The "Artistry in Motion" Story

It was an ordinary day. Heading to the Oxcart Factory which is located in Sarchi, just west of the Central Valley in Costa Rica. This is one of the shore excursions that Carol and I scheduled to do while on our Panama Canal cruise. Sachi is the home of Costa Rica’s craftsmanship. We saw a show on the Travel Channel about Costa Rica a few months ago and part of the show, which was hosted by Samantha Brown, was a trip to the Oxcart Factory. Fantastic craftsmanship and artistry. Got online and scheduled the trip as soon as the show was over. We docked before daybreak this morning and will remain in Puntarenas Port, Costa Rica until 7:00 PM this evening. Boarded the tour bus about 8:30 AM for our cross-country trip to our destination. Carol made sure I sat by the window in the bus, since I have already taken about 800 photos and she knew I would try to add a few more during our journey. Hey, isn’t it neat having a digital camera and being able to delete all the crap you take and don’t like. Beaches in this area are strewn with driftwood and are a dirty brown color. Our tour guide, JP, who is young and handsome and noticed by my wife, gives us a history lesson as we drive. Costa Rica, which is situated below Nicarauga and above Panama and is 10 degrees above the equator, lies on two tatonic plates.He told us that they have, on the average, 400 earthquakes a MONTH! Yikes! Most small, luckily. I guess I believe him! He holds a Masters Degree in Science. And, he demonstrates it with his presentation and answers to our questions. They average six feet of rain a year with October being the wettest month. And .... today is October 4th. And .... it rained for part of the trip. And .... they had so much rain yesterday that it caused mudslides on many parts of the road that we will take today. Four million people live in Costa Rica with their economy based on: #1 - production of microchips, #2 - silicone for cosmetic use, #3 - tourism, #4 - coffee production, and #5 - production of bananas, pineapples and mangoes for export. They do raise cattle, primarily Brahma cattle and were up to a few years ago the main supplier of beef to McDonald's in Central America. One of their biggest exports is Tiliapa which is farm raised. They have had no military since 1958, when they decided that it was too expensive to maintain one. They have a property tax on everyone who has a home valued over $350,000, and they pay a 33% income tax which helps fund their socialized medicine program. JP was all in favor of the program. Medical costs are inexpensive in the country and he told us he just gave his niece a two year program of braces for her teeth which costs $800 for her birthday. It has been two hours of scary travel over winding and steep roads, but we have reached our first stop at Grecia. We are visiting a Catholic Church (the country is over 90% Catholic) which is entirely metal. Yep, metal. First two which were made from wood burnt to the ground so in 1956 they built the church out of metal. Pretty neat! Now here is the problem that comes from being on a cruise and having to get back at a specific time - we have 15 minutes to see the church and get back on the bus. And ... our time starts now. Hey, we’re sitting near the back of the bus and it takes 5 of those 15 minutes to get off the bus. Old, fat, handicapped people take time to maneuver while getting off a bus. Funny how I don’t picture myself in that category. Really not much else to see except the church so I guess the time allotment worked. Off we head for Sarchi which is another 20 minutes away. As we pullinto the Oxcart Factory, the artistry is evident. Beautiful oxcarts fill the property. The hand-painted oxcart, which is used for transporting a variety of things, dates back to the late 1800s. We have 1:45 minutes for this stop. Starting now! Skilled craftsman sit with their paints and decorate everyone by hand. Acrylic paints are used primarily for the artwork. A few of my fellow travelers shelled out the $500+ for an oxcart plus shipping. Not sure what I would use one for, so I opted for a t-shirt and a bird feather painted by one of the artists. We head to the restaurant for a burger which I don’t get finished before we have to rush to the bus. Rainy return trip to sea level with concern for more mudslides. Both sides of the road are covered with coffee and sugarcane. After the return to the dock, we walk along the beach watching a soccer game and looking at the cruise ships in the distance. Finally, we head for the ship and our evening meal. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from the top are: beach in Costa Rica on the Pacific side, all metal church in Grecia, hills covered in coffee, oxcart factory, artist at work, artist painting an umbrella, and the cruise ships at the pier.