See? I told you I wouldn’t keep up with this infernal thing…
I’m sitting at the DFW Admirals Club right now, waiting for my last flight home to LAX. After a long hiatus from flying (besides a trip up to Seattle for a USC game, no flights since May), I did a same-day turn to Charlotte today. Nov 11 being Veterans Day, I had no classes and took the opportunity to top off my miles.
For the most part, things went as planned, and no major problems arose. If anything, it was a pleasant trip, with free WiFi on my DFW-CLT-DFW turn to burn away the time. But then I was reminded how much of a “mosaic” humanity is, and how airports are the central hubs of such living tapestries… to the point that it reminded me that I had a blog to post such musings. Some of the characters who added a little spice to my day:
- The passenger who decided it was a good idea to bring popcorn into an airtight, confined metal tube;
- The passenger who scurried in front of others waiting for the lounge to open for the morning. (I had the pleasure of getting upstairs to the ticket agent in front of her, because her scurryin’ legs apparently don’t work on stairs. I made sure to take my time….);
- The obese passenger who continued to rub his belly into my shoulder while putting his luggage above me, AND while waiting to swim upstream to get to his seat;
- Another obese passenger who not only blocked the aisle while sorting her things out after arrival, she also decided to bring (literally) a bunch of bananas along onto the plane, as if the greater Metroplex had no such fine cuisine.
(Let me insert here that I’m not trying to bash on the rotund… but their factual and physical conditions had a tangible effect on my day.)
- The uppity smug guy in the sweater vest (to be fair, this guy was rail thin) who scurried up to the front of the line as soon as the door opened, bypassing everyone else who was waiting patiently. Think of a Niles Crane, yet more weaselly. Yeah buddy, we all sit in first class too;
- Finally, the guy behind me who, for some reason, didn’t realize that kicking the back of the seat in front of him would probably garner a negative response from the occupant of said seat (he should go to a doctor and ask him about RLS).
Man, I missed flying!
Today’s flights:
- AA2410 LAX-DFW
- AA644 DFW-CLT
- AA1575 CLT-DFW
- AA2493 DFW-LAX
My upgrade had cleared 2 days prior, so no trading is necessary. The plane is nice and cold, which is great because the aircraft had overnighted in SJO. Boarding is through 2L so the FA was able to do a proper predeparture service. She offers “water, champaign, or OJ” but her face seems to light up when I asked for a mimosa. Our departure is held up for 10 minutes because there’s a problem with the aircraft’s A/C (we were plugged in earlier), but it’s a quick fix. We leave the gate 100% full, taxi, and take off immediately. I finally get to see Costa Rica from the air in daylight, and it’s beautiful… lush and green. Our flight path also takes us over some reef formations (I’m going to have to find out where… Belize maybe?).
We get the typical warm nuts/bev service/hot towel treatment, except the FA hands everyone double minis… terrific! The lunch service starts with a nice salad with a choice of vinaigrette or creamy French dressing (French is tasty). Entree options were grilled tenderloin with black beans, plantain and rice (muy typico), or tortellini. I go for the steak, and it’s very good, probably one of the best meals I’ve had on AA. The steak is perfectly medium rare, beans are flavorful especially when mixed with the rice. Dessert was another typical Tico offering, tres leche. Delish! The caterers at SJO are fantastic.
yellow lines to pass… on a two-lane street. Our road leads to a freeway entrance ramp, but we have to go the other way. I’ve never really had to play chicken in a foreign country before. Eventually (after accidentally taking the scenic scenic route), we make it onto the national highway, Route 1. Parts of it are 2 lanes, sometimes 3 (with 2 lanes going uphill), and still the Ticos cross the double yellow at places we Americans wouldn’t think of doing… before curves, over the crest of a hill…)
It’s about a 3.5 hour drive from San Jose to our hotel by Arenal, with half of it on unpaved roads. And by unpaved, I don’t mean gravel, I mean chunks of softball sized rocks jutting out of a hardened dirt road, with hairpin turns, potholes that would swallow a transmission, and inclines/declines. Average speed over this “road” is about 30kph (that’s under 20mph for us learned Americans). We pass through La Fortuna, the town by the volcano where most of the businesses and hotels are located. However our hotel is another 30 minutes beyond, as the lava flow is only visible on the side opposite the town. 
Though the roads in La Fortuna are paved, we have to make a turn onto unpaved roads again to get to our hotel, and even had to ford a stream (it was so fun that I back up and did it again).
available (closest was back in La Fortuna). After much rangling with the desk clerk, another guest who had just extended his stay decided to offer his room and stick with his original plan. I wanted to refuse his generosity and make the hotel accommodate me, but he wouldn’t hear of it and insisted I enjoy the stay, and I’m grateful for it. He had a standard room with a view ($65/night for 2), but lacking an A/C. Fortunately, it isn’t necessary at night.
Anyway, for $20/person, our guide, Benardo, comes at 4pm to pick us up and drive us to the entrance of nearby Arenal Observatory Lodge (though we didn’t go in… side note, this is another hotel that has views of the flow, and incidentally is featured in the August 2007 issue of American Way). The hike is of medium difficulty because the last part is over lava rocks and boulders. In fact, our hike takes us through the path of the 1992 eruption. We learn that Arenal isn’t like Hawaii, where the flow is of liquid magma. Because it’s cooler, Arenal belches out red-hot glowing boulders, which roll down the mountain in a spectacular show at night (during the day and if it’s clear, all you can
see is smoke billowing from the top). From where we are on the hike, you can hear the lava rocks crashing down, and the volcano making a hissing noise. We’re lucky in that the clouds cleared that evening (we’re in a rain forest so the volcano is usually covered up). Bernardo is very fluent in English and explains the science of volcanoes well.
Again waking up way too early to a very bright sun, we stumble into the included breakfast, and it’s delicious and filling. I order the “plat typico” which consisted of two eggs (any way), rice and beans, queso palmito (local), guava jam and butter, corn tortillas, and toast. After breakfast, we check out… or rather, try to. It takes about 45 minutes, as there’s one person manning the desk, and all transactions are manual, i.e., pen/paper. I guess it just adds to that rustic charm? While we’re there, there are two girls who are also waiting to check out, but they’re trying to catch bus to 
“We have no record of your reservation.” This time, they claim not to have received my faxed credit card confirmation for a standard room ($70++). Fortunately, they have 2 economy rooms ($25++) that end up working out terrifically. Each room has a double bed, a room barely bigger than said bed, and private bathroom. All in all, a nice place to stay (much better than any hostel I’ve been to, but the Four Seasons this is not). Slight (read: Major) issue with hot water pressure if your neighbors (in this case, Bob) uses the shower at the same time. While checking in, we make arrangements for a coffee tour later that afternoon, and a cloud forest tour the next morning.
After settling into our rooms, we walk to get some lunch. We walk by a couple of restaurants recommended by many published guides, but settle on a small restaurant that had lots of Ticos in it (and I have no idea what the name is). 
I love going into local joints, and this one did not disappoint. A very filling plate of beef stew, rice, black beans, and plantains for me (my buddy had steak sautéed in garlic butter) with some Coke (bottle + cane sugar = yum), and it comes out to about $5 a person. After our fill, we head to the nearby market for supplies, then go back to the lodge for much needed Internet access and relaxation before our coffee tour guide picks us up at the lodge.
The coffee tour ($25pp, $20 w/ student ID) is very informative, and the all-you-can-drink coffee is to die for… very smooth, full of body, and not very acidic. I had the equivalent of 6 cups of caffeine. I buy some to take back… why have 10-month old store-bought beans when you can have 2-day old beans? And the highlight… Don Juan himself makes an appearance. Retired nowadays, he lives in the corner of the plantation, feeding his chickens and raising his flowers.
Sofia’s is set back from the main road between Santa Elena and the Monteverde Forest reserve. It’s operated by an ex-pat from the US, and is an elegant setting. Slightly pricier than other places, but well worth the ambiance. We start dinner with an order each ($4) of carnitas croquettes and yucca/smoked gouda croquettes. Both are delicious, and actually the gouda ones are a mistake as we ordered yucca/meat, and they bring some out for us. We like the gouda better.
(Fun note: what restaurant experience is complete without a cat jumping on your lap and taking up residence in the middle of dinner?)
For the main course, I order a grilled tenderloin topped with chipotle butter and balsamic-glazed onions, medium-rare ($16). It came with mashed sweet potatoes and seasonal veggies. It was tender, full of flavor, and succulent… the only thing keeping it from being fabulous is that there was a bit of too much char from the grate (plus I prefer steaks grilled over charcoal).
The guide tour itself takes us along developed trails, which is easy to traverse, but would probably be pretty difficulty if it rained (and we’ve had great luck with the weather). Though easy, hiking boots are still recommended. Amazingly, there are almost no mosquitoes either here or at Arenal, so it’s very pleasant.
There are lots of flora to look at… trees, vines, ferns… all cooperating with one other, or just being parasites yet still part of the circle of life. We have a few exciting fauna sightings: a wandering dung beetle; a tarantula guarding its hole; a hummingbird sitting on its nest; a sloth hiding in the tree (actually, we only saw its back); a porcupine lounging on a branch (actually, we only saw its tail); some caterpillars and centipedes; a coatimundi sniffing around. The most exciting fauna experience is the Hummingbird Gallery just inside the vehicle entrance. They set up feeders and dozens of hummingbirds zip in and out all around you, so close that you feel the breeze off their wings.
After the fun-filled morning, we head back to the hotel to pack up and check out. Before heading out of town, we hit up Donde Henry for lunch, which is basically just shack set up along the main triangle of town. There’s a heated service station, a small prep area, and two tables + 4 stools. We’re talking smaller than my bedroom. But the food
is fantastic… a plate full of rice & beans, stewed beef, and plantains (and that queso palmito if you’re so inclined… I thought it smelled a little fishy, if that was possible for cheese). All for $3… terrific value, even if I did have to share my shoulder room with a German lady.
In reviewing the menu, this place seems to specialized in grilled items. We decid to get a big meat feast of sorts… fried pork chunks, grilled chicken, stewed beef, corn on the cob, whole avocados, mashed black beans, plantains, rice, pico de gallo… it is BIG. When it came out, we are so excited and hungry that we dig in immediately, and it was delicious! The best is the pork, coming out just perfectly flavored and juicy, with a slight crunchy outer part. We enjoy ourselves so much that I forget to take a picture until it was too late. We finish with the best tres leche on this trip, because it’s just swimming in leche, which is how it’s supposed to be.
I notice weird stains on the bottom of Bob’s feet…. wtf? Well, have you ever read all the warnings about DEET (the bug repellant)? (
We easily find the Avis counter, and check in. As a Chairman’s Club member, I’m usually entitled to an upgrade to the best vehicle available if I reserve an intermediate, though it can be hit-or-miss outside of the US and Canada. Unfortunately for me, they gave me exactly what I reserved… a Nissan Tiida (which, I think, is the Nissan Versa in the US). The agent claims to have no 4×4s available, and even if he did he’d charge for the upgrade. There’s no way a subcompact (in US measurements) will make it where we’re going. I ask for it a couple times, but we do have a backup plan, as the hotel we’re staying at offered 4×4 rentals for cheaper than what the Avis agent was offering. When we start talking about it, the Avis agent magically comes up with a Mitsubishi Montero Sport 4×4, and with a 50% discount (special for my being CHM) bring the cost to $35++/day, and we decide to take it. We wade through the throng of people outside of the terminal, hop onto the Avis minibus, and take a 15 ride to the Avis facility, where our blue SUV is waiting, and we’re out of there in 10 minutes.