Typical ox-cart. — Costa Rica. 
where invalids regain dost health, so pure and bracing is the 
mountain air at this altitude. 
For away below, the lights of Cartago, San Jose and 
other towns and villages twinkle like miniature fairylands. 
Near the Sanatorium horses await the party and as 
the first streak of dawn begin to illuminate ithe mountain 
peaks to the south the hard climb to the crater begins.* 
Zig-zagging first one way and then the other but ever 
ascending on the surefooted horses, progress is steady and 
sure. Now and again as some vantage point is attained 
one instinctively pauses for a few moments to glance back 
and drink in the lovely view as the flaming sun bathes the 
distant mountain peaks and ridges in a sea of different colors 
while, lower down, a sea of snow-white clouds fills the valleys. 
Up arid up, ever climbing passing stunted trees which 
tell mutely the story of their eternal fight with the cold 
winds at this high altitude, until at last, after two and a half 
hours of continuous riding, the longed for summit is attained, 
1 1,322 feet above sea level. As the final ridge is crossed 
clouds of steam and smoke are seen rising from the still in¬ 
visible crater, to reach which one has to proceed on foot for 
a few hundred yards across a wind-swept, area from which 
every trace of vegetation has long since succumbed to the blast 
of acrid fumes from the volcano. 
And then, at last, the edge of the crater itself is reach¬ 
ed and one gazes over with a feeling of looking at the 
entrance of Hades itself. In the middle of the barren, ash- 
* A concrete road is in coucse of construction which, when complet¬ 
ed, will permit one to reach within a short distance of the crater by 
automobile, thus eliminating the present arduous horseback ride. 
Party of visitors at the crater of the Turrialba Volcano 
covered hollow yawns a vast, bottomless chasm from which 
rise clouds of steam, smoke and ashes. A sulphurous odor 
fills the air. All man-made things seem like toys when 
compared with this great forge of Nature which has been 
fuming and’ spewing its wrath skywards for untold centuries. 
It is the experience of a lifetime to stand alongside this safety- 
valve of the hiddan furnaces beneath the earth's surface and one 
leaves with a better understanding of the workings of mighty 
Nature. 
But the thrill of viewing the crater must not be allowed 
to detract one's attention from the other scenic delights at 
hand. To the east can be seen, 35 miles away, the waters of 
the Atlantic; to the west, 60 miles distant, the fringe of the 
Pacific. Not even Balboa, the discoverer of the Pacific, had 
the thrill of seeing two oceans at the same time. That is 
something reserved for the tourist in Costa Rica. 
If the day be particularly clear yet another big sheet of 
water may be discerned; the Lake of Nicaragua away to 
the north. 
Before commencing . the descent, breakfast is partaken, 
and then the return journey is started, each person leaving 
with a feeling of intense satisfaction at having conquered the 
mighty Irazu and gazed into its fiery mouth. 
On the way down the mountain side, the early morning 
clouds having by now lifted somewhat, the rider is able to 
enjoy to the full a beautiful vista of the wide Guarco valley. 
The return to San Jose in the waiting automobile is 
made in ample time for lunch. 
Cost of entire trip, including automobile, horses and 
guide, works out at about $ 3.50 per person for a minimum 
party of four. Slightly more for a smaller party. Food taken 
on the trip is of course extra. 
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