Marimba in Costa Rica

Marimba, a national symbol of Costa Rica! On recent visit to one of our tourist spots, we were entertained by the great and talent artists; Salvatierra & Walker.


The marimba (/məˈrɪmbə/) is a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars struck with mallets to produce musical tones. Resonators suspended underneath the bars amplify their sound. The bars are arranged like the keys of a piano, with the groups of 2 and 3 accidentals raised vertically, overlapping the natural bars to aid the performer both visually and physically. This instrument is a type of idiophone, but with a more resonant and lower-pitched tessitura than the xylophone.

The marimba was developed in Central America by African slaves, and descended from its ancestral balafon instrument, which was also built by African slaves. Marimba is now the national instrument of Guatemala.

Modern uses of the marimba include solo performances, woodwind and brass ensembles, marimba concertos, jazz ensembles, marching band (front ensembles), drum and bugle corps, and orchestral compositions. Contemporary composers have used the unique sound of the marimba more and more in recent years. (See more from Wikipedia)

A Trip to the Open Air Farmers Market in Costa Rica

We took a recent trip to the farmers market, and showed my daughter her culture and foods we plan to eat for the week.

In Turrialba, Costa Rica we have the open air farmers market - where a lot of the foods sold are locally grown. Many are even organic. Yum!

This is a great time for me to bond with my daughter at the same time teach her about the foods available to us. This experience is one of my favorite to do, as I also catch up with a lot of the vendors I've grown to know in the years I have lived in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Some I've even visited their farms and had invited me to their homes.

Our community is a mid-sized town and many of the locals here know each other.

If you ever come to Costa Rica, make sure to try and experience shopping at the local farmers market. You can taste the difference!

How would you like your eggs? These our my happy people of Costa Rica!