Every morning I pass Volcan Turrialba as I go down my street. It was billowing a lot today so I decided to take a picture. This is shot about 200 yards from my house.

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Last week Heidy and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and try finding La Paz waterfall gardens near Volcan Poas. About year ago an earthquake struck and the road had been closed down for months. We heard that it recently opened and decided to jump on the scooter and go. The day was beautiful and after months of rain. My scooter had no problem going up the country roads and climbing the mountain until… We reached the part of the road that had been closed after the earthquake. While the road has been reopened we found ourselves driving further into the clouds and deeper into a mud pit. After about two kilometers driving in out of the mud we found our selves in a particularly ugly section with no view of paved roads ahead. We decided to turn back.

After coming down to the next town we asked about another route. We were given directions for a short cut that would put us on another road up the mountain. This road took us through beautiful vistas of coffee farms and cloud draped mountains. And, of course, terrible roads. We were going either straight up or straight down and bouncing along the whole way over potholes and poorly patched pavement. The view was of jarring beauty while the ride was just jarring.

After about four hours of driving and about 45 miles passed we reached our destination. Once there we decided that we were rather late and could not quite justify the steep entrance fee for such a short stay. So, we found another place nearby without an entrance fee and went to have lunch. After passing sometime in the park we turned around and headed home, this time that was a little more direct, only an hour and half.

The United States qualifies for the world cup while Costa Rica manages to keep itself alive.

Yesterday was a day of World Cup qualifying matches. Some of the most closely fought spots are in the CONCACAF. Yesterday the United States managed a win against Honduras giving them a guaranteed spot in the 2010 World Cup. Meanwhile, Costa Rica was up againist Trinidad and Tobago on a rain soaked pitch in San José. The Ticos were in a must win situation and did it in a 4-0 fashion. This moves them into third place; a spot that will guarantee them tickets to South Africa if they can manage to stay there. If Honduras losses to El Salvador next Wednesday (unlikely) then it does not matter what the Ticos do. However, to guarantee a spot regardless of Honduras’ performance the Costa Ricans have to beat the United States next Wednesday.

Needless to say my loyalties are a little divided. On the one hand, the United States has already qualified so it does not matter what they do and I should root for the home team hear in Ticolandia. At the same time, Costa Rica really embarrassed the United States earlier in the tournament and if they win again no one will let me forget. Decisions, decisions….

Pastureland outside of Boruca.

This past weekend I went to visit Boruca. I spent most of my time hiking through the mountains and farmland outside of town. I had done this a little bit before but I had never gone as far as I did on this past visit. Despite being the rainy season, I had mostly clear weather and found beautiful vistas to gaze out on the rolling mountains and distant rivers. I also went to the farm of my girlfriend’s family where we had a picnic in the ranchito built near the mountain top.

Students march with flags in the 15 de setiembre celebración of Costa Rican Independence.

The 15th of September is the Costa Rican Day of Independence. While a national holiday, schools are never closed. In fact, Independence Day is one of the most important days in the school year in Costa Rica. Parades are organized all over the country and students of all ages march in bands, perform plays, and carry hand made lanterns the night before. In short, the celebration of patriotism rests on the shoulders of the countries children who are always the main event in towns across the nation.