We have a great time here in Costa Rica. It’s a very beautiful country with lots of flowers and volcanoes (*pssst* and some very gorgeous ladies! ;-)
Now after staying for a couple days we seriously consider staying here for a couple months sometime in the future, even though it’s quite a bit colder than in Natal, Brazil. (Roughly 20°C/68°F where we are in Costa Rica vs. 30°C/86°F near the beach in Natal, Brazil.)
The first day that we spent together with my Mentor, James Brausch, his lovely wife Kristi and their driver Francisco, we made a day tour to the stimulating Tabacón Hot Springs Grand Spa Resort located at the foot of the Arenal volcano, probably the most amazing and astonishing volcano region in Costa Rica, and James’ favorite place on earth.
Starting at 7 o’clock in the morning, the tour took 3-4 hours from our hotel. On the tour, we made a stop at a local mini-bar, taking a yummy original Costa Rican breakfast. And there was the first time James put me to a test.
He took a thick black spider in his hand, kept it there for about two minutes, put it back into the glass box, and then asked me to grab it myself…
I couldn’t.
Could you?
We then went on and made another short stop getting some water. While there, we fed a couple Iguanas. For THAT I did have the courage… ;-)
“What do you think, Marcus, will it eat my foot or the banana?”
“W-well, let me call the ambulance, j-j-just in case…”
“Don’t stare at me like that, dude!”
Now we were “well prepared” for approaching the Arenal volcano…
Almost there…
Taking off the clothes and on the swim suit, we made sure to get into the 40°C/104°F hot springs of Tabacón as soon as possible. And the best spot for that was James’ favorite spot on earth, this pool here…
“No, dude, that’s not really the way I did it…”
See James scratching his head? LOL
What looks a bit funny is we tried floating on the water like James did. (Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of that situation.) I tried really hard, but then figured it may be one of his seemingly magical skills that are nearly impossible to copy. (Kristi’s comment confirmed this assumption. See how she’s laughing about me and my wife’s try?)
After floating in the pool, we headed over to the unforgettable 40°C/104°F hot waterfall area.
That was nice, really nice.
We don’t have that in Brazil…
—Marcus Hochstadt
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I think I can pick up that black spider hehe but not with snake or crocodile.
Did you hold the iguana ? come on it is not that scary rite ?
wow a hot bath , I like :)
[…] https://www.hochstadt.com/hot-springs-costa-rica […]
that looks absolutely fantasic… really looking forwards now to you update on the Q&A ;)
Hey Marcus,
I have no idea how James does his floating trick in the water either. I certainly can’t do it!
Looks like you folks are having a blast!
Pura Vida!
– Aaron
i’d like to try the hot waterfalls. hope i can visit costa rica! :-)
It looks like you had a wonderful time.
I would like to take the liberty to invite your readers to our Costa Rica travel blog:
http://EcoInteractive.wordpress.com
Everything that we do goes to support the Eco Preservation Society.
For the budget minded, Baldi Hot Springs is a great alternative.
With several pools of varying temperatures and a swim up bar, it’s a great place to relax.
Your body’s buoyancy varies depending on the ratio of lean to fatty tissue so if you are very lean your body will have a hard time floating unless you do something to affect your buoyancy like breathing in a deep breath, holding it, and leaning back just a little as you lay flat on the water.
James hasn’t published his percentage of fat in weightlossdude.com since 12/3/07 but it’s probably higher than yours, so if you had a hard time floating, I hope this makes you feel a little better about it.
@lankapo, holding that Iguana… on my arms like a cat? No way!
@ Aaron, nice to see you around here, buddy. You know, I could manage to put my arms behind my head, but crossing my legs made me look like Titanic…
@ Dr. DeJesus, now I have a scientific explanation I can refer to from time to time. Thank you for that. Although it’s still a bit mysterious and magical to me. ;-)
I am just wondering , how beautiful this world is .I saw photographs of a place called Maquenguein Costa Rica by James on his site ,http://www.costaricahq.org/Maquengue/, the photographs are breathtaking. Lovely place to visit.
Yeah the hot springs are great!, I was in arenal last month and it was amazing, a family of toucans were living right infront of our hotel! the place is amazing, and Tabacon is great!
James Brausch is now incarcerated in Utah State Prison for sex crimes against children!
http://www.homefacts.com/offender-detail/UT2236294/James-Brausch.html