Rincon de La Vieja

'La Vieja,' as she is known, still resides somewhere on the volcano, though no one could tell you the last time she was seen. The 'rincon' (corner) is as close to a landmark as you can get, but upon the vast volcano, there are many rincones in which to hide. There are thousands of trees entwined in strangling vines, there are rocky creeks, playfull brooks, there are stones and boulders to jump over, there are rolling hills and lush grass, and there is mud to sink into after a hard rain. But the spirit of La Vieja is still felt. She rides on the wind that howls past your ears, mats your hair into bird-nest like tangles, and sends shivers down your spine. She makes the mud pits bubble and burp, and sends the thick gray glop into the air. She releases steam from the rocks, and from the hot stench of sulfur wafting up, you know you just missed her. And when she is feeling particularly creative she paints rainbows in the blue sky (facing west in the morning, and east in the evening) and lures the adventurous to her lair.

Getting to Rincon de La Vieja was the usual long-car-ride/get-lost adventure. The volcano is located in the northwest region of Guanacaste and it took us the majority of Saturday to reach Rinconcito Lodge, where we had booked a two night stay. We followed the rainbow, the whole way there:
(yes, this provoked renditions of Somewhere over the rainbow)

(Though we found the end of the rainbow, right there on the non-existent shoulder of the road there was no pot of gold...though in retrospect, isn't the pot always on the left arch?)

On Sunday we woke up early and had a hearty gallo pinto and egg breakfast along with some fruit and toast. We saddled up for an all day horseback ride around the volcano. Horseback riding, is an amazing sport, and I have not done it since I was 5. Needless to say I was a little nervous to sit precariously on top of a powerful beast for a bumpy and unpredictable ride. We had a guide with us who kept the horses in line, though the horses turned out to be the most calm, gentle and well behaved of animals. You could tell the relationship between the horses and our guide was one of deep respect, hard work and trust. It is amazing how they press their ears back listening for the 'besos' from our guide to keep going. The horses turned left or right with the slightest tug from the reigns, and had run this trail so many times, they worked on auto-pilot at every fork. The ride was really amazing, we had to climb up and down strenuous hills, ford multiple rivers, and cover quite a lengthy distance to and within the park. With our guide's expert eyes we got to see monkeys (moms and babies playing and eating) and a sloth (super rare). The horseback ride took us to the active mud pits and fumaroles of this still active volcano. We also bathed in a natural hot spring and rinsed the sulfur/volcanic dust off in a fresh stream. On our way back in the afternoon, we even got the pleasure of galloping. (Galloping, while much less bumpy, is quite exhilarating. I held my breath, half out of fear, half out of delight, half out of laughter at my perceived lack of control, and was pretty sure if we galloped for too long, I may just pass out).



Other cool animal sightings to add to our list was: a flock of green parrots, a HUGE lizard, a frog (on our porch), butterflies of all colors, and (for mom and abba) a coral snake.

Rincon de La Vieja was very isolated. We were 3 of 8 guests at the lodge (and I think there was only one other place to stay in the whole area). The only evidence of man you could see in the hillsides were a few dirt roads that cut scars in the green. At night, the stars shown like powdered sugar spilled upon black satin. The wind was so strong that I was certain, at night as I tossed and turned, it would blow me right to Kansas.