Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 2476-0130; mains US$6-10; 8am-5pm)
Just south of town, tucked slightly back from the main road, this simple green shack of a
restaurant is flanked by well-stocked trout ponds. Catch your own fish, then enjoy it fried
or grilled with garlic at the rustic picnic-bench-style tables.
Getting There & Away
Driving north from the Interamericana through Zarcero, take a right immediately after the
church and continue northeast about 15km. Alternatively, take the road due north from
Sarchí's central plaza. Both roads are almost entirely paved but involve steep climbs and
hairpin turns; 4WD is helpful but not obligatory. There are a couple of daily buses from
Sarchi (US$2, one hour).
WORTH A TRIP
LAS FIESTAS DE PALMARES
If you're around in mid-January, be sure to detour through Palmares for the rowdy annual
Fiestas de Palmares
(
www.fiestaspalmares.com
). The 13-day, beer-soaked extravaganza
features carnival rides, atope(horse parade), fireworks, big-name bands, small-name
bands, exotic dancers, fried food,guaro(local firewater) tents and the densest population
of merry Ticos you've ever seen. It is one of the biggest events in the country - crowds
can reach upwards of 10,000 people. For the other 352 days of the year, Palmares is a
tumbleweed town, where life is centered on the ornate stained-glass church in the at-
tractive, palm-fringed main plaza.
San Ramón & Around
Pop 8700
The colonial town of San Ramón is no wallflower in the pageant of Costa Rican history.
The 'City of Presidents and Poets' has sent five men to the country's highest office, in-
cluding ex-president Rodrigo Carazo, who built a tourist lodge a few kilometers to the
north at the entrance to the Los Ángeles Cloud Forest.
