La Fortuna

I am now in La Fortuna, a small town that reminds me of a smaller Gatlinburg, with lots of shops and hotels and restaraunts. The attraction here is the Arenal Volcano, a still-active volcano. We took a hike though the forest with a guide to see it. I couldn't believe it, but as we were watching the volcano, an explosion of fire came out of the rim! It looked like fireworks, and the lava running down was bright red. Our guide said that one in every three-million people who come to visit the volcano get to see an actual explosion. After that, we went to a natural hot springs, where the water is heated by the volcano. There were over 30 pools, each with a sign stating the temperature. There was on pool that was 113 degrees! I put my foot in for a few seconds, and I couldn't take it.

This morning we went white-water rafting down some very challenging rapids. It was VERY hard work, but an unbelieveable experience. Afterwards, they had some natural Costa Rican fruit, and then we went to the guide's house for a traditional Costa Rican lunch, consisting (again) of rice, beans, and tortillas. All of the Costa Ricans are quite fit, since they do all these activities, and eat very healthy. By the way, the pineapple here is the best pineapple I've ever had.

Tomorrow we are taking a boat across a lake, then getting on horses to travel to our next destination, Monteverde Cloud Forest. I feel like I'm constantly saying "gracias" all the time, because if you smile and speak just one word of Spanish, they will bend over backwards to make you happy. Such a wonderful country!

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Videos from "La Fortuna":

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