Weaving in the village of Sarchi
One of the lovely and more unexpected aspects of a holiday to Costa Rica is that you still come across scenes which are essentially lost to us in the UK.
Here is a chap called Willy. I passed him on the back road into the village of Sarchi, about 40km from the capital, San Jose.
I was a bit lost at the time so didn’t really know where I was and certainly didn’t realise that Sarchi was the most important centre for artisan furniture in Costa Rica.
I just swung round a bend to see Willy working outside a very modest looking shack, his wife inside working in the shade. Their three boys playing in the background. All the while we were chatting, mainly about the joys and challenges of having a family of small boys, his hands were working away on an intricate wicker Moses basket.
A basket probably takes him a day to make, a sofa about five. The price of the latter around us$400.
It’s important on a self drive holiday in Costa Rica that you allow yourself to get a little bit lost, that’s usually when you come across the splashes of local colour which make for the most memorable holidays.
Find out more about our Costa Rica holidays or read our Costa Rica holiday guide.