Excursion to Rio Fortuna, Lake Arenal and El Chollin

Unfortunately, there are hardly any non-commercial activities in the La Fortuna area, but luckily Noemy was able to give us a few excursion destinations that don't exceed our travel budget. Whenever the weather is right, Noemy gladly gives us free time to explore the surroundings a bit.

Originally, our plan was to visit Rio Fortuna last Saturday, but after a heavy storm the night before, our host recommended postponing the excursion because the strong current in the river makes swimming quite dangerous. The storm was so strong that Noemy couldn't walk home in the evening, as the village only has a paved main road and the mud was flowing heavily on the rest of the streets. As obedient tourists, we followed the advice and embarked on our little excursion on Sunday instead, when we had wonderful weather again.

We still haven't quite figured out the bus situation - there doesn't seem to be an official schedule online. But Noemy always asks an acquaintance who is a bus driver for us and gives us a time frame of 10 to 15 minutes when the bus passes by the property. There are only a few bus stops here, and the bus drivers stop when people are waiting by the roadside. So, it can happen that the bus stops every 20 meters or so :)

Rio Fortuna was really great! Here, a colorful mix of locals and tourists gather. Among others, we met two German girls from Stuttgart, one of whom is studying in Ludwigsburg (the world is so small). Paddy had a lot of fun with the rope swing into the water, while Janina decided against it after the Stuttgarter's bikini top ripped off while swinging.

After swimming, we walked back towards the center of La Fortuna, where we discovered a soda on one side of the street. A soda is a kind of small restaurant that serves only local cuisine. They are usually run by families, and in this case, we sat in front of the entrance to a family's house and treated ourselves to a good meal for just 10 euros for two people. We had another unexpected little highlight in the park, where three dogs first played around and on us, and later a really nice guy set up his stand with three dogs (including a Doberman and a Saint Bernard). He was selling homemade jewelry to fund his trip from the USA to Argentina, which he is actually doing with his three (very very large) dogs in a van (if anyone is interested, check out perroaventura on Instagram). Another reason to treat ourselves to two pretty bracelets :)

On the following Wednesday, we took the bus to Lake Arenal, which is right next to the volcano of the same name. The first impression of the lake was somewhat mediocre, but after walking a bit in the adjacent national park, we had a really great view (pictures will follow). The highlight of the national park was definitely the monkeys, which we unexpectedly discovered above us and couldn't take our eyes off. We quickly found the about 4km long path to our next destination, the hot springs of El Chollin (the water is warm thanks to the volcano), off the main road. Since these springs are the only ones in the area that don't charge an entrance fee, many (especially young) tourists find their way there. Nevertheless, we almost felt a bit of a wellness atmosphere, as the water was really bathtub temperature and we hadn't enjoyed warm water since arriving at Noemy's.

The highlight of the day awaited us at Noemy's in the evening, where to our surprise, a little kitten was sitting on the fridge. Her friend had brought the cat because Noemy had complained about rats. The little one was initially shy, but quickly warmed up and particularly captivated Paddy, to the delight of Janina (the chances of another fluffy roommate in our new home in Germany have significantly increased as a result). Since then, we have been enjoying many play sessions and shared naps in the hammock with the little kitten :)