Backpacker's Journal Part 9

After a long bus ride we finally reached La Fortuna. The town was much smaller than I imagined. I got of the bus and as usual I had no idea in which direction I should go. I took my phone out and started following the route displayed on the map. I checked into The Arenal Backpackers where the prices were suitable for my budget. I paid 7 dollars ( 3.500 Colones ) for a bed in a dorm room. As i was the only one in the room for my entire stay I can say that I paid 7 dollars for a massive private accommodation. Positives of travelling in low season. Becoming a total cheapskate during your travels is very easy and a must for a low budget buddy like me and most likely you as well.

I have saved quite a lot of money since my arrival to Costa Rica, therefore my budget allowed me to buy an Extreme Volcano tour which was created to give travellers an opportunity to hike both of the volcanoes in the same day. The hike included intensive hiking for around 8 hours, swimming in the crater lake and bathing in volcano hot springs in the evening, lunch and transportation. It costed around 35 dollars. I booked it for the next day.

I walked around La Fortuna for a couple of hours, exploring little streets, trying to make conversations with locals to improve my Spanish and of course taking pictures all the time. The town wasn't special apart from its location and the volcanoes that created an amazing landscape.

I woke up at around 7, got a cold shower and went outside to meet my guide. Totally prepared and equipped i entered the bus where I met Joseph, Kate and Mark who seemed as excited as me. We quickly became friends. I guess it is very easy while travelling because it was never easy for me back home, no matter the circumstances.

We arrived to the entrance of the park where the guide paid the fees and advised us to use our repellents as using them in the jungle could damage flora and fauna of the park. We all did as he said.

He turned out to be an awesome guy who was very interested in the area. He was talking to us about what happened to La Fortuna when the volcano erupted, he mentioned different species of animals including capuchin monkeys and famous red eyed leaf frogs. We were all fascinated with the knowledge he had about his region.

The weather was constantly changing. One time we found ourselves hiking up being hit by water coming down from the upper parts of the mountain and then other times praying for a drop of the rain as it was getting unbearably hot. It was an intense hike.
The rain was so strong at times that no waterproof covers, jackets or backpacks were helping so all of my belongings including my camera got quite wet. .

When we reached the upper part of Arenal the temperature dropped down very quickly. All of us being so tired and wet , got cold immediately. We weren't lucky for the views when we got to the top as the formation of the clouds covered the entire landscape. We were highly disappointed because it was one thing that kept us all motivated, despite hunger, cold and exhaustion.

We decided that we will take a break and grab some lunch before we start going down to Laguna. We ate a chicken sandwich, banana, crackers and an apple for our lunch. We stayed there for few more minutes and started walking down.
I was so fast at some point that even the guide was left behind. Jungle Parkour.

It took us around an hour to reach the lake. Non of us decided to swim so we didn't stay there for long. It was very beautiful even when clouded. We sat down for a moment, took some pictures and started talking about each other and the reasons why we began to travel. It always fascinates me to find things about myself through the stories of others. I guess their journeys always put some light on my own experiences.

We walked down for around an hour before we reached the botanic garden. This is where i saw the famous red eyed frogs. They looked unreal and the colours of them needed no correction. We spotted few monkeys while walking and that was quite entertaining especially that they were getting very close. I got some good shots of them.

We walked further down for about 1.5 and we made it to the checkpoint where we waited for another group to join us in our ride to the volcano springs. I was so cold at that point that i went inside and started drying my belongings in front of the fire place. I only later realised how stupid it was when my rainproof jacket literally melted and i was left with no jacket at all.

When we got to the volcano springs we jumped into the water straight away. I couldn't believe how warm the water was. I dived few times to get as warm as possible. We were handed a few glasses of wine, vodka and a beer to relax fully. We stayed there for some time and even received a facial treatment from a local lady who offered us a face mask made from the volcanic ash. i tend to be very impatient and i was bothered to have something hardening on my face so i washed it off few minutes after. I managed to climb to a higher point of the springs and laying down inside the water i closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of Arenal.