Fortunate in Fortuna (2/6/11-2/7)

the falls, from above

up close and personal

This town is on the southeast side of the Laguna de Arenal and at the base of the Volcan Arenal, usually the most active in North America. The drive from Puerto Viejo is through pretty, clean-looking small communities and so it's a pleasant 2-1/2 hour drive. I realized that some 18 days had gone by since I last camped so I was in a bit of a panic to find a place. In driving around I made it up to the local waterfall, a good one. If you click on the pic to the left and look at about 10 o'clock from the waterfall you'll see a vertical rectangular opening with some tiny people in it. That's where the zipline heads across the chasm. The walk back up that chasm is a nice workout...glad I brought water.



do I see something good in there?

I need to really strrretch...



After the waterfall I was driving down a road and decided to turn into this eco-lodge that looked to have some level land. I showed them some pictures of my set-up and they agreed to let me camp there...for free! And I get use of a full bathroom with hot water. You might say I got fortunate in Fortuna. Get it? Funny, right? They squeeze fresh orange juice every morning and then stick the rinds on some nearby trees for the birds to feed on. I got photos of a few of them. This blue one above is a red-legged honeycreeper (I have a bird book, which is usually more confusing than not, but this one was obvious, even to me).

Volcan Arenal from the green side



free camping spot

The main attraction here is the volcano. I'm staying on the southeastern slope, which is the green, inactive side. I hope to see some lava action when I travel north to get to Monteverde. It's often clouded over but I was lucky (fortunate?) to get a decent picture with clear skies. I was later told the volcano hasn't been active for months, so that's the end of my good luck.