We left the Unicorn Lodge on a sunny morning yet very cold in the house. Lucas waited under the warm covers until the much-anticipated pancakes were ready to eat. Yum! Then, went right back into a cozy cocoon to keep warm.
We were on the road by 8:20 in hopes of reaching the Poas Volcano as early as possible to avoid the usual afternoon clouds that roll in. We had heard that a section of the main highway was closed due to a landslide, so we needed to leave more time. It is hard to accurately describe the terrain and roads here in Costa Rica. The roads just charge up the hills and mountains - steep and windy beyond belief - with one lane in each direction and no shoulders and in most cases (except for in or near the city) no dividing lines.
With the road closed before we reached Cartago, outside of San Jose, we were detoured onto another road that wound its way through small towns and coffee farms on steep slopes to the south of San Jose. Trucks, cars and motorcycles sharing this road. It's amazing to watch and frustrating to be behind a big truck with a huge load slowly chug up the steep, steep hills spewing black smoke out the back. It's incredibly arduous and slow. The towns and area in these hills above the Central Valley are beautiful, but it was hard to take it in because I had to focus so intently on driving - hairpin curves, motorcycles passing on all sides, and cars daring to pass slow moving trucks on blind curves. Our journey yesterday was a total of maybe 100km. It took us 3 1/2 hours! Matt and I now have created a new driving measurement called the "Costa Rica mile!" It takes about 20 minutes to go 1 Costa Rica mile!
We were already tired and car sick (even though I was driving) when we descended into the ugly chaos of San Jose. Luckily we had a GPS to guide us through the maze of unmarked streets and fast, erratic traffic. We have named our GPS Lucia. We would have been lost many times without her. It is true what people say, do not drive in Costa Rica without a Lucia!
It's like San Jose is a different country. Outside of the city, there are "no throwing trash" signs everywhere and there is pride in having a clean town; there are beautiful gardens and plantings; there are open-air sodas and birds. San Jose is giant garbage dump. Every house and business is behind a tall, locked fence often with barbed wire at the top. Everyone we met who used to live in San Jose or still did and was working elsewhere had nothing but negative things to say about it or said how relieved they were to be away. There is little of the Pura Vida Costa Rica here. I know cities all over the world are like this. I guess I find it extra curious here in Costa Rica given the government's push towards "green" and "environment" and ecotourism, and investment in improving the quality of life of Costa Ricans in the process. Very little, if any, of that seems to have been introduced in San Jose. Why?
Despite the arduous drive, this day seems to have been blessed for us. We pushed through the chaos and came out into the hills on the north side of San Jose heading up to the Poas Volcano National Park on a very, very clear day. We would see the volcano! The farm land as you go up is breathtaking - open and wide. Cow farms and somewhat surprising, acres and acres of strawberry farms. There were roadside stands everywhere selling big, juicy berries. We promised Lucas we would stop on the way back down to munch on some.
The volcano was awesome. A crater about 2/3 of a mile across with a milky, blue lake in it. Steam and gases rise from the lake and mix with clouds coming from the east so at times the crater goes in and out of view. There is a rocky, barren swath of land to the SW where the lava has run in the past and mixed with the acid rain that forms over the volcano nothing can grow there.
We stayed until the park closed at 3:00pm. Hungry we went in search of a soda (cafe) in a Tico town for our last bit of local Costa Rica before we leave. I wanted patacones (crushed fried plantain cakes), Matt wanted a good cup of coffee and Lucas a special drink. We randomly picked Cafe Caribe in a small town coming down from the volcano. We picked THE right spot. There seems to be no end to the whipped cream -topped yummy drinks in this country. Lucas and Matt were in heaven.
And, we had the best patacones we have had yet with frijoles, guacamole, pico de gallo and carne. I savored every bite. When we had gobbled everything up we started scheming about how we could get back to Cafe Caribe after we return from Panama for one last night here before flying home. It was so good!
Our day ended with an upgrade to a beautiful "villa" here at the hotel. Nati, a woman who works at the hotel, has a thing for Lucas and remembered us from 5 weeks ago when we stayed here our very first night in Costa Rica. She surprised us with this beautiful room with a great view over the valley below and 2 very comfortable beds. We all snuggled up last night very tired and happy and feeling blessed for such an incredible day - hard and beautiful and long and exciting and delicious and tiring and fun. It was a great way to end our time here in Costa Rica - a little of so much that Costa Rica is and has to offer. We are going to miss it here.
Next stop...Panama. (I am secretly hoping that there will patacones there, too!)
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