A compassionate few will think that I am delusional.  Devote souls might feel outraged.  How could the Lord's Kingdom and the Devil's inferno be neighbouring . . . ? 

Blasphemous . . . ! 

Nevertheless, we did that trip; coming back alive, well and blessed.  One glorious February day, while walking through the clouds, surrounded by mystical skies, we were breathing the heavy sulfuric fumes coming out of Lucifer's ovens.  It was not a surreal painting by Dali, nor an opium-related dream.  It was real.  Vividly material.  Palpable.  As if a supreme force was melting our spirits into the vast cosmic ocean, our senses were communing in perfect harmony with the primary elements.  Amazingly, all pieces seem to fit into the universal framework, resembling the beginning of times.  We felt illuminated.  Touched. 

Surely it was a routine workday for Park Rangers and Volcanologist checking the pulse of Earth's boiling entrails, but for us it was an awesome experience.  Seldom one could enjoy such a magnificent display of Nature's immense powers.  Our planet is alive.  The same forces that millions of years ago forged continents and archipelagoes, still breath from the core of the Earth. 

Where in the whole world one could visit the crater of an active volcano while walking 11,260 feet above sea level? 

Meet Irazú National Park, Costa Rica. 

Risky climbing, exhausting journeys, expensive equipment?  No, unless you want to.  This small Central-American country has built paved roads climbing up to the summit of some of its volcanoes! 

Driving from the Capital City of San José toward Irazú National Park should take less than two hours.  Special driving skills and 4X4 Sport Utility Vehicles are unnecessary.  A compact sedan in fair condition will fit.  Apart from a few potholes here and there, the road is safe. Small towns, restaurants, coffee-shops and Inns spread along the way.  Costa Rica's tourism industry has incorporated volcanoes as part of a variety of ecological destinations. 

Central-American volcanoes belong to the Pacific Rim of Fire.  Irazú is Costa Rica's highest volcano.  Additionally, is a site unique in the Americas - on clear days it is possible to see both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.  The confluence of two sea bodies over what looks like an extraterrestrial landscape creates the illusion of sightseeing Earth's early stages.  The scarce flora and fauna inhabiting the park and an average daytime temperature of 45 F contribute to this peculiar temporal sensation. 

Moreover, knowing that this seemingly tamed Titan has unleashed several catastrophic eruptions in the past, we felt we were walking over an unpredictable abyss of fire.  Cartago, a city found thirty-one miles from Irazú, was partially destroyed in 1723.  Almost half a century ago, on March 19, 1963, Costa Rica's colossus woke again vomiting tons of ash over a vast territory.  Ash rains lasted for almost two years, covering places as remote as the capital, San José, with thick layers. Several football fields in size, a thick layer of pulverized ash spread over one side of the main crater. 

Before exploring Irazú, we thought of volcanoes as evil, destructive forces.  Human historical memory usually recalls the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, two ancient Roman towns that Mount Vesuvius treacherously destroyed in AD 79. 

More recently, on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens exploded.  Resembling an atomic mushroom, a powerful column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward.  Suddenly, day turned into night, while a dark rain of ash fell well beyond eastern Washington State.  The north face collapsed in a massive avalanche, burying nearly 230 square miles of forests. 

On July 13, 2003, we were rocked by news coming from Montserrat, a Caribbean haven for the rich and famous.  Soufriere Hills Volcano erupted again with powerful explosions spewing thick clouds of rock and lava into the air while part of the dome collapsed.  The eruption partially destroyed this tourist paradise, forcing authorities to proclaim the southern two-thirds of the island uninhabitable. 

Perhaps Earth challenging human depredation? 

While visiting Volcán Irazú main crater, the green mouth of a dormant, but very alive giant, we could ultimately perceive how fragile we are and how far we have gone.  How precarious is the balance keeping natural forces under control? 

Surrounded by cosmic powers in that magical place above the world, we humbly prayed for our ravaged planet, wishing Costa Rica to keep succeeding in balancing Ecology and Economy.  A difficult task for a third world country.  However, our future depends directly on how well we manage our thirst for natural resources with the preservation of our habitat.  Up to a certain degree, it depends on us all. 

We need this blue planet as much as Mother Earth needs our help to keep its ecosystems healthy.  After all, we are part of a whole.  Every time a species extinguishes, we are dying a little bit too.  Are we here to stay, or, like dinosaurs, might we vanish one day? 
We hope that God has a better plan for us.