Alpha Romeo 3 are smokin’

Helena Parker of Alpha Romeo 3 reveals all about working at the top of an active volcano.

Having anticipated at least two hours on the minibus to catch up on a bit of sleep, we were slightly surprised to be bundled out at our destination, Parque Nacional Volcan Turrialba, 30 minutes after leaving fieldbase. Now we knew staying at the ranger’s station was going to be nice, but not this nice! We’re really lucky to be staying here [note from your blogger: rumour has it there’s actually a chandelier at this ranger’s station – the high life at high altitude – alright for some!].

But the best thing by far is working with the rangers at the very top of the highest active volcano in Costa Rica, all of 3328m of it, right next to the three craters.

So what if it smells of sulphur, we can see the Caribbean baby! It’s been straight down to work though, clearing trails, with the boys wielding pickaxes with a vengeance. Motivation comes in the form of singing La Bamba and learning La Cucaracha from the rangers, although to be honest, having a smoking crater as the view from the office window isn’t something many people can say. We are definitely making the most of the one week we have here, and then it’s off to the jungle.