A soda is a traditional “Mom and Pop” Costa Rican restaurant where the food is cheap and delicious. Soon after I arrived to the city in mid-February, I was on one of my explorative jaunts which always, never rarely, find me lost. But, lost is good for me. It’s how I find the unique things cities have to offer. Soda Rivera is so off-the-beaten path, that it doesn’t have a website or any mentions I could find on the internet, so I can’t even give you the address.
I wasn’t necessarily looking for a place to eat yet. Wasn’t actually hungry. What drew me to the place was this image of this man painting. The street art documenter in me was intrigued. I was just going to get a couple of shots and move on.I must’ve stood out like a sore thumb, because this man, I think the manager, came out to greet me and usher me inside. Look at his sweet smile. I couldn’t tell him no. He sat me down and then said some things to his staff, who then came over to help me and take my order. Some Ticos (Costa Ricans) enjoying their lunches. My first Chicken Casado in Costa Rica! And I was not disappointed. The plate was HUGE and it cost about $3.50 (usd) = 2100-2300 colones, if I remember correctly. A casado (Spanish, “married man”) is a Costa Rican meal using rice, black beans, plantains, salad, a tortilla, and an optional entrée that may include chicken, beef, pork, fish and so on. The term may have originated when restaurant customers asked to be treated as casados, since married men ate such meals at home. Another theory is that the rice and beans and/or the grouping of dishes are married, since they are always together. (wiki)Close-up because…damn! Salad, Red beans, Plantains, chicken, rice, diced potatoes, onions…what a happy marriage!It was amazing to eat in a full-on Tico establishment, with no other foreigners around. My seat was the open one you see across the counter between the man in the baseball cap and the (only other) woman. I happened upon it again a couple of weeks later, but I still don’t know where it is. But, you can see the sign has been finished. Fresh melon juice included with your meal. Ticos tend to drink juices with their meals, rather than water. I like to see big jugs of picante sauce. More sauces.
I highly recommend this place if you can find it. It’s total pura vida.
My own mind is my own church. ~ Thomas Paine“A sense of humor is essentially a sense of perspective. It is an understanding that comes from a true sense of proportion. Humor is not a matter of laughing at things, but of understanding them. At its highest it is a part of understanding life. It is an ability to see ourselves as we are, and to smile at the comic figure that the biggest of us cuts in strutting across life’s stage.” ― Nivard KinsellaHall of JusticeIn hotels we are invisible to our neighbors. “Monsanto Kills.” ~ The worst company on Earth.
On a skate ramp.
The lives that lurk within…
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter–tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther….” – F. Scott FitzgeraldJungle in the city. Was lost, then I was found.
They say it’s hit or miss when you take the trip to see the main crater of the Irazú Volcano ~ some days it’s clear, and other days, it isn’t. Sad to say that on the day I went, it was invisible to the human eye. Nothing but clouds as far as my eye could see. The cool thing is that it is the tallest volcano in Costa Rica standing at 11,260 feet (3,432 meters,) so it was a good feeling no matter what to ‘have my head in the clouds.’
Regardless of my experience, I am going to provide you with up-to-date travel and cost information for a day trip from San Jose to the volcano. I’ll also post photos I took to give you a good laugh, and also, at the bottom, I’ll show you a pic borrowed from wikipedia that shows you what you should see, and what you want to see, when you plan this trip.
Public Transportation:Daily from San Jose and Cartago. Catch the bus across Avenida 2 from the National Theater (Teatro Nacional) at 8:00am (only ONE departure per day!) or at 8:30am at the Tierra Blanca stop in Cartago. Bus leaves the volcano at 12:30pm. About $5 pp round trip (2,515 colones is what I paid for a one-way from SJ) + $15 park admission. I paid that in colones (about 9,125).
For perspective, between the sign and the front bus door, you can faintly see the National Theater. Also, on the actual sign, you can see in faded red lettering: “Volcan Irazu.” This bus departs one time daily from San Jose at 8am.
The bus ride made the whole trip worth it for me as I was able to get some cool shots out of the bus window with my camera, and I was able to see more of what surrounds San Jose. The bus stops a few times on the way, the main one being in Cartago, and the stops are quite seamless and not troublesome at all. The volcano is about 53kms from San Jose, so if you travel by car, you’d probably make it in about an hour. The bus takes approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.
*Important Note! Getting on the bus to return at 12:30pm, you pay less than you do for the first ticket you buy to come to the volcano (the return ticket is about 2,000 colones, I think.) I didn’t know why, until…The bus didn’t return us to San Jose. Rather, it dropped us in Cartago and we had to walk a few blocks to a bus terminal and catch another bus that would take us on the final leg back to San Jose. This cost 625 colones (just over $1 usd).
Once you arrive at the park, the bus driver has you disembark to pay the man in the ‘tollbooth’ for your admission ticket, and then you get back on the bus, ticket in hand, and the bus takes you to your final stop. This is where the bus will remain for the duration of your time there, so, at 12:15pm, try to get back to the bus because it departs at 12:30pm sharp.
It’s a very short walk to the path that takes you to the crater. No hiking is involved on this route at all, and within 5 minutes, you are there:
Somewhere in there is a beautiful crater. Just trust me. I mean, could I have picked a worse day to try to see the crater?! Answer: No.On the way to the main crater, there is volcanic ash everywhere. Looks like an alien surface.Sorry, I’ve got nothing for you…Just F O G .It’s tough to look at this photo, realizing that this beautiful scene was covered by clouds and fog on the day I was there. If I don’t laugh, I’ll cry. This photo is from wikipedia, photog unknown.
General Information:
Public restrooms: Yes, and they are maintained quite well. Shopping: Gift shop with coffee, snacks, and every type of souvenir. ATMs: No, not that I saw. Gas stations: No (nearest is in Potrero Cerrado 20 mins from crater) Cell Phone Reception: Yes, reliable. Restaurants: No Nearest medical facilities: Hospital in Cartago (1 hour) Best Time to Visit: December through May, but can be visited all year round, *except February 25, 2019*, obviously) Wear: The change in temperature from first stepping onto the bus in San Jose to arriving at the peak, is real. Wear pants, shoes (no sandals), a hat, and a windbreaker or sweatshirt. At least have them on hand, or you’ll be tempted to waste about $60 on gear in the gift shop. (I didn’t do it, but I definitely stared longingly at a nice windbreaker with a hood.)
So, you could say my trip was a bit of a bust, BUT, as I mentioned earlier, I did get some nice shots along the way. And for that, I am eternally grateful. Have a look below:
It’s something special to feel this high above it all, in the clouds.Quaint villages mark the route from Cartago to Irazú.A ‘farm store’ in Cartago.In the clouds.Field workers.Charming Red House of Worship in Cartago.Sufficiently immersed in clouds as we ascend towards our final destination.
25feb19. Cartago & Irazú Volcano, Costa Rica.
I hope you found this post helpful and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I’ll be hanging around San Jose for a little while longer…
When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those are childish thoughts. Let God speak within you, and your thoughts will grow silent. You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. But every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all. – Herman Hesse
