Colorful Day in Sarchi

Sarchi is considered the artisan center of Costa Rica and is known especially for its colorfully painted oxcarts.  In the past, the oxcarts carried the coffee beans to market and were painted to represent the design of the region. So you would know which region the coffee was from.  One of the spots we visited has craftsmen still making the oxcarts including forging metal for the wheels and hinges. We also found numerous shops selling handmade furniture from the beautiful hardwoods of the country.

The world's largest oxcart is here, in Sarchi. Who knew! To get an idea of the size, see the children are walking around under it

I loved the detailed paintings of wildlife found on many of the buildings. Not sure I'll get to see the real-life versions, so I captured these guys on the walls!

Frogs

Near Sarchi is the town of Grecia that has an interesting, and beautiful church,  Cathedral de la Mercedes. The gothic-style church is constructed of brick-red metal panes, built in Belgium and shipped to Costa Rica in 1987. The panes were shipped as individual slabs to the port city of Limon where they were carried by oxcart, piece by piece, to Grecia.

Traveling is not complete without the discovery of something odd.  I spotted this tree on the side of the road and wondered what was hanging from it.  The turk turned the car around - quite a challenging task in the narrow, windy, hilly road with a stickshift car with no power.  Upon a closer view, I saw bicycles, car parts, a Christmas reindeer and other assorted items hanging from this tree.   

Art Tree!

To the Beach!

The Pacific called, so we hopped in our rental Tieros (4 wheel drive) to answer the call.  We could put the GPS, the car and our instincts to the test.  The trip over the hills, across the bridges and through the forests was good because we were on the toll highway which is largely 4 lane, with surprise lane disappearances to cross bridges and narrow openings between hills.  There was the obligatory stop at Crocodile Bridge, named for the creatures lounging below.   

Some of the crocs sunning themselves. They must be well fed - they didnt move much

This one was smiling for me

The Carara National Park was next, but we wanted water - so we continued on to Playa Herradura.  We parked on the sand in an area that resembled a parking area and we were met by an older man who offered to watch our car.  Note that CR is very clear to tourists that they should leave nothing in their car, should not carry expensive items.  Our house has an alarm that is armed when we are away, and when we sleep. and we have a large metal gate at the front of our driveway.  So, it is not unusual to have someone offer to watch your vehicle.  He was wearing a special vest which we have started to see worn by older men who help businesses with their customers' parking.

Off we went to hike the beach.  It has a rustic walkway along the beach, covered with tree branches for shade.  The beach was huge and covered in brown sand and natural gravel. It was a hike just to get to the water.  The Turk hates water that is even slightly cool, and this water passed the turk test of being warm enough to swim in.  Shuttle boats were moving people to and from anchors boats used for fishing and diving trips. There is a Marriott resort off one side of this cover area.

Nice breeze kept things cooler - but it was 10am.

Hanging out

Facing the water are small restaurants/bars where one could be quite comfortable spending the day.

But we wanted to see more. So off to Jaco we went - just down the road a few minutes.  Jaco is the epicenter for surfers and tourists.  It reminded us of any popular tourist beach area full of bars, inexpensive places to eat and souvenir shops.  There is no denying that the beach is beautiful.  But I didnt see any trees and that is now one of my requirements.


It was starting to get quite warm, so we headed back for Atenas - home.  Along the way,  we stopped for fish soup and fish tacos.  The CR food is not known for being especially tasty or adventurous and these dishes stayed true to that understanding.

Feeling brave and wanting a bit more adventure (ok, it was me, not the turk who felt this way), we didnt take the toll road back.  We found another 'main' road on the map and decided to follow it to Atenas.  Road 707 was on our GPS, was a main road on our map, and was mostly 1 lane and dirt!  But hey, we have a 4WD, so we should be fine.

Where we started 707, we confirmed with a local that the road went to Atenas. Remember this is in spanish, not english.  So off we went and were immediately facing a partially washed-out road. But hey, we have a 4WD, so we are ok.  The road continued as dirt, some gravel, and even sometimes a short stretch of pavement.  We passed coffee farms, cattle ranches, Tico (local) neighborhoods, and then a walled area of high-end homes probably owned by americans and europeans.  These were all on this bumpy, dusty, windy, steep road.  After about 45 mins, we turned a sharp corner while hugging the side of a hill and I realized, we were facing our driveway!  Our house is on this 707 road!
How long is 707 to Atenas?  4 kilometers!
When i mentioned it was great that we had 4WD, the Turk said 'oh'.  Apparently, he had not used that function yet.  We now know where the 4WD button is and will use it next time.

main road 707 to our house

Scenery along the way

Home in Atenas!

Pura Vida - and its for a month!

Finally! The Turk and I are in Costa Rica. This trip was planned for last year, but the knee surgery took priority. We picked Atenas as our home base because it is central, is known for having the best climate, and because we found a great house to rent for a month.  We got here and found out - all true!

View from living room window into valley

We've only been here a day, so have spent it foraging for food and drink of course.  And we've started with our house duties, like cleaning the pool and picking fresh lemons. We drove to the big grocery store and had to enter through a gate where we were given a card, and no explanation - not that we would understand if given.  After our shopping, which focused on beer, beans, and bread we drove out through the gate and had to give them back the card.  Curious...  so we asked our landlord.  Apparently the magic card prevents your car from getting stolen.  If someone steals your car, they wont have the magic card to show the gate person and supposedly won't be able to take your car.  ok....

the Turk playing 'pool boy'

We decided this morning to hike into town so that we could see everything along the way. We walked the sidewalk down our hilltop into town - a 30 minute hike. Along the way, the Turk talked non-stop. What did he say? It was nonstop chatter about which fruits were hanging from the trees. And that I should watch out because something was sure to drop on my head.
In addition to low hanging fruit, we saw orchids, Lenten crosses, interesting signs and met really nice people who smiled when the Turk tried out his turk-span-speak.  We walked the whole town and discovered great places to buy fresh fish, meats, breads.  We found a beautiful tree shaded park in the center of town across the street from the church (the hub of the town). And several restaurants we will try. But tonight, the turk will grill chicken, with beans and rice.  And we'll drink Costa Rican rum!

Watermelons in waiting area, not sure what they are waiting for

orchids hanging from tree in a yard

fresh papaya, strawberries for our Refrescos

our fruit smoothy chef

now i'm really confused. where am I?

Pupusas for lunch!

the turk patiently waits for his pupusa

Its Lent, so we see crosses with purple draping everywhere, even in restaurants

Cross in front yard

Probably a type of honeysuckle

Bridge Biking

Looking west across Tampa Bay - Courtney Campbell Causeway

We are really spoiled here in Florida.  While the rest of the country, including the south, is suffering through ice, sleet, snow and drought, we in central Florida are enjoying a nice winter.  The Turk's garden is growing tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and passion fruit.


And, we are taking some great bikes rides, including trying out the new pedestrian bridge alongside the Courtney Campbell Causeway over Tampa Bay.  Round trip was a bit over 12 miles, so it was a short and scenic ride. 

You can see the elevation of the walkway

Clear and cool Tampa Bay water

Fence while in development

And work is getting done too in this nice weather - the Turk is building a new fence for our yard.    

Fun in Charleston

Visiting MoonPie store

I think the Turk and I walked every street in the historical areas of Charleston...would that be all of Charleston?  We peered in any window we could, wandered down any alley wide enough and ate in as many locations as we could 'stomach'.   Some highlights in photos:

the end of our street, Vendue Range, the waterfront park behind

Joseph Manigault House

Amazing detail plastering

Grand stairway from front hall

 

Mark checks out old fire door

Notice the earthquake bolts

one of many alleys

pineapple fountain

Creative house number signage

St. Phillips church

gravestone at St Phillips

art deco building on King Street

HUGE chandelier lights train set

more detail. 3 working trains and a trolley

reproduction of the Hunley, found in 2000

BBQ's seen on I-95 on way home -pigs and steers