Fri Aug 18

Today our water shut off! Thankfully it happened just after we finished making a pot of coffee. After talking to our host, we learned that a pipe had burst and the whole town of La Fortuna didn’t have water, but they were working on it. He gave us a gallon of water to use for cleaning/washing our hands and James went downstairs to to the store to buy some water to drink. We had some fruit that I had bought in Tamarindo: pitaya (dragonfruit), marmones (rambutan), and mangosteen. 

The water came back about 4 hours later just as we were leaving to go on our hike. We decided to hike Arenal National Park, about a 20 minute drive away. We parked in the private lot and paid $15 each. The hiking path was very well maintained even though it was through wild jungle vegetation. 

I thought we might see some wildlife, at least maybe some snakes and frogs but we only saw a few butterflies (gorgeous, large bight blue ones!) and some giant leaf cutter ants. But we heard wildlife all around us, the jungle was noisy and loud.

The hike took us past a 400 year old tree (arból de Ceibo), past lava trails (from 1992 and 1968) to a viewpoint of the Arenal Volcano. 

There are numerous hot springs in this area due to the volcanic activity. There are hotels and resorts built up all around the springs but there is only one free hot spring. We considered going to the free one but in the end agreed that it would be worth it to splurge on a resort with amenities- and also to be sure that there weren’t any snakes in the water. Also, the free springs had very aggressive parking attendants. Supposedly you don’t have to pay them, it is free to park on the streets. But they will insist you pay $15 to park while they “guard” your car, who knows what would happen if you refuse to pay. We had to drive through this parking area and it was slightly chaotic with 5 or 6 attendants all whistling and pointing cars to spaces. It looked like there would be tons of people at this natural spring. So we continued on to Baldi which is a beautiful 5 star hotel and resort with thermal pools fed by the Tabacón River.

We turned into the private lot, past an impressive waterfall feature, parked and went to reception. It was gorgeous! Beautifully designed, large, high ceilings that opened up to the skies, and lush tropical plants from top to bottom. It was a giant complex complete with many different temperature pools of all sizes, massaging high pressure jets, many waterfalls, a natural sauna in a cave, giant waterslides, many swim up bars, restaurants, and lots of lounge chairs. We bought passes ($45 each), changed out of our hiking clothes and secured our things in the lockers. 

We tried almost all the pools (there are 25 in total), going up in temperature and cooling off here and there in cool pools. The last pool was the most beautiful (and really hot at 42 degrees Celsius, 107 degrees Fahrenheit) with a tall waterfall structure and wafts of steam rising all around. It was so relaxing and really felt like we were on a luxurious vacation in the middle of the jungle. 

We also went on the waterslides. They were extreme waterslides! Apparently you go up to 27 mph! It was really fun but a bit too intense for my liking so I only tried two of them while James tried all three. 

By now it was dark (around 6pm) so we decided to head out back to our Airbnb. We dropped off our things and went out for dinner. We opted for a more upscale restaurant called Travesía. It was still similar to a soda in that the seating was a covered open air area, but with a slightly modern look with a definite intention behind the aesthetic. They served typical Costa Rican food and the prices weren’t too bad. It was funny, compared to the seemingly authentic soda we went to last night, there were lots of locals all around us! I guess it makes sense, if they wanted homey food they would just have dinner at home rather than go out. If they do go out, then of course they want to make more of a night out of it and enjoy a nicer place. 

I ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc from Chile and James went for a pale ale from a craft brewery in Guanacaste. We started off with some ceviche de corvina that came with patacones. The fish was so tender, and the acidic lime juice wasn’t too sour, it was almost orangey. I asked the waiter about it and he said it was the way they treat the lime juice, letting rest a bit so it isn’t too sour.

We shared lomo nacional  (the national steak cut of Costa Rica) and costillas (smoked ribs). Holy crap. This was my favorite meal of our trip so far. Everything was delicious, high quality and cooked perfectly. The lomo nacional was tender like a filet mignon, but flavorful like a ribeye. And the ribs! I’m usually not a pork fan, but the pork so far in Costa Rica has been excellent. Incredibly lean, no gristly or chewy bits of fat, and flavorful but not salty. They aren’t fall apart tender like bbq ribs in the US, but personally I’m not the biggest fan of these because I just don’t enjoy the fat content. Yes dad, I know, the fat is where all the flavor is. But wait until you try the pork in Costa Rica, full of flavor without relying heavily on fat. The ribs were gently smoked so the smoke didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the meat.

The plates came with our choice of sides so we got: tortilla chips with guacamole and pico de gallo, fried yuca, garlicky mixed vegetables, grilled platanos maduros, and onion rings. We also chose some sauces: a warm mushroom sauce, a warm jalapeño sauce, the house picante salsa, and Argentinian style chimichurri. Everything was excellent and the service was great too. 

Very happy and just overall impressed by the food in Costa Rica, we walked home. The high quality of ingredients here just makes everything taste so flavorful and fresh. I think Costa Rican cuisine is highly underrated in the gastronomical scene. Maybe it’s due to the fact that there aren’t too many specific dishes that are unique to the cuisine (compared to other food rich cultures like Italian for example). Or maybe it’s just that the cuisine isn’t reported on. For example, we’ve seen lomo nacional on many menus in Costa Rica. But online, there is absolutely nothing about what it is, in English or in Spanish.