Despite the liberal use of insect repellent Coman has had a few bites during our trip, as he has particularly tasty blood for mosquitoes. However, whatever bit him yesterday during our Tenorio hike has more than left its mark. As we go to breakfast I notice that his right ear is red and inflamed and he says it’s throbbing quite ferociously.
It’s about a ninety minute drive to the town of La Fortuna where we stop for coffees and supermarket supplies and during that time Coman’s ear continues to swell so that by the time we reach our new lodgings at Hotel Lavas del Arenal it’s noticeably larger than his left ear. Instead of unpacking I inspect what’s going on and with a few prods it starts to ooze a yellow pus and looks like it’s becoming ulcerated.
Delving deep into the recesses of our rucksack I fish out the medical kit that has been lying quietly unused for the past six weeks and sterilise the bite, drawing out as much infection as I can and protecting it with flesh-coloured dressing. Meantime Coman takes the antihistamine and anti-inflammatory tablets we have with us.
The minibus is waiting for us with all our fellow travellers on board when we emerge. Jonathan asks if we need him to call a medic as bites can lead to sepsis but we say we’ll keep going for the moment and see how it goes. Fortunately the action we’ve taken keeps any further drama at bay and after 24 hours the swelling abates and the infection eases, but in the meantime Coman soldiers on with the activities we have planned.
And those activities include more hiking and both another waterfall and another volcano. La Fortuna is dominated by the towering presence of Arenal volcano which erupted in 1968, devastating the Maleku village that sat in the foothills. The government used this as an excuse to relocate the Maleku tribe and take their land, ultimately flooding the area to create a lake for hydroelectricity and to become a tourist destination.
The town of La Fortuna is full of hostels, hotels, restaurants and adventure companies, all touting zip-lines and white water rafting, hot springs and hiking. So it’s no surprise that when we arrive at Fortuna Waterfall there’s already a stack of tourists who’ve made it down the hundreds of stairs to the crashing pool at the bottom, and swimming in the waters.
We join them splashing around in the fresh blue waters before climbing back up the steep, steep stairs and exiting via the souvenir shop, where Coman buys a painted toucan. Our ‘no souvenir’ policy is slowly falling apart, but as his ear is still twice the size it should be I don’t complain.
Next up is El Silencio Parque on the side of Arenal volcano. Standing 1560 metres high Arenal is a dramatic sight, and when viewed from the right angle alongside the two neighbouring dormant volcanos, it becomes part of a formation known, somewhat anachronistically, as the Sleeping Indian due to it appearing to have a head and rounded buttocks. Arenal means “sandy” and as we hike ever higher and higher the ground becomes blacker and blacker, rocky and sandy in amongst ever more hardy vegetation.
Yet before that we have lush tropical plants and trees heavy with orchids growing on them. We’re following the 1968 Volcano Trail which weaves below Arenal’s cloud-shrouded summit, discovering the pyroclastic flow that caused such destruction but has become the fertile soil that feeds the flora and fauna around us. In amongst the trees and flowers, white-noses coatis scamper around like small raccoons and here and there birds of prey swoop and glide.
It’s a reasonably challenging loop that we follow, viewing the vast Lake Arenal to the west of us and the much smaller Lago Verde beneath us. Taking a steep and descending path we make it down to that green lake, blooming with rich algae which could be dried and packaged in health food shops for exorbitant figures. But it’s at the natural hot springs that gush from thermal vents in the earth a short drive away where we all finally strip off and soak the rigours of the day away. It’s a soothing balm for aching feet and muscles, and a luxurious treat of nature to bask within, settling into deliciously heated pools of water which flow from the volcanoes around us.
The next day, having spent the evening watching Rihanna provide half-time entertainment at the Super Bowl on the TV of the hotel restaurant, we stay put at our accommodation whilst the others all head off on different excursions. The chance to relax in the tranquil grounds and have some time to ourselves is hugely welcome, but we join most of the group in the afternoon at Paradise Hot Springs. A “luxury hotel and spa”, we pay an entrance fee to lounge in its various thermal pools and drink cocktails in its landscaped grounds.
After an indolent few hours we all gather at the Paradise buffet to celebrate Jonathan’s 40th birthday. Sadly our guide is suffering the ill-effects of the undercooked chicken he had for lunch and is unable to eat any of the food, but he seems delighted at the bottle of rum we’ve bought him. He slips it into his bag to enjoy later, once his stomach has recovered from its unwanted gymnastics.
We offer him Imodium and rehydration sachets from our freshly opened medical depository but he reassures us that a good night’s rest and some water is all that’s required. If only it were that simple - we have a long day’s journey ahead on land and water tomorrow and a dodgy stomach is no fun for anyone!
