Welcome to the blog diary of life at Leaves and Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat. Running a B&B is fun and day to day life here in Costa Rica is never boring. Find out what it takes to become one of the best places to stay in Costa Rica! We are constantly number one or number two on Trip Advisor.

Arenal Volcano from the Lava Lizard Restaurant at Leaves and Lizards

Amazing photo, taken by Brian Button, second time guest at Leaves and Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat. Thanks Brian! What a great start for our new Lava Lizard restaurant!

Charlie and Charlie with Lorita at the Lava Lizard Restaurant

Steve 'Wyland' working on the Lava Lizard

Finishing up the details at the Lava Lizard restaurant, Steve is busy bringing life to our

The metamorphosis.... of the Lava Lizard

soon to be legendary, Lava Lizard!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

In October Krysta Williams and a few of her friends that work in the barrios in San Jose  came to Leaves and Lizards for a quick one night break from the city. Krysta and her comrades work for the Christian missionary group,  Students International.

“Students International does long-term, on-going community development in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Fiji and Guatemala. The International Office, located in Visalia, California provides leadership, supervision and service in the areas of funds development, human resources, information technology, finance and administration, ministry and program development, and organizational marketing.  ” excerpt from the Students International mission statement.

Krysta told us about her students and her work.  An idea was hatched, we had a meeting of the minds and realized what an opportunity it was for Leaves and Lizards to offer an experience to these girls, giving them the chance to get out of the city for the first time in their lives.  Many thanks to our staff that volunteered their time to host the group.   Krysta’s blog is copied and pasted below:

Many First’s

We had an amazing time this weekend at the lodge up in Arenal. Thank you for all of your prayers; we certainly felt them. Every last detailed came together perfectly; I could not have planned it better even if I tried. The girls had an incredible time and can’t stop talking about everything we saw and did in a short 36 hours. The girls had the opportunity to learn in a hands-on-way about all different kinds of farm animals and rainforest life. In addition, the weekend was full of lots of laughter and being silly together as we tried new things. More than anything, it was a great time building deeper relationships in a way that would never be possible within the tutoring center.

A Photo Essay of the weekend…

We picked up the girls at 7am in Los Guido in our microbus. On the way up, the girls experienced thick fog for the first time ever. They kept looking out the window saying, “Estamos en el cielo!” We’re in heaven! Thanks to the fact seatbelts don’t really exist here, the girls were able to bounce all around the van as we had a sing-along, promptly producing lots of motion sickness.

From Leaves and Lizard

Catalyna and Leah in the microbus

Luckily we made it to Leaves and Lizards without any accidents. Shortly after arriving we headed down to the barn to learn how to ride a horse. The girls were super excited, but got a little freaked out once we were actually near the horses. Notice Madai’s face.

From Leaves and Lizard

Debbie did a great job easing their fears and teaching them how to comfortable control the horse. Within an hour everyone was riding with confidence.

Catalyna kept wanting to go faster. But as we were riding in a corral, it wasn’t really an option.

From Leaves and Lizard

Belkys was extremely hesitant to go near the horses, and it took a lot of convincing to get her to even try it. But it was amazing to see her confidence level increase, especially after a scary freak out when one of the horses got spooked. She was amazing!

From Leaves and Lizard

It was also my first time ever on a horse! So fun to be able to share the experience with the girls.

From Leaves and Lizard

After riding, we shared a lovely dinner with Steve and Debbie and headed back to the cabin to rest before our big hike the next day.

From Leaves and Lizard

That night we all enjoyed hot water showers, and the girls used a blow dryer for the first time before sleeping like queens in our luxury cabins

From Leaves and Lizard

After our big breakfast of fluffy pancakes, cheese omelets, and bacon (all very special treats here), we headed off to hike through the rainforest with our trusty guide, Oscar.

From Leaves and Lizard

Catalyna, Belkys, Judith (Madai’s mom), Madai

It rained on us almost the whole time, but we were prepared!

From Leaves and Lizard

Due to the rain, there weren’t as many animals out and about, but we were still overwhelmed with God’s amazing creation. It reminded me of all the nature hikes my family would do growing up.

From Leaves and Lizard

From Leaves and Lizard

From Leaves and Lizard

Our ride home held one more surprise for the girls…. McDonalds!!! Here in Costa Rica, American fast food is rather pricey and considered a very special treat. (The thing for middle class families to do is is have birthday parties at McDonalds) When we pulled in to the parking lot, the girls could not believe it! It was a great ending to a fabulous weekend!!!

From Leaves and Lizard

A very BIG thank you to Steve and Debbie of Leaves and Lizards for making this unforgettable weekend possible!!!

From Leaves and Lizard

Posted by Krysta Williams at 3:10 PM 4 comments

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Leaves and Lizard

In examining certain aspect of my personality and work style I realize I am much more of a detailed orientated person than a visionary dreamer. I like to dream, but quickly become intimidated by the bigness of it. I haven’t figured out the whole business of networking and building strategic partnerships, so I falsely think I have to accomplish the great idea all on my own.

A few weeks ago, a dream opportunity fell into my lap with enough of the big stuff already worked out; there was no way I could say no. I met Debbie and Steve last month when us girls decided to get out of the city for a night. We found their lodge, Leaves & Lizards, on the internet and decided to go for it even though it was further away. We had an amazing stay. Over our family style breakfast, I shared with Debbie and Steve about the kids I work with in the city. Debbie immediately lit up; she has always wanted to be able to bring city kids out there but lacked the connection. Perfect. We spent the rest of the morning dreaming of all the things we could do with the kids. Debbie is already super involved in the community there. All I needed to do was find transportation and convince the parents to le me take their kids for the night. Unbelievable. I was so excited, but still really nervous. How was I going to convince parents I’ve never met to let me take their daughters, who’ve never heard of the concept of a fieldtrip, on an overnight trip 4 hours away? Yikes.

This weekend I was finally able to meet with the mom of 2 sisters, Catalyna and Alicia, that I want to be a part of the trip. We had a wonderful time together. All of the kids were so happy I came to their home, and it was great to finally meet their mom. I shared with her more about the trip and why I wanted the girls to go. After reassuring her I would be with the girls at ALL times, she gave her permission. She continued to thank me for all that I am doing for her and her kids. I just kept telling her how much I love having her kids at the center. It was a very encouraging afternoon.

I still am a little nervous about the project, but I am so excited to see how God has gone before us opening doors and preparing connection I wouldn’t have made on my own. We still have a few more details to work out before our trip on Nov. 14-15, so please keep us in your prayers. I can’t wait to share how it all turns out!

The Legend of the Lava Lizard

With great anticipation we look forward to the completion of our new restaraunt at Leaves and Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat, The Lava Lizard! Steve has designed a new mural. It is a volcano with a lizard morphing from the lava as it flows from the crater. He also wrote a poem.

by Steve Legg

There was a day in history when a farming village fell,

Cracking dawn was shattered by a thunder came from hell.

If you ask a local Tico here what happened on that day,

When Arenal exploded and the Earth began to shake,

He’ll tell you of a story filled with fire’s fury fate,

How 90 people lost their lives in July of ’68.

The volcano is alive you know, it sleeps, it wakes, it rumbles,

The smoking rocks rush down at will, they crash, they crack, they crumble.

There is a local legend; some people say it’s true,

Something magic happens when the volcano starts to spew.

The boulders leave the crater and they tumble down the hill,

They morph into a lizard, as the legend has it still.

Its toes and feet are bouncing, glowing rocks in streams of red,

Golden flames leap down its back and form plates on its head.

Its body is an avalanche of red rocks burning bright,

They slither down between the peaks and valleys through the night.

Once you’ve seen the lava lizard, burning fire in your mind,

You’ll keep that memory with you up until the day you die.

Use your imagination; you’ll see the lava lizard too,

You’ll get the lava fever then and this is what you’ll do…

You’ll stay up half the night or so, just watching lava fly,

Come to breakfast late next morning, dark bags beneath your eyes.

It’s quite a sight to see it and it’s quite a sound to hear,

The lava lizard’s power is a power to revere!

Adventure Games- Costa Rica provides the perfect novelty for any tourist looking for a souvenir to capture the moments of their vacation.  Costa Rica Adventure board game was inspired by Steve and Debbie and brought to reality by Debbie’s daughter, Madeline Hanson. Great Job! Created and manufactured in Costa Rica. www.adventuregamessite.com. You will find the game in many gift shops in the Sarchi, Grecia, Poaz, Fortuna and Monteverde area.

Great shot of these Caimens on the Rio Frio near Cano Negro Reserve

This photo was taken by Berni and Nhi, our friends and fellow inn owners. Their place the Pura Vida Hotel near the San Jose Airport is a favorite stop at the beginning and end of any stay in Costa Rica.  Berni and Nhi came for a stay at Leaves and Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat and enjoyed the day with our guide, Enrique, cruising up and down the Rio Fri in the Cano Negro area.

It may not look like much now, but our new restaurant, at Leaves and Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat, is coming along well and will be open by December! We are working on a unique menu, using  fresh, locally grown foods to create a blend of Costa Rican flavor for our guests.

We tried a new entre last night, Corbinetta ( a mild white fish) with Ginger Lime Sauce, Que Rico! For an appetizer, Black Bean Cakes with jalapeno Cilantro Sour Cream Yummy!

We are planning a solar/wind laundry drying room and a volcano with a flame created with methane gas from the waste water system.

We have been working with Proyecto Asis to use Leaves and Lizards as an intermediary release center for wild animals that need what is called a “soft release” back into the rain forest. A soft release is a type of release that help’s ease an animal that has been in captivity for an extended period of time back into the wild. Providing food, shelter and a safety during this gradual process. On Thursday the MINAE gave us permission to serve as a release center for a pair of Spider Monkeys. The monkeys have been at Asis for about a month and are ready to potentially be able to be released back into the wild.  We will provide the food, safety and shelter for the monkeys as they get used to the forest. If they continue to need the care we are providing them they will still be able to enjoy the patch of forest near their cage in the day and come back to the safety of the cage at night. It is an experiment, we will look forward to working with the experts to find the best way to provide a good and as normal as possible quality of life for these two monkeys. The goal is to see them join another troop of wild monkeys.

Our Vinculo con Caballo students are doing great! Take a look!

Finca Vista 42

Once in a while you find a great deal! We found one…it will be just right for someone…

This 20 acres farm near the town of Venado, about 30 minutes from Leaves and Lizards,  has an incredible view of 4 volcanoes: Arenal, Tenorio, Miravelles, Rincon de la Vieja and 2 countries, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

It comes with it’s own Costa Rica company. Legally, it is clean and tidy, ready for a new owner.

$120,000. Please contact us for more information at:  leavesandlizards@gmail.com

Situated in an ideal location and altitude

Views of the most active side of Arenal

View of the pond and volcanoes toward the northwest

View of 3 volcanos Tenorio, Miravelles, Rincon de la Vijea