My Familia Tica went to the beach, and Mama Tica gave me the green light to have Elliott over, since he was in San Jose Friday afternoon.
When I left work Friday it was POURING RAIN, one of those real winter time rains that soaks you and leaves you feel damp and chilled. Elliott picked me up in a taxi after a crowded bus ride, and we went right home and ordered pizza and took it easy the rest of the evening. This means he fell asleep at 8pm and I watched a movie with The Rock. Our initial plan for Saturday? Go to Irazu Volcano.
When we woke at 6am Saturday morning it was cloudy outside, which meant that there wouldn't be much a of a view of the volcano.
"Go back to sleep," Elliott said, "We won't be able to see anything today."
I went back to sleep and slept in until about 8am, opening my eyes to see bright blue sky, the weather having cleared up. Of course, we should have gone... So we got up late and took the bus to downtown Heredia, where we had breakfast and walked around. We ended up getting ice cream and then Elliott left to go get his work uniform for that evening...only to have the tour be cancelled. So we spent another restful evening at the house, and got up again this morning at 6am to the sound of...rain drops. But even as it was raining a little, it was clearing up!!! So we showered and grabbed our bags, getting to the corner just in time to catch a bus to Chepe (San Jose). We had a quick breakfast and got in line for the bus to Irazu, which is right in front of the National Theater. We sat for our 2 hour bus ride through Cartago, up the mountain and got off around 10am in the Irazu Volcano National Park. We walked to the crater, we walked to the highest point, walked around, had an agua dulce in the little cafeteria and walked back down. It was totally clear, chilly, and there weren't an overwhelming amount of people. It was beautiful! The crater had a little blue-green water in it and the vegetation looked like something out of Jurassic Park. The walk was across the dead plain, full of sand and some grasses.
Irazu is not exactly a dormant volcano, but it isn't active either. It's last major erruption was in 1963, and the area around the crater is still in regrowth. The area around it doesn't smell like Poas (sulfur and mineral) or look like Arenal (cone shaped, versus Irazu which was a crater). It was gorgeous and different. Elliott and I took lots of pictures and then headed back down the mountain, got lunch in San Jose, and he headed to San Ramon to visit some family.
I am back in Heredia, and this evening I pick up my last group. It is bittersweet, this being my last group. I am tired and ready to take a break, but I like travelling and getting to know people. At the same time I am ready for a little change...I am looking forward to when we have our own place, to when I have a set schedule, to knowing what I will be doing. It is looking more and more like we will be moving to Puntarenas in the future.
Wow...I have just a few days left. If I think about it too much I know I will not be able to enjoy being here...just live it up!!
....Pura VIda.
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