Volcan Poas - We Erupt in Happiness

Finally we got to see our first Costa Rican volcano . . .

Driving up into the cloud, we knew we had started out too late.  Everybody told us "If you want to see the crater, you have to get there early in the morning; before the clouds roll in."  But did we listen?  No, of course not!

Instead, we headed up there after the kids' tennis lessons, arriving just before noon.  The crater was a soupy bowl of clouds, and for the third time visiting a volcano, we saw nothing.

We went for a hike.
We ate our lunch.
We headed for the parking lot and promised the kids we'd come back earlier next time.

Then, up above the treeline, we spotted blue sky.  The clouds were speeding away.   Maybe we'd be able to see the crater!

We raced up the path, arriving at the crater out of breath and excited.  The railing overlooking the crater was packed with people.  Would we be able to catch a glimpse?

Yes!   There it was in turquoise splendor, all  sulfur smell and dizzying altitude.   The witch's cauldron of a crater was bright blue, and the clouds passed in and over the crater lake.  The startling pool of bright blue surprised us each time the fog parted.   Stunning!

Superlative Nauyaca Falls

Cataratas Nauyaca on the Baru River near Dominical is a must plunge.   Powerful, broad, sheer, and refreshingly cold, these waterfalls are some of the prettiest I've seen anywhere. 

After finally finding the small dirt road entrance, we held our breath as our independent-minded car bounced his way down the 2k pock-marked, steeply pitched, rock road, and prayed that we wouldn't find ourselves stuck at the bottom.  A few other cars were parked there at the rushing river, and families had Sunday picnics and played under the walking bridge. 

We hiked the hot, dry path, wide enough for all four of us to spread out!   The day was humid at 11 am, and getting stickier.  We trudged up the 4k trail, and were glad that it was Sunday, and there were no horses sharing the private trail that day.   We passed a small house where we were able to buy our $6 tickets (with cedulas - $8 without) and fill up our water bottles again.

Finally, after an hour of hot hiking, my intrepid family reached the falls.  We were amazed.  We jumped into the wonderfully cool water, plashing and swimming out to the  gorgeous falls.  We enjoyed our picnic of avocado and re-fried beans rolled into a tortilla, and then we swam some more.  We watched a daredevil scale his way up the center of the pounding falls, like a spider monkey, and then flip backward off the top of the cliff.  I applauded heartily, but called him absolutely crazy to the kids.  Steve equally mesmerized by a would-be model in a dental floss bathing suit. 

After the refreshing swim, the walk downhill seemed much shorter. And, to cap off our spectacular day, on the hike out, we spotted a toucan in a tree above the path.  Our car made it up the hill (hooray!) and we made it back to the beach for sunset.  A perfect day!

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To get there, drive south to Dominical, past Manuel Antonio and Quepos, about 45 minutes.  Just before Dominical, turn onto the San Isidro de General Highway, and head towards Baru.   You can buy a ticket at the office on the highway at the Catarata Waterfall.

 If it's Sunday, pass the office and turn onto the dirt road just past the blue gate and drive down the hill.  Bring cash to pay midway up the hill.

An intricate web over the Baru River

Waves, Sunsets, Monkeys and Boogie Boarding at Manuel Antonio

There's nothing like catching he perfect wave on the perfect beach during the perfect sunset.  We hit the trifecta this weekend, with waves at the right height, a magnificent sunset, and a soft sandy beach.  

"Stunning" does not adequately describe the loveliness of Manuel Antonio and Bejuco beaches.  We spent many a happy hour over our 3-day, Valentine's/ President's weekend (Thanks, Prezzies!) We relaxed, jumping into the frothy waves, bouncing on our boogie boards and admiring the splendor of an orange and pink sunsets.

We also wandered around the busy national park at Manuel Antonio, where we saw howler monkeys, a gang of spider monkeys entertaining the crowds and countless families of paparazzi-seeking, brazen, white-faced Capuchin monkeys, preening and wrestling away the afternoon.  Leaf cutter ants and iguanas ubiquitously inhabited every nook and cranny that wasn't growing, swinging, or slithering.  At one point, creepy, long green snake crossed our path. A lone sloth hung way up in a tree, moving just enough for us to peek at his teddy-bear face. 

The beach.  Oh, the beach.  Come on down.  You'll see what I mean....

Cars, Tow Truck and Minivans, Oh My!

"Adventures make one late for dinner."  So says Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.  Indeed, it's true.

There are worse places for a car to break down!

 For the second Sunday in a row, we forayed out of Escazu, adventure bound.   Last Sunday, we rumbled up a pock-marked dirt road, heading to a trailhead for a hike.   After a long, steep, bumpy ride, we pulled off the road to notice our car was leaking transmission fluid!   We forwent the hike, rolled the car back down the hill, until a friendly drunk pointed us in the direction of a mechanic.  Steve knocked on his door, and when he finally appeared in his boxers and t-shirt, he spent a few minutes under the car tightening some hoses and pronounced us fixed!     

View from the tow truck

We did end up on a separate, shorter hike, that same day and had the good fortune to run into a local hiking club that meets every Sunday:

Caminatss Ecologicas  https://www.facebook.com/caminatasecologicas.alajuelitaescazu/about  
You can hook up with them on Facebook!  

Those 20 hikers  were headed down from their excursion with a three person police escort, and they warned us not to go any further in our small group as there could be muggers on the trail!  We turned around, but hope to hike with that group soon.

Fresh Chubasco Strawberries

View from a Breakdown Sunday #1

This Sunday, we headed for Poas volcano but only got within spitting distance.  Twenty minutes away, we thought we had made a wrong turn, so Steve did a three-point turn.  The car would not shift into reverse, and we were stuck in the middle of the road, blocking the lane entirely.   Moving the car forward would have forced us to crash into a tree, so we stayed there and set up our wimpy reflective triangle. 

The owner of the nearby Chubasco Hotel, restaurant and organic strawberry farm helped us to arrange a tow, and gifted us with some lovely berries.   Two hours later we were headed home, strapped to the top of a tow truck, all four of us sitting seat-belted into our SUV for the bouncy ride!  Never in the U.S. of A!   

View from a Breakdown Sunday #2

Turns out, after the 90 minute tow all the way back to Escazu, there was very little wrong with our car that couldn't have been fixed with some better tightening of the transmission hoses the week before, and a bit of topping off of some fluids.  Ah well!  We haven't yet seen a volcano here, but we hope to soon.

The next morning, in order to get to school, we called the school's minivan, because our car was still in the shop.  On the way to pick us up, it got a flat tire!   What a weekend!   I missed half of my first period class, but I don't think any of my students actually noticed I was missing!