Monday March 10, 2014
We were up at 6 am and we went for breakfast around 6:30. The buffet was nothing special, but it was nice that the kids could pick what they wanted. We left the grounds shortly after 7 am by taxi. The resort called the taxi for us, and we wound up using the same driver all day on the various legs of our excursion.
First up we went to the Hanging Bridges. We were there as they opened, and it was nice that it was so quiet. By the end of our stay there were large tour groups moving through that definitely lent the place a different feel. We saw a spider monkey right inside the park gate but did not see any other wildlife on our hike! It also poured rain off and on which felt very authentic for the rainforest. It was actually pretty refreshing.
We visited the gift shop and then our taxi took us down to La Fortuna where the weather was much sunnier and in fact we had a great view of the volcano. We had lunch at Lava Lounge and then poked into a few stores but did not buy anything other than Popsicles for the kids.
Then we were off to the La Fortuna waterfall. We paid our entrance fee and changed and set off down the stairs.
The top steps are all re-done and construction workers were there continuing on with the job. It took about 15 minutes to reach the bottom and it was worth it – the waterfall was very pretty. The staircase seemed crowded on our way down, but there were not many people in the water – most stopped shy of clambering over the rocks below – so once we got down to the water’s edge, it felt more private.
The kids had fun climbing over the rocks, and Chad and I took a dip in the main pool. I did not know there would be a lifeguard there. We discovered the calm side area right at the end of our stay when we only had a little time left to meet our taxi, so Liam and Chad took a dive in there, too. We climbed back up the eleventy-billion steps and at the gift shop Mallory bought a little stuffed sloth, even though we had yet to see a sloth on our trip. Then back into the taxi and back to Los Lagos. Total taxi cost for the day, $80.
We took a short break in our room to have some snacks we’d picked up at the gift shop and then hit the pools for 2+ hours until it was dark and we were all exhausted. While Mallory and I were in the largest hot spring we saw two big iguanas up on the roof of the bar. The iguanas started fighting and then both of them lost their balance and fell into the pool with us! It was hilarious. They both paddled to the edge and ran away.
We ate dinner at the pool, and then went back to our room again for a bit of a break before one more soak in the hot springs before bed.
Cook Family Travels 