Costa Rica Day 8 - Volcan Irazú y el Sanatorio Durán

This entry is coming at you "Jamaica style" meaning that it was written by hand on a bumpy bus ride on the way home from today's activities. Almost all of my journal entries in Jamaica were written by hand first and transferred to the blog a few days later because I never knew when I was going to have internet access.

Our first stop today was el Volcan Irazú in Cartago:

The Irazú volcano...is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica, and has an area of 190 sq mi. It has an irregular subconic shape, and its temperature oscillates between 37 and 63 °F. It is a stratovolcano with a summit elevation of 11,260 ft. Its five craters are easily differentiated. The most important ones, because of their activity, are The Main Crater, which is almost circular has very inclined walls and it measures 3,440 ft in diameter and 980 ft in depth; The Diego de la Haya crater is 2,000 ft in diameter and 330 ft deep. Other craters are Playa Hermosa, La Laguna, and El Piroclastico. (Wikipedia)

We were told to bring a jacket because the altitude makes the air temperature pretty cold by Tico (Costa Rican) standards, which I figured meant a comfortable mid to low 60's. You can imagine my concern when I showed up to the bus in the morning, equipped with my rain jacket, a pair of shorts, and my Chacos (Val, quit hating), while people had multiple jackets and scarves. In fact, several students said their host families encouraged them to bring gloves and a hat--whaaa?

For the next two hours, the bus drove up...and up...and up...and up. Above the clouds. 12,000 feet. To put it into perspective, Mt. Fuji is just over 12,000 feet. I went skydiving at 15,000 feet. Not the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere by any stretch of the term. FYI Mt. Aconcagua, in the Andes of western Argentina near the Chilean border, is just over 23,000 feet and IS the highest peak. Anyway, back to my story...

It had been really overcast when we left the hotel in the morning, and I was worried that we wouldn't have good visibility for the volcano. But Mother Nature hooked us up and gave us a perfect day. The air was cool and crisp--turns out I was fine in my jacket...probably low 60's or high 50's--and actually it was a nice reprieve from the sticky tropical heat that we've been experiencing in the valley. We had a great view of the main crater and surrounding lands below. The clouds provided a beautiful contrast to the blue sky. The volcano smelled strongly of sulfur (duh) and had a beautiful blue lagoon at the mouth of the main crater. We hung out in the park for about an hour and a half, took some goofy pictures, and departed for our next "mystery" location.

 

[I'd like to add, that during this point in my transcription, I took a timeout to have dinner. The scene is this: I am sitting in a foreign restaurant, outfitted in my thick-framed glasses and TOMS shoes, sipping my mango juice, blogging. Ladies and gentlemen, you just can't get more hipster than that.]

Moving on. 

You know how every horror story since the dawn of time has started with some legend about an insane asylum or prison? Our next location had both--and both were kind of true! We pulled up to what appeared to be some sort of rundown hotel nestled in the side of a mountain. At first glance, it looked totally creepy...and awesome. And as if Mother Nature hadn't done enough for us already, she threw us another bone and turned the sky very dark and ominous right as we were getting off the bus. The name of this place is el Sanatorio Durán, named after Dr. Carlos Durán Cartin, who founded it in 1915 as the only primary tuberculous center in the country. His daughter was diagnosed with the illness, which provided the motivation he needed to construct the facility. The primary caregivers at this very remote facility were nuns, although doctors were responsible for the operations. Over time, fewer and fewer people were diagnosed with tuberculosis, so the facility was repurposed into a geriatric facility---specializing in patients with mental disorders. Between the years of 1963-65, it was used as a juvenile penitentiary. As a result of its declining condition, the facility officially closed its doors in 1973. In 2008, the people in the area petitioned to have the site protected as a place of historical significance, but as of 2010, no action had been taken.

 

 There are TONS of legends about this place, involving the ghosts of dead patients, dead nuns, dead children--you name it! For example (and I apologize if I don't get this 100% correct--translating off of a handout in Spanish):

1) During its time as a hospital, it was said that during the nights, the ghost of a dead nun would come to continue to give care to the existing patients.

2) On dark and cold nights, religious phantoms would appear in the hallways and corridors to provide care to those that had been hospitalized.

3) On the highest floor of the facility, it is said that you can view two figures--in the shadows of of one of the small rooms.

4) The last child to die in the facility, a little girl, still haunts the halls.

True to its reputation, the facility was creepier than any old building I've ever been in my life. We had a great time hiding behind corners and underneath stairs trying to scare each other. I had a blast. Apparently local filmmakers have actually filmed a scary movie called "el sanatorio", and it's the subject of numerous documentaries, so at some point I'll have to research to see whether any of it has ended up online.

I will probably not be able to post for the next few days because we are going to Guapiles. We'll be staying with host families and I'm not sure about the internet situation. Until then, enjoy the 800+ pictures I've posted on Facebook!