After finishing lunch, we explored La Fortuna, perusing the local shops and we were even followed by a street vendor playing a wooden recorder. Wanting to get settled, we picked up some groceries, got back in the car and headed towards our destination. Our rental was only a few kilometers away, however, the home was located up a mountain overlooking the volcano and Lake Arenal. From the base of the mountain to our humble abode was another turbulent 30 minutes. It was early evening when we arrived and after seeing our amazing house, we called it a night to relax and prepare for the next two days.
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| Volcano view from our rental |
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| View of Lake from the terrace |
The following morning, we set out to visit the La Fortuna Waterfall and made tentative plans to visit one of the local hot springs. The waterfall is situated inside the Arenal Volcano National Park and has an $8 admission. The descent is fairly easy and the path is aided with the convenience of stairs, lots and lots of stairs. The worst part of getting down is knowing that you will end your visit by going back up. Within a few minutes of the hike the roar of the waterfall could be heard in the distance and we even got a glimpse from the trail.
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| View near the start of the hike |
Once reaching the bottom, there is a viewing deck off to the side and the main area situated directly in front of the waterfall. Families gather here for picnics or sit and observe the waterfall from the benches. We decided to brave the slippery rocks for a closer look - while our friends took it a step further and went for a ice cold swim under the falls. If risking a sprained ankle is a concern, there is a wadding area off to the side of the viewing area, a much more accessible place to take a dip or another spot to picnic.
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| La Fortuna Waterfall |
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| Wadding area downstream |
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| First sighting of Volcano apex while driving to Tabacon |
Having got our fill of the La Fortuna waterfall, we planned to visit one of the local hot springs. We had limited internet access, therefore, we couldn't do sufficient research as to which location - so we drove to the closest one, Tabacon thermal springs. We were fortunate enough to find a parking spot across the street, however, when Julie was using the car key to lock the glove compartment (where we kept the GPS) our key bent 90 degrees like it was the spoon in the Matrix**. We tried to bend the key back and were able straighten it out, however, the damage was done, the key wouldn't go into the ignition. In this exact moment, everyone had the same thought, "Oh sh*t!!!" It was Palm Sunday, in the middle of Costa Rica (Easter Week is a pretty big deal there), and who knows how far we were from the closest Vamos location. Julie went to the front desk of Tabacon and explained our dilemma, they were nice enough to let her borrow the phone to call Vamos.
If being stuck on the side of the road with no way of getting to our rental home wasn't stressful enough, Vamos surely did their best to stoke the flames of frustration. They asked all the stupid questions, "Are you sure the key is broken?" "Have you tried starting the car?" "Can you wait until tomorrow?" The decreasing logic to Vamos costumer service reached its nadir when they gave us our first option, call a locksmith. That is, assuming we could even find a local locksmith, on Palm Sunday afternoon no less, and then expect them to know how to make a copy of a car key from a broken key. Even if we were successful with this venture, Vamos confirmed that the locksmith key may or may not work. The other option, wait 4-6 hours while an employee delivers us the other key from the office.
Being four logical humans, we went with the non-ridiculous option, but now the dilemma was to either sit and wait, or pony up the cash and pay the expensive thermal spring admission. For the sake of our sanity, the prudent decision needed no convincing - we would spend the extra $180 per couple and enjoy ourselves as we waited for our new key. Tabacon is as advertised, a beautifully landscaped oasis with several picturesque thermal pools of varying temperatures. The grounds are pristine, the pools refreshing, and the poolside bar can help you forget about your car troubles. Oddly enough, when ordering a round of libations we sat next to a couple that hail from the same city in Maryland the four of us call home. We spoke of Old Bay, tourist attractions, and traveling tribulations - we currently had the trump card here as we were currently in vacation purgatory.
After spending five hours at the resort, Julie and I headed to the front desk to see if they had seen or heard anything from Vamos. The sequence of seemingly strange coincidences continued and a Vamos employee literally appeared as we arrived at the front desk. Suffice it to say, the key worked, the glovebox would never be locked again, and everyone was ready to call it a night.
** It is not the Vamos car key that bends, only ourselves.
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