Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/162438
and fertilizer in its verdant native gardens. I revel in the opportunity for a truly hot shower, a good movie and some air conditioning and resolve to spend the following day lazing in my room, scrutinizing the steaming volcano (visible from my window) for any sign of eruption (the last big 'un was 1998). While there are many tours on offer involving hiking and horseback riding on the volcano's flanks, I'm still sore from rafting. So after lunch I stroll into town and deposit myself at the Eco Termales Hot Springs, one of scores of natural thermal pools in the area. I soak in the steaming water and, later, tuck in to a traditional dinner of beef with rice and refried beans before heading back to my comfortable bed. The next day I rise early and head two hours north to Rio Celeste Hideaway Hotel. En route, my driver comes to an abrupt halt and beckons me from the car. While I marvel at the girth of a 500-year-old Ceiba tree, he rummages among the damp leaves, emerging triumphantly with a bright-red strawberry poison dart frog. (How he was able to handle the toxic creature unharmed, I'll never know.) If in Los Angeles everyone is a budding actor, in Costa Rica everyone's a naturalist. p20-25_Costa_Rica.indd 25 When we arrive at the lodge – two sloths, three frogs and a dozen exotic birds later – I'm pleased to find that it feels utterly remote, as if it has just been hacked from the jungle. It has many of the same comforts as three-leaf Nayara (TV, air conditioner and plentiful hot water) but something about it feels even closer to nature: maybe it's the giant koi pond in the centre of the lounge, or the compact size (just 24 suites). The newly finished resort should have opened four years ago. The delay was due in part to the fact that they had to plant a new tree for every single one they cut down. The result is a delightful community of bungalows set on the edge of virgin rainforest. At dawn, I realize just how close to nature I am. I awake to what sounds like a murderer at my door. Leaping from my bed and sneaking outside through a side entrance, I see with some relief that the unwelcome wakeup call is courtesy of a howler monkey. He purses his lips like a tenor and lets out a deep bark, then saunters off to the treetops. Now wide awake (thanks Mr. Monkey), I head to the breakfast buffet (snaring an extra serving of treacly teacake for my journey) and then into the forest to explore while the canopy is atwitter. Compared to the Pacuare area, it's a little drier here. I scan the undergrowth, ever hopeful of spotting one of those elusive jaguars. I meander past a spring (the source of the hotel's water) and over a few bridges until I arrive at the namesake river, Rio Celeste. I strip down and immerse myself in the surreal blue water. Coloured by minerals, the Rio Celeste is one of the main attractions of the region. But at this little-known bend, I have it all to myself. As I soak, it strikes me that I've learned a lot, in this place so abundantly blessed by Mother Nature, about human nature. Costa Ricans – a people without a military – have discovered that you don't need to fight for the environment, you just need to respect and love it. And really, what's not to love? Join CAA Saskatchewan president Fred Titanich on his fourth annual President's Tour to Costa Rica. This stunning 16-day WestWorld Tours adventure, led by experienced tour director Fred Chriest, features trips to San Jose, the Arenal Volcano and Monteverde Cloud Forest, followed by seven nights at the all-inclusive Hotel Riu Guanacaste. Visit westworldtours.com for tour details, and caask.ca/wwonline for travel advice from Fred Chriest. westworld >> fa l l 2 0 1 3 25 13-08-19 9:09 AM