Baers,

Yesterday around noon, after all the escapades with little Dayana, Junior and I drove to La Fortuna, the nearest down of any size. It lies about 9 miles away. That sounds like a short drive, but the bone-rattling miles we drive on very rough roads before getting to the two-lane highway makes it more of an adventure than it sounds.

La Fortuna was a tiny town with a Bible Church I’ve preached in back in the day. The pastor of that church was a good friend. It’s almost impossible for me to grasp how the area has developed, mostly around international tourism.

We parked at a Musmanni, one of Christopher’s and Johnny’s favorite bread shops, and enjoyed beef empanadas and coffee. We got some Costa Rican money from a bank across the street and then walked around the town. Lots of tourists, lots of really pleasant Costa Ricans. I really enjoy the feel of Costa Rican provincial towns. We’ll be in one of my favorite ones, Puriscal, for the last three days of our trip.

We stopped where a man was selling fruit out of the back of his pickup truck and bought (a) mamón chino (which we used to call ‘eyeball fruit’, (b) manzana de agua (‘water apples’), which I don’t remember having, and (c) a very spiny fruit that according the seller is ‘like guanábana, but sweeter and better’. I love guanébana, so we spring for it. All this cost a couple of bucks.

After a supermarket stop, we headed to Hotel Los Lagos, one of the many places that has elaborate thermal-hot-spring swimming pools of all shapes and sizes. They also had an amazing butterfly tent, with tons of Blue Morphos and three other species. Karen said, ‘I wonder whether they would land on me if I put my arms out.’ She did so, and a blue Morpho immediately flew to her arm and stayed there until she had to coax him off so we could leave. Also three crocodiles, which looked like they were swimming, amazing birds flying around, and a jaw-dropping ant display (which Junior refused to see).

We spent several hours soaking in the hot springs before a nice buffet dinner opened up, and then drove home in the deep darkness.

Our wonderful little Daihatsu Terios stops at nothing. I looked it up and found out its the product of a Daihatusu/Toyota partnership and has made a name for itself as a very reliable, bare-bones, Majority-World SUV selling new at about $20,000.

Overnight, I woke up at about 3:00 and, to my amazement, before my wondering eyes outside the huge windows of our bedroom was the Big Dipper. I didn’t even have to move my head to see it. I have never seen any constellation looking so real that it seemed it was coming in to scoop up my eyes. That meant the front had cleared and the skies would be promising in the morning.

As the morning light came in at about 5:15, there was Volcán Arenal, finally, in all of its majestic glory. We’ve had great view of the volcano all day today. Now this is the December weather in Costa Rica that I pine away for every year. Just wonderful.

We pulled on our boots and gathered up our walking sticks and make another slog down to the catarata, which is more rapids than waterfall. It’s really beautiful and very remote. The water banging down the river seems crystalline and pure. It seemed strange to see water like this without trout in it, but trout are cold-water fish.

It’s been a hugely relaxing and pleasant two days.

We only have a day and a half left before we head to the beaches and Playa Sámara. We’re not yet ready to leave.

Love,

Dad/Dave