The village of Zarcero, is
a picturesque little mountain town. It
rises up into the mountains high above Sarchi.
It is about 9
miles or 15 kilometers into the highlands. The elevation is
about 1700 meters,
the coolness of the air is pleasantly
refreshing. It is a nice drive, it
begins with high pastures...
with happy cows! They actually seem to
be smiling.
We stopped on the side, to take a
couple pictures,
of this little guy. He was tickled pink.
Sight Seeing
in the Village of Zarcero
When you get into Zarcero, the
highland clouds swirl and
dance through the village. Drizzling fog
bathes everything
in a soft diffused light... creating a
mystique about the town.
And then as you are driving through
the town... you come
upon it. Unique in Costa Rica, your
eyes settle over the
Central Park o Zarcero... where, for over 3 decades...
Evangelisto Blanco, the park gardener, has been
clipping and
pruning Cypress bushes and hedges, into a
whimsical garden
of amazing creatures.
Exotic topiaries create a fantasy land to pass through, before you reach
the elaborately adorned church of Zarcero.
Towering elephants, with light
bulbs for eyes. A bull ring,
complete with spectators, matador and charging bull.
Christ,
bearing his cross. Monkeys riding motorcycles. Birds and dancing
creatures... that seem to take on, a life of their own.
Mystical
dinosaurs and ancient astronauts... towering arches, mazes and
hidden grottos... natural hummingbird and butterfly gardens.
They have been shaped out
of Cipres, a common type of
Conifer,
that grows in higher elevations, around the country..
For admirers of
spiritual religious architecture, the church
is well worth taking a look at.
The church's’ colorful
interior is quite unique, note the wooden pillars... painted
to resemble marbles.
Taking the Pan American highway (Rt. 1), west out of
San
José, take the Naranjo exit and follow signs
(or ask)
for Ciudad Quesada. Zarcero
is perched
on the rim of
the Central Valley, (17 km. north of
Naranjo), before you
start to drop down to the
northern plains of the San
Carlos region.
After the highway turnoff to the village of Zarcero, is the 200
year old Colonial town of Palmares. This lovely mountain
village
is where the renowned "Fiesta de Palmares" is held, each January.
The "Fiesta de Palmares"
is a
celebration of the New Year, with
lots of delicious Costa Rican traditional foods, carnival rides, live
music, horse parades (where Caballeros strut their prize horses
through town). There are also 3 or 4 days of Costa Rican Rodeo
Shows and Traditional Bull Fights. An exciting adventure into the
Cowboy World of Costa Rica.
The Central Park is lush and
green, and sometimes Sloths are
spotted here. There is one really good seafood restaurant here,
near the park and school.
