Although I´ve really been looking forward to the Arenal Backpackers Resort to get somewhere new and meet other travelers, it hasn´t been as fruitful as I thought i would be. People here are friendly enough... but just not all that social or chatty. At least, not yet. It´s also mid week and sort of a slow time of the year for tourism, so i guess there aren´t that many people here. The one person i have chatted with is here writing the next Costa Rica Lonely planet guide! He has good tips for dinner and bars so that´s been cool. Can you imagine how sweet that job must be?
In any case... here i am. Arenal and La Fortuna.
La Fortuna is the name of the town. Arenal is the volcano that the town surrounds. The weather here is warmer, and more humid, than it was in Heredia. It´s also quite drizzly. Every hour or so, it mists for a while and then stops. La fortuna reminds me a bit of DaLat (vietnam) in the way that the town is just a hub... and you are really just in town to sleep. You need to book a tour and get out of the hub if you want to see what we are all here for.
In an hour, I will do just that. I´m doing a hike around the national park, then a stop at the volcano viewing point (where i likely won´t see lava because of the weather but at least it shoul d be a nice view) and then I´m going to some hot springs. I debated for a while on which hot springs to go to. The popular one for backpackers is called Baldi hot springs. From reputation and photos it looks like a combination of Water Country and Cancun. Bars in the water, water slides, young people etc. The pools are all hot springs and i´m sure it´s cool... but i´m really not in the mood for that scene. The fanciest (and quite pricey) hot springs are Tabocon. All my friends that honeymooned here said not to miss it! Supposedly, its the upscale hot springs option... more spa like and serene and relaxing. After hemming and hawing I finally decided that that is really more what i´m looking for right now. So, i splurged. I´ll let you know if it was worth it!
Besides the tours, there isn´t much to do in town besides restaurants, bars, hanging at the hostel. I´ve read a lot and written in my journal a lot. That´s about it. I was going to stay here another day but instead i´m thinking about cutting it short and heading to Monteverde tomorrow instead of the next day.
I know i´ve been gone for a while when i have to ask people what day it is...
I can´t remember if i mentioned this yet, but my last night in Heredia was awesome! Charlie took me to this Costa Rican restaurant overlooking an amazing night city view below. Also, he taught me lots of bad words in Spanish. (i asked!) Bueno! After that...drinks with Leo! I already miss those guys.
One of my favorite parts of the trip thus far was the ride from Heredia to La Fortuna. It was soooo beautiful and the more north you got, the more lush it was! The roads were Crazy with mountains and curves but the ride was gorgeous!
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