Costa Rica and Monkeys: Chrystalla Thoma

Chrystalla and I "met" a few years ago online at a writing group. It's pretty awesome that we've both ended up being published twice by the same house (first, AXP anthologies and now, MuseItUp).

 

I promised Krista I'd write something up about a vacation I once took in Costa Rica. I have a vague memory that I promised monkeys.

[image error]Not too difficult with Costa Rica.

While living there in 2009, one bright morning I demanded from my husband to take me to the Arenal volcano. Arenal is an active volcano that regularly shakes and erupts and buries villages in ash and lava. Lovely place. Carlos, my husband, took one look at my face and went to rent a car.

I am that scary sometimes. Yeah. Don't you forget it.

On the way, Carlos warned me that most of the time the volcano is wrapped in thick mist and nothing is visible. Of course, all around it, there is a national park, pretty thick jungle with jaguars and monkeys (see? Monkeys. Told you.) We drove for most of the day and finally arrived in late afternoon, checked into our hotel room and went to see Arenal from close and say hi.

Arenal was talkative that day. To Carlos' surprise, there was no mist. As a matter of fact, the volcano was erupting as we watched. As the sun dipped in the west, the sky above the volcano was lit by the explosions and the jets of lava, which also ran down its slopes like bright red snakes. All the while, booms like thunderclaps sounded and rocks flew from the crater to crash on the slopes. They looked small.

Carlos pointed out to me that, taking the distance into consideration, those chunks of rock had to be big as trucks.

Yikes.

And still I wanted to get closer. What can I say – the view was spectacular.

The next day we entered the park and approached as much as we dared the volcano.

When at some point terrified tourists fled by, pointing at how close the lava was flowing and those huge chunks of rock fell, I turned about and followed them.

Carlos still laughs at me for chickening out in the end and not staying to watch the show from close. But I know that, deep inside, he's glad we left when we did.

 

BIO: Greek Cypriot with a penchant for dark myths, good food, and settling down anywhere but at home, Chrystalla Thoma likes to write about fantastical creatures, crazy adventures, and family bonds. She lives in Cyprus with her husband and her vast herds of books. Her stories can be found in Alienskin magazine, Lorelei Signal, the Shine Journal, Encounters Magazine, and Bards and Sages ezine. She is also an author of MuseItUp Publishing, having published with them her YA Urban Fantasy novella Dioscuri.