I envied Jeff in his sleek wooden kayak, carefully handcrafted from fine Costa Rican laurel. What a talent and luxury of time to be able to build such a thing! Jeff's wife, Beth, floated languorously ahead and my husband, Dan, slowly tailed along behind. It was my coercion (albeit slight) that had convinced Dan to come, and I was glad to see how much he was enjoying himself. Plus, he cut a handsome figure with the volcano looming behind him.
Volcán Arenal is a picture-perfectly shaped volcano that looms almost 5,500 feet high. One of the world's youngest volcanoes (less than 7,000 years old), it is also one of the world's most active. It is not uncommon to feel or hear its rumbling and see its glowing spectacle of lights as it shoots orange-hot boulders into the night.
Scientists have established a safety perimeter beyond which it is safe to explore. You'll find many hotels and lodges just at the volcano's base from which to set off on foot or by horseback. Afterward, you can soothe aching muscles with a peaceful soak in thermal water pools.
Perhaps it's this sense of adventure, combined with the otherworldly beauty of the area that draws so many tourists here. And why so many of them choose to stay.
A small, friendly group of expats is now settling happily on the periphery of nearby Lake Arenal, formed by damming the river that flows around the bottom of the volcano. Most choose to live high on the mountaintops that afford impressive views of the shimmering lake and the volcano, safely off in the distance.
The 33-square-mile Lake Arenal is about as pretty as a lake can be. The Lake Arenal expats we spoke with say they came to Costa Rica in search of beach living, but after dealing with the heat, humidity and corrosive salt air of the beach, they headed for the mountains. And once they got to Arenal, there was no going any farther.
"This place is special," says Eyal Ben-Menachem, a transplant from Israel, by way of Chicago, who runs the famous Hotel Gingerbread near the town of Arenal and is a top-notch chef beyond compare. "I never want to live anywhere else."
Indeed, some say that the area is a very potent spiritual energy site with "ghost spirit path roads" running through the mountains to an ancient burial mound. There have been many reported UFO sightings in the area, including one as recently as October 6, 2006. A famous photograph purportedly shows a UFO entering nearby Lake Cote. (Do an internet search for all the mysterious details.)
The expats we met at Lake Arenal don't put much stock in these kinds of things. The area is special, yes, they say. But that's because of the perfect weather, the glorious scenery, and the nice, "no frills" kind of people who live here.
After an idyllic Sunday morning spent under the volcano with Beth and Jeff, floating effortlessly on the still waters of Lake Arenal, we understand perfectly.
If you go: Check out Hotel Gingerbread for accommodation and the finest food in all Costa Rica (according to multiple travel guides and our expanding waistlines): http://gingerbreadarenal.com. And be sure to save some time for floating with Beth and Jeff: http://arenalkayaks.com
