Costa Rica 2019 Day 8 - La Fortuna: Mistico Hanging Bridges, Proyecto Asis

What a bad night of sleep.  I barely slept...a combination of slightly feeling my headache come back, being aware of how tired I was, and the temperature of the room. Too hot, too cold, repeat.

I still wanted to get to Mistico Hanging Bridges in the morning though.  It was raining heavily!  The first time it was like this during my time here.  On the drive there, there were sections that were so foggy I couldn't see much on the road in front of me.

I got to Mistico 10 minutes after they opened, and there were a few big buses already. I was surprised they started at 7:30am.

Arenal Volcano was completely socked in because of the rain clouds, but I was thinking the hanging bridges might still be enjoyable in the rain.  A different feel to the forest and experience.

Entrance of Mistico after the clouds started parting

I found myself stuck in a tour group again, one with at least 20 people.  I could never join this kind of group.  Those in the back were telling the guide to speak up because they couldn't hear.  Yikes.

I checked out the garden first. It is a cute little area. On a sunny day it would be nice to relax at the mushroom tables they had there.

Walking amongst the trees

I lost track of which hanging bridge was what, but there were a series of regular bridges before reaching the first hanging bridge.  It really is amazing to be able to walk so high up like that.  Really awesome to have a view that is near the tree-top level.  Unfortunately, I was a bit sensitive to the swaying and bouncing...my tendency to get motion sick worried me.

While I loved approaching the bridge, feeling anxious and the excitement of walking on it, and admiring the view while up there, I wish there was a way that others could pass you easily.  I felt so rushed.  The timing between the people in front of me and after me was not great.  The group behind me were right behind me moving along the bridge, and I just could not have a moment to feel more present.  They were initially in front of me, but again, the timing was off.

The waterfall viewpoint is a tiny one, especially compared to the others that I've seen lately.

Trying not to sway too much...

I saw a mot-mot, and otherwise heard animal noises.  I didn't have binoculars, and honestly was not looking at this destination as an experience for wildlife viewing and hiring a guide. Instead, one for the bridges, being high up, and seeing the view from above.

The rain eventually stopped and the sun came out, so that was nice.  Upon exiting, there is a viewpoint with benches that face the volcano.  It was still covered in clouds, but I sat here and relaxed for a good 40 minutes.  I just wanted to not rush and drive so soon, and the sun and warmth felt really nice.

After leaving, I was determined to drive to a viewpoint along highway 142 that had the lake and volcano, that I had passed on the way in.  I could have sworn it was just a few minutes away.  So, I just drove in the opposite direction of where I was supposed to go.  I figured I'd drive for five minutes in that direction and if I didn't see it, turn around.

While I didn't see the viewpoint, I instead saw a spot where a large group of coatis live.  Where the car feeding the coatis was at when I first drove to La Fortuna.  There were a few cars pulled over, and coatis starting to walk out from the trees, so I pulled over too.

There must be been at least 15 of them!  Luckily no one was feeding them.  They just came out (probably habit because other people have fed them) when people were around.

Coatis near the road!

I got a "viewpoint" although not of the volcano and lake, so decided to turn back towards La Fortuna and get lunch before heading to Proyecto Asis.

The hotel manager at Regina recommended Soda el Rio for lunch. She said its better than Soda Viquez.  Instead of the usual casadas that I've been eating, I got a rice with beef in sauce dish.  It was something they previously prepared, because it came out within five minutes.  Tasty sauce!  I enjoyed the rice + sauce a lot...

Onwards to Proyecto Asis, which I was so excited for!  Animals up close! It was heading in the same direction as Tenorio National Park, so I feel like I've been doing a lot of backtracking this trip.  Oh well, the timings never worked out since I wanted to go to attractions when they opened.

The tour started at 1pm, and I got there a little early.  There were a total of nine people in the group, which is the largest of the groups I've been part of so far.  Our tour guide, Carlos, was clearly passionate about the animals and working there. He had a connection with each of them.

Front of Proyecto Asis

The organization takes in animals that have been in accidents or situations due to humans.  We created the problem, we should fix it.  In other words, car accidents, electricity  pole accidents, or keeping wild animals as pets.  I really appreciated this distinguishing factor.  No saving a young monkey by itself.  It could be following its pack to learn how to act and behave, and come out strong in the end.

There were many monkeys (Spider, Howler, and Capuchin) of various ages, and parrots.  Apparently Costa Rica has two large parrots, Scarlet (red / blue) on the Pacific side, and green on the Caribbean side.  They don't get along due to their similarity in size, and just stay separate and independent.  But, Proyecto Asis has an adolescent parrot that is red, blue, and green.  It is a hybrid of the two, that was due to human intervention.  So so so sad.  It can never be released into the wild, since it will never be accepted into part of a group.

Sad macaw that is not found in the wild.

The organization also has peccarys -- I had no idea what these were!  I initially assumed warthog or wild boar.  The aggressive species was scary, running up to you and snapping its teeth loudly.

Young spider monkey who was previously a pet

Was disappointed that there were no sloths there that I could see close up...but of course this is a good thing!  That means none have been injured.  Carlos said the average rehabilitation time for a sloth is 3-4 weeks, and it is very easy to release them into the wild after.

The tour lasted a little less than 2 hours, for $33.  Again, seems a little steep, but they seem like a great organization though so I will support them.

It's a weird feeling, I am torn between spending all this money on excursions, yet as I drive through the villages I see how little money the locals have.  What little infrastructure there is sometimes, how I take sidewalks and concrete roads for granted.  And so many kids just playing outside during the school-day, not given the opportunity for an education.  In a way, I felt almost bad that I was giving all this money towards a super touristy waterfall or animal attraction...when who knows if the money helps out the locals who need it the most.  Is the money just getting cycled back into the big tourist system instead of the community needs?  I don't know, it's mixed feelings I have.

Anyways...after the tour, it was time to return the car.  I was bummed, put so many miles and lots of time and freedom with the car the past week!  Adobe was absolutely great and so easy to return the car.  It was unfortunately a dirty mess...I loved that size of car, and all the others I saw on the road! Wish there were more tiny SUVs in the states..

After Adobe, I picked up takeout from Soda Viquez for round two! Had to eat the fish casada again...

It was a really chill evening as I just hung out in the room, relaxed, and packed.  I spent a good amount of time chatting with Rocio, the manager. She is wonderful! She's clearly got the case of the travel bug, and I loved how friendly and easy to talk to she was.  Highly recommend Regina Hotel for the lotion, cleanliness, and hospitality!

Had to call it a night fairly early...my shuttle to Tortuguero picks me up at 5:40am.  Overall, a nice last day in the Arenal area.