Touring, Coasting

David, former colleague and adventurous tico, has put together a new bike company geared--ha, geared--toward bikers and those interested in off-the-beaten-path tours. We got just that, starting with a (car) ride up to the entrance of the Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú. From the entrance we climbed the final 2km, receiving undeserved ogles from the various other folks who walked around atop the volcano. Let me tell you, it was deserved enough, for my legs were already screaming after that first mile and a half. 

Despite the gorgeous views on the way up, we were taken over by cloud cover for nearly the entire time at the top. Mark watched in wonder as David and I shivered through our bones (and I with my coat!). The sun finally broke while we were at the crater, enough time for us to snap a shot of the bright green lagoon and be on our way.  

The remaining 50km was a gorgeous 7500ft vertical bomb down the volcano and around some of the most beautiful countryside that I've seen here in my eighteen months. I was lucky enough to grab the uncharged batteries for my camera, but that's probably for the best as I and my raincoat were often hitting terminal velocity as we swung around the curves of Cartago. We took our time absorbing the patchwork greens and browns, avoiding local traffic (cows) and making necessary pit stops (picking guava). The tour ended with a local lunch in Orosi, a quaint town nestled in a valley near Cartago. Chicken in red sauce with beans, salad, and some tamarind juice. We briefly checked out the oldest active church in country--resisting seismic activity since 1743--and then headed to a nearby coffee finca to check out the process. Harvest is in December, but as we toured the property one lonely fellow was manually loading some premature berries into a small machine to separate the fruit and the beans. After a gorgeous sunset we were on our way, contentedly exhausted.

Mark did manage to snap quite a few shots, which I'll put up on Flickr as they arrive. For now, I'll leave you with a short video David put together of the tour.