New owners of the Arenal Country Club Alan and Sandy Carey partially reopened the club last week. The tennis courts, terrific pool with locker familities, and weight room are open again. Day passes cost 1500 colones.

At the other end of the lake, Christine Krishnan writes that, "There are few opportunities to get to know the real Costa Rica, but Desafio Adventure Company's new Culture, Community, and Conservation Tour puts clients in direct contact with some of the promising projects happening in and around the area."

Christine and husband Suresh, whose Lake Arenal office is in La Fortuna, have put

together an 8:30 am to 3 pm tour including bilingual guide and organic, home-cooked lunch. The tour visits a women's arts and crafts workshop co-op to learn abuut its work to teach the community to "reuse, reduce, recycle; the Proyecto Asis animal rescue center, where clients help feed wild animals such as crocodiles, wild boars, and monkeys and learn about area efforts to rehabilitate injured animals and release them back into their environment; and the Luna Nueva organic farm, for a walk throlugh a medicinal plant garden to learn about ginger, tumeric,and other good-for-you things found right in our backyards.

For info, contact Desafio at 479-9464, 888-433-9933, or info@desafiocostarica.com.