Another very blustery night with the wind blowing through the insect mesh. There's no glass in the windows, only a wooden door which slides across and latches. Until you open all the doors it is very dark in the cabin.

After breakfast we set off for Las Hornillas - a spa on the side of Volcan Miravalles. To date we haven't filled up with petrol since we picked up the hire car and for ages it has been reading half full. But with yesterday's toing-and-throwing, the yellow light suddenly came on. We had quite a journey in front of us so we needed to fill up. Despite being a sizeable community and a local hub, Bijagua has no petrol station. We saw someone filling his pick up with diesel from a plastic bottle.

So we headed north to Upala, just on the border with Nicaragua where the nearest station is. Not far from here, we were told you could get a view of Lake Nicaragua but as we didn't know where, we headed back through Bijagua to Las Hornillas.

The cash we brought out was bought in England with the packets of Chilean money Joan kept finding in her desk. We had paid the Landlady, Mayra, for our lodgings this morning - 100,000 Colones which is about £130 for three days. This had virtually exhausted our supply so at Bagajes we stopped off to find a bank machine. This is always a trying moment in the holiday. As we found out in Chile not all banks take foreign cards and it's also a gamble knowing how much you can take out given there's a set fixed fee for a withdrawal - no matter how much or how litle you take out.

The first machine went through all the stages of withdrawal to at the end cancel our transaction. We tried serveral times but to no avail. Then we found a second bank machine complete with security guard which was a bit ominous. However it soon transpired he was there to help an old lady change her PIN. Money withdrawn we headed up the valley and saw a huge lizard crossing the road.

Turning off the main road towards the spa, there was a large geothermal power station, pipes winding through the undergrowth, that was harnessing the energy of Volcan Miravalles. Costa Rica this year attained 100% energy from sustainable sources.

Las Hornillas spa was set in an area full of spluttering mud pots, spitting steam vents, boiling waters and eggy fumeroles. It had that familiar sulphurous smell. We were greeted by some peacocks, a couple of them albino. We were the only people there, though it is mid winter here in Costa Rica. In driving rain and winds we walked around the geothermal features which they describe as a crater - but it's not.

There were several pools - two filled with muddy water for which the resort is famous. The other pools were either too cold or too hot to bathe in, except one, which was warm but could have been warmer. It looks like the place is a bit run down and mismanaged as it could be an amazing attraction. It's the only spa we've been to which is directly adjacent such a geothermal field with perhaps the exception of the single concrete pool at El Tatio Geysers, Chile. The sauna here was a concrete cave bult over a steaming pool. Cool.

Still for most of the time we had the place to ourselves, watched over by the peacocks. A minibus turned up with more tourists but they just walked around the geothermal features. Only one briefly joined us in our pool and then they were off.

Night was falling so we headed back to Bijagua - mainly in the dark. By the road someone had painted rocks with faces and animals.

Dinner was Enyucados - a croquette like food filled with processed cheese. It is made from yucca or casavva - seemingly a local staple and carbohydrate.