Color accent happy

Gabs and my biggest struggle: naps. Yes, naps. We take them, convinced that we will wake up refreshed for a night on the town, but instead end up sleeping well through the night and into the morning hours.

Today we break that trend. It is 9:00 pm and we are sitting at a bar watching el partido de fútbol entre Costa Rica y El Salvador, with dos imperiales and our computers. Life is good.

Needless to say, today was a day of indulgence...but I suppose that has been the story of my life for the past month, and will likely be the story of my life for the near future.

After breakfast, complete with Gallo Pinto (which I have been craving since my days in Nicaragua) and fresh fruit (which Gabby loves...ha), we were whisked off towards Volcán Arenal and the Baldí hot springs.


One of the major highlights of our trek was our discovery of the color accent setting on our cameras. This setting has opened a world of picture-taking possibilities.



If you thought I was camera-happy before...you have no idea what this has done to me.




After a few tourist detours, we stopped for a "light lunch" which consisted of mounds of food at an open buffet, followed by a half hour full-body massage.

We then hit up the Tabacón hot springs...



The hot springs are near el volcán and are tucked into the rainforest. On a good day you can see the volcano from them.


On a day like today, the steam, mist, and fog all blend in together with the springs and waterfalls. I'll take it.



We decided that Tabacón is great honeymoon spot, or a great retired folks vacation spot. While it looks tranquil in the pics, it's actually an upscale hotel of sorts. If you ever venture to Tabacón, steer clear of the overpriced pool bar.



And this is when Gabby almost lost her swimsuit to the waterfall:



And some more color accents:




After our hot spring adventures and some more food indulgence, we finally arrived in pitch darkness to watch the flowing lava of el volcán...and what we saw was...nada. Darkness. Here are some pictures of us admiring the theoretical active volcano that exists behind the clouds:





All in all, I'm quite satisfied with this day, but the gluttony makes me crave a month of surfing, yoga and minimal eating binges even more. Now it's time for some more imperial and fútbol. Tomorrow, Monteverde.