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,...

We woke up in our little cabin on the hillside. We were out of provisions so we drove the bumpy road down into town and bought our first freshly baked bread of the holiday, along with butter, milk and the only cheese they had - processed squares. The lady who owns the cabin had provided some homemade marmalade and a fruit drink which we have not tried yet. When you're not busy, time seems to disappear and it was noon before we set out to Parque Nacional Volcan...

A moving on day. Posada Colonial came with three dogs - and every morning one of them hopped off the outside dining chairs when we appeared. We said our good byes and headed off along the road round Lago Arenal to our next stop in Bijagua. Near the hydro-electric dam, we came across a troupe of coatis alongside the road. Everyone, including us, stopped to take photos of these tame creatures. Heading off down the lake, there was a lot of real estate for sale ...

Our last full day in La Fortuna. The view of Vn Arenal was clear when we first awoke but as usual, it pretty soon clouded over. It's been a very restful few days. When you plan a holiday, it's sometimes difficult to know what places are like. In Chile, something that seems close can be a half day's drive away on bad roads. Here in La Fortuna, all the sights are less than a fifteen minute drive away so we have spread what could be done in a couple of days, m...

So today was Joan's birthday. After a leisurely breakfast, watching the birds and the clouds on Volcan Arenal, we decided to spend the afternoon at Ecotermales Fortuna which is about a five minute drive away. A big machine had broken down outside Posada Colonial's gate and a man we underneath it trying to fix it. Whereas the Baldi spa was more like a water park, this was more akin to the spas we have visited before such as the Termas Geometricas near Volcan Vi...