Thur Aug 17

We packed up our stuff, had a very nice breakfast at our hotel. We shared a Tico burrito (gallo pinto, cheese, tomato sauce, eggs) and an American breakfast burrito (eggs, potatoes, bacon). We also had a passionfruit and strawberry smoothie.

After checkout, we went to the market across the street to get some water and juice for the road. This market was really nice, the nicest we have been too-it’s in Tamarindo after all! It could have been in the United States with plenty of lighting, larger aisles, large refrigerated section and plenty of options including imported expat treats. 

Then we walked to Sixt and got our rental car – a Geely GX3. After paperwork and a vehicle inspection, we were off! Destination: La Fortuna, Arenal. La Fortuna is the main town in the Arenal Volcano area. I had read up on the road conditions of our exact journey and where we were planning on taking the car to make sure it was drivable and that we didn’t need a 4×4 which was more expensive. The Mytanfeet blog even had an exact video of our route, showing the drive from Tamarindo to La Fortuna so I  knew exactly what to expect and where we should stop for breaks and views. The road was excellent, smooth, paved, almost completely free of potholes. We took highway 155/21 to Liberia, then 1 and 142 towards Arenal and La Fortuna. 

There weren’t too many cars on the road, some traffic around a few towns we passed through but overall it was an easy drive. We drove on the highway for the most part, then went on a treelined road through farmland. There was one gravel road that we were on for maybe 5 slow minutes, maneuvering potholes. Once we got to Lake Arenal we stopped at Macadamia Cafe, a large gift shop and restaurant with a gorgeous view overlooking Lake Arenal. James had a coffee and I had a smoothie. We didn’t have any food but it smelled delicious and there were some very tempting pastries on display. 

After tipping the parking lot attendant we continued on, driving around the lake. It was beautiful: views of the Arenal volcano and hills, windy roads through jungle vegetation, big houses with impressive landscaping, restaurants and B&Bs. It did seem like suddenly we were in a much wealthier area, like an expat retiree area, contrasting the chill, laid-back surfer area of the Pacific coast. Every car we saw was a large SUV style car and we passed by some impressive looking estates. It started to rain hard the last part of our journey but we only had roughly 20 more minutes to go. I had a tourist van in front of me so I sped up when he sped up, and slowed when I saw him splash through large pools of quickly accumulating water. We got to La Fortuna, parked in a lot via our Airbnb host instructions, and checked in. Our place was a basic and old fashioned apartment. Nothing stylish or aesthetic, but it would do. 

We unpacked then decided to walk around the town as it had stopped raining. We walked to the main park which is the center of La Fortuna. The town itself was a pretty good size with lots of people out and about and plenty of shops, restaurants, and tourist excursion offices. But it wasn’t really charming at all. It was honestly kind of ugly, with rundown looking buildings, chaotic messy storefronts and lots of bad fluorescent lights showcasing the uneven sidewalks and road. The park was beautiful though: well maintained, landscaped, large central fountain and nice paved walking trails throughout. Many people were sitting on benches, enjoying the cool night. 

After scrolling through GoogleMap reviews, we picked a place to eat. We went to a soda and had some delicious, homestyle, traditional food. We ordered a “filet mignon” plate and a bistec plate. The plates came with lots of sides that were very tasty and interesting to try. We also finally tried the famed salsa Lizano! Apparently this sauce is a staple in Tico cuisine and is often used in seasoning gallo pinto. It reminded me of A1, but way less salty and with a smoother, thinner consistency. 

Even though it was a seemingly authentic, typical soda, there were only gringos all around us! I was very confused.