The language school announced a paseo (outing) to see the volcano, Irazú — up close and personal. Families were welcome and we’d board a bus at the school for the excursion. Enthusiasm ran high among the students and their families.
Saturday arrived and we all boarded the bus. It was crowded! After we got out of San José and off the main highway, the driver stopped and ask some of us guys if we’d mind travelling on top of the bus where we could hold on to the luggage rack. Guys being guys, we were up for that adventure too. It took a while, but we arrived at a parking area near the rim of Irazú.
The volcano had been quiet for some time, and so it had been deemed safe to send a bunch of adventerous families to enjoy the view.
I took this picture of Scott. If he looks unhappy, it’s because he is!
Scott @ IrazúA while later, we had wandered away from the rim as we explored our surrounds. Then, we noticed fog beginning to roll into the area. At least we thought it was fog. We heard some shouting and Sylvia took Bryant by the hand and I picked up Scott. We began to run for the bus.
That wasn’t fog. It was steam from the volcano. The bus driver was nearly panicked and seemed ready to dash off with his bus, leaving his former passengers stranded on a volcano that appeared to be waking up. (To what?) Fortunately, some of the more advanced students were talking with the driver. They convinced the very nervous man to wait until all of us were back and aboard the bus. Then we “flew” out of there.
Sylvia and I just returned from lunch today with Bryant (Scott’s older brother). Bryant said he remembered that the bus had been repositioned so that it was pointed directly at the parking lot exit. He also remembers a stop we made at a cane field, where we had a taste of sugar cane. Sylvia said it reminded her of chewing on a wet rope.
Fortunately, we all lived to tell about our big adventure. As for Scott, the spirit of adventure lives on for him.
Scott with his black belt
Today, Mikki started a weekly series on her journey to diagnosis of celiac disease. Check it out.
Food allergies are a serious problem, and they can be very difficult to diagnose. I discovered an allergy to chicken and turkey (not eggs) only because my sister Clara had the same problem and shared that experience. Even with that “heads up” I almost failed to realize the source of my problem. I’m glad those terrible headaches are in the past.
Boy, I’d go up close to a volcano in a heartbeat! What an adventure!
Mikki,
It really wasn’t close, but the bus driver thought it might be his final day on Earth.
You are way too cool to be anything but a High School teacher. You’re welcome. Yours is a story that many can benefit from. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Love, Uncle Chuck
I am SO super jealous that you nearly got blowed up by a volcano! On of my possible future careers was volcanology. I still sometimes wish I had done that!
PS Thanks for the shout out!