Wednesday, May 20, 2009

"Poisonous gas" says "tourist spot" to me

Volcan Turrialba, about two hours from our base here in San Jose, was a cool place to go. Not only is it known for its incredible cheeses - with tiendas de queso that give free samples - but it also has an exciting active volcano. Active? Really?

The the "only 20 minutes" sign and the dude with the gas mask were an interesting discovery when we got to the peak. Then peering into crater we saw all the gases leaving the earth. It was pretty cool, but I don't think my pneumonia-damaged lungs appreciated my hike to this poisonous place. Oh well.

For a little more history on this place, I can tell you it's only been active since 2001, but the last eruption was 1856. It's one of Costa Rica's biggest volcanoes.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

mae

mae/maɪ/[mahy]

-noun

a term in Costa Rica referring to a buddy, pal, friend. (Similar usage as "man" in America.) ¿Qué pasa, mae?