Costa Rica- Day Three

I woke up this morning, excited to spend my last day in Latin America. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I drove to the city of Palmares on my way back to San Jose after hearing it was a great place to spend a few hours walking around. When I got there, I was not disappointed. There were several colorful churches, and there was a very nice park in the middle of the town. I decided to get a souvenir or two to bring something back home. I went to a small bank where I exchanged some US dollars for some Costa Rican colones. For one US dollar you get roughly 500 colones. I made my way around town wondering what I should buy. I then remembered the very colorful ox carts I had seen in towns I had passed through. I asked one of the vendors about and he told me about them. Ox carts used to be the main form of transportation. Owners would decorate theirs with bright colors and try to have the most beautiful ox cart. Today, they are only used for the interest of art, but they remain an important symbol in Costa Rica. I bought a miniature blue, green and yellow cart from the man and thanked him. He smiled and said, “Pura Vida!” I returned the saying and hopped in my car to drive to the airport. Good bye, and Pura Vida Costa Rica!

Ox Cart--Palmares