On day five in Costa Rica, we started the day with a visit to a tree nursery and learned about Monteverde’s reforestation efforts. We planted a tree to commemorate Collette’s donations to the nursery. Then we began another bus ride to Lake Arenal. On our way, we saw breathtaking views of the Arenal Volcano. The bus got to the lake and we all boarded a boat for an ecological boat ride. We saw crocs, birds, blue herons, bats, turtles, howler monkeys, and the beautiful Arenal Volcano. After the boat ride, we stopped for lunch at a local town. Some people took a cab to the hot springs in Tabacon. There are quite a few hot springs in the area. After lunch we settled into the Mountain Paradise Hotel. It was a fabulous hotel with a bathroom we could have danced in. The patio had a whirlpool which faced the volcano. The pool had a swim up bar which also faced the volcano. We went for a quick drink at the pool and then went to a cooking demo. After the demo we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. I had the best sea bass. It is one of the popular fish choices in Costa Rica.
