Deep in Costa Rican Territory (Day 2)

March 12th - The day begins with Jason puking, due to his marathon drinking from the previous night. The dude can't even eat breakfast. At least he accompanies me to the Panaderia La Parada, where I get myself a ham, cheese and onion sandwich. What a pleasure to eat..sitting' down in the patio table at La Guacima, feeling the early morning breeze. A great start. What IS missing however, is some coffee. Dark, strong and vibrant.

We make our way up to Volcan Irazu, and I discover a radio station that becomes my beacon for all that is wonderful in the world - Salsa. 24 hours a day, Salsa and more Salsa, old, new, and in between. Awesome.

Another thing I discovered, is that EPA does not stand for "Environmental Protection Agency" in CR, it is simply a Home Depot type of store. Nice job Ving.

On our way we stopped to grab some Queso Palmito, fresh, from a little store on the road. It was so good. Salty and peels like string cheese; a good companion to beer.

As we arrived at Irazu, we decided that a jolt of java was necessary. The cafeteria in the parking lot served up a great cup of coffee. We asked and were told that the name of the coffee was "Del Valle". Awesome cup of vibrant, strong cafe. Of course, Shirley and I being the only cool people, had our cups. Irazu was impressive, with its chartreuse lagoon in the middle, ringed by sulfur. It was very windy, after all, we were over 10,000 feet above sea level. Found a couple of lava rocks, and on we headed towards Cartago.

What can we say about the Basilica de Los Angeles in Cartago; impressive, majestic. With its statue of the Archangel Michael slaying the dragon at its peak. It was a nice break from our activities; a more focused moment as we approached it and explored its inside. We read the story about the Basilica and why it was built. Saw the holy water spouting, and how the local ticos in the area flock to it, and bathed and washed their faces and hands. Some even drank from it. Faith is a powerful thing.

On our way out of the Basilica, I remembered how Shirley mentioned that her now deceased grandfather would always stop at a restaurant across the street for a cup of joe. We made our way across the street to La Perla del Sol and proceeded to enjoy some strong Costa Rican coffee and some outstanding seafood rice.

As we left Cartago we realized that there was an outstanding item on our to do list for the day; the drive on the Orosi Loop. What a gorgeous ride, across small villages, majestic views of the mountains and lakes; well worth it. We stumbled through the finish line, exhausted and overjoyed, and spent the night relaxing at La Guacima amongst friends.