The alleged volcano here that we have come to see has been shy and retiring, hiding behind banks of clouds and fog and overall dreary weather. My expectations were so high when we rolled into La Fortuna in late afternoon sunshine after our cross country odyssey. We expected to see the lava and a stately plume, but instead can barely see the pool complex 100 yards from our balcony.
Finally, at dinner last night, the waiters opened the big picture windows in the dining room and there she was. The skies had suddenly cleared and we could see the whole mountain, and saw, or imagined I saw, the red lava gurgling out of the top of the crater. Within minutes, the cloud cover returned and the mountain retreated into mystery.
It is foggy again this morning, and again, no volcano, I can hear howler monkeys in the trees. I wonder why they are called howlers instead of grunters – oo oo ah oo.
We are packing up and heading to Monteverde and the cloud forests this morning, a trip that includes a ferry crossing at Lake Arenal. This may be my last post until we arrive back in San Jose on Sunday, as our lodging in Monteverde is supposed to be a little more primitive.
