You'll find more Spanish architecture in Southern California than you will in Costa Rica. An exception is this great church we visited on our way to the Hot Springs in Tabacon. In the foreground is an amazing topiary garden, where one guy has been pruning and shaping the cypress trees for 35 years.
Before donning our bathing suits and jumping in the hot springs, we decided to go on one of the numerous canopy tours offered around the countryside. In these tours, you suit up in a harness and climb (or get winched) high into one of Costa Rica's humongous trees. These tours are billed as a learning experience for studying the rain forest canopy. In fact, they are more like thrill rides where the guides snap and unsnap you off of one line or another, permitting you to race between trees as you move down the hill. Not much time for observing the ecosystem, but very exciting!
Because we were in a rain forest, it had rained recently and all the ropes were wet. As we rode the ropes, the pulleys we hung from wrung the water from the ropes giving us a little shower as we glided from tree to tree. I can't remember even noticing this at the time, we were having too much fun.
Much to our chagrin, we forgot to take any pictures at the springs. I guess we were caught up in the moment of partaking in such a marvelous attraction. It's a little touristy, but the water which cascades off Arenal volcano is just great. The owners of the resort have sculpted the banks on either side of the river with concrete and stone, leaving plenty of the natural landscape intact. What you find are several pools you can wade, swim or soak in, along with a waterfall which gives you a splendid shower massage. There is also a decent restaurant and a swimming pool where you pull a submerged seat up to the bar for drinks garnished with little umbrellas.
Copyrighted©2001 Jim Mattson