Casa Luna, La Fortuna

So back we go on the pleasure boats to get out of Tortuguero. Another drizzly morning. I suppose the clue was in the name. Rain-forest. But at least I expected it to be warm.

After about an hour we hit the river port, which is little more than a car park with a restaurant ans facilities, but being Costa Rica it also has fauna and flora thrown in.

 

 Now what do you least want to see next to a sign for comfortable loos/ A sign telling you to beware of the poisonous snakes?

Did I mention there had been some rain? And that this was not the world's most developed transport hub? This is what you call a pothole

And in the distance you see the vultures gathering...

Anyway, eventually managed to haul luggage up the muddy slope and into a mini van to continue on by road to La Fortuna. Stopping to see another sloth. A slightly bedraggled looking on given the rain.

Eventually got to my next hotel, Casa Luna about 15 minutes walk outside the town of La Fortuna. La Fortuna is a ramshackle town that exists only to serve the tourist trade. It is sat in the middle of the country and is a sort of adventure resort, a tropical version of Whistler in Canada. From here you could go on endless rafting, mountain biking, hiking, zip-lining etc tours.

Downside of the hotel (apart from no WiFi in the rooms) was the distance from the town. But that was also its upside, ie it had lovely grounds not surrounded by tourist paraphernalia.

Rooms were in double decker chalets - I was on the bottom here.

Plenty of space for just me.

And note the elephant towel sculpture.

The grounds just abound in tropical plants.

But the neatest touch for me was that just in front of the dining room they stuck up a dead tree on which they put lumps of fruit. And wait for the birds to jump in. Which they do. This is bird-watching made easy.

Passerini's Tanager (distinguish from Crimson-collared Tanager, which was also about as both have the red rump but this one just has a black head)

Bird on top is I think a Yellow-throated Euphonia, but I may be wrong.

Chestnut-billed Toucan arrived to give the place a look.

I think a Social Flycatcher

Orange-chinned Parakeets

Crimson-collared Tanager

 But when the Toucan moves in, all the rest move out. He is the school bully.

Red-legged Honeycreepers

Orange-chinned Parakeet

Golden Hooded Tanager

Blue-gray Tanager coming in aggressively from the right

I won't swear to it, but I think this is Red-legged Honeycreeper.

Decent sized pool area (which counter-intuitively did have WiFi, just not the rooms...)

The back of the hotel also had a nice trail past its own section of the river. SO had to have a walk around that.

Golden hooded Tanager on top

Across the road from the hotel  one has views of the Arenal Volcano.

Next morning, of course, new towel sculptures. A snail, and a standing elephant. Some people have too much time on their hands...