Sunday, January 15, 2012

Buenas noches! Today was laid back and full of fun visits. The itinerary
included a visit to Poas Volcano, lunch, and shopping at an artisan market in San Jose. What started off as a warm sunny morning sadly turned into a cold rainy day as we approached the peak of the volcano. Although we did not get the clear view from the top that we were hoping for, we still learned some fun facts along the way! On the ride to the volcano the roads were surrounded by plantations including coffee (great from the rich soil from the nearby volcanic action), strawberries, and exotic flowers grown for the Netherlands. Originally, the volcano was named Puas for a tribe who used to own the land, until being renamed Poas: Spanish for torn. In order to get to the volcano we drove between two "mountain buildings." The tectonic fill of the volcano is the biggest in Costa Rica and has caused many earthquakes in the past. This particular volcano is unique in the fact that it behaves like an underwater volcano and erupts liquids that cause acid rain to burn its surroundings. For this reason, Poas was originally thought to be the largest geyser in the world. During the pre-Columbian times the indigenous used to sacrifice virgins to calm the fury of the volcano, once considered to be a god. After spending about an hour at Poas, 2,700 meters at its peak, we went for a traditional Costa Rican lunch at a nearby restaurant called Freddo Fresas. Our meal consisted of meat, rice, beans, salad, vegetables, and fried plantains. The food was delicious and came with strawberry daiquiris for the table (virgin of course)! As the weather cleared up, we took off our raincoats and ponchos to head out for some shopping. The artisan market offered a variety of souvenirs from t-shirts to traditional woven bowls. Some of the boys were especially excited when they discovered an entire shop full of one of a kind colorful Costa Rican t's. "Pura Vida bro!" As we left the market we were star struck by a performance from an American skate boarder-Ryan Sheckler. What a special way to end the day! We are excited to head back towards the volcano again tomorrow to visit Doka Coffee Estate and enjoy our last day of the trip!


Sarah Sallee and Jessica Sklar 2014

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