Costa Rica

Souvenirs from Costa Rica

The phrase "Pura Vida", meaning the pure or good life, is a popular idea with Costa Ricans, as they enjoy a tropical paradise. You can find this charming sentiment on caps, t-shirts, bags, mugs, and other souvenirs from Costa Rica. Popular food items are coffees and coffee flavored liqueurs, perfect for sharing with friends and family back home, served from Chorotega pottery cups. Vividly colored dresses and tops covered in appliques are a great way to bring a little of the "Pura Vida" into your everyday life, and are surprisingly inexpensive. Family workshops create surprisingly detailed ceramic and wood bowls, pots, houses and other decorative items in Santa Ana and Escazu. Other fun memorabilia can be found in street vendor's booths, such as bright wooden macaw statues, jangly earrings and threaded necklaces. After hearing the traditional Costa Rican dances, you may be inspired to purchase a cd from a local salsa artist.

Costa Rica: Ecotourism and Art

Ecotourism is the primary draw for most visitors to Costa Rica, and for good reasons. Beautiful rain forests, diverse wildlife and gorgeous coast lines find their way on to postcards, posters, key chains, books and jewelry, serving as lovely vacation memorabilia. The adventurous may wish to purchase a tropical bird to take home with them, while others may prefer a stuffed toy instead. For those seeking a truly unique souvenir, the Costa Rican art scene is flourishing with exciting painters and sculptors. Search them out while you explore the Spanish colonial architecture of Santa Jose, the capital city. Carretas, or oxcarts, are painted in jewel like colors and serve a decorative purpose now. This charming folk art piece would be perfect as an accent piece in a garden and as a Costa Rican souvenir. Not enough room in your carry on bag for it? Perhaps a Balsa wood mask from the Boruca tribe, carved to resemble the gods, would suffice.