La Fortuna (w/ MORE new photos!)

"How vain it is to sit down to write, when you have not stood up to live." -Henry David Thoreau

I feel that I am entitled to sit down to write a great deal, because I certainly stood up to live this weekend. I traveled to La Fortuna on Thursday for a group field trip, and we loved it so much we decided to go back after work on Friday.  The city is a major tourist attraction, but it's so breathtaking that even locals have their favorite hangouts. On Thursday we hiked to Arenal volcano--Costa Rica's most active volcano--and it was a prefect day to see the small eruptions that happen every 20 minutes or so.  Costa Rica's humid climate often means that it's too misty and hazy to see very far, but we could see all the way to the peak.  You could hear the rocks tumbling down the slope even from far away. Our guide told us that you can see the red of the lava at night, and the biggest rocks that roll down from the top are as large as a Volkswagon.

At Arenal volcano in La Fortuna

From far away, the volcano looks a lot like the pyramids in Egypt. It's cone shape stands out from the sloping mountains around it and, as you get closer, the details of it start to become more clear. Even from far away, you get a feeling that you are approaching something very special and very real. So many things we have in the States are made to recreate the things that you can only truly experience by traveling. It is a strange feeling when the pyramids of Giza or a tropical volcano feel somehow familiar because you've been exposed to so many impostors.  But once I wrapped my head around the fact that everything I was seeing was the real deal, it continued to blow my mind over and over again. (Check out this video of a sleeping fern, a totally mind-blowing plant).

 White water rafting was the same way.  Unlike all the phony, amusement park facsimiles where you get the same pre-fab, homogenized, "you-may-or-may-not-get-wet" experience every time, the real deal is a total rush and completely unpredictable. Except for one thing: you WILL get wet. Before we hit the water my heart was pounding in my chest. Rushing through the procedures for what to do if you fall into the river or get trapped under a flipped raft did nothing to put me at ease.  But once we flew down the first rapid, hit the rocks and I got my first mouthful of water, I was hooked. For the next three hours, my focus was torn between the directions from our guide to "backpaddle!" and "get down!" and the paradise of waterfalls and trees (with the occasional howler monkey!) all around us.  The next day's ziplining adventure was pretty much the same, except it was the rain forest canopy and my fear of falling into it that were vying for my attention.

Getting ready to ride the rapids.

Strapped in and ready for action!

Zipping through the rain forest.

After rafting, we kept our word to our guide, who had joked that every person who fell out of the raft owed him a beer.  Making fast friends with locals is definitely the best way to see a new country.  Our new amigos met us at our hostel and took us to a semi-secret hot spring where locals hang out while all the tourists burn holes in their pockets going to Tabacon.  The hostel manager balked when we told him we were going to the hot spring under the bridge (apparently a common spot for unwitting gringos to get robbed), but I felt much safer being there with a couple Ticos.

The spot was pure paradise. On top of being completely free, it was uncrowded and obviously a favorite of locals, rather than a hyped-up tourist hot spot. After climbing down a steep path and doing a slow shuffle across a scummy rock, I was in volcano-heated hot water heaven. Beers always taste better in Costa Rica, but grabbing an Imperial Light out of an ice-filled shopping bag and watching the hot steam bead up on the can as you crack it open is the very best.

Rio la Fortuna- another favorite spot for Ticos, and any gringos lucky enough to have one as their guide.