirror or a Monet (behind glass). Then we all moved into the bathroom, finding the sink, toilet and shower cubicle. I felt as if I was getting used to this new experience. These objects were just what I expected. But on to the next room and that was not so. It was a larger room with sculptures everywhere. I felt a bald-headed statue, not realising it was a Buddha until someone else pointed it out. Then I head-butted a sculpture of David. Much more unsettling was our simulated outdoors experience, walking down kerb edges and bobbled pavements, and across roads, all with heavy traffic noises surrounding us. That was not easy on one’s own, let alone in a group of six. Crowded streets would bring their own problems.

Then we hit the fruit and veg market. Identifying pineapples by hand was not too difficult, but was that a lemon or a lime I was smelling? Tomaz explained how he would often frequent the same retailers as they were familiar with his requirements, but that it was also important for him to adventure further afield so that he would not restrict his own life experiences. It was this that encourage him to prepare his own meals. He felt that retailers were always fair in their financial dealings with him, but life for the blind had not been made easy with all bank notes until recently being the same size, without touch indicators to differentiate the values.

Finally, we were quite relieved to be taken into a ‘bar’ where we enjoyed a snack and drink. But here we had to focus on what our guide was saying while background music was playing. This was something we would not have noticed before. Pouring the drink was also an experience as we were unsure just how full the glass was getting. Touch and weight were the telltale signs.

Tomaz was blind from birth, having been born prematurely and he told us how one can tell if someone had sight and lost it, or never had sight at all. Those that initially had sight showed similar facial characteristics to sighted people learned through visual interaction, but those who had not had none of these references.

This was a brilliant and unusual experience for the sighted. We found there was a need to be patient, take things slowly, and be attentive. It put life into perspective.

As we head towards our next trip it has been fitting to read the latest statistics from the World Happiness Report revealed today, and just 24 hours after the International Day of Happiness.

 We had travelled to Costa Rica with the knowledge that the country had been voted top for ‘happiness’ three times in the last decade – in 2009, 2012 and 2016.

 Our trip there certainly made us happy. It was wonderful, made especially so by our tour guide Ed and his enthusiasm for taking visitors around his country; the flora and fauna; and the different climatic zones. One can travel through the wet, cool, mountainous highlands, via the mid ranges that are dryer and warmer, and then experience the extreme heat of the lowlands all in one day.

 There was so much in Costa Rica that I had not expected. I knew that wildlife and plant species were abundant, but the nature reserves and the efforts people were putting into the ecosystem in some areas was impressive and encouraging.

Views in the Puntarenas region

So what of my first blog on the country and the happiness aspect? If guide Ed was anything to go by, citizens of Costa Rica were happy. He was always cheery and laughing and full of get-up-and-go (particularly for our daily 4am starts). The local people we came into contact with all seemed happy and polite, and welcoming to tourists.

 However, Costa Rica is not without its problems, and these are not unique to the country. There is poverty, although we did not see it; and an influx of illegal citizens from nearby countries, some of whom were sleeping on the streets of San Jose. There is child exploitation, which agencies are working hard to prevent. There are high pregnancy rates including amongst younger girls. There is also deforestation, particularly due to increasing numbers of plantations and the infrastructure they require.

 But the country has so much to admire, especially its strive in some quarters to protect its ecosystems. The protected land is vast and requires several organizations to oversee it. The numbers of wildlife species are enormous, with many unique to Central America. A lot are endangered. Recycling bins are everywhere and we rarely saw litter. I noted during a three-hour walk in the rainforest there was not a single piece of rubbish. And the food is good. Although the portions are generally large they are not greasy, and the range of vegetables used is far wider than in the UK. Family life and the extended family support system also appear to be strong.

 But how does Costa Rica fare in the latest Happiness Report? It seems its rating is declining, dropping from 12th in the last report to 13th, although it is doubtful a tourist would detect that. Instead it is Finland that is top dog, having been number one in the last two reports. Maybe one day we will put that to the test. In the meantime we are heading to Hungary, currently in 62nd position but on the up since 2012.

So yes, the Costa Rican people we met appeared happy, but this must not mask the fact that they have their troubles just like any other country. It is the way these matters are handled which is most important. And now to Budapest!

 Copyright text and photos: Sue Barnard 2018

 

Day 8 we left the Arenal Manoa to travel for 4 hours to the cloud forests of Monteverde.

On the way we spotted some interesting birds including the endangered White Fronted Nun bird and the Crimson Collared Tanager.

The roads were good until the last hour or so of our journey when the tarmac stopped and the ride got bumpy. The bumpy roads obviously did not agree with our small bus as it refused to start after lunch on the outskirts of Monteverde so we walked for 10 minutes to Don Juan’s Coffee plantation for the coffee tour.

It was surprising to hear that there were only 3 coffee plantations left in Costa Rica and that coffee was no longer an important export. In fact, Don Juan’s plantation now only made a small amount of coffee that was sold locally and was instead a tourism business. We meet Don Juan who often turned up to greet tourists.

The coffee tour took us through the history of coffee coming to Costa Rica and the whole process of growing, drying and processing the coffee beans.

Years ago all the coffee beans were sent to San Jose by ox cart which took 2 months each way from Monteverde and the raw beans were exported for processing, often to the United States.

There was a league of the countries that per head drunk the most coffee and surprisingly top of the list was Finland with other Nordic countries, Iceland, Denmark and Norway also featuring in the top 5. The USA which one would have thought would be fairly high on the list was 25th and the UK was 44th.

Another surprising fact was that there is more caffeine in a normal cup of coffee than in an Expresso. Apparently, with an Expresso you get a quick shot of caffeine that seems high but wears off quickly but in a normal size cup of coffee the reverse happens and the effect is slower but last longer.

The tour was very interesting and showed that when making coffee how easy it is to get it wrong as we have all probably experienced.

Luckily our driver, Heraldo, had nursed the engine back to life and we went into Monteverde to our next hotel, The Monteverde Lodge and Gardens.

Day 9 started with a canopy walk in the cloud forest. When we left the hotel, Ed our guide, said wear long trousers and a coat as it was much colder in the cloud forest. Good job he did as it was not only a bit colder but it rained. The canopy walk had 9 bridges some of which were 31 metres above the ground.

We were hoping to see hummingbirds, snakes and many other birds but due to the rain many were not on show and those that were were often hidden by the canopy.

The cloud forest was really living up to its name as the following photo shows.

At the end of the canopy trail there was a hummingbird park where they had set up some feeders to attract the hummingbirds. Luckily, by that time, it had stopped raining so there were many hummingbirds feeding. As mentioned in a previously post, hummingbirds being so small and quick are very difficult to photograph but this would be our best opportunity.

Even when up close with the hummingbirds, the wings are just a blur as they hover and flying backwards as the following video shows in real time.

After lunch, we had an afternoon at leisure before we have our farewell dinner tonight with our group of travellers as some will be going on tomorrow for a few days at a Pacific coast beach resort and the rest of us will be coming back to San Jose with our guide and then a flight home that evening.

Costa Rica is very interesting culturally with lots of wildlife and whereas there is no guarantee of seeing the wildlife, we did quite well in the short time we were here.

That is our travelling over for 2018 but we have already booked all our trips for 2019, first to Romania, then we return to the Northwest Passage to try and complete this year’s trip and finally Colombia.

2020 is in the planning faze with Australia, and New Zealand on the list.

When someone has a passion for something, there is no hiding it, and during this tour it is evident that passions are running high.

The focus of this holiday adventure (for that is what it has become) is ecology and part of this includes food. Some people might have heard that Costa Rican food has an emphasis on rice, beans and tortillas. While meals, and even breakfast, may include this, there is far more to be enjoyed if one is inquisitive.

The start of this trip included a group get-together at Al Mercat restaurant in San Jose, where owner-chef and Le Cordon Bleu-trained José kick-started the evening by enthusiastically telling us how he buys his produce daily from local farmers, and then showed us various gourds, fruit and vegetables that would become part of our meal. Starter dips included thinly sliced yucca and malanga (a root vegetable), which were rather like large crisps, but baked without any trace of fat. We had never seen such attractive, colourful and tasty crisps. These were consumed with a fresh herb dip; a cheese described as their equivalent of Parmesan; and turmeric mayonnaise.

Cerviche followed incorporating finely chopped squashes – varieties of which are not seen in the UK. Also included was chayote fruit that looks rather like a large green pear, but tastes of cucumber. We were treated to restaurant-made chorizo sausages, served on a sauce with freshly grated cabbage, carrots, and sliced beetroot. The chef’s enthusiasm for food had not gone unnoticed for he had been flown to the UK recently by a customer, just to prepare food for a birthday party.

John has mentioned in earlier blogs Mr Rudolpho, the pineapple grower, and Jean-Pierre the chocolate producer. Both of these gentlemen are using food to give a point of difference to their businesses. Small-scale pineapple farmers cannot compete with the big players based here and whose names we see on UK retail shelves. Likewise, chocolate producers find it difficult to break into international markets. But people, such as these, will not be defeated. Both the above have turned to tourism, offering small, intimate, lodges, coupled with insightful food tours. In Mr Rudolpho’s case he is producing the most succulent and juicy organic pineapple we have ever tasted. We drooled as we bit into the warm, freshly-cut fruit harvested for us as we stood in the plantation.

For Jean-Pierre yet another chocolate was not his preference. Instead, he had carried out extensive research into when cacao beans were considered first used as a drink (at least 4,000 years ago), how they were prepared and how recipes changed after Columbus came to Costa Rica in the 1500s. Contemporary Spanish diaries have recorded this. Jean-Pierre is now producing chocolate bars labelled to meet international standards. Some have interesting additions, such as rice, and chilli, which visitors can purchase.

Our guide too has made adaptions using food. As we are aware, businesses were hit hard during the financial crisis of 2008, and tourism was one of the first to feel the effects. Instead of drowning in sorrow he and his wife started making cakes for local people, under the tuition of his mother, in order to make ends meet and they continue to do so to this today.

All of these individuals have clearly shown their passion when it comes to food, but there is another element that is a driver. Employment offers many benefits including insurance, pensions and health care. For the unemployed, support is extremely limited. In Costa Rica there is more than 10% unemployment, and an even higher level of poverty. Costa Ricans have to be resourceful. A passion for good quality food has enabled some to blossom, and for those tourists lucky enough to experience it, it is offering something special.

Copyright text and photos: Sue Barnard 2018.

Day 6 we got up a 6am for a walk in the rain forest and some wildlife spotting. There are some spectacular birds of all sizes and colours with the Hummingbird being one of the most spectacular but most difficult to photograph due to its size and speed.

The Toucans are also spectacular but being a bit larger they are easier to photograph.

After some breakfast we left the Hacienda LaIsla and headed for the Arenal Volcano where we were going to take a trip on the manmade lake that produces most of Costa Rica’s hydroelectric power. On the way, by the side of the road was a family of White Nosed Coatimundi which are related to the raccoon.

We then reached the lake for our boat trip in the shadow of the Arenal Volcano. Its last major eruption was in 1968 but has been active between the 1970’s and 2010 with volcanologist predicting that it will become active again, without giving a timeline.

The lake was another haven for wildlife, in particular birds, and we saw Kingfishers, Egrets and an Osprey, amongst others. The Osprey had just caught a large fish which was clearly visible as it disappeared into the distance.

An Anhinga bird was sitting in the sun dry its wings as these birds are apparently not fully waterproof as they do not have the oil gland required for waterproofing, which seems strange for a bird that fishes.

We then travelled a short distance to our next hotel, the Arenal Manoa, which has good views of the volcano. The hotel is set out over a large area with each room being an individual chalet. The hotel has extensive gardens with lake that has caiman in it.

Day 7 was another 6.30 departure as we were going on a three hour hike around the Arenal volcano on the 1968 trail.

We went early in the morning as the trails can get busy later and it is the time when the wildlife is more active. One of the intended reptiles we wanted to see was the Golden Eyelash Pit Viper which is one of the 27 poisonous snakes in Costa Rica. They are difficult to find but right at the end of our 4 mile hike our guide spotted a couple of juveniles in some trees.

Apparently, you can generally tell if a snake is poisonous as it has a triangular-shaped head although there are some exceptions.

We then had an afternoon to relax, the first since we got to Costa Rica, and tried the hotel’s volcanic thermal pool, which was very pleasant.

Tomorrow we have a long journey to Monteverde to visit the cloud forest.