The Feria at Alajuela

On Saturday, November 1, 2014, we went with our friends Diane and John to the Plaza Ferias (farmers' market) in Alajuela.

This map shows the shortest route between Atenas and the market. Part of the route (Ruta 27) is a toll road. For more detailed information about this route and two alternative routes which avoid the toll, go here.

The complete address for Plaza Ferias is given as Avenida Central Juan López del Corral, Alajuela, Costa Rica. However, for easiest access to the main parking lot, it is better to drive along Avenida 4 Concordia and not along Avenida Central which appears in the close-up below.

Concepcion which appears in the lower left corner of the first map on Ruta 27 is near where a landslide occurred on the day we went to Plaza Ferias.

Diane on right snapping photos

 

Pejibayes, palm tree fruit. Beautiful color. Must be cooked. Delicious with a bit of sour cream on top.

 

This feria is very large and was packed with people buying their weekly fruits, vegetables, breads, cheese, seafood and meat. The seafood selection was excellent and, of course, Costa Rican chicken is really good.

On the far left of the market, clothing and other sundry items are for sale. I also saw pots, pans and perfumes. Lots of vendors offer free samples of their fruit - juicy melons, papayas and pineapples. We wandered up and down each aisle, buying what took our fancy. The beets I bought were excellent and the carrots sweet.

Cebollas (onions)

Piñas

Lance manning the cart.

Oranges on the left, bananas and plantains on the right.

John gets a turn at cart pushing.

 

On the way out, I bought two thick corn tortillas stuffed with ham and still hot.

We had a fun day. All of us enjoy exploring new places. I have to say I would not make a special trip back to this feria because our own Atenas feria has mostly all the same products - it's just not as big. Besides, we like to support our locals.

Getting back to the landslide, I should add that it normally takes about one half hour to drive to the market from Atenas. However, because the landslide on Ruta 27 (which is a major freeway to the Pacific Coast) occurred before we started home, the trip back took over two hours because of massive traffic jams caused by traffic being diverted through Atenas.

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