Fortuna
A small town that began to flourish with eco-tourism in the 1970’s. It is located at the base of the Arenal volcano. It is about 1800 feet above sea level. In 1968 the cone shaped Arenal volcano erupted at 7:30 am. The devastation was extensive. There are some areas that will never totally recover. There were 70 deaths. At this time, many hot springs were created and there are many hotels and tourist areas that include these hot springs. In 1970, a dam was constructed and created Arenal Lake. It is a well-known fishing spot for Rainbow bass. We are staying at Lomas del Volcan hotel. I cannot even do justice to our accommodations. We have individual cabins in our own little spot of heaven. Two queen beds, a huge bathroom, a front porch, but the best is the back porch with a view of the rainforest. Even though there are a lot of cabins, it feels very private. We were warned to keep our doors closed and locked …. not from any people, but if it was open, monkeys might visit and help themselves to whatever. We had a bit of time to rest, then off to our included dinner. It was delicious. Pat got a grilled steak and I had a filet. Some of the best beef ever. Today we had breakfast with one of my favorites, homemade corn tortillas. On the bus by 7:30 am and thank you Ozzy for making this an early departure. Off to Misticopark, about a 30-minute ride. Definitely kudos to our bus driver. Not an easy drive for him. We did the Arenal Hanging bridges. Haven’t experienced anything quite like it. About a 2 hour, 2 mile hike in a rainforest, with 20 bridges, some stationary, some cable suspended. The path is well maintain, the bridges are checked daily for safety. And they are not kidding when the say “hanging”. You are way up in the air, crossing some pretty long stretches. The longest was 95 meters. Ozzy is a naturalist, so his insight into the rainforest, it’s residents and its ecosystem was amazing. I learned so much. Parts of it were challenging for me, some long inclines and steep downward switchbacks, and it definitely helped me get over my fear of heights (I think). Back to the hotel and a cooking lesson. We made homemade corn tortillas and watched them make picadillo, a potato dish. We crashed for the afternoon. We chose to eat dinner here instead of going into town. We weren’t that hungry and still a bit tired. I had a chicken & shrimp quesadilla and Pat had cerviche. Both were excellent. Shower & bed, as tomorrow is another new adventure.
Suzi Travels 
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