Flower Power

On the second day that Zoë’s parents were visiting, we went to Sarchí. On a previous visit to Costa Rica, we went to Sarchí on the bus – first taking a bus from Heredia to Alajuela, and then from Alajuela to Sarchí. This time we were afforded the air-conditioned luxury of our hire car.

Sarchí lies 29 km North West of Alajuela, which meant the journey there (along the highway and then through the town of Grecia) took just over an hour (we think … we can’t quite remember). It would probably have taken just under an hour had we not gone round Grecia, with its one way system, twice looking for the signs to Sarchí. Fortunately this gave Zoë’s mum ample opportunity to admire Grecia’s famous metal church.

Sarchí is famous for its hand-painted oxcarts, which are in themselves a symbol of Costa Rica. On arriving in Sarchí we headed for Sarchí Norte and the giant oxcart that is the monumento a carretas (monument to the carts). This is located right in the centre of the town in the square next to the church. The church of Sarchí Norte is, according to one guide book, “one of the most beautiful in the nation and has a vaulted hardwood ceiling and carvings”, and we have to admit that the carvings were quite impressive. However, it is not lime green and it probably does not glow at sunset as one of the other guide books suggested.

After the humungous oxcart, we headed back along the road to Sarchí Sur where we visited the Fábrica de Carretas Joaquín Chaverrí. This has a souvenir store which is appropriately sized in relation to the giant oxcart which was made and painted by one of the former apprentices here. Out the back of the souvenir shop are the workshops where you can see the guys at work during the week.

Lunch was eaten at the restaurant next door, Restaurante Las Carretas. This restaurant really caters for the tour bus crowds, and had most of its tables and the buffet laid out to cater for these. However, near the front of the restaurant are some tables which are not laid out for the tour buses. You get the option of the buffet, or choosing something from their menu. We went for selections from the menu (Zoë was given the menu in Spanish, while everyone else got a copy in English!) and just as we recalled from our previous visit, it was freshly cooked and delicious. Zoë’s parents tried a Guanábana fresco – the fruit was something they had never heard of. It is one of Colin’s favourite drinks here. While we were eating a group of French people came in, and the waiter came to tell us that things were a little complicated … he kept forgetting which language he had to speak to whom!

After lunch and souvenir shopping (we also visited the Plaza de la Artesanía and a couple of other stores in the area) we decided to head for the Else Kientzler Botanical Garden in Sarchí Norte. As we had been on public transport previously we had not made it here before, and as we drove around Sarchí Norte looking for the right road it appeared we might not make it there this time!

Eventually, when we did find it, the front gate was closed so we drove on looking for an alternative entrance. Unable to find one we returned to the closed gate and waited. After a short wait a man appeared and Zoë queried (in her best Spanish of course) whether the garden was open. The man confirmed that it was, opened the gate and pointed us in the right direction. The garden is part of a business that exports ornamental plants and is situated behind all the hubbub of the business itself.

Entrance to the garden cost us $14 each, and we were informed that 11 years previously the seven hectares which it covers were a coffee plantation. Since then they have created a garden with a great diversity of tropical plants.

There were many different sections along the various trails you could walk in the garden including a hibiscus garden, palm garden, heliconia garden, bromeliads, orchids and a succulents garden. Colin especially liked the succulents garden, with all its different cacti, because it reminded him of the Winter Gardens in Aberdeen except that it was all outside! The gardens were bordered by a river on one side, and a water canal on the other, and also included a lake. About 40% of the area has been designed with ramps and paths suitable for wheelchair access, though there are some steep bits as there is a large overall change in height of the garden. There was also a central picnic area and a large children’s play area which looked very adventurous – unfortunately with no child available we didn’t have an excuse to investigate further.

It was a peaceful place, and at the time we visited we were the only visitors! We don’t know whether this was to do with the closed gate or the time of year (not the most flowering of months).

After the gardens it was time to head back to Alajuela, this time via a more scenic route than the highway, where we dropped off Zoë’s parents and went to drop off the hire car. Zoë’s parents had an hour and a half to explore Alajuela by themselves before we met them for dinner at Jalapeños and caught the bus back to Heredia.

Driving in Costa Rica wasn’t as bad as Colin feared. We didn’t come across any crazy drivers, there wasn’t frequent honking of horns, and the only problems we really encountered were with the multitude of one-way systems that exist in the centres of towns here. This was a particular problem in Grecia, where Colin briefly went the wrong way up a one way street and found a policeman on a motorbike heading towards him. The policeman didn’t bat an eyelid. So maybe this is not a rare occurrence here.