Wilson Versus the Volcano

 

Hello, friends.

Google graphic for Day of the Dead

 Perhaps it is ironic that I began crafting this dispatch on Saturday, which, Google points out with the graphic at the right, is the Day of the Dead in Mexico (All Souls Day elsewhere).


 That thing you see just above the text is what they call a volcano. And it clearly isn't dormant. In the last dispatch, I told you that Wilson, I and a friend were heading to Costa Rica, The friend in this case is Shirley Ganse, a long-time associate in ballroom dance, and a previous traveling companion to Hawaii and exotic Cancun (and Chichen Itza.) As an expert on Chinese porcelain and a former  Smithsonian lecturer and world traveler, Shirley is a boon companion for jaunts like this, and it was she that told me about the wonderful groupon for two: Six nights' lodging, most meals and a guide for $1,200. Wow.

Starting out like that, I had images in mind like what's below:

Can you see the second bird and the caterpillar?

However, the Turrialba volcano has other ideas, and just a few days ago it began making noises and depositing ash on the surrounding countryside. The volcano is a mere 40 miles from San Jose, our entry point into the country.

Now this is no small matter. Wilson, after all, the ambassador for the One World Futbol, is  virtually indestructible. And he and his siblings are bringing happiness to literally million of children who are living in impoverished, and sometimes dismal conditions. So that qualifies him as a super hero, doesn't it? Well, doesn't it?

Now unlike most superheroes, he doesn't have a secret identity. But he does have a weakness. With Superman, it's kryptonite, for example. Well, a lion can bite Wilson. I've stabbed him with a knife. He doesn't go flat. But he probably will burn, so volcanoes are a real concern. As his guide and de-facto bodyguard, I have to take that into consideration. Now, fortunately, we probably won't be any place where Wilson could run into trouble. Turrialba, after all, is going to have to toss burning embers a long way to threaten Wilson, so at least we will have space to get our bearings before we go on any outings.

On the east, the Caribbean; on the West, the Pacific Ocean. Forty miles from the Turrialba volcano to San Jose, where we fly in on Tuesday.

So let's talk about Turrialba.

In its first eruption since1866, the 11,000-foot volcano discharged ash that fell as far as Nicaragua. Families living at the foot of the volcano have been evacuated.

Vocanoes are both a draw and a danger in lush, tropical Costa Rica. Almost exactly a year ago a devastating earthquake in Poas Volcano National Park killed more than a dozen and left tourists trapped for days by damaged roadways.

The English-language Tico Times reported that emergency teams with the Red Cross have been training in recent months with locals to prepare for a large-scale evacuation, just in case.

This is how the mountain can look on a good, clear day.

This is how the mountain looked as it began to awaken.

This is how it looks from an airplane.

View on the ground: In the left, that tiny vertical line in the lower right corner is a person.  On the right, an individual braves caustic gases to take a soil sample. To view the video from which these "grab shots" were taken, please go to: http://www.teletica.com/Noticias/11265-Actividad-en-el-volcan-Turrialba-aumento-250-grados-su-temperatura.note.aspx

Farther down the mountain, both farmers and lifestock find the daylight gloomy as the final weeks of the rainy season blend with the falling volcanic ash.

Scientists take temperature and gas measurements  atop Turrialba.

 At the time of this dispatch, the no-fly zone around the volcano was a 20-mile radius, and lower than 19,000 feet. San Jose is well beyond that boundary, and American Airlines had no news that our plans would be impacted -- for now. So I expect Wilson will do just fine, as long as we avoid pyroclastic flows and events of that type.

 

The hike Wilson and I are definitely not going on.

More to come...
Robert, Wilson,
and, uh, Shirley