Bacardi and lava: Volcán Arenal

Saturday morning was the worst morning I have experienced here so far. I fell asleep at two in the morning and woke up periodically every fifteen minutes until three thirty because of anxiety mixed with food poisoning that made me want to vomit. I couldn’t lie down and standing up and walking around only helped for a couple of seconds until I would have to sit again. And even the thought of chewing a pepto bismal tablet seemed daunting. But I took my shower and made my way downstairs. I watched the French news with William until Tammy came over to catch the bus with me. The bus was running late so we walked around the “feria” in front of my house with William. I started to feel better with the fresh and warm air so we stayed out for a little and then the bus finally came at around seven. The ride up actually wasn’t that bad. After some more waking up, mixed with fresh air and iPod I felt fine. The road north out of San José is nothing compared to the road south out of San José so this ride was extremely enjoyable. It was also day time so I could see the mountains and the Costa Rican. The ride was just as long though, it lasted about four hours. All that I passed were mountains, cows, horses, and random small towns. It was an amazing ride. On getting there I was put in a cabin with the two other guys that Kayla, Tammy, and I have been hanging out with and I start unpacking. The view was beautiful. There were separate cabins that fit three people and outside you could see the volcán Arenal. In back of the cabins was also a field with ducks, chickens, horses and cows which were very photogenic. We had to leave soon, though, so we had a quick beer (Imperial of course) and then headed down to the thermal springs. We spent four hours in this “water-park” swimming around, and best of all, going on the water slides. The water slides were pretty cool. There were three in total. The second one was my favorite because half way through the ride you would be lifted off the waterslide and tossed at full speed into the “pool” below. It was hilarious watching people come down. After doing that and going to each of the thermal pools, we had supper and then headed back to the cabins. On the way back we picked up a couple bottles of Bacardi and Coca-cola and that night we played drinking games with cards. It was pretty fun, but scary at the same time. It was the first time I had ever gotten drunk. Everything seemed slower and my eyes wouldn’t catch up. I’d stumble around when walking and strangely almost everything was funny. Of course, I knew my limit, so I switched to water after I had my fill of rum and cokes. It was a bonding experience that I enjoyed but at the same time I feel funny about it. It was a weird feeling and the last thing I wanted was to get sick and I could definitely see how peer pressure could put someone over the edge. At around midnight the volcano started erupting while we were playing “asshole” and soon later we stumbled into bed. The next morning I woke up with a headache and felt a little woozy, but nothing that bad. The night before I felt like I was going to vomit, but this morning was nothing compared to that. Nurse/mom Tammy (as we call her now) gave me her pill cocktail of Dramamine and Advil at breakfast (she’s really a nurse by the way) and we headed off to the river. We had a raft tour which we thought was supposed to be a canoeing expedition. It was kind of a let-down, but at the same time we saw a lot of howler monkeys so it made up for it. By the time we came back we had to pack up and leave. Overall I think that this place was just as, if not slightly more, beautiful than Manuel Antonio. It was a lot more expensive…over twice as much, but it was still an unforgettable experience. Hopefully I’m feeling alright tonight. My stomach has been all sorts of messed up. I have found a new spot in my heart for fruit; especially pineapple. And also beans and yucca. But all of this foreign food and rice is making my stomach turn. The high altitude is also making me sleepy which isn’t a good combination since I can’t get sleep when my stomach hurts. Still enjoying Costa Rica though. I think we might be going to Limón next weekend (on the Caribbean Sea), or at least I hope so. School tomorrow at eight. Back to the grindstone.