Up to volcano country.....

A slightly overdue account of our visit to the volcanic centres of Rincon de la Vieja and Miravalles - before heading on to our present stop on the Pacific coast..... First we headed down to the Pacific coast from San Jose along a modern freeway, winding down from 1,000 m to sealevel, the temperature rising along the way to a toasting but dry 34 degrees on the coast. Then north along the fabled Pan-American Highway, Ruta 1, which turned out to be about the same standard as the country road between Heggedal and Røyken, but clogged with heavy trucks, some of which couldn't manage the gentle hills at more than 20 km per hour and impossible to overtake...... But signs along the way that CR is doing what the president told Ros - that they're trying to improve the infrastructure, with long stretches where there is work in progress on a 4-lane highway.... Into Liberia, the northwesternmost major town before the border with Nicaragua and also the capital of Guanacaste province, where we had yet another major conflict with "Mrs GPS", she/it trying to send us on dirt roads around the centre, us wanting to see it!

Finally on the dirt road out of town and up into the hills, 23 km and 600 m up to Rinconcito Lodge on the edge of Rincon de la Vieja National Park, first through open chaparral-like rolling hills, the smooth dirt road cut into blinding white ignimbrites (deposits from super-heated "nuee ardentes" or burning ash flows), with local indigenous art carved into and painted on the cutting walls.... All the time the 2,000 m high volcanoes towering before and above us, their tops covered by clouds in an otherwise brilliant blue sky. Then up into another, darker ash flow as the vegetation thickened into a dry tropical forest, iguanas baking on the road ahead, monkeys playing in the trees.

On to Rinconcito Lodge, set on an open wooded hillside, cabins surrounded by bougainvilla, hibiscus, palms, luxuriant tropical bushes, but with an open eatery serving solid good Costa Rican food. Sat on our cabin's veranda, relaxing after the 200 km drive (not more!), watching sundown over the hills and planning the next volcanic visits, marvelling over Costa Rica's many local microenvironments and climates, the next more beautiful than the last....