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Day 10
Another Leaves & Lizards breakfast - with all the other guests and lots of stories about the booms and lava from the volcano during the night while the kids played with the sloth, parrot, dogs and turkey chicks. Then looking out the window we saw Finn and Derry waving from on top of a horse being led around the garden. It's animal heaven here for Finn and Derry!
Making the most of having wifi we loaded up more photos and journal to the blog before packing up and heading off just after noon.
We grabbed some lunch (v mediocre) before setting off on the road around Lake Arenal. At times there were spectacular views on a very windy journey but the kids all fell asleep post prandial aided by a travel sickness pill (yes, the road was that tortuous).
We were not sure how long the trip would take, having heard anything from 3 to 5½ hours, which would make it dark by the time we arrived with some vague directions. 40 km later across the gravel and dirt, ditch and bump roads, and via a stop at a gas station where I wasn't entirely sure whether we'd been ripped off or not (some scam with not having change) and we arrived in the town of Santa Elena. We got a wee bit lost looking for signs in the twilight which I'm yet to believe are actually there, then we finally arrived at the huge sun by the side of the road which meant we'd arrived at El Sol.
We got a big welcome from Elisabeth, ex germany and the canary islands, with hugs and we could see very quickly this was a special place - low lighting, bright colours, a haven in the hills. It was too dark to really see the layout of the place but we knew there were only 2 cabins and the main house. Elisabeth briefly showed us the pool, built from rocks and stone, including half a dozen vocal resident cane toads (but at least they have predators, unlike Australia, so their numbers are limited).
On the way from the car to the cabin the big speedo bag bit the dust, having threatened to the day before - seems it had finally met its weight/stuffing capacity limit, and it simply refused to budge, but was willing for its handle to! Naturally the trip from the car to the cabin was the longest one yet so it made for an interesting trip in the dark. The cabin was entirely built from wood, very rustic, with a large balcony and mezzanine sleeping - there were lots of choices for sleeping - sofa beds, futons, but only one bed, so as you can expect the 'decisions' (easier to type than 'arguments') about who sleeps where were spirited.
The neighbours brought down our evening meal of typical Costa Rican fare - beans, rice, platinas, cheese, chicken, sauces plus a bottle of wine. Very convenient! We finally agreed on sleeping locations, and within moments the 3 were fast asleep, and us not long behind them. These 5.30 mornings are taking their toll!
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