During 36 hours in Grecia
By Laura Bijnsdorp
During my two weeks of travelling, a few other backpackers had suggested that once I am close to San José again, I should check out volcano Poas, a dormant volcano with a gorgeous blue lake.
I didn't want to stay in the big city, so I chose to stay in Grecia, a small town about an hour away from San José. After a bus, taxi, another bus (which was full of chickens) and a short walk there I was! The hostel, seemingly the only one in the charming town, didn’t look like much on the outside, but was great on the inside. It had a large kitchen and living room, garden with lots of comfortable couches, airy bedrooms and three very friendly housecats.
Marcus, the receptionist, was very helpful. Knowing I had little time, I asked him about tours to Poas. I also had heard about an impressive waterfall in the area called Catarata del Toro, which most of the tours didn’t offer. For a very fair price Marcus offered to take me around the next day to both locations.
That night I cooked, sipped on a glass of wine, and had an unexpected intense Spanish lesson when a few of Marcus’s friends came over to play music on the hostel patio. One of those friends was a friendly Venezuelan named Eduardo, who would be joining us on the tour the next morning.
It was a long scenic drive to Poás Volcano National Park; light-green rolling valleys set in between dark-forested mountains. Once we got closer to the national park, the air got a lot colder and I had to put on a sweater. I guess this cold weather, made for the perfect temperature for strawberries! All along the road fresh ‘volcano strawberry’s’ were being sold. Yum! I made sure to buy a few along our way.
Marcus dropped Eduardo and me off at the entrance to Poás Volcano National Park. I should’ve worn long pants! I did not know Costa Rica could be this cold, and it did not help that it was misty and rainy. Determined to see the volcano crater and blue lake, however, we quickly paid and started walking along the trails. The crater itself is approximately 1,050 feet deep and nearly one mile across, making it the largest active volcano in the world. The trails and trees that lead through cloud forest were stunted and twisted, giving it a slightly dark fairy-tale atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the rain did not stop, and the mist did not subside, so by the time we got up to the viewing platform to see the volcano crater and lake, all I could see was a white wall! We hiked back to the gift shop to get the feeling back in our toes and have some hot chocolate. I attempted the walk again, but alas I would just have to imagine the sulfuric, bubbling, green rain-fed lake at the bottom, surrounded by smoke and steam.
But the rest of the day was going to be full of successes! Our next stop was Catarata Del Toro, but first Maruc made a sudden stop on the road just before a bridge. I had been cleaning my GoPro-lens, so had not seen that there was a huge waterfall right next to us. Surprised and of course delighted I got out of the car to take a closer look. Marcus led us to a path to get us behind the cascading buckets of water. It felt unbelievable to so easily be standing just a few inches away from such a powerful force. Just that moment already made the trip (and inability to see volcano Poas in its full glory) worth it!
An hour later, we arrived at the restaurant and office of the trails leading to Catarata Del Toro. Like many waterfalls in Costa Rica, the Del Toro waterfall is on private property. This concept still seemed strange to me, as I thought such important natural sites should be freely accessible, if not to tourists at least to locals.
That the waterfall was located on private property (with a pricey entrance fee) did, however, mean that trails were nicely indicated and maintained. Eduardo and Marcus had seen the waterfall before, so they both stayed at the restaurant, so I started walking by myself through the forest right in front of the restaurant. The managers of the property had planted a lot of flowers along the restaurant, trails and gardens, which meant a lot of hummingbirds.
Of the 338 known species of Hummingbirds worldwide, there are around 50 in Costa Rica. They zipped past my head so quickly, I was almost afraid to keep on walking, expecting a collision. The flowers disappeared and the jungle around me became a bit denser. Two right turns later I stood at the foot of a long row of steep stairs heading down the edge of the old volcano crater. Every step I took, which turned out to be over 300, I thought: “This is going to be harder going back up!”
It wasn’t long before I could see the magnificent Del Toro Waterfall, which it is said to be the highest waterfall in the county at 90 meters high. Getting closer I could feel the spray of the cascading water in my face. Surrounding the waterfall were the steep walls of the old crater, which were covered in bright green moss and ferns. It felt really special to have such an awe-inspiring place to myself. I took my time taking in all the surroundings, exploring all the nooks, and enjoying my solitude.
The walk back up the hundreds of stairs was as I thought, very sweaty. I caught my breath slowly walking back and again admiring all the flowers and birds around me. Hummingbirds definitely aren’t easy to capture on a camera.
By the time I got back to Marcus and Eduardo, I was starving, as were they. Marcus drove us to a nearby village, where the houses and surroundings seemed so pretty and peaceful; I debated on moving there! We sat at a small restaurant that doubled as a supermarket and each ordered a casado.
Casado, or Comida Tipica, is the most common dish in Costa Rica. It consists of beans, rice with finely diced red bell peppers and onions, fried plantains, a cabbage salad with tomato and carrot, and a choice of meat: chicken, fish, pork, or steak with grilled onions. The meat that comes with a casado is grilled or sautéed, but never fried. Sometimes the casado includes French fries or extra vegetables such as avocados.
I had found casados in every restaurant so far on my trip, and they had always been delicious. After such a long day, this specific casado with fish, tasted like a winner.
The drive home was short and I was full, sleepy and satisfied. It had been only a short stay in Grecia, but I felt like I had made the most of my hours there.
Follow Laura’s travels on Instagram: laura.sxm
