Day three dawned and we were awed by the view from our little porch. We could see clear across Lake Arenal to the volcano on the other side, which was smoking. What an amazing start to the day.

Breakfast included, of course, rice and beans, but also the best coffee I have ever tasted. We hopped on the bus to head over to the La Fortuna Waterfall, accessible only by climbing down two million or so steps. Mind you, these aren’t nice even concrete steps with handrails. The stairs looked like they had been constructed by several different teams, each of which had their own very unique idea. Needless to say, it took awhile to get down.

But oh my, was it ever worth it. The waterfall was the highest I had ever seen, and the water was cold and clear. Many people went swimming — I was very disappointed that I didn’t have my bikini on — and others just sat and soaked up the sun. Soon enough though, we had to hike back up those dratted steps. Our next stop was Lake Arenal itself, where we spent the better part of two hours kayaking around in pairs. After we got back to shore, a troupe of capuchin monkeys put on a show for us, swinging and jumping from tree to tree.

After such an extreme day, we were glad to sink into the hot springs, heated by the volcano. There were numerous tubs of varying heats, ranging from lukewarm to just-boiled. I tried to keep to the cooler ones, as I had gotten burnt during the kayaking. I did try the waterslide though!

When we got back to the hotel, faithful Javier was waiting for us. He appeared every time we entered or left the room, unless we had cameras with us. Hmm.

Day four had an incredibly early start. We once again had to carry our suitcases to the bus before breakfast — I thank the guy who put wheels on the darned things! Then we hopped onto the bus for a four-hour drive. Most of us caught up on the sleep we had missed, but some were busy photographing the gorgeous scenery and the cows that appeared in abundance. And then we were there.

“Where is there?” you may be wondering. “There” happened to be where we were meeting our guides and mounts for horseback riding. Once we were all seated securely, our guides set a leisurely pace up a mountain, through a field and even through a bit of rainforest. The two hours couldn’t have possibly gone by any quicker than they did. We dismounted much too soon, and that was the end of that.

Next on our list was a local school where the little girls donned traditional dresses (think flamenco) and performed for us. Then we were asked to do the same. After an embarrassing rendition of “Head & Shoulders” we handed out the gifts we had brought, and were led — by hand — to the table supplying the food and drinks provided by the mothers of the schoolchildren. Then it was playtime. Soccer, tag, ring around the rosy, you name it, we played it. And I must say, those kids put our guys to shame out on the soccer field.

That night there was an optional night walk through the rainforest. We learned tons about the local insect life, and flora and fauna too. A tarantula was even persuaded to come out and say hello.