After about 4 hours of sleep, we moved our things to the Arenal Hostel Resort which was right down the street from our original hostel. We ran into Will and James (not surprising since they were also guests there) and they decided to accompany us on our hike up the Cerro Chato crater next to the Arenal volcano. Unlike Arenal, this volcano has been dormant for 3,500 years and now has a large lake in the crater.
Porch outside our new room in La Fortuna
Room at Arenal Hostel Resort (much better, huh?)
The entrance to Cerro Chato was only a few kilometers from the hostel, so after we grabbed a bite to eat at a local soda we headed out. Unfortunately our late start meant that we would be climbing to the top of the crater during the hottest, muggiest part of the day. Cerro Chato had a nice, gradually sloping start, but quickly turned into a steep climb. As it is the start of the green or rainy season, everything was wet, slippery, and muddy. At some points, there were roots and stairs built in for support, but not everywhere.
Nice, flat start to the hike
Starting to get a little steeper...
Descent to the lagoon
Lagoon at the top of Cerro Chato
Trail to the top of Cerro Chato
Another part of the trail
As we neared the top, it began to rain. We couldn't resist jumping in the lake at the top just to say that we swam in a crater, even though it was cooling off quite a bit with the rain and elevation. Laura and James swam across to the other side, and just as they reached it a heavy fog rolled in and we couldn't see them. Will and I were a little nervous they might get lost coming back, but they made it just as the thunder began. We had to climb up again for a bit before descending back to the car, and as soon as we began the trip back down the rain came down even harder. It was tough in some places to keep our footing, and we ended up jumping or running or sliding down much of it.
After a long day of being cold and wet, we all decided that an afternoon at the hot springs would be nice. There are several places around Arenal, but the only "true" hot springs are very expensive and owned by an exclusive resort. So, we took the advice of our hostel staff and tried another called Baldi (http://baldicostarica.com/) which has 25 pools of spring water at 12 different temperatures. The price we paid to get in also included dinner at their buffet (which, like most buffets is not very good) so we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening there, then headed home to bed.
The "giant Jacuzzi" at Baldi
My seat :)
Mango daiquiri at the swim up bar
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