Riding the public bus

Breakfast at the Hemingway Inn was on the house - toast, boiled eggs, fruit (papaya, pineapple and cantaloupe), rice and beans, tamales. We took a cab to Terminale Norte and joined a long line to buy tickets to the public bus to La Fortuna Arenal. The bus left promptly at 8:40 am and a few stops later, was filled with a standing crowd. The city merged into rural farmland and occasional towns. We reached Arenal at 12:45 pm and took a cab to Hotel Arenal Green.

The hotel had spaciously laid out cottages, all in a row. Ours had double beds and an A.C., kitchenette with microwave, refrigerator and sink, and a spacious bathroom. We had lunch at Pizzeria La Parada in the village, where I had my first taste of Arroz con pollo, which DH became addicted to, by the end of our trip. I had the first of my many pineapple juices this week.

We then visited different tour operators in the village, comparing prices for various activities. We finally booked a hike to the Rio Celeste for $80 per person.

We returned to the hotel, grabbed our swimming things and took a cab to the waterfall, where we realized that in our haste, we had not carried any money to pay the entrance fee. So, we rambled along back to the hotel, enjoying the fresh air and the greenery, stopping to have tender coconut on the way.

After dinner accompanied by music at Hotel Casa Blanca, we retired for the night.