Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
painting of the Virgin, discovered by a local fisherman. According to lore, the relic refused
to be moved, forcing clerics to build the church around it. In return the Virgin helped loc-
als defeat a group of marauding British pirates in 1666. After floods and a few earth-
quakes, however, the painting conceded to move to Paraíso, leaving the ruins to deteriorate
photogenically in a rambling park. (Kids can let off some steam at the playground here.)
Every year, usually on the Sunday closest to April 14, there's a procession from Paraíso to
the ruins, where Mass, food and music help celebrate the day of La Virgin de Ujarrás. The
church's grassy grounds are a popular picnicking spot on Sunday afternoons - but go in the
middle of the week and chances are that you'll have them all to yourself.
After Ujarrás, the route continues west for a few more kilometers to rejoin the main
road at Paraíso.
TURRIALBA AREA
In the vicinity of Turrialba, at an elevation of 650m above sea level, the Río Reventazón
gouges a mountain pass through the Cordillera Central. In the 1880s this geological quirk
allowed the 'Jungle Train' between San José and Puerto Limón to roll through, and the
mountain village of Turrialba grew prosperous from the coffee trade. Later, the first high-
way linking the capital to the coast exploited this same quirk. Turrialba thrived.
However, things changed by the early 1990s when the straighter, smoother Hwy 32
through Guápiles was completed and an earthquake shut down the railway for good. Sud-
denly, Turrialba found itself off the beaten path. Even so, the area remains a key agricul-
tural center, renowned for its mountain air, strong coffee and Central America's best
white-water rafting. To the north, the area is home to two important sites: the majestic Vol-
cán Turrialba and the archaeological site of Guayabo.
