La Fortuna.... "Soakin' it in

La Fortuna Waterfall
Baldi Hot Springs swim up Bar

June 28, 2011 La Fortuna…… “ Soakin’” it in

The morning’s festivities in La Fortuna kicked off with the standard eggs, pancakes, and fruit buffet, and a gorgeous view of the Arenal Volcano looking along the path lining the cabins, through the tropical vegetation. A ten minute bus ride, pass Rogel’s (our bus driver) mansion that he kindly welcomed with a honk each time we passed, landed us at Lake Arenal. Mom and I got our teamwork together, agreed upon our rowing commands, and boarded the two-man kayak for the 30 minute one way excursion to the swimming hole. The majority of the students participated, and for some of the teachers who opted out, the boat followed us as our guide Julio lead us around a tiny portion of Central America’s second largest lake. After the swimming stop, spanning 30 minutes, we headed back toward the dock. Wanting exercise, Mom and I would rotate sprinting out the paddling, and taking it easy, while still enjoying our surroundings. That took care of the arm workout for the day, and after lunch, we tackled the leg workout. We trekked down 480 stairs to reach La Fortuna waterfall, and to give the kids a chance to swim in the water. The water, much too cold for me, was beautifully cascading down the cliffside, and was perfect for photo ops. The real challenge laid on the way up as we all broke a sweat, and then treated ourselves to ice cream and water at the top at the waterfall store, which was very conveniently placed….

The afternoon adventure consisted of a stop in the town of La Fortuna, located just a 7 minute drive from our lodge. Knowing that Costa Rican coffee is some of the best in the world, several of us knew we wanted to buy some coffee to take home with us. There was a coffee shop located adjacent to the church called Earth Coffee. The owner of the plantation was in the shop, and told us that his plantation is located just outside of San Jose at an elevation of 6,000 feet, which according to one of his co workers, is one of the prime locations in the world. The coffee sample was delicious, yet due to the heat, Mom and I and some of the kids decided to indulge in a coffee/milkshake that was delightful itself. Mary, Mom, and I sat on the chairs outside, and began to converse with the other worker, only to find out that he and his family won the reality TV show “ Under One Roof” meaning that they won the home on the show in Fiji. Random? Yep.

Due to the physicality of the day, our nighttime trek was to the hot springs, for with La Fortuna is known. The spa we chose was called Baldi, and it was extremely relaxing. For about 2 and a half hours, we spa hopped, testing out the different temperatures of water, letting the man made waterfalls massage our backs, and fighting off naps while the jets soothed our muscles. These were not natural springs, but they did the trick because we all slept well despite the lightning and thundershowers during the night.