This past weekend almost our entire group decided to take a short weekend trip to Turrialba, Costa Rica. It was our first weekend here and we were going to take advantage of every moment we could to explore the rest of the country. Turrialba is a small town located next to the Turrialba volcano. Saturday morning rolled around and found all of us on the bus at 6:15 am headed to San José to catch another bus to our final destination. That was th easy part. San José is large and, like every other city in CR, it lacks clear street names. So we arrive tired and all a little hungry making us all a little grumpy. We ask all the bus drivers on 13th and 6th if they go to Turrialba and they just laugh, finally after wandering around the city for awhile back and forth, calling the bus company, asking policeman for directions, we finally found someone who circled on our map where we need to go. Across town. So off we go to find this other bus stop. We have to stop at a panadería for people to grab breakfast; everyone is cranky and we all have too many opinions. We stop at McDonald's so someone can pee. It's probably 8:30 by this time so I decide that means ice cream is a great idea. It definitely was, after that I didn't care whether or not we made it. Finally get to the bus on the other 13th and 6th (who knew right?) amd get on. It's a two hour bus ride through the mountains with gorgeous scenery. But part of bei g I. This gorgeous scenery also means that we're winding and twisting our way up with exhaust coming in through the windows without air condition- nauseating to say the list. After a nap for the last hour we're there. We check into our hotel and find out right away that the valcano is closed because it's been too active lately. While looki g into other things to do, the hotel owner told us about a waterfall on this coffee plantation that was stunning and that we should take a look if we didn't mind a bus ride amd a short hike.
Now anyone that knows me! Knows that I usually like being Parton a group, but then I need my alone time or else I get pissy and fast. Saturday I'd reached my limit on group time. I'd also reached my limit on bus time. My friend Kelsie and I decided, after looking at the lovely hand drawn map conveniently hanging in the "lobby" that we'd just hike it. 6 kilometers was only like 3 miles and we are young and only slightly out of shape. It'd be great exercise.
We were right about the exercise.
We decided to be rebels and break off from the group and so we kind of just left. And after a few false starts we re finally on our way. We learned three things fairly quickly:
1.) It was probably 2 kilometers just to get out of town
2.) We were climbing to the top of a mountain- it was all uphill
3.) We were really out of shape
We had to stop halfway, drenched in sweat, huffing and puffing to buy a water. We stopped a little farther on to ,are sure we were going the right way. We stopped close to the entrance to ask so e kids for directions.
Commercial break: I don't understand the obsession some Ticans seem to have with us Gringos. We take pictures of the buildings, they take pictures of us. We went to the grocery store and somebody was taking our picture. We were walking to the bus and so done took our picture. And what gets me is they try and do it sneakily and then as soon as we wave they run off. It's simple to just ask. We'd probably say yes and pose with you, but instead you act all shady. It's very strange to me. Anyways the whole reason I brought this up was because after we asked for directions the kids came running back to ask for a picture. We of course posed with each of them in turn. Two sweaty gross gringas who'd just hiked 6 km up a mountain amd three Tican boys.
Finally we found the entrance to the entrance to the coffee plantation. Next we had to descend into the coffee fields next to a big try. CR is tropical which means there are rain forests which in turn means there are a ton of big trees. So this became our next challenge ge (thank goodness the path had leveled out). After a few false starts (and some terror at some plantation farmer coming out with a shotgu ) we finally found the right path.
We came upon this tiny waterfalls on our right and laughed that we had just trecked a solid 4.5 miles into the middle if nowhere for that. We had time to kill though and it still semmed a little loud to just be that little thing so we kept walking. Amd then out of nowhere, bam. There it was. It was hard to believe we'd almost turned around when we were so close amd after all that work. We tried to get closer without falling in the river but it just wasn't going to happen so in we went.
We took some pictures amd explored a little bit then decided to head back. We headed farther up the mountain and found this big La Ceiba tree amd then finally the bus stop. I've never been so happy to sit down.
All in all I thi k the hike made the waterfall that much more rewarding. It still would have been an a,axing experience if we had take. The bus, but that lacks the challenge of doing it on our own; the loss of interacting with locals and joking and sweating and really having to work for what we wanted. The waterfall was gorgeous, but I think the hike may have been the more rewarding piece.
6 miles up a mountain isn't too shabby for two girls wandering with a picture of a hand drawn map in a foreign country with a different language.
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