23rd and 24th January 2016
 
We have just two days here in Arenal and today's activity is to visit the Hanging bridges and the wildlife within the park. This is another tour that has been arranged by those fabulous people at Trailfinders who I can't rate highly enough. Marie at our Exeter branch has always sorted out a fantastic itinerary to fit into the framework of what we want to see and where we want to go. The tours and folks we meet along the way only adds to the pleasure we gain from our trips.
Today we meet Donald. He is our tour guide and along with the driver arrives promptly, as we've come to expect with all our extra tours. Donald has been a guide in the Hanging bridges reserve for 18 years, he calls it his office. He adores his work, if you can call it that and his enthusiasm is utterly infectious and you can't help but listen and enjoy his every word. The trail though the reserve is about 3km long, the reserve is 620 acres in total of pristine forest clinging to the mountainside with fantastic vistas towards the volcano. Donald is kitted out in all the right gear, as we are, long trousers, kagools, hats, cameras and binoculars. Plus he has a very expensive looking telescope, which at various intervals along the way, when we have seen nothing but greenery, he sets up the tripod and through this amazing machine we see pit viper snakes, fabulous birds, Coati (a type of Racoon), iguana, tarantulas hidden in their homes, thank goodness, stunning Orchids, as well as hundreds of huge trees. 
The weather in Arenal is wet. It's warm and the forest canopy stops 88% of the water actually getting to us! So we can amble along enjoying the walk, in relative comfort. There are 14 hanging bridges as well as many smaller ones but some are incredibly high and the longest is XXXX How someone like me is walking over these ravines, clinging on to the metal cord rails as the bridge swings very gently from side to side, quite nonchalantly I do not know. As only 15 persons can be on a bridge at any one time for the weight restrictions, they don't swing too badly, but the longer ones give me quite a turn as I try and focus ahead, without looking down at the tops of 30 foot trees, at least 10 feet below!
We have a thoroughly stunning morning and we can't rate Donald and his wonderful love of the forest and every creature that lives within, he's off the scale. He's even got me believing a Tarantula is an amazing creature (kept within the confines of its own home, of course) but I did manage to peek out from behind Peters shoulder to enjoy the pretty brown colouring it had - Did I really say that? - Thank you Donald, you were fantastic.
So it's back to the Hotel for lunch and drinks by the hot springs pool and Jacuzzi before spending the afternoon sampling the very warm waters. After a very good dinner later we head to our room full of joy and happiness. We start to sort out our things for the next days activities and from under our door comes a small millipede, followed by another! As its raining as it does quite a lot in this part of Costa Rica, I think they are taking refuge. We spray our bug spray, no good! We put Vaseline along the doorway as a deterrent, no luck, the little blighters just keep creeping in. We must of got rid of around 30 before we hoped we had mastered the problem and went to sleep. 
Oh no!!! I was woken from a blissful sleep at 6.45 am by Peter who had shrieked. He had a millipede wandering across his chest!!!! Yuk! Not happy. So eventually we get to reception and discuss our problem. We head to breakfast, when we hope the staff will sort things, but on returning to our room, nothing has been accomplished. The maid knows nothing, her English and our Spanish is not compatible so Peter has a word by phone with management and by the time the maid has also talked to them we are promised a fab new room in one hour. At precisely 11am transport arrives and we relocate to a fabulous turquoise and white, bug free suite complete with a huge bathroom with his and hers basins! Result!! Even the mandatory rocking chairs overlooking an even better view of the volcano are very much more upmarket, also they throw in a platter of fresh fruits. We spend the next 24 hours in the lap of luxury, but more importantly BUG FREE!!!