Sarchi Costa Rica

Monday we had a little excursion with the other senior missionaries. We couldn't drive our new car because we don't yet have insurance. The govt. offices are closed all week for La Navidad. So we went with President Porter and another couple named Jarman to a town called Sarchi.

This town is famous for these painted carts. Don't ask me why the computer is changing my centered format? But the carts started out as real work carts drawn by oxen. They hauled the crops of the area such as coffee which is grown here.

The elaborated painting is a lot like the designs on tole painting. They offer a lot of little replicas to the tourists. I thought maybe I would buy one in red a use it as a Christmas decoration, kind of like the little red Scandinavian horse and candle holders.

The man showed us how they make the wheels. They are made out of a really heavy wood and rimmed with metal.

This is a close up of one of the tole type designs they use. This particular one was on the building.

Here is another example of a design.

This was a display showing how the wheels have evolved into a kind of folk art from the real working cart and wheel.

This was a huge example of a wheel, not a real one and not on a cart. We had a fun day and ate dinner in a restaurant called Le Finca--the Farm. Took lots of pictures so will show some of them at a different time.