Day 2 - Our First Day in Costa Rica

As soon as we picked up our luggage and cleared customs, we had the task of finding our driver. There were over a dozen people either asking if we needed a taxi or pre-hired drivers holding signs with peoples´ names on it. Alexis immediately spotted a man holding a sign with Shin´s name on it. We went over to meet our driver. His name is Wilson Rojas and he is the driver Shin found while researching the trip. He was very prompt and friendly which is a lot to ask for considering it was 5:45 AM. Wilson brought a cooler stashed with all sorts of beverages and snacks. He also offered to take us to breakfast and point out different points of interest along the way.

As soon as we left the airport, it was evident that Costa Rica is under developed. There were lots of rundown signs and you could find many people walking on the main road. At the same time, the landscape is beautiful and the have a very eco-friendly culture. Since tourism is the primary driver of its economy, it is in the best interest for Costa Ricans to take care of their country. To Shin, Costa Rica reminds him of an early stage mix of Kauai and the US Virgin Islands.

Wilson pointed out the coffee and plantain plants on the side of the road. He also made many restaurant and activity suggestions as we drove to La Fortuna. It was refreshing to see that Wilson really loves his job of driving and he loves showing off his country to tourists. And furthermore, his suggestions were from the heart. It wasn´t like he was pushing us to certain attractions because he was getting kickbacks. You could tell that he is an honest guy.

Our first stop on the trip was at a restaurant in Naranja, Wilson´s hometown. We shared scrambled eggs, beans & rice, queso, pan fried plantains & coffee. Overall, the meal was very good, but the best part of the meal was the coffee. We consider ourselves to be coffee connoisseurs, and the coffee at this restaurant gets high marks.....no cream or sugar necessary. Another intersting fact about this restaurant is that it appeared to be using little to no electricity. We ate on a deck with lots of natural light. The food and coffee was made using a wood burning stove. Wilson pointed out that the wood for the stove came from the branches of older coffee plants which give the food more flavor. Sometimes you just can´t replace the flavors you get from fresh natural products.

After breakfast we continued on our 3 hour journey to La Fortuna. The trip to La Fortuna had many windy roads and we encountered a couple of cloud forests. The visibility wasn´t great, but it was managable. During certain stretches of the road we saw dozens of people walking on the street. Wilson mentioned that August 2nd is a fairly big holiday where people congregate in the center of town to go to church. After the morning mass, they have a party. Some people travel up to 8-10 days on foot to get to the church. Wilson mentioned that not as many people were doing the trek this year because it wasn´t being supported by the government due to the outbreak of Swine flu earlier this year.

At various time during our drive, Wilson did us a couple of favors by making some phone calls for us. He got us an early check-in at our hotel, and he got us a tour of with the highly regarded Juan Brenes of Aguila Tours in Manuel Antonio. Wilson really added a lot of value.

After about 3 hours, we got to downtown La Fortuna. Wilson pointed out restaurants that he thinks are good such as Novillo, Lava Rocks, Lava Lounge, and Soda Rio. He also took us to the market, ATM, and Desafio Tours. From downtown La Fortuna, it was about another 30 minutes to our hotel, Lost Iguana Resort and Spa. The Lost Iguana is secluded and is one of the nicer hotels with volcano views in the La Fortuna area.

We were both tired so we relaxed the rest of the day. We took a nap, ate at the hotel restaurant, booked excursions for our stay in La Fortuna, took a short hike on the hotel grounds, and watched television. It felt like a long journey to get here, but it was well worth it. It´s very peaceful here. Our hotel has an outside patio where I´m listening to natural running water and large butterflies flying around. We also have a view of the Arenal Volcano from where I´m sitting. A large cloud is covering the view, but a few minutes ago I heard a roar come from the volcano. It would be really cool to be able to see lava flow from the hotel. I guess we´ll have to wait and see.