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The Artisans Cooperative of Santa Elena and Monteverde (CASEM), tel. 645-5190, fax 645-5898, email: staelena@soiracsca.co.cr, www.monteverdeinfo.com/casem/ features the handmade wares of 140 local artisans (closed Sunday May—Nov.). Sales directly benefit the artists. Next-door is the coffee roaster of Café Monteverde, tel. 645-5008; fax 645- 5623, where you can taste locally produced coffee and watch beans being roasted and packaged ($2 per half-pound). Roaster Victorina Molina will be happy to tell you all about the local coffee cooperative.

The Galeria Extasis, tel./fax 645-5548, sells exquisite paintings, hardwood sculptures, jewelry, bowls, and other creative art by gifted artist Marco Tulio Brenes, who apprenticed with the master craftsman Barry Biesanz. The Hummingbird Gallery is well stocked with souvenirs—locally made hand-carved wooden pieces, embroidered placemats, wall hangings, and blouses—plus posters, postcards, and color transparencies. The visitor center at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve also sells posters, books, and T-shirts.

Also check out the Monteverde Studios of the Arts and the Centro Ceramica, both selling works by local artists.

In Santa Elena, Churches, tel. 645-5147, fax 645-5551, email: standley@racsa.co.cr, sells U.S. and English magazines and newspapers, plus a large selection of books—especially on natural history—in English and Spanish, as well as laminated Costa Rican Field Guides.

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

A2Z Languages highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.

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