ahummingbirdshome

[ahummingbirdshome]

The Chato Lagoon was a complete and total fog - swimming in a cloud is quite the experience. However the water, FREEZING

[ahummingbirdshome]

After one of my shoes came off and my sock almost completely sunk into the mud I thought it was an appropriate time to take a photo of the trail Let me also note my shoes were all black and basically new when I started this hike

[ahummingbirdshome]

Coatimundis - oh how badly I wanted to try and pet him/her

[ahummingbirdshome]

These ones are usually extremely aggressive but in this area of the rainforest they are (unfortunately) fed by tourists so much they've become much calmer here (at least with humans)

[ahummingbirdshome]

These smell like strawberries which wards off possible predators

[ahummingbirdshome]

They told us several times before starting on the hike that it was one of the much more challenging ones of Costa Rica

[ahummingbirdshome]

Cerró Chato y Arenal - Jungle Tours

After walking back home and having a typical Costa Rican breakfast I was picked up to go on my tour for the day. I don't usually do guided tours but this was recommended by Grethel (who I was staying with). She thought it was great not only because I was traveling alone but also because I'd be able to see more of the La Fortuna/Arenal area in such a short period of time. If you visit Costa Rica alone I will warn that many tours cannot be booked unless it's 2+ people - everything I found online that was even slightly intriguing I could not book. I was definitely glad when Grethel told me I'd be able to do this one alone. This tour was also only $55 and included much more than I had seen was provided in tours that were $100+. As I write about this you'll notice quickly that I highly recommend this tour! There is a half day and all day option, I chose the one that is all day and recommend this to those who enjoy physical activity. They picked me up from where I was staying, provided lunch and dropped me off at the end of the day. The day started with a climb up to Cerro Chato, a dormant volcano that is now surrounded by a lush rainforest with an immense amount of biodiversity. Halfway through the rainforest hike we reached a viewing point where you can see the Chato Lagoon, which is the crater of this once active volcano, and the Arenal Mountain. We then hiked down to the lagoon and I took a dip inside the rather cold water. The lagoon also had Garra Rufa (those little fish that eat your dead skin) which just meant a free pedicure for me. After a bit of time there we finished hiking down and out of the rain forest, saw a seasonal waterfall and passed some walking bridges. We then made a quick stop at a larger waterfall and smaller (5 people at a time or less) walking bridge that lead us to the Arenal Observatory where there was a view point of the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal. The tour ended with a quick drive to the natural Tabacon Hot Spring. The hot spring was a great relaxing way to end the tour and we also had the option to try a mud mask (of course I did) and a typical Costa Rican drink. Unfortunately, as you will soon see in my pictures, it was an extremely foggy day and so we did not see the mountain at all or see the lagoon we dipped into until we got down to where it was. But the fact that I still thought this was an amazing tour says enough, the tour guides were very knowledgeable and happy to answer any and all questions. I learned not only about things relating to the tour but things about Costa Rican customs as well. Fun fact: To be a tour guide is viewed highly in Costa Rica, it is required to know English and to travel through all parts of Costa Rica before receiving the certification. On average it takes about 2 years to complete with the hardest part for some is to learn to speak English fluently.

[ahummingbirdshome]

There are also many plots of land where owners have cows, horses and sheep. This is widespread throughout Costa Rica, not just in La Fortuna. I also saw it in the mountainous areas we drove through as I was heading to La Fortuna from Liberia

[ahummingbirdshome]

My first day in La Fortuna I woke up extremely early, my internal alarm clock tends to do and explored the area. An important thing I noticed is that although Arenal/La Fortuna are often mushed together the areas aren't as close to each other as you might think. You do have a great view of the Arenal Mountain from La Fortuna but going to see it close up is not walking distance.

[ahummingbirdshome]

Arrival in La Fortuna

I arrived at La Fortuna pretty late Tuesday night given that I had to take a later connecting bus. Luckily, my host picked me up from the bus stop and pointed out the different streets I should know as we drove to her place. After arriving I took a quick shower and immediately started talking to my host about different places I wanted to go and asking for her recommendations. She helped me semi-plan out my next 2 days in La Fortuna (more to come). Once I had that all figured out I stepped out to the streets to get some dinner. I immediately sensed such a great difference between this area and Liberia. Took me less than 10 minutes to realize that this was a highly touristic area. Many of the stores were souvenir shops, restaurants/bars with loads of English speakers, there were bright lights all through the night, stores opened will past 8pm, etc. La Fortuna/Arenal is one of the most popular areas of Costa Rica so I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised but it still felt like a form of culture shock - as someone used to trying to get the most of real culture when I travel I feared that visiting La Fortuna wasn't the best decision for my purposes. However, I also knew it must be a top hit for tourist for a good reason and I was determined to get the most of it in the few days I had.

[ahummingbirdshome]

Wandering around Tilaran It appears that in many areas of Costa Rica small parks have some sort of circular piece in the center and they tend to be right next to charges

[ahummingbirdshome]

Final breakfast in Liberia (my plate is on the right) and where it was made. To others this might seem like a heavy breakfast and I definitely agree - my breakfast consisted of sweet plantains, rice and beans, eggs and beef; platanos maduros, pinto, huevos y carne

[ahummingbirdshome]

Coffee making in Costa Rica

[ahummingbirdshome]

A picture of my Costa Rican ice cream as promised 😋

[ahummingbirdshome]

Getting Around Costa Rica

The next day I got breakfast at around 9AM with Marlene and Pili (YUM). Afterwards, I was going to take the bus for my second time but it was going to be the first time going such a long distance.

Before arriving in Costa Rica I found this website (link at bottom of post) that had buses connecting people to many different areas within the country for $45+, however, from my travel experience I assumed I could find something less expensive by just asking locals. I also knew if I couldn’t I’d be able to book while I was there - I knew I’d have to eventually get from Liberia to San Jose (airports I was flying in and out of) but I didn’t really worry about how I’d do it.

This time I was going from Liberia in Guanacaste to La Fortuna in. I asked Marlene if it was possible and she let me know of two different routes I could take, like they were both just as long I decided to go with the option that would allow me to see different areas of the country. The ride was to be about 4.5 hours, just one hour more than the $45+ bus and the price was only about $10.

The problem with taking connecting buses is that if one is late the other won’t wait - I learned this the hard way haha. I was taking two connecting buses, going from the first was no problem but the one traveling to Tilaran arrived about 7 minutes late and the next bus I needed to take didn’t wait. One of the two things that made me feel better about the situation was that there were locals with me, it wasn’t something that just happened to me because I was foreign and didn’t know how the buses worked.

The second reason was because like the next bus scheduled wasn’t coming for another 3 hours I had time to explore the area I was in and the third (OF COURSE) was that I was able to make a stop in the area for ice cream (pictures to come).

But back the focus of this article -things to keep in mind when traveling through Costa Rica:

My 10 top of mind items for public transportation: 1. The country is extremely mountainous so although short distances it can take quite a while to get from Point A to Point B because it isn’t a straight flat path 2. Don’t be afraid to speak to locals - I often asked if I wasn’t sure I was taking the right bus or if I thought my stop was coming up 3. Fares are determined by distance - the bus drivers usually have tons of change if you don’t have any, some even take dollars 4. You need to know the name of the stop you’re getting off at so you can tell the bus driver, this is how you know the fare and he can also tell you where to get off 5. REMIND THE BUS DRIVER - they will often forget to call out the stop you are getting off on even if you asked them to so I recommend sitting close to the front and reminding him when you think you’re close 6. My personal recommendation is to google map how long a car would take to get from point A to point B and when you’ve been on the bus for 75-80% of that time go up and remind the driver again 7. The buses remind me of greyhound buses in NYC - I assume because the commutes tend to be longer they don’t have uncomfortable seats like the MTA does 8. Sometimes they have bottom compartments in which you can store luggage, other times you’ll have to take it up top and store by a handicap door 9. BE AWARE, especially attentive of who you sit next to - I was in a situation where I sat next to someone who looked my way too much and asked too many of the potential risk questions (who are you traveling with, where are your friends, are you married etc. - btw this is a circumstance in which its best to be dishonest), I made conversations as short as possible but still a very uncomfortable predicament 10. Be confident! I’m a city girl born and raised so I’m sure this helped me get around but even when you aren’t sure just know there is always a way to get from Point A to Point B

$45+ buses: http://www.anywherecostarica.com/transportation/ Local buses: http://thebusschedule.com/cr/index.php?lang=en (do it the local way, I dare you 😊)

I didn’t take taxis much and when I did it was with Pili who I know tends to charge less than the average so unfortunately I cannot provide opinions there. One thing I do know is that taxis in Costa Rica are red, not the yellow I’ve seen in other countries I’ve visited

[ahummingbirdshome]

The view from the balcony at Marlene's House, such a peaceful place to sit when it began raining

[ahummingbirdshome]

When a stop sign goes wrong in Liberia, Guanacaste innovation comes to life 😂