La Fortuna

 

   

February 19, 2022

I was up early and raring to go birdwatching at 5 am. I met with our Intrepid guide, Pedro, and the rest of our Intrepid "birdwatchers": Christine, Danilla, and Nigel. 

It was nearly pitch black outside with only the moon and stars casting light. Pedro took the above photo of the moon. As our eyes adjusted we saw that the planet Venus was shining brightly as were the constellations. It was serene.  

I took the photo below just as the first rays of sunlight hit the sky. Then BAM! The birds started singing, chirping, and some were even fluttering away. It was spectacular to both see and hear!

We saw so many beautiful birds and numerous four-legged animals viewed through our eyes and also viewed through Pedro's telescope. Here's a humorous shot Pedro took with his telescope of the "derriere" as they say in French or in Spanish "el pompis" of the sloth high in a faraway tree. It was perfectly content to not move around for a photo.

Sometimes, if you're lucky, the animal turns its backside around and you're in for a rare treat!



After a few hours, we all made our way back to the hotel and joined the others by walking to breakfast at the Rainbow Cafe. Since Pedro is from La Fortuna, he knew where the best breakfast in town was located. 
It was a beautiful morning and the sky was already a bright blue with only a few clouds. 
Arenal Volcano was out in all its glory! 

Jeff and I spent the day exploring La Fortuna and couldn't help but marvel at how lovely and welcoming the people are who live and work in this quaint little town. 

The church is across from the town center's park.

It was so peaceful in the park. 



This hedge of azaleas was in bloom 




as were the other beautiful flowers.  They all appeared to be glistening. Upon closer inspection, they had dew drops caught on their petals and were shimmering in the sunlight.




















Down the narrow streets were produce stands and supermarkets.


Jeff and I always enjoy going into the supermarkets where the locals frequent. Throughout our travels in Costa Rica, there were sanitize stations for patrons to use prior to entering supermarkets. I wish our local supermarket back home complied with this health protocol!



   We had our lunch at a highly recommended by the locals little hole-in-the-wall restaurant named the "Yellow Bark". I ordered a pina colada and it was served in the world's largest glass!


Jeff's mohito was also served in a huge glass.



 Every dish was made fresh and was truly delicious. Great meal, great price. Can't beat local knowledge.
     
We love supporting local entrepreneurs so one of the top spots we wanted to find in La Fortuna was the Chocolalateria Chocolate-Fusion Shop. And after walking for a very long time, and discovering that google maps incorrectly had us headed to the business' previous location, we asked the locals, using our limited Spanish vocabulary, where to find the Chocolatateria. Thanks to their smiles and kindness to strangers, we finally found it! 
     The Chocolalateria Chocolate-Fusion's chocolates are all made by hand using organic cocoa which they produce. They also have another ingredient to make their chocolate so smooth. When asked what it was, we were told, "Our secret ingredient is love". 
Chocolate Fusion Chocolateria
Once inside their shop doors, we soon found out that there is a lot to love!  From vegan dark chocolate to milk chocolate, chocolate coffee beans, and chocolate figurines, from coffee liquor to coffee wine and so much more... this shop had it all! 
They also had homemade chocolate ice cream and coffee ice cream which honestly was to die for.





They also have their own organic coffee which was delicious.






 We had a lovely day from dawn to dusk exploring the town of La Fortuna! We still couldn't get over how beautiful Arenal Volcano was throughout the day. 
This morning, in particular, Arenal was a truly magnificent sight that will stay with us as a lasting memory.








Tomorrow morning we'll be leaving for an exciting journey to Monteverde. Can't wait to see what adventures tomorrow brings.

Popular posts from this blog

Traveling to Manuel Antonio

Image
 Today was a long travel day.  We boarded our chartered bus, left Monteverde's Cloud Forest's elevation of 4,364, and drove 6 hours down to the Pacific Ocean seaside town of Manuel Antonio renowned for its pristine beaches and national park.  We could hardly wait! Our bus traversed the serpentine and narrow mountain roads. Often these mountain roads proved just wide enough for a small vehicle and a tad tight for our bus. Soon the clouds dispersed and we  had a beautiful, clear blue sky day as we traveled across the mountainous terrain.  We stopped to take photos of the panoramic view. We could see all the way to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of   Nicoya! We also stopped at the famous Costa Rican Crocodile Bridge over the Tarcolas River. It was a great place to stretch our legs and have lunch. The Crocodile Bridge over the Tarcolas River is quite a tourist attraction. We soon understood why it has this reputation. The bridge over the Tarcolas River looks like any bridge,  that
Read more

Poison Dart Frog

Image
February 16, 2022    After breakfast at our homestay, we bid a heartfelt goodbye to Sandra and her family. Soon thereafter we met our Juanilama naturalist who would be taking us to the famous La Leona waterfall.    Within the Juanilama community is the Juanilama Ecological Reserve, a protected primary forest of 62 acres that includes an impressive waterfall. The reserve is bordered on the northeast side of the Pocosol River and also by the Quebrada a Leona, from which the majestic waterfall, La Leona, is named.  The constant humid conditions create an abundance of flora and fauna. This reserve is protected by the Juanilama community and the National System of Protected Areas of Costa Rica.    We began our 2-mile hike to the waterfall through the primary forest. It had poured yesterday afternoon and evening so the air was quite humid, and the trail was slippery.  We all were cognizant of camouflaged snakes and I for one was constantly looking down at the trail. So were quite a few of th
Read more

The Cloud Forest of Monteverde!

Image
       The Resplendant Quetzal bird in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Quetzal is pronounced:  Ket zeel'      It was our last morning in La Fortuna. From our room's balcony, I watched the dawn usher in a breathtakingly beautiful view of Arenal Volcano.    Our balcony's  rocking chairs  provided not only the perfect relaxation spot with which to view the colors of the early morning light but also to hear the exotic sounds of the tropical birds' songs .  At 8 am we all boarded our private bus, said goodbye to La Fortuna, and headed onward to  Monteverde, home to the incredible cloud forest. What a journey, what a stunning day, and what an amazing destination!   On the map, the distance from La Fortuna to Monteverde looks mighty close. But appearances can be deceiving.   There are 3 routes to get from La Fortuna to Monteverde. Every route involved navigating narrow serpentine mountain roads.     In the map photo above and below, the shortest distance is in green.    The red r
Read more