Sarchi, Alajuela Province, Costa RicaIn the Central Valley
Drive
to Zacero
it
was cloudy and grey this morning and as we start to drive the blue
sky comes out. And then we start to go up into the Cordilerra
Central... it is an absolutely beautiful drive: lots of curves (lucky
all is paved) and gorgeous views down on the valley we left and into
the high valleys with a lot of cute little towns – lots of farming
and all in green. When we came through Barrio which is quite a large
town Gine saw an electronic store: so we went around the block and
see there they have USB for a reasonable price – that means we got
a good deal. Which means we have enough to backup all the pictures!!
And
we saw some guys working on a electric pole with all the wires –
hopefully they know what they are doing.
What
happens here all the time is you get a bus or a big truck in front of
you and it slows you down. So once we had the policia with flashing
lights behind us, Paul didn’t want to pass when there was a solid
yellow line in the middle... when the policia passed us and the truck
we decided it was save to pass too.... it is quite a challenge on
those curvy roads. Gine sightseeing and Paul driving – we both had
a great time.
I
think this was so far the most scenic drive we did – and then we
see in front of us this little town of Zacero coming up.
Why
do we stop it the tiny town of Zacero or Alfaro Ruiz?
- This cute little mountain town ay 1736 m looks like it got painted in
- it is famouse for the Parque Fransisco Alvado: a topiary garden: it means cutting and training shrubs for a clearly defined shape
- it was a normal plaza until the 1960s when the gardener Evangelisto Blanco started to shape the srubs
- it’s tower over by the Iglesia de San Rafael from 1895
the
unique parque in Zacero
We
came here because of it’s unique park. Once around the block and we
found the perfect parking spot. And there we stand: below us this
park with the super cute cut cedar bushes and behind us this amazing
church.
Iglesia
san Rafael: outside beautiful in grey and inside in wood with a very
beautiful paintings on the walls and ceiling and you can smell the
fresh flowers. Another very unique church in Costa Rica.
The
parque a topiary garden: one of the most amazing parts are the green
arches – sure we had to walk through them and then going around and
try to figure out what all those different shrubs could be: we found
the bull fight, the oxen with the typical ox-cart, an elephant, a
dinosaur... then Paul discovered a Panaderia – guess we should
check it out: so we got a snack and a cold drink (yes last night our
bottle didn’t freeze because we left the fridge door yesterday
open) and had it right in the park... now we are ready for the next
adventure:
the
oxcart factory in Sarchi
for
the next 20 km we went downhill into the Central Valley – where we
saw some coffee plantations. Crossing a bridge where the beams where
painted in red with geometric art we knew we are close to Sarchi. The
first thing we did was go to the Fabrica de Carretas Eloy Alfaro:
one of the two factories left which still make oxcarts today. It is
cool you can walk around the factory grounds – they also have some
ox-carts sitting around, we could watch the guys painting the carts:
one of them told us that he does if for over 30 years and when you
watch him it’s amazing that he can paint that straight (by the way
he signed our ox-cart personally). Even in the bathrooms they had
painted mirrors – and you can get some free and super great real
Costa Rican coffee.
And
yes they also sell ox-carts: they have some real nice huge ones they
also ship – if I would know where to put it I would buy one, they
are so beautiful... guess at the moment we have to be happy with a
smaller one....
What’s
up with the oxcarts or carretas?
- This town is famous for the colourful oxcats – and when you approach the town you can see the colourful geometrical designs on the bridge, the streetsigns...
- it is a symbol of costa Rica (yes we need one for ous house)
- once they were used on farmsteads for the transport of coffee beans, the wheels have a diameter of 4-5 ft, so they can go through mud without being stuck. Since 1840 they used them to transport coffee beans, sugar canes from the central valley to the port of Limon at the Caribbean: this journey took 10-20 days crossing jungle-covered mountains, rivers, swamps and beaches – with the car today it takes you 2 hrs.
- in the 20thcentury they started to paint them in bright colors: it started in the factory of Joaquin Chavern oxcart factory in 1902: it is said that Joaquin decided to beautify it’s oxcart to take his family on outings in the cart on Sundays. He painted it in bright orange because that was the only colour he had available. Orange and red are the most traditional colours. Each family and town had their own design – so when looking at it you could tell where the cart came from. Elaborate painted carts meant the owner was wealthy and could pay a talented painter
- in 2005 they became UNESCO World cultural heritage
Sarchi
park
next
stop is the downtown park: here they have the largest oxcart standing
(which was made by the fabrica we came from) – it is behind a fence
and you can’t touch it – but it is huge.
- Built in 2006 it is 14 m long and weights 2 tonnes (I’m not sure it can drive)
And
overlooking this park is a nice looking church. This area we are at
is absolutely beautiful. Right near it was another Panaderia – they
had some colourful looking cakes – maybe it is the town. Even the
street signs have a half painted wheel on them.
the
Metal Church in Grecia
as
we continue on we drive through Grecia – and have to stop here
because of that bright red looking church – when Gine told Paul
that it is made of metal he didn’t believe it: so we banged against
the walls, the doors and pillars and yes it is from metal. And in the
park in front of it (I think each town here has a church with the
park in front) are a lot of people enjoying the shade.
- Grecia got the name “the cleanest little town in Latin America” - all the towns in this area are super nice
- the Cathedral de la Mercedes is made of rust-red prefabricated steel plates imported from Belgium in 1897 – it looks like a gingerbread church
no
waterfalls today
our
plan was to go to the Los Chorros waterfalls – but I do not know
how our GPS is programmed – because the road it took was not only a
4x4 it was so extreme that even our SUV was not able to go over the
huge stones, we decided to turn around after we heard some scratching
– hopefully we didn’t damage anything – I mean the car is still
running and we were able to turn around (good thing Paul did the
driving). Once we found the real way to the park, we discovered that
the park closes at 4 pm and it was already 3.30 and the chain was
on.... guess after all that adventure a waterfall is not on our
today’s list.
our
Airbnb overlooking the Central Valley
we
followed the What’s app directions but then we couldn’t find the
house – Marisol came out and help us find it – thanks Koelbi
card!! and this house is amazing: we would like to know who built it
and the history because it is a truly unique custom build house with
wood doors and windows all combined with tiles and walls broken up:
you go around corners – here a step up and here 2 down... there a
door and here a window... even our room has a view over the Valley to
San Jose. And the balcony is absolutely stunning: not only can you
watch the sunset – but you can see nearly the whole Central Valley
below you: the first thing we did every morning was go out and admire
the view and in the evenings we were sitting and admiring the sunset
and then enjoyed the warm air until it got too cool (I mean we are
quite high up here). It felt like we had the whole house for
ourselves.
Marisol
told us that a friend of her designed and built the house 12 years
ago (and we thought it is so much older!!)
And
in the morning we got some wonderful Costa Rican style breakfast...
we are getting so spoiled!!
El
Mirador – a lookout
and
a restaurant – and only 600 m from Marisol’s house: guess we
walk. The outsdie walls have ferns growing out of them when you walk
into a green tunnel and get greeted with an aquarium and then you see
the whole Central Valley in front of you: the view is amazing the
food very yummy.... good thing we have to walk back up the hill to
digest this all.
2025-05-23