CHAPTER XXI 



GUANACASTE SANTA CRUZ 



At 7.30 on the morning of January 18 Professor Tristan 

 and I left Liberia on horseback and as we were riding out 

 of the town we were joined unexpectedly by Seiior Chamorro, 

 who was likewise going to Filadelfia; the members of the 

 Commission had preceded us. Our route was the same as 

 that by which we had come to Liberia. Before nine o'clock 

 we entered the llanos and by nine-thirty were fairly on the 

 Llano Grande. The altitude was about 275 feet. As we 

 left it we stopped to look back at the Volcanoes Orosi and 

 Rincon de la Vieja, cloud-capped as usual. Dr. Sapper 

 ascended Orosi in clouds (February i, 1899), waited half 

 an hour on the summit to get a view and adds, "I purposed 

 in the future to leave the volcanoes of the province of Guana- 

 caste in peace as long as they were almost always covered 

 with cloud-caps just as they were then." 



Shortly beyond the Llano Grande the road descended by 

 the three zigzags previously mentioned to 125 feet and from 

 here to the crossing of the Rio Tempisque the aneroid reg- 

 istered a further descent of fifty feet. Our party, consisting 

 of three only, was able to cross the river, all at once, in the 

 same way as on our outward journey. Two hours more, 

 or almost six hours from Liberia, brought us to Filadelfia. 

 The journey was a tiresome one since much of the road was 

 unshaded, and carrying an open umbrella was not very 

 satisfactory on account of the frequent uncertain gusts of 

 wind. The gorgeous red, blue and yellow macaws or "la- 

 pas," the green parrots — "loros," and green parrakeets 



