Good evening and you better be sitting comfortably this is going to be the "mother of all blogs"......again I am having trouble trying to put the pictures in order but will do my best to let you know the story behind each of them.
Today I had booked a tour the cost was 28000 colonies by now you should know that is about 56 dollars, I knew I was taking a risk not knowing what to expect but this is the same company that I am travelling with on Sunday and from their e mails to me I had a good feeling.
I had to be at the same hotel as last week for pick up, this time at 7.45am. Right on time a small bus came to pick me up and took me to another hotel in San Jose where we picked up 5 other people and away we went.
We arrived at the Poas Volcano about one hour later and the elevation is about 9000 feet and as usual we drove through some wonderful countryside and all the vegetation was coffee plants. It was raining quite hard and as we arrived at the entrance to the volcano the rain stopped but the clouds were low.
It was about half a mile walk to the view point for the volcano crater and when we got there you could hear the water gushing and smell the sulphur but the whole crater was covered in clouds. Even so the view of the rocks and vastness of the whole area humbled me and this felt like a sacred place.
There was another walk that was offered to the lake this was about a mile away and I was the only one of the group who decided to go. The walk was up hill and with the elevation and it was a tough one but with my 30 year old body and stamina, nothing for me!!! OK quit laughing!!!!
When I got to the view point this also was covered in cloud. I don't know if I have the articulation to describe this scene. It was mid morning not a person in site and there I was watching this large patch of cloud hovering and as I watched the clouds just miraculously lifted ever so slowly revealing this incredibly beautiful and marvellous lake, please check out the photos by double clicking they are awesome!!!!!! This was another one of these moments that I have been blessed with many times now, it was a sight to remember.
I then started the hike back down to the viewing point for the volcano again and of course you have guessed it the crater was covered still in clouds. Again I was the only person there so I decided just to sit and watch, listen, smell and marvel. Of course you know what is coming.............the clouds started to lift on the right hand side of the crater and I was able for a few fleeting seconds get a glimpse of the water and take some shots, again incredible and so lucky.
It didn't take long for the clouds to come back and block the view then the bus load of loud tourists came and the moment was gone but it will remain for ever on my blog and in my memory.
This volcano was very different from the one I saw on Sunday, both were very beautiful in their own way and I would have a hard time to pick a favourite, I immensely enjoyed them both.
When I got back to the bus I had a surprise in store for me, the other 5 people had paid to go to the La Paz Waterfalls( which is where I am going to on my own tomorrow) I had booked for a tour of a small rural town famous for it's handicrafts. So there was a small van and driver there for me and the rest of the party drove away. So it was Denis and me, I had my own personal tour guide and what a tour it was. First stop was lunch, included in the cost of the tour, I had some kind of potato dish and a strawberry drink that was lovely. Denis spoke great English and he said he had a free afternoon and he would give me a treat.
The first town we came to was called Grecia. This town is famous for it's Cathedral de la Mercedes, it is the red church on the photo, also the inside shot is of this church. The church is built from metal plates imported from Belgium in the late 1890"s, it was truly a magnificent piece of architecture.
We then went to a little town called Sarchi, this small town is famous for the ox carts that are hand made here. In the centre of town is the other church which is due for a paint job next month and also next to the church is the world's largest ox cart.
Denis said to me I am going to show you something that you will not believe and he proceeded to the back streets of this town and we came across the small shop where the large ox cart was made. This place was out of this world. It was like going back in time, the son's of the original owner are the only two craftsman and they make all the crafts by hand, even the mill and inner workings are powered by the water wheel. The skill and class of these finished projects were quite exceptional, then Dennis said wait see some more, we then went around the back of the building and there were these 2 guys sitting on stools hand painting the wheels. Double click this photo and see the incredible details. Amazing in this modern age of machinery and technology that these beautiful crafted items are done by hand, this was the high light of the tour for me. Denis then brought me back to drop off point at 5pm. So I had 9 hours of immense pleasure and great memories but that is not all!!!!!!!

When I got back I checked my e mail and there was an e mail from a friend in Nanaimo, Wendy just told me how much she enjoyed`reading my blog ( you get a free life time subscription) and she and Dave were in Costa Rica last year and they remembered going to this small town where they saw where the ox carts were made by hand.....The place I had left maybe one hour before!!!!!!!!!!!! What a small world. I know this was long but wanted for you to share the feelings and gifts I received today.
Tomorrow is my last full day and I have planned a public bus journey to the waterfalls this I think will be a big challenge but I am game for it.....take care