This past Thursday,my friend Romain and I drove up the North-West region of Costa Rica, to the mountains of Arenal. Which was 3-4 hours from San Jose. The scenery was something to marvel at. On our way there, I saw mountains, volcanoes, trees, and plants of Costa Rica, which I never knew existed. This week was known as Semana Santa, which is known as Holly week in Costa Rica. In the states, it's known as Easter week. During Semana Santa, everyone acknowledges the crucifixion of Christ, and the scarfices he made for them to be reborn. During this period, certain rituals are practiced. Absence of certain foods, Absence of alcohol, and absence of sexual pleasures, depending on the individual. During this time, fun and play comes into the picture. As families head to the coast for three to four days, to soak up the sun's rays,and have fun with their families. Romain and I wanted to avoid the big crowds, so we thought it would be best, if we mellowed out and venture up to the mountains. When I first arrived there, I saw species of birds that I would only see on the discovery channel. I saw giant insects and birds with massive wings. I also had the opportunity to see the beauty of the lakes from the house, looking through the binoculars. When we first arrived there, we thought it would be best to relax in the Jacussi, and let the water massage our muscles, as we forget about our worries back home. From there, we headed into town, which was a ghost town when we first arrived, because of everyone heading out to the beaches. I was surprised by the amount of foreigners that I encountered in Arenal. There were people from Canada and the US, who had and established businesses there and have been living there for a good while. Most where either advanced or knew enough Spanish to get by. By the vibes and feedback that I received, it seemed many were looking for business opportunities, while others stumbled upon the area be accident. We went back to the house and played classic music, such as blues, classic, instrumental music and such, while we prepared a delicious pasta dish for lunch. The rest of time we played music and sat out on the balcony, observing the different spices of birds, such as hummingbirds, 2cans, parrots,among others. We also so gaint Lizards frogs, and other small insects in the area. There was no alcoholic beverages available fro two days, and little activity going on, so we decided to drive by the lake, and get a glimpse of what we were getting into for the weekend. We drove around for a while till we decided it would be best to come back another day. We drove back to the house and relaxed in Jacuzzi, until it was time to go to bed. The next day, we woke up and drove into town, and picked up some eggs, to make some gallo pinto for breakfast. From there, we went into town and drove around. On our way there, we say massive crowd holding a across, while marching in the middle of the street, singing religious hymns. The road was blocked off for a few miles, so we detoured and went back into town where we stopped at an animal preserved center. There we saw all different sorts of snakes and spiders, more importantly we saw moneys swinging from trees above. We had an opportunity to interact with one of them, which was a surreal experience. The spider monkey was very friendly and playful with us, and he found our company very inviting. We decided to head back to the house and relax some more, before nightfall. It was Friday night, and the town was a complete ghost own. Luckily Romain had friends around the area, so we decided to hang out there, and drink some cold beers. We were there for a majority of the night night, until we decided to go back home and preserve our energy for the next day. The next morning, we woke up and made gallo pinto once more afterwards went into the Jacuzzi to get the day started right. Afterwards we gathered all our belongings and drove round the entire lake. There we were in aww and aww marevling at the beauty of the trees and the lake around us, while we drove for miles observing the countryside. It was an entire day trips full of video clips, and videos of us exploring the unique sides of Arenal. It was a fun filled evening, and we enjoyed every moment of it. The moment that stuck out in my mind, was when Romain and I videotaped us crossing the lake in his 4*4 landcruiser truck, and the trills and excitement we received from the people that were looking on.You will have a chance to witness all of that very soon, when I post the clips on YouTube. It was fun times, but the clouds were rolling in, and we were getting hungry. We stopped by the local market and picked some vegetables and meat to make soup for dinner. Later on in the evening, we just simply listened to music and soaked up the view from the balcony. We were even more excited for the next day, because it was that last day, and supermarkets were re-selling beers once again. The next morning, we went to the store and picked up beers,to relax by the lake and go swimming afterwards. We spent the entire afternoon drinking beers and having a few laughs. The evening was coming to an end, but for us it was just getting started. We stopped by a local bar, and had some more beers, and sat and talked with the locals and foreigners that were in town. It was fairly boring and we want a little action, but we heard there was disco-tic downtown. We went back home, showered and put on some fresh clothes. Later on, we stopped at the bar once again, for a few beers before heading to the disco-tic. Once we arrived, we saw a huge crowd there, from the feeling and vibes, this was diffenetly the place to be. Romain and I were feeling extremely nice, and we went inside and make the best of the dance music, especially the dancehall they played, which had me going completely bookers. Like my friend Romain said, at nights end, like all good things, it must come to and end. I can't wait to do it again....
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