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Published: November 23rd 2015
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Sunday
Quiet here in La Fortuna except for the 5am rooster! Got a little more sleep, packed up, said good-bye to the cat, and walked to the bus station to catch the 8am bus to Tilaran, heading for our final destination of Santa Elena. Tilaran is a small town on the SW end of the lake, Laguna de Arenal. It is known as a regional ranching center. The ride from La Fortuna to Tilaran took about three hours, leaving exactly on time. Tickets cost $11 total.
The bus goes around Laguna de Arenal, which is supposed to be one of the best wind-surfing places in the world. We drove past several metal structures, as well as some fancy hot springs, expensive hotels, and near-manions. The greenery was lush, with many horses and cattle. Then drove through a jungle-type area with lots of vines and broadleaf plants. We crossed the lake dam, then came upon an Alpine village which looked a little incongruous in the area. We drove by a small bamboo forest, many of the trees on the ground. Several horse ranches and some beautiful homes on the hill overlooking the Laguna. Beautiful flowers. As
we got away from the lake, the landscape turned to rolling hills and grassy valleys.
We got into Tilaran with a two hour wait for the next bus to Santa Elena. We stopped for brunch at Soda H & E, around the corner from the bus station. Excellent food. Pinto de gallo is a national food of Costa Rica (rice, beans, onions). It was served along with our eggs and toast, and may be served at any meal. We left our luggage at the Soda and took a short walk around Tilaran. We saw the central park, an interesting church, the side streets, and some nice stucco homes. Went back to the Soda for another coffee and picked up our luggage. More rain, but we are in the rain forest! Waited out the rain for a while, then ran to get our next bus.
The bus was set up for more passengers, with a very narrow center aisle, three seats on one side and two on the other. The road from Tilaran to Santa Elena was very rocky and bumpy, more like a goat trail than a road! There was no shoulder, and ditches
close to the side. Many hairpin curves. If two cars met in some places, one would have to back up to find a place to pull over. Very lush green valleys. Many houses had dishes on the roofs. This is probably the only way to get TV reception in the area. We passed several coffee plantations as we got closer to Santa Elena.
Once in Santa Elena, we found our hotel, Cabanas Neustra Kasa. We're about 200 meters from the center of town. Our room is fairly large, with a big back window and a huge front one with a great view of the city and valley. We are quite high up. On a clear day we will be able to see Puntarenas, a small port city on the ocean. This is amazing because we are so many miles away.
I found several hummingbirds in the flowers right off our balcony, and got a few photos this time. Also saw a little gecko. We will be here for three nights, a great adventure.
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