Being on the Road... Costa Rica (19) Arenal Volcano

We normally don't take tours. Not our thing. But in Monteverde, we found a very convenient volcano tour package, plus direct transport to La Fortuna. 

Being on the road reminds me the impermanence of everything. You pass by some magnificent places you will probably never return to... 

Crossing over Lake Arenal was one of those moments... 

Lake Arenal 

Lake Arenal 

Arenal Volcano

Montezuma Oropendolas 

They look like this: 

Arenal Volcano Lava Trail 

Arenal Volcano Lava Trail 

"The more we give up on some our needs, (of course not the basic ones, just the extras) the happier we become. We don't have to choose to live in discomfort of course.  However, if we are still satisfied even if we don't have our comforts, that's freedom". Roads teach me that. 

Sometimes we don't find coffee in the morning, sometimes we run out of drinking water on the road or we can't find shampoo at our hotel and some other times we lack hot water... Sometimes we have to walk long long distances, sometimes we have to ride on the bus for so many hours, sometimes the hiking trails we take are too slippery, muddy or too steep and some other times we can't find the type of food we prefer to eat... 

In the beginning of our journey, I'd tend to lose my cool from time to time. But in the process, I learned to just laugh about it all and  immediately turn my funny mood on just like my husband does.

Being so far away from home and too much off of my comfort zone had me question how much comfort do I really need after all... And is it really worth to lose my smile? No. Never. 

All the discomforts become funny travel stories shared with the love of my life afterwards. And they fill my heart with so much gratitude, leading me to appreciate the comfort that those discomforts bring into my life: Freedom from attachments and recognition for the beauty of life in its simplicity; which leads my soul to further appreciation, flexibility and understanding.