FORTUNAte :)

Hello all! Let me share with you the incredible weekend I had in Arenal and La Fortuna. It was nice to explore and relax before my last couple of days in Monteverde in the forthcoming week!

               Saturday, May 30^th, we left Monteverde for the 4 hour drive to Arenal and La Fortuna. Once we got there, we shopped around downtown and had the chance to sightsee and visit the town square- there were pretty trees, colorful flowers and people roaming around. The temperature was much more hot/humid than in Monteverde. I saw the main church centered in front of the volcano and it was so beautiful! We proceeded to eat at this awesome outdoor steakhouse restaurant that had the perfect view of the volcano. Sometimes the peak would be clear and we were able to catch a glimpse of it before the clouds shifted back over the top. After lunch, Javier had planned a tour to hike up to the best viewing spot of Arenal Volcano. The climb up the steep steps was completely worth it because once I got to the top, it felt like I was so close to the actual volcano! I took a lot of photos, but they just don’t do it justice at all. We also walked along the Sendero Silencio trails. I think I saw more than 1000 little ants carrying leaves in a line- it was difficult not to step on them! The resort we stayed at, Arenal Springs, was gorgeous. The employees greeted us immediately with passion fruit drinks and warm towels. As we strolled around, we saw the giant pool, Jacuzzi, hot springs, spa, and fancy restaurant. The room Kim, Lynn and I stayed in faced the front of the volcano, right outside our window- it was amazing! For a fancy evening dinner, we all unwound and had a lovely buffet meal from the hotel restaurant. The food included gallo pinto, chicken, pork, pasta, vegetables, salad, fruit, cake, etc. It was also nice to have a completely free evening to rest and swim in the hotel hot springs.

               Sunday, May 31^st, came too quickly! We had the morning free to do whatever we wanted, so, I got up early to go for a run. During my run, it poured the rain and I got soaked! After I cleansed off, I walked down to the restaurant for a delicious buffet breakfast- eggs, tortillas, mango and papaya fruit juices, waffles, pastries, gallo pinto, and omelets…let’s just say I ate really well this weekend! Once our group checked out of the resort, we drove to Waterfall La Fortuna. The anticipatory climb down took about 20 minutes. The falls were glorious and the sky was clear and sunlit. I had the chance to walk out to one of the rocks in the water, and take pictures in front of the falls. Something  alarming that happened was that a man went all the way over to the falls and came close to falling in. A safety guard had to blow his whistle to get his attention, demanding him to return to the non-danger zone. Meanwhile, I sat on top of the rock watching all of this happen! Ten minutes later I hiked back up to the main area of La Fortuna and saw monkeys swinging from trees and birds chirping back and forth. We left to head back to Monteverde around 2:30 and got back at 6. I was greeted by my mama tica and my hermana tica, who kindly welcomed me back home. We sat down for dinner and I shared with them the weekend’s activities and stories of Arenal and La Fortuna. It was an enjoyable moment full of laughter and amiability.

Well, the final week starts tomorrow. I’m not sure if I’m ready for my last couple of days! I will keep ya’ll updated on this week’s final agenda,

PURA VIDA :)