This all happened after visiting the town of Sarchi; where they elaborate the famous Costa Rican Oxcarts, carts that were used to transport the coffee in the old days and today is used to rip off the tourists. I was told it was easy to get to.. (easy my a…rm!!) and worth the visit. I must have done something wrong because it was a 4 bus ride to it, not that easy in my standards, and once there I found very little to see, except a giant oxcart in the middle of town. After our unsuccessful search for excitement, we were at the bus stop to take the first bus home when someone made the suggestion to go directly to the freeway in a taxi and catch the bus to Puntarenas directly. What a deal! I was saving time and money… WRONG!!
It was riding the bus the store 20 miles away. The speed, the crowd, the loud music, the safety, the yelling “dale, dale” (means go go!!) wow! Overwhelming! The kids were ready to recycle their breakfast! When it was time to get off the bus, I found myself saying a little prayer..hehe. They literally grab you and pull you off. “Apurence, apurence” (hurry, hurry). We got to the “store”. Interestingly, but not surprisingly it was empty; 3 workers and the 4 of us. It was expensive and poorly stocked. Someone told me that a typical wage in the area was US $6 to 8 a day. A can of tuna cost $2, a beer $1 (this is not a reflection of my priorities, just my memory; It didn’t have much more than that anyway!) I wondered then, how can they afford to buy food? Or the prices get hyped up when they see the gringos?. Well I had to ask! The answer was simple; they don’t eat can tuna! They eat beans and rice, plenty of fruits, eggs and PAPUSAS!.
