After almost six months in Central America, we had just 24 hours left in Costa Rica, what else was
there left to do but shop? We had tried a few of the
regular tourist souvenir places in San Jose which were
okay, but luckily at the last minute we found the
artesian outdoor shop a little farther out of the
downtown area where there were tons of options for
much better prices and we got to meet the makers of
the materials as well. The orderly list of what to buy
for who went out the window as we fell in love nearly
every shopkeeper and his/her items: beautiful wood
crafts and carvings, jewelry, hand-painted items,
those dizzyingly colorful quilts from Panama, the
textile crafts from Guatemala, and on and on. And of
course, we went into the mercado to purchase three kilos of
coffee fresh roasted right there in the tiendas.
Shopping there was a multi-sensory treat.
John and I shared a quiet farewell ritual for our
journey, celebrating and thanking the people and the
land we encountered along the way and blessing the
path for those who will follow. Our hearts were heavy
as we boarded the plane the next day to head to New
Mexico, USA, but we were grateful to be greeted by
family and friends to help us start the transition
back into life in the States.
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