“It’s a good thing I’m wearing my Dove-for-Men-72-hour-antiperspirant-deodorant, extra fresh.”
The one constant in this entire trip. Where Clark and I would feel sweaty and in need of a shower to freshen up before dinner or an outing around the town, Tulsi would be spouting the durability of her Dove for Men’s 72-hour deodorant in a way only a little sister can.
Taco Bell, sloths, attempts at bird-watching and success at bird-fleeing, waterfalls and rivers, cheap and deluxe pizzas, and hikes to accompany it all. ** cue Sound of Music ** These are some of our favorite things.
Our first destination: Monteverde. Known for its cloud forests, diverse array of birds, and wildlife. We spent hours meandering around forests shrouded in thick fog, listening to bird sounds at Curi Cancha Reserve, hiking steep, steep (1100 ft elevation gain - too steep for us Desais) trails for waterfall views, and occasionally spotting a ‘darting Tulsi’ when one heard a large black beetle or hummingbird flying toward us. We did spot a sloth, coattimundis, a paca, keel-billed toucans, several different hummingbirds, a tarantula, and a pit viper by the time we left Monteverde.
We drove around Lake Arenal on our way to the next destination and stopped at Nuevo Arenal - where Clark and I had camped the week before - for pizzas and beer with a lakeside view. Due to a very busy day at the restaurant, we ended up waiting nearly an hour longer for the food than we had anticipated. Afterward, the staff graciously offered us brownies as a gesture of appreciation for our patience, which we very excitedly accepted (who can say no to brownies?).
This meant, though, that we had reached our town of Colonial Trinidad (in the La Fortuna area) in the dark… We were a little lost due to some poor cell signal and crummy Google Maps directions, and, in the ensuing chaos of trying to find our Airbnb, we rolled into a deep ditch while trying to back out of a wrong turn. As deep as the tire itself. As I was standing outside, evaluating what could be done and slowly losing hope as the car was so tilted and the tires looked to be going in opposite directions, neighboring folks and motorcyclists driving by started coming over to see what was going on and how to help. Within minutes, I found myself alongside roughly a dozen men with unmistakable Dad Energy, all diagnosing the problem and attempting to push the car while C revved the engine. Eventually, an older man who was passing by in a truck had an idea and the tools to get our car out. Unfortunately, the first iteration involved our rear bumper (the same one damaged in Mexico), but we pivoted, wrapping the tow rope around a cement pillar and attaching to our front bumper to torque the Stinkbug out as he revved his truck and many of the other men pushed. And wah, our car was out of the ditch. My Spanish was nonexistent (as tends to happen when my brain is too exhausted), but expressing gratitude and joy easily transcends language barriers. Thank god for the kindness of people.
** Side Note: We try not to drive in the dark, especially in unknown areas and on unknown roads. Largely, this comes down to reduced visibility, especially as roads throughout Central America can be inconsistent . This night was a prime example. **
The next morning, we stayed in - a decision easily reached after the longer-than-expected travel the day before - and watched Zootopia 2, which was a great movie to prime us for our safari boat tour that evening. We saw so much wildlife along the river: many species of birds, two different types of monkeys, a crocodile, a close-up sloth, and even a basilisk (a side character in Zootopia 2)! The next day we did a chocolate tour, where we had cacoa tea, hot chocolate, freshly pressed sugarcane juice, and made our own chocolate truffles, which was very fun and very delicious. Being the rainy season, our evening plans got rained out, but we made the best of it indoors with more pizza and a couple games of poker. The final day was upon us, and we spent it hiking Arenal Volcano, where we saw lava fields, a pair of Giant Curassows, and some cute poison-dart frogs, followed by shopping at artisanal markets in La Fortuna.
All in all, this was a pretty good week with the wildlife spotted, the fun times had, the delicious food shared, and the sister who visited. This week was different in a way that I am unable to fully capture in words or stories. Going from just Clark, Arya, and me in the Stinkbug to Airbnbs with my sister was a change of pace for us all. There were sibling squabbles, bickering between C and me, and quiet internal battles to maintain peace, all of which could be frustrating and exhausting. But I wouldn’t trade a single difficult moment given the good times we shared.
Spending a week with one’s sister is full of ups and downs, but all around love, because there is no one who knows you like a sister.
