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Orosi

Orosi Valley Short day trip. This time the church and the museum were open. - (20) more edit 2008-02-23 - rec# 13

Orosi Our first trip to Orosi. Need to get more information and then return...SOON! Beautiful, historic, rural. - (16) more edit 2007-09-14 - rec# 72

In the past I've heard about Orosi. It was the first "inhabated" place in Costa Rica. I guess by inhabated they mean the first place the Conquistadors "settled". Up in the hills and south of Cartago - the first capital of the country - it's the home of the first mission in the country. This morning Deb said she wanted to do something, to go someplace. I suggested we explore the area south of the Lancaster Gardens. If we find something interesting then we can spend time there, if not we can back track to the Gardens and spend the day there. So...we caught the bus to Cartago and then asked around to find the bus to Orosi. The bus took us up into the mountains, past the city of Paraiso. Into a valley that, I"m told, often floods when the rivers get high. That would be easy to believe. There's a winding river that finds it's way across a broad, flat, flood plane. Surrounded by hills covered with coffee plants. There's some sort of green house down next to the river. Large and strangely shaped. Gotta find out what that's about sometime. Orosi is a small town up in the mountains. One of the most beautiful locations for a town I've ever seen. Much, I'm told, like being up in the Swiss Alps. As usual we were dropped off at the central park in front of the church. EVERY town has a central park and a church next to it. The town myst be eight blocks across in any direction. We first go to the church, but it's closed because they are getting things ready for Independence Day. I ask about the museum - one of the attractions often mentioned in Orosi is a religious museum - but it's closed also. Such is luck. After that we just began to walk. Up a dirt road as most of the roads in town are. Up to the cemetery. From that position we had quite a view across the valley. Way up the hill on the other side is a church, on the end of a long road heading strait up the side of the mountain. There are houses along the roadside. I can't believe any vehicle could drive up this road, but then I guess there really isn't a need. At the restaurant where we had lunch I ask about the mission. He waves his hand around to the South and says something about ten kilometers. I gotta check that out, but not today. Another walk and more discoveries. Hot springs...just outside town. Close to the hot springs is a really nice hotel/restaurant. It's run my a German couple and they have really good coffee. Deb and I spend quite a while sitting, drinking coffee and eating pastries while enjoying the view. Rolling green hills, parakeets squawking in the trees. No cars, no trucks, no buses. Very tranquil. We see some sort of a walking bridge off in the distance. After a bit of exploration we find the trail that goes to the bridge. A dirt road that meanders around some very old classic houses. The bridge spans a few hundred yards and crosses a raging river. Quite a site for rafting and I keep wondering what it must have looked like after some of the great rainfalls we've been getting around here. On the other side we find a guard that is watching a house. He makes a point of telling us that the house is available for sale. The bank owns it and the asking price is twelve million - about twenty three thousand USD. The house looks like a mess, but there is land and it's in a really nice place. It's time to head back to town. Cartago is full of police. Full of police. Hell, are there really that many police IN Costa Rica? They're getting ready for the evening of the fourteenth. It would be interesting to watch, but we're tired. We catch the bus and are off the San Jose. Another unplanned adventure.