It's All Over

Well I have been home for almost a week now and I just wanted to post one last blog about the most amazing month of my life. I am not the type to get home sick and though there are parts of me that are happy to be home and seeing my friends and family, I still would have stayed in Costa Rica all summer if I could have. I am soooo happy I decided to go and I have no regrets. I have no doubt that this trip trumps Lux for sure. There is no way that I would have done even half of the stuff we did if I had traveled to Costa Rica on my own. Every trip and activity seemed to be better than the last. Plus it was so nice to have it all planned and all we had to do was show up and be amazed. I really had a fabulous time and I know this was an experience that I will never forget. Even now, I can't look at pictures on facebook without smiling or laughing out loud in some cases. I have made some amazing friends and really had the time of my life. I loved every minute of every day! My only disappointment would be if we don't all stay in touch in the future. I have never had so much fun with 26 random college students that I had never met before. I can't wait to see everyone in the fall and I definitely think we should plan a return trip someday!

Bungee Jumping!

Bungee jumping is pretty much the coolest thing I have ever done in my life! Everything we have done on this trip was great but this definitely beats out everything else. There are really no words to describe it but it was awesome!!! I am so glad that the 8 of us decided to end the trip on such an amazing high! And I am still alive!

Our Last Adventure

Today we started the day off by going to see the Poas Volcano which is not a lava volcano but rather a gas volcano. It looks like a big pool of water but apparently you can rarely ever see it because of all the gases and the clouds covering it. Well as soon as we got there, the air cleared up and we were able to see almost the whole pool at one point. We had perfect timing because there was already a group there that had been waiting for two hours to see it and we just walked up and there it was. So we got really lucky which was nice because I never would have waited there that long in the cold rain. 

We also visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens and saw some really amazing stuff as well as had an awesome lunch. We got up close and personal with gorgeous birds like Macaws and Toucans. We gave some butterflies a ride and freaked when crazy fast humming birds zoomed by our heads. We played with some cute little monkeys and then saw snakes and frogs that everyone has been wanting to see (and I think I like the snakes better behind the glass). We also got a little wet next to some beautiful waterfalls. Today was a good day to see a lot of great stuff in one location. It was a nice ending trip to a fabulous time here in Costa Rica. 

Turismo Parte Cuatro

First I would like to say YAY for this being my last industry blog!!!!

Today we visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens which is a tourist attraction that definitely qualifies as ecotourism. There was so much to see in such a small space and it was all about nature and the natural environment. There were exotic birds, frogs, snakes, butterflies, monkeys, waterfalls and more, and although the creatures were not in the wild, the surroundings seemed somewhat close to a natural habitat. Even the bathrooms were very natural. The sink water did not come from a faucet but rather a little waterfall. Everything was made from natural materials like wood and the paper used was recycled. Although using a lot of wood like that may not be sustainable it does add to the overall feel of the location and enhances a tourist's experience. When coming to Costa Rica tourists want to see things like the stuff we saw today. I have waited the entire trip to see toucans and we were able to get very close and take pictures right next to them which was pretty amazing. And not only that but I literally had beautiful butterflies crawling on me and a bird landed on my head. It was really cool to be so close to such awesome creatures. La Paz is a place that has definitely capitalized on the ecotourism industry. 

According to Treehugger.com Costa Rica was the leading Latin American country in 2007 in certified sustainable tourism. CR boosts nearly 70 tourism businesses that are certified as sustainable. Costa Rica has been experiencing a boom in the tourism industry for years due to the growing interest and demand in ecotourism. It's good to hear that they are not only working on being good to the environment but also working towards being certifiably sustainable, which is no small task. Because Costa Rica as a country cares so much about their environment I believe they will be able to reach their goal of becoming the first carbon neutral country. I think being a totally sustainable country could even bring in more tourists. People would want to see what it's like to be sustainable and also want to know that they are traveling to a solid place that cares about the world. Sustainability and ecotourism really mesh together and in the end improving both sectors will be better for everyone. 

Bananas Capitulo Cuatro

At one time the conditions within a banana plantation were unimaginable. Banana farms were owned by wealthy people (usually foreign investors) who exploited the land for their use and did not care what damaging affects they were having on the environment. They also tended to employ immigrant workers who would work for very little money and under very poor conditions. Once a farmer had used up the landed and depleted it of all its nutrients and natural resources, they would simply pack up and move on leaving a waste land that was of no use to anyone anymore. The abandoning of the land not only hurt the environment but also the surrounding communities that depended on the the natural resources and the income that farming brought. The wealthy farmers would just take over an area and then leave it without any concern for the people they left behind. 

Although banana plantations are still hard on the environment, the conditions of modern fields are much better than in the days of the past. The use of harmful pesticides is more limited and people are not allowed near the farms when planes are spraying the fields. Workers are also required to wear a lot of protective gear when working with these chemicals. More sustainable practices, such as recycling when possible, are being put into place. Companies like Chiquita are also offering certified products that vow to limit their detrimental affects to the environment. 

Banana workers are still under some risk but steps have been taken by growers to protect the health of their employees, their customers, and the environment.   

Cafe #4

Just this April Daisy Rodriguez's coffee plantation was named the best coffee in Costa Rica. I have found some newspaper articles about it, but unfortunately everything is in Spanish and therefore not of much help to me. 

When I am in the United States everything is about Starbucks. Sure there are plenty of other coffee companies out there but Starbucks is by far the biggest and most well-known. Here in Costa Rica the Starbucks equivalent is Cafe Britt, another large corporate coffee company. Although these are the major producers in their respective countries, they do not necessarily have the best product on the market. I find it to be quite interesting that a relatively small farm such as CafeTal was the winner of the best quality coffee over its bigger competitors. Daisy's farm was nothing like that of Cafe Britt. There were no organized tours, no restaurant and no gift shop. It was just a simple coffee plantation that happens to make wonderful coffee. I do not drink coffee so I do not know a whole lot about the coffee industry in the United States, but I am sure that it is pretty similar in the States. Many people probably prefer coffee from smaller companies that may make a better product than Starbucks. Starbucks seems like a good enough company who tries to do right by the world and even pays among the highest prices for sustainably produced coffee, but again that does not mean that they have the best coffee products. 

The next time I go to a small cafe I will pay more attention to where the coffee comes from, what types are offered and how much people seem to like it. I can do the same thing when I wander through any grocery store. There is usually a pretty large section dedicated to coffee ranging from the simple Folgers instant coffee to the higher end gourmet and international products.  I will definitely notice what country the coffee comes from, how much it costs, and how well it seems to sell. The coffee industry is an interesting business especially with all the recent trends in organic and sustainable products. I think that if I did drink coffee on a regular basis I would notice the difference between the corporate suppliers and the more home-grown feel coffee. And even though I did enjoy the visit to Cafe Britt and I have nothing against Starbucks, I think I would have to choose the smaller companies just as some sort of rebellion against big corporate companies. 

Bananas Capitulo Tres

This past Friday we visited Chiquita Banana. As we traveled down the long lane of banana plantation the first thing we saw was plenty of caution signs warning people not to go into the fields when planes were above. The planes spray toxic chemicals that should not be near humans. However we also noticed that there were houses on the other side of this lane.

When we went inside we watched a video about what Chiquita is doing with their Nature and Community Project. Chiquita works with the Rainforest Alliance and promotes corporate responsibility. They have spent over $20 million to certify their farms in 5 countries. Although we have heard about all of the awful things banana plantations do to the environment and even the workers in the fields, it seems that Chiquita is taking great steps to reduce these risks and make everything as safe as possible. They work hard to maintain good working conditions and have strict rules in order to protect the employess health. Unlike at some other banana farms it is a must for field workers to wear the appropriate garments and masks to protect their skin from the chemicals. Chiquita is aware of the damaging affects a banana plantation has and they try to help the environment when they can. For instance, all of the bananas on the trees are covered in plastic bags until picked. Rather than throw these bags away in inappropriate areas, Chiquita chooses to recycle whatever possible. There seems to be negative things that Chiquita can not really avoid in their production but they are doing more than other major banana producers. With a well-known name like Chiquita that accounts for such a large sector of the banana industry, I am glad they can be a respectable company as well.

We also saw the production line where the bananas are washed and packed for shipping. I was pretty impressed with how fast those people can put stickers on bananas. Then we watched a play put on by the women of Chiquita. The workers in the fields are predominately male but there is a large amount of women that work the production line or within one of three other independent businesses. The play that we watched, The Chiquita Banana Show, was one of these business ventures. The women explained the Chiquita history as well as protocol in the fields by acting everything out and including audience intereaction. This was similar to the show we saw at Cafe Britt, but a bit less high-tech.

Another business that the women run is homemade products that they sell in a small gift shop. They dehydrate fruit, make paper products with bananas, and create bowls, bags, and placemats from newspapers. These items are really cool looking and I have to admit that I am pretty excited about my new newspaper bowl. The women of Chiquita also made a pretty good lunch for us. It was a pretty traditional Costa Rican lunch but it ended with some of the best warm banana bread that I have ever had. So along with growing and selling bananas Chiquita is also promoting business skills and helping the surrounding Costa Rican area thrive.

I love bananas and I do not believe that I have ever purchased anything but Chiquita bananas. When I intitially heard how awful bananas were to the environment I expected to visit Chiquita and hear a lot of hype and essentially fibs about how they do good for the environment not hurt it. Instead what I found was a genuine corporate company that seems to be doing what they can while providing good products and making a profit. Though I think organic bananas may be a better option all-around in comparison to traditional growing with harsh chemicals, I also think that Chiquita is still a solid company and is worth by money.

Last Day of Class

Well class is over and although we didn't actually meet very times I did learn a lot. I am glad I got to spend the last few weeks learning about something that is actually interesting and relevant to business today. Although it was depressing to hear about how there are way to many people on the Earth and we are killing the environment and ourselves it was also a real eye-opener. I think the things that hit me the most were the clips of speakers that we watched and the movie The 11th Hour. It's one thing to listen to a lecture about facts and figures but it is more interesting and more impactful to see the pictures of what is being done and hear the ideas of experts in the field. I think I could describe my time in class in three words. Scary. Enlightening. Encouraging. I know it seems like the world is coming to an end at times but there are also so many things that we can do to change the world for the better and help the seventh generation. After taking this class I am even considering a sustainability minor back at Miami. I don't really know if I could fit it in since it would be my second minor, but I do at least want to take a few classes and learn what I can. So good job on making a study abroad program where I actually enjoy the traveling and the learning.

Turismo Parte Tres

Tourism in any location can have negative affects on the surrounding environment. These affects can be most noticed in areas that are not densely populated and are relatively untouched. Countries such as Costa Rica would qualify as a place that needs to pay attention to the damages great amounts of tourism can have on their environment. MeaningfulTravel outlines some of the impacts tourists can have on the places they visit.

Travel is the first big impact. Planes, trains, boats, and cars all require a lot of energy and produce a lot of polltion as well. Getting to your travel destination is a big deal but also just getting around while there can cause problems. Even if you choose to limit the use of gasoline using transportation, just walking around a fragile environment can be detrimental. In places like the rainforest one wrong step will kill bugs and animals and can harm plants. You can not go to such a dense natural area and not leave your footprints.

Many tourist activities in these regions can also harm the environment. For activities like zip linning, trees must be cleared in order to put the wires in place and make it safe for humans. Hotels and resorts also require large amounts of land to be built. People come to experience nature but parts of it have to be torn down just for that to be able to happen.

In areas of high tourism the natural resources can be of concern as well. If millions of people who expect luxury come into a small country, they can use just as much if not more of the areas natural resources during their short stays. Simple things like food and especially water can be strained.

Luckily for Costa Rica, the country is big on ecotourism which means that they are trying to perserve their environment while allowing tourists to enjoy the natural beauties. Costa Rica is working hard to protect all that nature has given them why also promoting tourist activities. Costa Rica also promotes recylcing, reusing, and other ways of being efficient in order to further protect the environment. They want to be a sustainable country without depleting their tourists population. Although in a few cases CR is trying to limit (not remove, just limit) the number of tourists in some places so that they do not further harm the land. When we traveled to Monteverde we saw some of the most trecherous roads in the country. We were told that the inhabitants of the region want the roads to be bad in order to somewhat deter too many tourists from traveling there. The roads are so awful and hard to drive on that many tourists may not want to take the risk and just decide to go else where. I can understand why the people may want to attract less tourists in a certain delicate area, but luckily there are plenty of other beautiful places for tourists to go.

I think Costa Rica is doing a great job of balancing tourism and environmental sustainability. As long as they continue the practies they are using and continue improving then they will be attracting visitors to a beautiful environment for years to come.

Cafe #3!

Since visiting Cafe Britt a couple of weeks ago, I have noticed that Cafe Britt products are sold everywhere. Every little restaurant or shop seems to sell Cafe Britt. Cafe Britt is by far the most commercial company we have visited while in Costa Rica. As mentioned previously Cafe Tal is a much smaller company and I honestly do not even know how you go about getting the Del Cafe Tal coffee. I do not know what the packages look like or who buys from the farm. Although it offers a high quality product, Cafe Tal is just a small grower that did not seem to have much exposure until recently. Cafe Britt on the other hand offers dozens of products including multiple coffee roasts, chocolates, gourmet coffee beans and other beverages such as hot chocolate and coffee liquor. You could make a meal out of all the things they offer and you can have it sent anywhere you desire. We did not get to have a private question time with anyone at Cafe Britt like we did with Daisy Rodriguez so I do not know a whole lot about the company aside from what they explained in the tour, but I would be interested in knowing how their selling prices compare to the prices that Daisy sells for. Their website states that they pay high prices and I know that Daisy earns a very good price on her products, so I wonder what a difference being such a large company can make. The Cafe Britt name is certainly more recognizable so I just wonder what affects that has on their business and on their products. Being so commercial I would almost think that they could slack off on the quality, or social issues a little simply because they reach so many consumers, so if they lost a few it would not really make much of a difference. At the same time, they need to work hard to please the consumer because the shear volume of customers is so high and if they do something that the consumers do not like, well then they are bascially screwed. But the word they are putting out there is that they are a company of fairness and quality and I think I believe it. They seem like a pretty genuine company to me. When we visited, the guides and workers seemed happy enough. They claim to pay well, they offer organic products, and will soon be adding the certification to their coffee. Based on our visit, the company website and the products I sampled, Cafe Britt seems to be a company that wants to make good products, please their consumers, and do so while helping the environment when they can.

I have not tried any Cafe Britt coffee but I can say that the hot cocoa and the chocolates are phenomenal. I did try Daisy's coffee but since I do not actually like coffee at all, I would not be able to say if it was any good or not. So I am not the person to ask which I prefer, but from my point of view, both plantations seem to be decent companies run by decent people.

Finally, Some Beach Time!!

This weekend was the most relaxing weekend we have had so far and it was marvelous! Throughout the trip I have wanted to just hit the beach, catch some waves, and soak up the sun. I know we are here for class but who can blame a girl for wanting some beach time. Well we for sure got it this weekend.

On Thursday we went to La Selva research station which was pretty uneventful and we were only there for one night. Though some of us decided to go on a night walk on our own in the pitch black darkness which was pretty cool until I thought I saw a snake right by my face. Luckily it was just a crazy tree who's limb happens to greatly resemble a snake. I do also have to admit that it was pretty cool to be at a research reserve like that. I always here about scientists doing research in the rainforest to find new medicines or cures for diseases for something, but I don't know anything about it. Well we got to see just where some of this research is taking place in Costa Rica and we even saw some scientists in action, haha.

Poison Dart Frog

Clearly Looks Like a Snake

Friday saw a little more action. We started the day by visiting a banana plantation. A Chiquita banana plantation to be exact, which I thought was pretty cool because I love bananas and we always get Chiquitas. I was kind of surprised with the Chiquita tour actually. I guess I expected it to be a bit more like the Cafe Britt coffee plantation because it's such a large company but it did not appear to be that commercial at all. It just seemed like a small family-owned place that happened to use the Chiquita name. But it was interesting and we had some killer banana bread. After the banana tour we head to Puerto Viejo which is a unique little beach town. It's pretty small with just a few hotels, restaurants, and shops. Well that and the bars. I get the feeling that the inhabitants of Puerto Viejo, along with the tourists that visit it, surely like to party.

The Chiquita Production Line

Saturday was when the real fun began in my opinion. We traveled to Cahuita and went snorkeling for the second time. This time the water was a lot shallower so we were super close to all the sea creatures. Close enough that I scraped my knee on some coral. Although we were closer to the diverse sea life the water was kind of dirty and not nearly as clear as the water was at the Osa. But it was still a good time. When we finished snorkeling we took a break on a little island to have a snack and sit in the sun. There we saw some awesome creatures that we had all been wanting to see the entire trip. We saw a bright yellow snake, a sloth that actually moved, and we even got very close to some humerous little monkeys that tried to take stuff from people. The next time we stepped off the bus in Manzanillo we were at the nicest hotel we have stayed at by far. Las Palmas was right on the Caribbean coast and we had amazing views of the beach from our rooms. It was such a nice change from the places we had been staying. Every other place was cool, but this hotel was very chill and perfect for a relaxing weekend on the beach. So we spent the rest of the day splashing around in the ocean, playing beach volleyball, taking naps, and just relaxing. Then a few of us decided to stay up all night so we could see the sun rise over the ocean. So we stayed up until 6 in the morning having a great time and then saw no sun. It was bright out, but it was also super cloudy so we couldn't actually see the sun, though we did have an interesting debate over whether the sun was actually up or not. Then we went to bed for a couple of hours, had an awesome breakfast and started another relaxing day.

The View From Our Room

Stayed Up All Night

Sunday was spent in beach chairs on the beach and in beds napping because of the lack of sleep the night before. It was so awesome to just hang out and do a lot of nothing because all of our other weekend trips have been so active. I have loved everything we have been doing and I don't mine being busy at all, but it was great to just have time for the beach. This time instead of staying up all night we decided to set an alarm for 4am and just get up in time for the sunrise. But yet again, it was cloudy and we had no luck. So Monday morning we hopped on the bus and traveled back to Puerto Viejo to spend some time shopping and getting lunch. The bus ride back to San Jose actually seemed quite short. It was probably because we were watching movies the whole time. Throughout the course of the weekend we managed to watch about 6 or 7 movies on the bus which was a great way to pass the time.

Orchids Are My Favorite

Now it's back to class time and life in San Jose. We are leaving in just a few days so we have a lot to do to wrap up our classes, especially since we haven't actually had many classes.

Turismo Parte Dos

Well we have certainly been through our share of tourist activities on this trip and I have loved them all. It seems like everyday things just get better and better. We have seen the rainforest, a cloud forest, volcanoes, waterfalls, giant bugs, and some pretty sweet animals. I have even seen Catydids which is a giant green bug and for some reason is one of my sorority mascots. We have also rafted, zip lined, hiked, snorkeled, and survived some awful roads full of crazy Tico drivers. I think we have done just about everything a tourist in Costa Rica could ever want to do and more.

Tourism has recently become the number one industry in Costa Rica which is understandable because there is just so much fun stuff to see and do in this country. Costa Rica can certainly offer an adventurous vacation to anyone who is up for physical activities and wants to have a great time. I honestly feel like I have done so many things here that I have always wanted to do but might not have ever had the chance to actually do. Thanks to the booming tourism industry, I have been having a great time in Costa Rica.

The big characteristic that Costa Rica has to draw in tourists that most other countries do not, is the sector of ecotourism. Tourism in places like Europe or the United States it a lot about sight-seeing. If I was in Europe for the summer I would be seeing famous buildings, and paintings, and stuff like that which is cool, but does not really compare to the types of things a place like Costa Rica can offer. Tourists visit places like CR because they are tropical and exotic. That tropical climate and those beatiful landscapes are all about the environment. Coming from Ohio, I wanted to see cool animals, beautiful plants, and goregous beaches. Everything I wanted to see in Costa Rica comes just because of the land itself and it's tropical environment. Tourists do not just want to see buildings and art while on vacation, they want to see nature at its best which is easily done in CR. Pick up any tour guide to Costa Rica and you will find that nearly all of the advertisements relate to ecotourism. Most of the tourist activities we have done on this trip are centered around the environment. We have hiked in the rainforest and zipped through clouds. You can do things here that you simply can not do in most other regions around the world. I could not travel to Europe to climb a volcano or walk through a rainforest full of monkeys. The environment of CR offers a variety of amazing adventures and smart business people are jumping into the ecotourism industry to capitilize on what nature has provided.

According in Wikipedia, Costa Rica is the most visited Central American country with nearly 2 million visitors in 2007. The tourism industry brings in almost $2 billion dollars annually which beats coffee and bananas combined. I knew that tourism has become the highest earning industry in Costa Rica but I never would have guessed that it would beat out both coffee and bananas together. Costa Rica is a pretty close vacation destination for the United States which would explain why over half of CR's visitors come from the U.S. Tourists from the Americas can reach an amazing country without flying all day and night which sounds like a good idea to me. I want to see other countries, but the shorter the flight the better. For all the reasons stated above, eco-tourism is a huge draw to foriegn tourists. Realizing this, the Costa Rican govnerment has taken steps to perserve their country. Over 25% of the land has been set aside as National Parks or protected in other ways. CR has also stated that they want to become the first carbon neutral company and hope to do so by 2021. Everything that Costa Rica is doing to save their environment and promote eco-tourism is certainly working because they have been named the number one country in Latin America using the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index.

Although I am a little bias since I have not been to any other Latin American countries, I would say that Costa Rica has well-earned their spot at number one.

Osa Peninsula

Well we are getting ready to leave San Jose once again but before we do that I suppose I should write about our recent travels. Due to some messed up plans from the storm last week we traveled to the Osa Peninsula on Sunday and stayed until Wednesday instead of it being a weekend trip. On the first day we had a rather interesting and very long bus ride just to get to our location. We spent over 8 hours driving on horrible roads and even came to find that the bridge we needed to cross did not exist. So our giant tour bus had to maneuver across a very small and steep metal bridge by a bar full of very drunken Ticos. We all got off the bus and the boys had to help push which was kind of fun to watch. After the bus ride we then had to take a boat to get to where we were staying. The location was not a hotel but more like a sort of campground. We each stayed in large tents that were up on platforms with another giant tent over them. They were actually quite nice. We had real beds and pretty decent bathrooms and showers. The main lodge was really nice with a TV, tables, couches, a bar, and amazing views. They even feed us real three-course meals which were pretty impressive even though I didn't really like most of it.

On Monday we were awoken by the bright sun and chirping birds very early. Nature is fabulous. Later we got on more boats to ride to a park where we went on some very long hikes through a national park, had lunch, and got to swim at some small waterfalls. The guide I had was awesome and he showed us some really cool trees and creatures. We even saw the foot prints of the biggest mammal on the island and a jaguar too. And we had fresh coconut right off the tree which I loved because coconut is pretty much my fav. It was the best coconut I have ever had. If I could import fresh coconut to my house everyday, I totally would. After our nature hikes (which were definitely the best of the trip), we had the rest of the night off to play games and cards which was actually a lot of fun. I realized that I never actually play games like that unless I am on some kind of trip. That night while we were trying to sleep there was a crazy thunderstorm and with the lack of walls the thunder was crazy loud.

Tree Climbing

Awesome Coconut

On Tuesday we took a boat ride to Cano Island. All this boating really makes me wish I had a boat and could spend my summer lounging on some lake. The water at Cano Island was amazing. It was warm and perfectly clear to the point that I could actually see my feet on the ocean floor. There we went snorkeling and saw some really cool fish, plus is was just awesome to see the ocean from that view. I had never been snorkeling before so this was really cool for me. It took me a few times to figure out how to dive down without hurting my ears, but after awhile I got the hang of it and had a ton of fun. It was still raining early that morning and there was no sun the entire time we were at the Island, but I somehow still managed to burn my shoulders even though I was wearing sunscreen. Then just as we got on the boats to leave the sun came out. Of course. O well, I still had a great time. We even saw dolphins on the boat ride back. And that night we played more cards and had a fiesta at the lodge.

Playing KEMPS

The Boys Playing Some Intense Hearts

On wednesday we packed up and rode the boats back to Seirpe to catch our bus for another 8 hour bus ride back to San Jose. So now we have a little bit of free time which is good because I haven't seen a computer in a few days and I need to do some serious blogging. In a few hours we will board the bus once again to embark on a new adventure. This time we are heading to the Caribbean coast which I am really excited about. We haven´t actually had a lot of time to just chill on the beach yet, so this will be a fabulous weekend.