Carretas, or oxen carts, are one of the most easily identifiable Costa Rican national symbols. For the same reason that Costa Rica is not plagued by the internal disputes that are still present in its neighbor countries, there are not many impressive architectural or monumental sites. Instead, Costa Rica idenitifies with these carts, a once invaluable item for any farmer.
Diego, explaining some of the differences between plaintains (pron. ˈplantən) and bananas.
Looking a little diabolic here. The best pickers can get up to eight baskets a day.
In Monteverde it rains so often and unpredictably that they have store the coffee beans in these greenhouses. Diego is examining a couple grains that have been baked for a different periods of time.
This here is Cacique, the only sanctioned distributor in Costa Rica of
guaro, which is liquor or brandy made from sugar cane. It is sitting upon the device that one would use to make the product. Note the unpainted yoke in the background.
Inside Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles in Cartago, Costa Rica. The church holds a black Madonna, known as La Negrita. An indigenous girl was rumored to have found it back in 1635, but it kept returning to its original site where it was found. This is not the original church, yet the Madonna has stayed put.
Romantic "Scenes" Are Not Permitted. This was on the entrance to the restaurant where I made the following shot, and the instructions were only lightly followed.
Lots of vultures.
A truck...again. Obviously I had to go inside.
It's amazing how intricately Christianity, and most often, Roman Catholicism, is interwoven with Central American culture. Invoking the name of God in a goodbye is customary, whether one says Adios or Que Dios le bendiga...
Banana Flower (Musa sapienti)
Hanging Lobster Claw (Heliconia rostrata)
