Day 4 (September 13): Exploring the Waterfall



La Fortuna Waterfall



     After the fun anemities that we were provided at the spa and also yesterday's wonderful white water rafting trip, we were ready for some more action. Bennie and I slept very well, but it was somewhat distracting hearing the ladies and their drama in the next room.  We awoke the next day and ate at a local cafe; the Costa Rican cuisine was rather spicy and enjoyable. We had tortillas along with frescos, the local healthy fruit smoothies made with milk. The breakfast was bueno!
     We decided that we would take a trip to the famed La Fortuna waterfall.  The waterfall is located about 6 km from the center of the city, so we took a taxi on an unpaved road.  The hike down to the waterfall is a short but tiring one. It takes about twenty minutes to go up (it took Bennie thirty minutes!). It took us about 10 minutes to go back down to restart.  The La Fortuna Waterfall offered a gorgeous view. There is a seventy meter ribbon of water falling into a great swimming hole, surrounded by lush tropical forest, which is protected by the local conservation project.  The water is a greenish-blue, so we were blown away by everything. Even though we were tired, it was well worth every single drop of sweat. All of us enjoyed the fun. After a brief swim in the pool, we took a taxi back to our hotel. Once we washed up, we decided to visit the local restaurant El Novillo del Arenal where we again enjoyed some Costa Rican food. Gallo Pinto is the basis of all foods but unlike breakfast, it is not really served with eggs. The ladies decides to have some paties mini pies of spicy meat and Bennie and I devoured Cerviche, which is fish cooked with lime and served with fried plantains. We ate our food, chilled at the hotel for a while, and went to sleep. We were ready for tommorow's adventures.
 - Vlad



Ceviche, some of the  local cuisine of Costa Rica