We don’t tend to buy a lot of souvenirs. They’re heavy and they take up too much space. We also don’t do a lot of sight-seeing. We don’t visit temples or museums and very rarely go on tours. Some might say we’re pretty crappy tourists. Instead we capture most of our “souvenirs” in the form of photos, and experience a place’s culture by doing things that are activity-based rather than passively seeing “the sights”.
On our last week in Tamarindo, I ended up with the first souvenir of our year and a half on the road. I took a pottery class and learned the traditional art of making Chorotega Pottery.
Chorotega Pottery can be found everywhere throughout Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province. From gift shops to beach hawkers, this traditional form of pottery is one of Costa Rica’s most popular souvenirs (next to coffee of course). It’s ancient methods have been passed down from generation to generation and are still used today to make beautifully intricate pieces.
I spent a couple of days at the Tamarindo Pottery Studio making my very own piece. It was all done with a hand wheel and traditional tools like corn husks, plus a lot of help from Arbin, who owns the shop.
If you find yourself in Costa Rica, and are looking for a unique experience I highly recommend spending a few days with Arbin in his studio. I had a great time, and ended up with a piece I’m really proud of, that will forever remind me of our six months in Costa Rica. What more could you want in a souvenir?
You can see more pictures and learn more about the studio and my experience over at my craft blog TalkCraftyToMe.com.
Posted by: Kelly
Very cool, Kelly! I’m jealous as usual.
That is certainly an amazing-looking souvenir! And all the more special for the fact that you made it. When we were in Costa Rica we bought something similar – but I have to admit we didn’t make ours :-)