So the in-laws are here for a month and we got off to a rocky start, with my car breaking down (again!) just hours before I was to pick them up at the airport. Then, after coming home in a taxi, we had an above normal number of power outages. I can’t speak for them, but I’m sure their first impression of our lives here in Costa Rica was not the greatest.
However, we got the car back and FINALLY got a cell phone (after waiting for 3 months) on day 2, so things got much better.
And day 3 was excellent. We went on a road trip to see the Poas Volcano and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Poas is the nearest volcano to us here in Atenas, only about an hour and a half away by car. It is active, but there hasn’t been a serious eruption since 1954. A year ago, on Jan. 8, 2009 there was a 6.1 magnitude earthquake and landslide 8 kilometres from the volcano crater which resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people and seriously affected some local communities.
After seeing the volcano yesterday, I realized that I don’t remember ever seeing one before and I was really impressed. You can walk right up to the rim and look down into the crater and see the gasses escaping near the shores of the little lake at the bottom. (The average temperature of the water is around 40 degrees Celsius and it has a ph level of almost zero.) You can also see where previous eruptions have thrown huge boulders great distances and it really makes you wonder about the incredible forces at work here.
There is also a fabulous path system up to a second extinct crater with a rain-water filled lake. The path has been cut through intense jungle with old, mossy, gnarled trees. The twisted roots and vines on each side look impenetrable and you wonder how the first people hacked their way up there and what nasty beasties they might have found in there. Very Cool.
After leaving Poas, we drove to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This is a tourist attraction that I hadn’t heard much about before showing up and was again very, very impressed. The road from Poas to La Paz was washed away by the earthquake & landslides in 2009, and was only very recently reopened. It was quite an eye-opener to see the devastation to the roads and villages even a year later and there is still a lot of work to be done.
Once there however, we all loved it. Cut through some very lush rain/cloud forest and very well taken care of grounds, you can find areas displaying local birds, insects, monkeys, jungle cats, frogs, orchids, hummingbirds and snakes. In the aviary, some of us got to put a Toucan on our arms and feed it live worms right out of our hands. Seeing the colors on those beaks up close was absolutely fantastic.
The monkeys were also a hit and they acted as monkeys do in all zoos, with far too much display of bodily functions and hedonistic behaviour. I had to tell the kids a couple times to “move it along, nothing to see here…”. We went on this journey with our friends the Gonzoles family as well, and Patsy was posing the kids in front of the monkey cage for a photo-op, when one of the spider monkeys reached through the cage and grabbed Nathan’s shirt and wouldn’t let go. It was hilarious and he needed Gabbi to help him escape the evil clutches.
In the frog exhibit, the frogs are not kept behind glass or anything. You just look for them on the plants growing out in the open. One of the tour guides for another group was trying to coax out one of the little poison-dart frogs for a picture while Rachel was walking past. The frog jumped out of it’s hiding place and almost landed on Rachel’s shoulder. Pretty cool close encounter.
Just wandering through the grounds and all of the animal displays would have made for a great day, but they also have some of the most spectacular waterfalls I have ever seen. The jungle trail down to them would have been great on it’s own as well. My favourite view was a look-out right over the top of the “Magia Blanca” waterfall. You look like you are just about to fall over the edge along with the water. It was amazing to watch the water plummet onto the rocks over a 100 feet below from that unique vantage point!
All in all, a fabulous day, however my camera battery died after Poas, so I don’t have any pics of La Paz. I will try to get some from Patsy and update this post with them.
The main Crater
Look at how much has been ejected in the past
The second, extinct crater called “Laguna Botos”
The path to the second crater.
OMG . . . I feel so bad about the car! I swear, the Trooper was a real Trooper the whole time we had it. So sorry for the bad luck . . .
ReplyDeleteI wish we would have been able to see La Paz. We planned to go when my parents arrived, but alas, the earthquake struck and it was devastated and did not re-open during the remainder of our stay. I'm glad to hear they've rebuilt, as I undertsood it was one of the jewels of CR.
Hope the fun continues -- and the car troubles don't.