Left on account of the sharp climb of the last few hundred 
yards to the crater proper, is 'usually reached just as dawn 
is breaking. 
Then comes a few minutes easy climbing on foot and 
as the first full rays of the morning sun bathe the peak in 
their golden light the crater is revealed to astonished eyes. 
The crater is the world’s largest, without exception. It 
is over a mile in diameter and its vertical walls drop many 
hundreds of feet before they terminate in the seething, boil- 
ing, lake of sulphurous mu<d with makes Poas not so much 
a volcano as a gigantic geyser. 
Words alone cannot describe this marvel of nature. It 
has to be seen, not only to be appreciated but to be believed . 
It is unique. The spectator is overwhelmed with awe as he 
contemplates this great wound in Mother Earth. 
One cannot appreciate the vastness of Poas crater even 
when standing on its very brink. How easy, one imagines, 
it would be to throw a stone into the middle of the boiling 
cauldron which lies below! But how impossible to acomplish. 
The stone flies through the air and lands, not in the lake, 
but a quarter of a mile this side of it. And to the vastness 
of the impressive scene must be added the intense silence which 
pervades the atmosphere, making the visitor feel that somehow 
he has been priviliged to see a phase of the earth's existence 
long before man came. 
There is no beauty about Poas crater. It is ugly from 
the artist s viewpoint but it is impressive and awe-inspiring 
beyond words. But there is a worthy compensation for the 
crater's ugliness. One walks half a mile further and arrives 
at the site of another and older crater which, at some time 
, Boruca ,, Indians with boat-load of Bananas in the Rio Grande de 
Terraba. Pacific Division of the United Fruit Company. 
Wharf at Puntarenas 
or other in the dim and distant past, must have breathed 
forth steam and smoke but which Nature, in a fit of generosity, 
has since converted into one of her fairest jewels, for here we 
have a crystal clear crater-lake surrounlcfed by the rich verdure of 
a tropical forest. It is a perfect jewel in a perfect setting. 
By now the sun is high and the return has to be made. 
Breakfast is taken, the descent is made, lunch is taken at San 
Pedro, and then San Jose is reached sometime during the af¬ 
ternoon. The trip to Poas, including automobile, horses and 
guide, costs about $ 4 ;per person for a minimum party of 
four. Meals extra. 
, • < i i • . - ' - - * 
Turrialba Volcano 
This is another of Costa Rica's spectacular volcanoes, 
rather farther afield from San Jose than Poas or Irazu but a 
highly interesting trip for anyone who does not mind a few 
hours on horseback. The cost of the round trip, including 
automobile from San Jose, horses, guide and a night's lodging 
in a comfortable farm house, works out at about $ 4 per head 
for a party of four or five. 
Puntarenas 
The chief port of the Pacific coast and the favorite sum¬ 
mer resort for ithe people of San Joise. Vastly different from 
Puerto Limon on the Atlantic side, Puntarenas has a definite 
local atmosphere. 
It is connected with San Jose by a modern electrified 
railroad and the smooth-running trains will take you down 
the mountains, whose scenery is not a whit less magnificent 
and impressive than that on the Atlantic railroad, in ap¬ 
proximately four hours. 
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