La Fortuna/Mt. Arenal Day 1

Posted on February 7, 2012 by donnalscott

Our celebration getaway to Mt Arenal was another beautiful adventure. The ride alone was worth the trip, zig -zagging on mountain roads. There were lots of turns, when, a moment later, we were looking down and across at the road where we had just traveled. The last hour was a change in topography, flatter with ranches, and lots of humidity. The public bus took about 4 hours to arrive at La Fortuna, the small town that has become the entrance way for tourists coming to see the volcano. The last eruption was in 1968 when over 80 people were killed. But the active red lava, once seen on clear evenings, has been quiet for the last year. When we first arrived at the 2 slot bus terminal, our first encounter was with a young man from a tourist company across the street who was like a swarming mosquito, following us down the road to our hostel, bombarding us with information about the great tours that they provide. The sensory attack after being on a bus for hours was a complete turn-off. My expectations of this place quickly lowered. However, once we got settled into our room, we decided to check out the tourist office at our hostel. The owner came recommended by Lorenzo, the assistant director of our language school, who had been very helpful with our excursion planning. The woman rocking on the chair outside the office was working for Franklin, the owner. She set us up with a tour company who would drive us to the volcano, guide us on a hike in the rainforest and lava fields, and then take us to the free hot springs, part of the same spring that the adjacent luxury hotel charges to use. This is what is good about Tico recommendations! We were to get picked up at 3:00. So we were outside of the hostel by 2:45, and at 3:40 our ride came. Tico time. We were driven to the west side of the Volcano where it is possible to hike, and with a group of about 12, we began the hike by crossing a river on a hanging bridge. Crossing behind 10 other people, causing a bit of a vibration, made me feel a little tipsy walking on the bridge! Early in the hike, a little rain shower brought relief from the hot, humid weather. I came to appreciate the coolness of our mountain apartment! We didn’t see any wild life, but the walk was enough, through lush green rainforest, looking at ancient trees, and listening to the birds and insects. We arrived at an overlook to see the cloud covered peak of Mt Arenal, a gorgeous vista, and rested on lava rocks as our guide, Andres, told us the history of the formation and activity of the volcano. Then we began the descent down the rocks and back onto the trail just as dark set in. We hiked the rest of the way, using our flashlights, another first in my hiking experiences! During the hike, Andres dug up some of the packed wall of dirt that is used for mud spas, putting globs of dirt into his bag. At the springs he would treat us to free mud facials! Even the men joined in for that fresh smooth skin! On the way to the springs, the van stopped along the road when Andres spotted a red eyed tree frog. He posed on Andres’ arm for us to get pictures-no flashes allowed. We arrived at the springs and, with our flashlights, made our way down the path to a small water fall, where we could either slide quickly into the pool below, or more slowly cross the wet rocks along the top and climb down the stair step rocks. Rod took the slide, I went the slower way. Basically when I saw him go under I decided I didn’t want to chance losing my contacts! Standing under the falls provided a natural massage. The water was about 80 degrees, and a totally awesome way to relax after a hike. Even more so when Andres served us rum and cokes in plastic cups as we enjoyed the springs, waiting for our facial mud packs to dry! Well worth our $28.00 per person. We returned to our hostel around 8:00, starved. After cleaning up, we crossed the street to the open air restaurant called, Just Good Food. There was lots of activity in this small place. We soon discovered that the Superbowl had just ended. That was surreal, to realize how out of touch we are regarding normal American activity. The owner, James, is a 73 year old man from Texas. He and his wife came to Costa Rica every year for about 8 years. Then one day she said she didn’t want to go back to Texas. He sold his business and they moved down here. He opened this restaurant 3 years ago. Now that is a different kind of retirement! James stood by our table before and after our food was served, and told us stories. He also gave us some recommendations for our next day. Because this is so long, I will make that another blog! Enjoy the pictures!

The view from our hostel