TNT

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Coffee

As displayed in my other blogs, coffee is a very important part of many peoples lives in Costa Rica. I never would have thought that coffee production would be so prevalent.

On our many bus rides around the country, we´ve been able to see the different types of plants being grown and how they are being grown. It has been interesting to notice and learn how coffee growth is different at different alititudes and climate zones. We were able to visit a plantation that requires less work due to the climate conditions which is beneficial to the soils and surrounding environment. We´ve also passed several fields where shade screens were built over the plants to create optimal growth conditions in sunnier climates. In this case, environmental degredation is potentially much more prevalent.

It will be enjoyable to notice more about coffee once we return to the US. I know that I will pay closer attention to the details and be able to explain the differences between organic and nonorganic. Learning about coffee in Costa Rica has been a very beneficial experience.

Tourism

Sea Urchins. Notice how close this picture is...there was no diving involved when taking this picture.
You can see all of the group out there in the water (those little spots are their heads).

We got a little more experiece in the tourism industry this past weekend on our trip to Manzanillo and Puerto Viejo.

What I really want to focus on was our snorkeling trip that we took on Saturday morning. I understand the benefits of bringing income to those who do not have opportunities and how it helps the economny, but I also see the downside of ecotourism. On our trip to snorkel in the Caribbean, I was given the perfect example.

I remember learning about El Niño in eight grade science class and how it was killing the coral reefs. I also learned alot about the subject in my oceanography class Sophomore year. What I found on our trip was that the protection of the reefs wasnt stressed as much as I was expecting. We snorkeled very close the reefs. You could touch them by simply putting your hand down as you were swimming around. Also, when the waves moved you around, you had a good chance of running into the coral like I did when I bumped my knee. It was very suprising to me that we were taken so close to this natural being when its so important to preserve them.

After experiencing the snorkeling trip, it made me realize that ecotourism can be benefical when put into practice correctly. It may bring income to those in need but without their understanding of why the tourists are there, the environment may be destroyed more than sustained.

Bananas

We finally went to a banana plantation!! Not just any plantation, the Chiquita plantation! We spent part of Friday exploring and learning more about banana production and Chiquita as a company. It was a very interesting visit to say the least.

We started the trip by learning about Chiquitas conservation project. They are helping the environment by promoting public knowledge on sustainability and also by planting trees and preserving areas surrounding the plantation. The Project brings in students and groups and gives them lessons on maintaining and preserving the environment.

We were able to ask questions and we learned alot about how Chiquita works hard on sustainable practices and the health of their workers. We learned about the recycling of the bags that they use for protecting the bananas from insects which I mentioned in a prior blog. They also showed us the clothes that workers have to wear to prevent health problems while working. It was interesting that they were so forward about how they protect their workers but didn´t jump too much into the reasons that workers are required to wear the clothes. We actually saw huge signs telling people to not enter into the plantation because of how bad the chemicals are. Not only do they affect the workers and surrounding citizens, but they also can produce runoff that makes its way into to surrounding fields and water supply systems.

Chiquita has the potential for common banana production issues but they also have very good solutions. Chiquitas solution to runoff issues is that they have planted forests surrounding the plantation in an attempt to work as a barrier against the chemicals. They also evacuate surrounding homes during chemical sprays to protect the health of citizens who live nearby. After learning so much about the hazardous affects that banana production has on the environment, I was surprised to see the tactics that Chiquita uses to minimize the risks.

According to my professors, Chiquita is actually alot more sutainable than other plantations. I think that if other companies can curb their objectives towards sustainable growth, then the consequences will not be as large of an impact on the environment in the long run.

Puerto Viejo Weekend

Heidi, Diane, and I on the beach in Manzanillo. It was beutiful.

Out by the water during our bonfire at our resort.

Our destination after we hiked down the beach. A frog...like you see in pictures. ha
At the Chiquita plantation. This lady is putting the stickers on the bananas.
A monkey!! We got to see this one up close !
Laying out and trying to catch some rays. I got burnt during this overcast beach time.
The view from our beautiful resort hotel.

We just got back from another long trip. This time we went to the Caribbean side of the country which was a lot different.

We started off our trip by driving to La Selva Research Station on Thursday. While we were there, we went on two nature hikes and learned more about the rainforest. We saw a lot of poisonous frogs and they were all bright colors (mainly red). We also saw more monkeys and wild pigs. We learned about strangler figs for about the fifth time too. They are trees that grow up and around other trees until they can block sunlight from getting to the main tree, then the main tree dies. Its pretty interesting the first time you hear it!

We left from La Selva on Friday morning then headed to the Chiquita plantation which was an experience. We watched a video on the project they started and got a tour of part of the plantation. You´ll hear more about it in my banana blog. After Chiquita we headed to Puerty Viejo and spent the night there. A bunch of us went out to a club on the beach which was a blast. They played music from the US which was super comforting.

Saturday morning we got up very early and headed out to snorkel. It was alot more shallow in the Caribbean and the coral reefs were very pretty. They weren´t so pretty though after you jam your knee in to them...whoops!

After snorkeling we headed to Manzanillo and settled into our dream resort that we had all been waiting for. It was right on the beach, the bathrooms were nice (not common), there was a nice pool, the food was AMAZING, and the sun was shining. We spent the rest of the day at the hotel. Sunday morning, 4 of us got up really early and went for a 3 mile run. It was my best run yet! We ran a really fast two miles then ran the last part on the beach which is a lot harder than I thought it would be! Either way, it started my day off great. After breakfast we took a hike out to this big lookout point. It was beautifual. Once we got back to the hotel we relaxed during the afternoon because it was raining. It was still very nice to just relax. I tried wine from Chile last night which is supposed to be really good and I agree, it was delicious.

Now we are back in San Jose for the rest of the trip. We have classes tomorrow then group presentations and our final on Wednesday. It seems like it will be a little stressful these first two days but Thursday and Friday should be nice!

Tourism

Our trip to the Osa Peninsula was a perfect example of eco-tourism. We spent the majority of our time (besides the camp) in areas that weren't touched by humans. 

It was apparent from the beginning that the Osa was well kept when we took our first boat ride to our camp. There were very few cars and we were always transported by the same taxis. 

Our first day trip was to the park itself. The only man made thing around was the rangers office. Other than that, there were only untouched beaches and the rainforest. Our guide was able to bring us around the park without harming anything. The only part of our hike that looked unnatural was the path that was created by people simply hiking - no gravel or sand led the way. 

Our snorkeling trip even further displayed how eco-friendly our trip to the Osa was. We took boats again to Cano Island where the only thing there was a small building. We took boats out where we snorkeled. I'm pretty sure the only part of that trip that could hurt the environment was the boat motors. We were able to enjoy ourselves and be entertained by still maintaining the environment and enjoying its beauty. 

I think the trip we are taking to the Caribbean is going to be a lot different. There should be alot more commercial points of interest rather than natural (not including the beach). It should be interesting to contrast.

The Osa

These pictures are out of order again - fyi.

Here is a nice shot that our guide took for me when we were snorkeling. Its so nice to have a waterproof camera.
This was our view from our tents. 
I love this picture. Back behind me was the first waterfall we hiked to. Thats our amazing guide over there.
Jaguar prints!! ahh
If you eat this plant, you will die within 30 minutes. No cure. 
Playing in the second waterfall.
Snorkeling!
The guys helping the bus after it attempted a potentially dangerous move. Luckily, we all were told to get off first. We had to go on this road because there was a bridge out on the way there.
Here we are winding through a crazy forest on our way to the camp.
Our tents.
Playing cards...very common.
Here we are on our way to the 3 hour hike along the beach. We are all so pumped :)

So we took a long trip to the Osa Peninsula these past few days and it was an experience. After a long bus ride there with a few interesting stops, we made it to our boats that we took to the wilderness camp. We were welcomed by a family that centered everything around making us happy (can't complain there). We all stayed in tents with beds in them that were covered and the view was beautiful from the camp. You could see the ocean from inside the tent. 

Our first night there we relaxed and played cards for a few hours which came to be pretty much all we did while at the camp. They served us gourmet style food the whole time which was amazing.

Monday morning we hopped on the boats again and they took us to the preserved part of the Osa for a long hike. We spent 3 hours walking along the beach and right inside the rainforest. We saw monkeys, spiders, termites (which the guys ate...ahh), crazy foot prints from jaguars and the biggest mammal in Costa Rica. Our group stopped at a waterfall and we all went for a swim. It was beautiful. Our guide cracked open a coconut and we all got to drink the juice and eat some too. It was actually really tasty. We had lunch then hiked to another waterfall where we all swam. It felt amazing because it was so hot. After the hike we headed back to the camp where we spent the rest of the day playing cards and hanging out. It was a relaxing camp to say the least. 

Monday night is when the rain began. There was actually a big storm and the thunder was incredibly loud. It woke everybody up and it sounded like we were being bombed. It was still raining when we woke up but luckily it cleared up before we headed for Cano Island to go snorkeling. It was a rough boat ride over but I sat in the front we went up and down with the waves. Whenever we hit a big wave, it was like all of your bones smacked together once the boat hit water again. It was painful but it was a blast. The snorkeling was fun. We got to see alot of fish but I think snorkeling in the Caribbean will be better. 

We spent the rest of the day at the camp again and again, we played cards and hung out. The man who owned the camp made us a big jug of "juice" and he threw a party which was alot of fun. There was a lot of dancing involved. 

We had a long trip back yesterday. These bus rides just keep coming. 

This trip taught me alot about how the natural world could be if humans were not to alter it. Costa Rica has proven to be a very beautiful country that knows how to work the tourism industry. It was amazing to actually see all of the natural life in its prime. You will notice how eco-friendly this trip was in my Tourism blog. 

We leave for the Caribbean in about an hour which is exciting. We'll get back on Monday and then wrapping up the trip is all we have left (I say that casually but there is actually a ton to do). Hopefully no rain this weekend!