Getting from Monteverde to La Fortuna
Backpackers crossing the lake
Boat trips are part of any good holiday. But did you ever take a boat as your form of transport to reach your next destination?
Charlie had booked a shuttle service from Monteverde to La Fortuna with Monteverde Tours. Pick up was at 8 am in front of her accommodation in Monteverde. The driver was Hugo and in the minibus were Shelley from Montreal, Bill from Halifax, Casey from Minnesota, and two guys from Copenhagen. The driver Hugo did not speak English and Shelley was happy that she now had Charlie in the car who could also translate. Hugo gave a lot of tips and talked about the surroundings. They even made a stop at a scenic spot to take photos. According to Hugo, it was the first day that week when they could see the volcano Arenal as it had been cloudy all the other days.
Charlie enjoyed her chat with Shelley. She was already a bit older and had been working as a travel journalist until her retirement and had a degree in linguistics. They had a lot in common and shared travel stories and knowledge about foreign languages. The time passed very quickly.
Lake Arenal
After a 2-hour drive through the countryside, they reached the lake. They had already crossed a small river, Rio Chiquito, which is one of the rivers that feed the artificial lake. It had been built to generate electricity. Everybody got off the minibus and Hugo provided more information about the boat they were now waiting for. After another 10 minutes, the boat arrived, and everybody started loading their luggage onto it and took a seat. There were around 30 people on the boat.
A few meters onto the lake, the driver started going backward and then in circles. What was going on?
It turned out that there was a problem with the engine of the boat. Two guys from another boat came over, did a few checks, and decided to tow the boat that was loaded with tourists from all over the world.
They made it to the other side of the lake without any further incidents.
Arrival in La Fortuna
On the shore were two busses waiting and the drivers started loading the luggage through a window onto the seats of the bus. They asked everybody for the names of their hotels, and they were off to the town of La Fortuna. Wait, not yet. They first had to wait in the road for a family of Coati to clear the way. It was lovely to see.
On their way, they passed the Tabacón Hot Springs and the driver pointed out that these can be visited for free. He also added that there is Uber available in La Fortuna, in case anybody wanted to return to the springs later. Charlie made a mental note, but she already knew that she wouldn’t have time for it. There was so much to see and do in La Fortuna!
Charlie arrived at her accommodation in La Fortuna just after 12 p.m., dropped her luggage off, and went to the town centre to get some food. She passed the farmers market that was happening every Friday, had a quick look, and continued her stroll into town. She was hoping for a place with traditional food where she could stay a bit longer, get her laptop out, and write a few things down.
At a corner, a tour guide was standing in front of his shop and noticed that Charlie was indecisive about the direction to walk into. He asked her if he could help, and she told him what she was after. That’s how she was recommended the restaurant “Soda Víquez”. Charlie got to the restaurant, sat down, checked the menu, and when she was about to order the waitress asked who had recommended the place. “A guy on the corner of the street”, was Charlie’s answer.
She was not disappointed by the restaurant and tried her first casado con pollo, a typical Costa Rican dish.
