Margarita Persico.com

The first time I visited Irazú Volcano was a Monday in August. It was a visit on the spur of the moment. I planned on shopping for fruits, shallots and a wicker basket at the Cartago Mercado. But when I saw a road sign indicating the way to Irazú Volcano, I told the driver to take a detour after asking him if it was near.

“Si, señora,” he replied.

I figured it must be a 20-minute detour.

We drove for miles. The longer we drove, the temperature dropped and cliffs crept up on either sides of the mountain. Fortunately, I rarely leave home without my camera and that day was no exception.

I wanted to stop at every site. But it was too dangerous because of the curves and cliffs, so the driver stopped the SUV for me to take pictures from inside the car.

The emerald mountains connecting to slopes and patches of potato and onion farms lined up the sides of the road to Irazú. Workers congregated in groups filling up bags with potatoes, while others harvested onions. The smell of wood burning stoves, where locals prepared lunch, filled the air with wonderful aromas.

Two groups of bikers equipped with safety gear drove up the steep mountain leading to the volcano. Trucks and farm equipment sprinkled throughout the road. To our right, we approached a small wood-framed school. Children were playing outside dressed in their uniforms — navy blue slacks, white shirts and navy blue sweaters to keep them warm.

We also passed by an old complex of buildings and a sanatorium once used to treat people with leprosy. At some point among the natural beauty and pure air, on our way back an ugly smell near the old leprosy sanatorium crept on us. I thought it could be one of the farms spraying chemicals. It annoyed me that the foul smell that inundated the area was populated with children, workers and tourists. The driver and I concluded it must have been from one of the farms.

During winter, clouds usually cover the volcano, and this time, by the volcano’s park entrance, it was no different.

I can’t imagine anything higher than Irazú, but many mountains surpass this giant by far. Mauna Loa in Hawaii, for instance, stands at 56,000 feet (17,000 meters), making it the largest volcano on our planet, with 33 eruptions since 1843. Compared to Irazú’s 23 eruptions and its size, Mauna Loa dwarfs Irazú.

But for me Irazú is the giant I see every morning. I ignore its power and appreciate its beauty.

[to read part 1, click here]