La Fortuna, A Happy Tourist Trap
La Fortuna is a small spot just outside Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano, a natural attraction augmented by artificial additions. The town is lined with souvenir shops, vacation package booths, themed hostels, and picture-forward restaurants. It’s a certified tourist trap, not my kind of place. I decided to stay an extra day.
I did so because it strangely seemed more natural than San José. Sure, everything catered to tourists and had the kind of “authenticity” followed by exclamation marks, “Try real Costa Rican food!”, but Fortuna wasn’t stuffed with KFCs and two-story Taco Bells like San José.
Even though there were fewer options, it was easier to access the local ones. Small-town restaurants specializing in traditional dishes were only a block away, not across the city. I could explore the intriguing landscape instead of just wonder what it was like from afar. Uber drivers were happy to answer curiosities, unlike their bored urban counterparts.
I suppose that’s all a part of the trick, to create a sense of belonging in a fabricated place. It wouldn’t be a trap if it didn’t keep anyone there.
