Poas Volcano and Sarchi

September 14: Poas Volcano

On Saturday, my friends and I went to Poas Volcano. This is currently the most active volcano in Costa Rica. It is 2700 meters tall and has erupted 40 times since 1828. The most recent eruptions were in 2017, after which the park was closed for over a year. Now many of the parks trails are closed and visitors are only allowed at the crater viewpoint for 20 minutes; that is with a hard hat, of course.

The four of us started our day at 7:00 am. We had to buy tickets in advance and it is recommended to go as early as possible since clouds start to come in around noon. So officially, our time to be at the crater was 9:20 am. After we took an uber for 1.5 hours, through some very windy roads in a really cramped car, we got to the park entrance. Right away I noticed the elevation change and it was slightly harder to breathe. After a short wait in the lodge and a brief safety lecture, we walked to the crater viewpoint. They had warned us that the 20 minutes started as soon as the first person in the group got there, and if the warning sensors reached dangerous levels, we would have to leave.

The crater itself was really cool. After some mandatory photos, I really got time to study the geological and ecological elements surrounding the crater. The first thing I saw, and the most obvious, was the steam rising from the crater. It was blowing away from us, but every so often I could smell the sulfur from the cloud. When the wind shifted just right, we could see inside the crater at the greenish yellow lake in the center. Surrounding this lake looked like lava mud. The eruptions had exposed many other geological features of the mountain and I could clearly see the different rock layers and rock formations of the volcano. I also noticed that there was not a lot of vegetation nor wildlife near the crater (birds or insects, which otherwise seemed to be everywhere).

So far, this volcano was the coolest place I had seen. However, our day didn't end after our 20 minutes were up. The surrounding area is known for their agriculture. This is because the volcanic ash from the mountain creates rich soil, which is perfect for strawberries. Because of the park closure for over a year, the locals really struggled financially; many of their businesses dependent on tourism. So we also wanted to visit to support the local community. Mostly because of these volcanic strawberries, my friends and I decided to visit the closest town on the mountain. After attempting to call a taxi or an uber for half an hour, we decided to walk. This was honestly a walk against the rain as the dark clouds started to roll in. Despite this walk being much longer and more dangerous than we were promised by the park ranger (4 miles!), we had a really fun time bonding. After an hour and half, we ended up stopping at the very first restaurant, strawberry stand, tourist shop that we found. Here, we all bought lots of strawberries and jam (I got mango-pinapple). Afterwards, we managed to get an uber and head home.

I absolutely loved this trip and would recommend it for everyone. That is if it isn't erupting.

My friends and I at the crater

September 17: Sarchi- Ox Cart Capitol of the World

After class on Tuesday, my friend and I decided to go to the nearby town of Sarchi. Sarchi is known as the ox-cart capitol of the world. Here in Sarchi, artisans have been constructing and painting beautiful Ox carts. Historically, these Ox carts were used to transport wood, coffee, and other agricultural products across Costa Rica. Now, they use them to celebrate the culture and have a big Ox cart festival through the different towns. San Ramon had their Ox cart festival just a couple weeks before.

We decided to go because we had a really great time at the festival and we both fell in love with the style of art they use to decorate the carts. So, we took an uber to the first factory and decided to explore. At the first factory we went to, we got to explore the workshops where they do the woodworking for the carts. Someone showed us the process, even how they used to get the energy to run the machines. At this factory was also giant souviner shop with local and handmade products.

After the first factory, we walked around the town for a little bit. This place is famous for having the world's largest Ox cart and we really wanted to find it. We didn't have to look too far, since it was in a park across the street from the church, which is always in the center of town. At first we couldn't get in to take a picture since it was behind a gate, but the gardener left the gate unlocked and I slipped in for some pictures. It was also here at the park that we ran into an expat couple who decided to help us take some photos.

Since we saw the giant Ox cart, we were ready to find some more factories. We walked around to a few other, each one really cool and beautiful. One of the ones we went to had a giant Ox cart wheel in the front and a butterfly garden in the back. Since it was raining, we couldn't see the butterflies, but at this factory, we ran into the expat couple again.

Each town in Costa Rica has its own, custom designed sign with the city's name. I really wanted to find the one for Sarchi so we walked a little ways outside of town to one last factory. The sign was behind this factory, which was my favorite one of the day. Here you could see the artists hand painting all of the souvenirs and wooden pieces sold in their gift shop. It was really interesting to see the artisans work and how careful they are with their work. Also at this factory, we ran into the expat couple again and they told us they were raising a vanilla farm and cultivating orchids bees.

Overall, I had a really great time in Sarchi and I am definitely coming back here to buy my souviners.