Sarchi Norte, Central Plaza

Friday, March 15

Another Bus Ride

Today we headed off to the mountain town of Sarchi. It is only a few kilometers past Grecia, a town we visited earlier this week, on Monday. As before, we changed buses in Alejuela. The bus route to Sarchi is the same one we traveled earlier, except for those last few kilometers. And the ride was just as harrowing as the one described in our blog post about Grecia, only more so. Those last few kilometers were breathtaking and scary! The ride one way took about two and a half hours. We left Atenas at 8:00 am and arrived in Sarchi Norte at 10:30. The first thing we did was head for a Soda for breakfast and a bano break.

Sarchi

Sarchi is known all over Costa Rica as the center for artisans. Originally, this town was notable for the production of oxcarts. And these are not ordinary carts, but works of art - highly decorated in intricate and brightly painted patterns.

Painted oxcart, Sarchi, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

Today, Sarchi is also notable for the production of furniture - hand crafted with exquisite hard woods grown in Costa Rica and with leather also produced in Costa Rica, mostly in Guanacaste province. For a stretch of a few kilometers from Sarchi Sur (South Sarchi) to Sarchi Norte (North Sarchi), we saw one furniture store after another. There are other artisans here, producing wood-carved artifacts, jewelry, and other items painted in the colorful signature style of the region. In Sarchi, you will see houses, businesses, and public places decorated with these colorful designs.

Park bench, Sarchi, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

We arrived in Sarchi at the Central Plaza. The plaza itself is very colorful and interesting to look at. The bench above is one example. At one end of the plaza is a beautiful church.

Church viewed from plaza, Sarchi Norte, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

 

Another feature of this plaza is the giant oxcart, the largest ever made. It is housed in a special shelter and surrounded by a fence. Perhaps you get get an idea of the size of the oxcart from the photo with Bob in it.

Giant oxcart, Central Plaza, Sarchi Norte, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

 

Bob photographing giant oxcart, Sarchi, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

After we had explored the central Plaza, we decided to visit a sight intriguingly described in our guidebook - the Jardin Botanico (Botanical Garden). We thought this would be a quick walk around another park right here in town. We were mistaken on both counts. The Garden was far enough away to require a taxi ride. And, once there, the Garden was intriguing enough to absorb us for a couple of hours.

There is enough to say about this Garden to necessitate a separate blog post. See "Sarchi - El Jardin Botanico".

 

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