Last post :(

Saturday we had pickups starting at 7:30 but between tying up our luggage and people forgetting things and saying good byes, we didn't get in the road until about 8:30. It was about a 4 and a half hour drive but what a beautiful drive! We learned about the provinces of Costa Rica, main exports, and other facts about this beautiful country. Although it's a small country, it has many microclimates and holds about 5% of the world's biodiversity. It's also the world's number 2 exporter of coffee. Coffee used to be the main source of income for the country but now it's tourism. As we traveled we passed by a wind farm and a hydroelectric plant. Did you know Costa Rica uses 100% renewable energy for their electricity? It's awesome how much they care for the land and the planet, with so many protected habitats and animals and everyone doing their part to take care of their country. Their education is also excellent because they don't have an army. They use the money instead on their students. Ok - teaching moment over but it really is a beautiful and interesting country! We stopped at a popular stop that was a cafe, restaurant, souvenir shop, and also a small wildlife refuge. We got to see some parrots, but that was about it. The next leg of our trip was beautiful - we traveled around Lake Arenal and were able to see the volcano almost totally uncovered! Every other time that I've traveled it has either been partially or totally covered by clouds. We stopped on the bridge to take some pictures. Although Arenal had some activity and lava flow in 2008, it's been dormant since 2010. Finally we arrived at our hotel to drop off our luggage and get our things for the waterfall. We ate at a wood fire grill which was delicious! We then went to the waterfall and walked down 491 steps to see it! In the summer we would be able to swim right by the waterfall but since it's winter it's too dangerous so we were going to swim on the other side. (Winter is the rainy season - May to November - and summer is the dry season). However since we were going to be swimming at the hot springs and really wanted to get there, we decided not to swim but to go straight to the hot springs. Up we went, back up the 491 steps to the top - great exercise! Then headed to the hot springs, my favorite part :) Baldi is a resort that has 26 pools of varying temperatures all heated by the geothermal energy from Arenal. It has 3 super fast water slides and many places to just sit and relax :) We relaxed and explored for a few hours before heading to eat a buffet dinner. After dinner we could have gone back to the pools, but the kids wanted to just go back to the hotel. After a short ride back and a little time to socialize, they were in their rooms by 10 since we had to be up, packed, and ready to eat breakfast by 6:20. This morning was beautiful and clear and we were able to see the peak of Arenal - something I have never seen before! So beautiful and impressive! We ate either a typical Tico breakfast or an "American" breakfast. The Tico breakfast had Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), eggs, toast, cheese, and sweet, ripe plantain. The American breakfast had eggs, toast, jam, and a "sausage" that looked just like a hot dog. We are currently en route to the airport, which should take about 4 hours. The kids are tired and quiet :) See you back in the States!