La Fortuna and Monteverde with Canadians

The bus ride North to La Fortuna was long and held more than its fair share of sharp curves, as most of the mountain roads do. We happened to met a great couple from Prince George on the bus and enjoyed visiting with them as we went. When we arrived in La Fortuna we parted ways in the rain and headed out looking for a hostel. Not sure were to stay we ran into a fellow Calgarian named Ryan at the entrance of his hostel and could tell we would get along well, so we decided to stay there. With the cost being higher than we hoped we decided to brave the dorm life. The beds were very comfortable but it was an adjustment to sleep in the same room as 6 others again. Thankfully they were all good people and we enjoyed sharing travel stories with one another each night before falling sleep. Our first day was disheartening, our expectations for La Fortuna were high with Volcan Arenal on our doorstep and the promise of many fun activities all around. However, the realization that everything blew our backpackers budget hit hard. Travis consoled me with a gelato and a walk around the beautiful town square followed by an outdoor body weight workout in the rain before taking a dip in our cold hostel pool. With a smile on my face again, I was able to remember that just being in a place like this is an activity in itself. The next day Ryan joined us for a 7 km hike up hill, in the pouring rain, to a waterfall. It was awesome getting to know him and learning that he had been to my parents business before, it made the world seem so small! The waterfall was incredible, I had never seen one with such water volume and power before. We decided to strip down to our underwear and go in, it was cold, the bottom rocky and the strength of the current emense, I loved it! I realize more and more on this journey that I care less about my appearance and what others may think and more about enjoying the moment. The third day it also was overcast and rainy so we sadly never did see the Arenal volcano. 

Climbing into a shuttle we headed for Monteverde. Transferring to a shuttle boat to cross a lake we spotted our friends from Prince George! With neither of us having booked a place to stay we agreed to find somewhere together. Thankfully, the first place Travis had in mind had room for all of us. We met a couple from Quebec staying there as well and the 6 of us instantly hit it off. We decided to go see the hanging bridges and hummingbirds right away. The birds made us think about my Grandpa, he loved his hummingbirds. We took a video to show my Grandma when we go home, I know she will also appreciate how many there were buzzing around the nectar. Travis and I had a lot of fun together walking and running along the bridges in the rain, again it made me so grateful for this time together. We went for supper with our friends from Quebec and visited late with our Prince George friends, building very cool connections. However, in the morning both couples moved on and we stayed another day making plans for Nicaragua.