I don't think I can describe the clouds and fog.

I have a lot of pictures that I want to post, so I will post the pictures, and then comment on them. I had a rather amazing weekend and so far a decent week. I am busy and there are always things to be doing, but not necessarily always computers to be doing them on. I didn't think that I would feel rushed here, but I tell myself that I am the one who is making myself feel rushed. No one is rushing me.
To start with:

La Basilica de Los Angeles. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And I didn't think that I was going to get to see it. I heard about the legend behind the Basilica on my second day here (the story is very similiar to the Virgin of Guadelupe. The difference is that it was a black virgin appearing to a young indian girl in Costa Rica) and had wanted to visit. I was supposed to the weekend after I got robbed, but I was too shook up and didn't (and still don't) feel comfortable traveling by myself. But last weekend, Wendy and her friends took me to see Volcan Irazu. To get there we had to pass through Cartago, which is where the Basilica is. We stopped at a supermarket, and I asked Wendy if we could go and see some old Catholic ruins across the street. She agreed and then said "let's go see another church." And we went to the Basilica! It was Sunday, so the church was packed. I didn't get to go inside, but instead looked at all of the people standing around! So many people. What I remember most was a mother holding her son to a side of the church and him peeing.

I couldn't believe that I had got to go. Seeing the church helped me to believe that it was good for me to stay in Costa Rica.

After Cartago came the long climb up the mountain. We passed through small towns with people playing soccer in the cloud/fog of their pueblos. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the drive up the mountain. I liked seeing a side of Costa Rica different from the city and cages of San Jose. But with the rural towns came the small shanties, the people standing in the rain holding up cheese for the cars that past, and a few starving cows ambling by the side of the street. And we were so close to the clouds. We were in the area of the mountain that was wrapped in cloud and fog. It was beautiful. You could see the fog rolling off the farms.

This is everyone I traveled with! I wish I could tell you all of their names. From the left there is Gabe, don't remember her name, don't remember her name, me, Wendy, Rudi, Allen, and David. They are all in their late twenties early thirties, most are married, and all go to Wendy's church. They have by far been the most welcomming and accepting group of people toward me in Costa Rica.

This is Volcan Irazu! The water is such an unnatural shade of blue. It was really really cold there and I felt a little silly decked out in my hiking gear (complete the with hat), but the view was amazing and the fog was so thick! We were lucky. When I left the fog rolled in and you couldn't see the crater.

And if you look hard enough you can see the mountains behind the fog.
Afterward we had a pinic lunch of this bean dip in a pouch, tuna, and chips. Mostly I enjoyed that they all spoke spanish and a few spoke english, so it was fun to switch between the languages.On the way back Wendy asked my why I had picked Costa Rica. She told me that there wasn't poverty here and to go to Nicaragua.