To Arenal
We’re on the move today, leaving the beach and our quiet resort for the town of La Fortuna near the Arenal volcano. It has been a relaxing five days in Jaco and, in retrospect, we came at the perfect time. The weather has been great and other tourists have been few and far between. That said, we’ve definitely done all we really care to do here so we’re ready to put it in the rear view mirror.
The drive to La Fortuna takes about 3.5 hours, even though it is only about 150km away. Narrow roads, slow trucks, and no room to pass make driving here a test of patience and today’s trip is no exception.
About 30 minutes out of Jaco, we come to a bridge over the Taracoles river. On our way south from San Jose we noticed people standing all along the edges which seemed a little strange, but had places to be and never gave it much thought. We probably wouldn’t have stopped going back across it today had one of our guides not mentioned that this is the best place in Costa Rica to see crocodiles.
Sure enough, looking out over the railing there are a dozen or more healthy-sized crocs lounging in the shallow water and parked up on the shore.
As there always is where tourists gather, trinket shops surround the parking lot, including one selling these guys, which remind us of the great trip to Indonesia we had with Joey not so long ago.
Not far from Taracoles, we start picking up elevation, passing through countless small villages as we wind back and forth along good, but not great, mountain roads. It is a huge change of scenery from the coast and, as we stop for a quick lunch, notably calmer (not that any part of Costa Rica has felt that hectic).
After working in a few other short stops, we finally roll into La Fortuna close to sunset. The town looks a little bigger and a little busier than Jaco, which seems like a good thing as there are more shops and restaurants along the main street as we pass through. Our hotel is a few minutes past the town on the way to Arenal, so we are able to get a good lay of the land on our way to check in.
There are far more tourists here than we have seen so far, although the hotel feels about half full and there are plenty of signs for discounted tours so clearly it gets much, much busier than this. A good number of travelers have packed into one particular restaurant and for good reason. For about $15 they drop a platter of piled high with chicken, ribs, beans, patacones, and the most delicious tortillas we’ve ever had on the table in front of us.
It is the best food of our trip so far but, despite our best efforts, we can’t finish. The mix of carbs keeps the meat sweats at bay, although by the time we get back to our room, a full on food coma has set in. Time to catch up on a few messages back home and watch a little TV in spanish (no english channels) before closing the book on another day.