La Fortuna

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We awoke early this morning to the good old sound of ... roosters!! While enjoying a great cup of coffee at the hotel we were mesmerized by the plethora of different bird species at our hotel alone. Our biologist friend, Mark, would have lost his mind at the multitude of birds we saw in a very short period of time. According to the hotel owner this hotel was part of a birding tour so we can expect to see many different ones during our time here.

We decided that today was our day to just explore La Fortuna in the daylight to see just what there was to see. We first stopped at a great little panaderia called "Duran" which was recommended in one of our travel books. We each enjoyed a warm pastry for breakfast. We then proceeded up the main street. La Fortuna has many souvenir shops as well as tour operators. As we popped in and out of stores one of the tour operators asked if he could show us his excursions. After chatting with "Chalo" we booked a tour for tomorrow where we are picked up at our hotel, driven to an observatory then head to a trail up the volcano where we cross a couple of hanging bridges, swim under a waterfall, and then visit a thermal hot spring all topped off by dinner. As we left Curtis saw a young man wearing a Boston Bruins shirt. He stopped to talk to him and it turns out he is actually from Boston and came last April to teach English at the school (didn't look a day over 18!). "Joe" actually works for the tour company we booked with and was extremely helpful. In the meantime, Chalo called me back and gave me directions to get to a waterfall just out of town. We started the walk where we encountered thousands of leaf-cutter ants marching along and across the sidewalks like well-oiled machines. We reached the road for the waterfalls but it turns out it was another 4km with 480 steps down. Not daunting except that I was wearing flip flops and neither of us had our bathing suits on. We thought it was best to wait for another day when we were more appropriately attired! It would have been nice to dip in the cool water as it was very hot and humid today.

We meandered our way back to town and continued to explore the streets. We popped into a shop called "Down to Earth" which is a coffee shop. A very well-spoken, jovial man greeted us with enthusiasm. He explained that he grows his own coffee in the highlands of Costa Rica, about 240 km from here. It smelled amazing! As we were chatting 3 Americans came in and he divided his attention between us but then in the end we all became one group. We decided to book a tour of his coffee farm, just outside of town, for Saturday which is Curtis' birthday! He was wonderful, funny, and charismatic (just like Curtis 😊. I went outside and chatted with one of the women. She told me they were leaving tomorrow and had been here for a week. We talked about the multitude of tours that were available here and also that they were very pricey. She then told me that they got hooked up with Geovani, a man who runs tours. One is around Fortuna and also extends to his property. He is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about wildlife. They had the most incredible time hiking with him. He found red-eyed tree frogs which he put on a stick and they then held the stick in their mouths for a picture. He searched out poisonous frogs and laid them gently on a big leaf to ensure they got the perfect shot! They were so enraptured by Geovani that they booked another tour he provides. We thanked them for their help and then kept wandering. One Tico woman was sitting out front of a store and asked us to come up to her shop. So we headed up where she shared pictures with us of her husband who is a wood carver. He carves large pieces of wood with a chainsaw! His work was exquisite and very local so we bought a small piece of work from her.

After arriving back at our hotel we asked Anthony, our hotel owner, if he had ever heard of Geovani. He seemed to know him but did not know how to contact him for a tour. We asked him to call Fortuna Suites as that was the hotel that hooked up the Americans with him. He put in a phone call for us but the line was busy. We headed to our room where I then googled Geovani. According to Trip Advisor his tours are out of this world. He does not advertise except by word of mouth. I sent him an email and in the meantime he returned our call to the hotel. We are really hoping we can arrange something for next week. His passion for wildlife is second to none and he wants people to see creatures on his walk. He has a special scope that when he suddenly hears a bird (and no one else hears a thing), he sets up and takes a picture with your camera using the scope to ensure you get the picture of the bird. The proceeds for his tour go directly to a trail he is building for disabled people so that they can experience the natural wonders on his walk. Looking forward to this adventure!

It was 5 hours of walking today with a lunch stop at the Lava Lounge where we bought matching Arenal Volcano t-shirts. Corny, I know, but something very unique to the area.

Tonight we walked back into town and found the restaurant "Snapper's" on the suggestion of our American acquaintances. We enjoyed a marvelous seafood dinner of calamari, seafood spaghetti and tilapia. The Americans were there too and thrilled that we took them up on their recommendation. We thanked them for all their help and after enjoying our meal, rolled home.

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