We drove in from the Pacific Coast Friday to San Jose. It was Forrest's first real driving in the country since we rented the car. It took us about four hours total but we made it fine.
Along the way we had stopped for lunch in another beach town just north of Quepos. It was full of surfers (mostly foreigners) and was really hopping with activity. We ate at a taco bar called, Taco Bar. It was really a cool place. the eating area was like a bar setting with stools on the inside and then on the outer seats swings. like playground swings. in the middle of this circle of seats was a salad/ taco fixings bar. you ordered your tacos, and how you wanted the meat seasoned then they bring it all out to you on these long wooden platters.
the food was great, simple and hot. Forrest wants to open one up now. it was quite clever and it seemed to be THE place to eat.
We arrived in San Jose in the afternoon and stayed in the hotel we had stayed before for one night and then we headed out to Monte Verde early the next day. The drive was very pleasant but the roads get a little bumpy and curvy outside of the central plateau of San Jose. The cloud forrest was beautiful and the eco lodge we stayed at was very nice.
The next day we headed around Lake Arenal, a beautiful area, and headed to fortuna which is a town at the base of Mt Arenal. The volcano is a perfect cone shape. in fact if you asked a child to draw a picture of a volcano they would be drawing this one. it is perfectly cone shaped with steam coming up out of it. we were told by a naturalist that it is very similar to Mt Saint Helen's in the type of volcano that it is. It is also the most active one in the country.
We went zip lining and met some really nice people, including a delightful family from Colorado. After the zip lining we had to ride down from the canopy area by horseback. it was my first time on a horse. I was terrified but survived. My horse was a sweetheart. Forrest's had a little spunk but nothing he couldn't handle.
In Fortuna we stayed at this private resort. The owners were absolutely wonderful and really made us feel at home. Their property was beautiful and close to everywhere. It was a peaceful and relaxing setting. in the evening we took a guided tour of the jungle and the mountain at nightwith a nature guide.
The next day we got up early and headed for the airport. Along the way we stopped off at a zoo that specialized in local species. it was wonderful. saw an Ocelot and Puma up close. beautiful animals.
The airport itself and ride home was uneventful. We landed in LA and got to the hotel by 4 am. We are taking a break here to give me a chance to talk with the British Consulate about some paperwork and documents i have been waiting on. i have a contact now and someone to help me with the process.
We plan on staying here until friday before finally arriving home.
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