This weekend, LASP took us on a trip to Limón, a port city on the Caribbean where most of Costa Rica's imports come. It was a great weekend get away.
On our way to Limón, we stopped by three different plantations. The first was a coffee plantation. There were thousands of coffee plants everywhere. Just so you know... there is no difference between Costa Rica coffee beans and Columbian coffee beans. Costa Rica originally got their bean from Panama, which was once a part of Columbia. Therefore, it is all the same bean. It's all just a marketing tactic.
Next, we stopped by a pineapple plantation. I had no idea that pineapples didn't grow on trees. I guess I just assumed the did. The grow on the top of a plant that is low to the ground. The pineapples grow great in the valley because the water just drains through the plants. And let me be the first to tell you, it is SO good! Fresh pineapple from Costa Rica is going to be hard to beat.
The most interesting place was the banana plantation. Now I don't usually like bananas, but I definitely learned a lot at the Del Monte banana plantation. First off, bananas don't grow in trees. They are technically plants. They grow in groups of four. The grandmother stalk is the one with the bananas growing on it. The bananas are wrapped in a blue plastic bag to protect is from bugs, but to also put pesticides on it. The great-grandmother plant is the one that is shriveled up. The mother plant is smaller than the grandmother plant, and is next in line to grow bananas. The baby stalk is just a foot or two out of the ground. When the bananas are picked from the plant, they are taken to an open warehouse like building where they are sorted. There are First Class bananas and Second and Third Class bananas. The First Class bananas go to the US and parts of Europe. Second and Third Class stay in Latin America. They aren't graded on which bananas are better or worse. They are separated by what the consumer wants. In the United States, we want bigger bananas that are already yellow. Probably to your surprise, the bananas don't naturally turn yellow by the time they reach the store. They are sprayed with chemicals to quicken the yellowing process. All because that's what the consumer wants. Also, I found interesting the lives of the workers on the banana plantation. The workers are paid with a place to live and school their children. They are given houses right on the plantation. If you lose your job, you lose your house. Unfortunately, because they live right next to the bananas, their houses are also being sprayed with the pesticides and other chemicals that the bananas are being sprayed with. Various cancers and health problems are prevalent. All of this sacrifice is for the consumer.
Friday night, a group of students and I went to dinner at Burger King because we wanted a break from rice and beans. If anyone was actually in the mood for gallo pinto, BK offers it. After dinner, we walked around the city talking to different people about poverty in Costa Rica, specifically in Limón. This trip wasn't all fun. We actually had homework too.
Saturday morning, we left early to visit an indigenous tribe of Costa Rica, the Bri Bri. It is a Bri Bri custom to take care of the land. Their gods live in the trees and water, so they believe it is their duty to take care of it all. The attribute sicknesses to deforestation. The family we visited raises iguanas to try to protect their land. There were so many iguanas - all different sizes!
After hanging out with the iguanas and turkeys for a little, we headed to the beach! The beach we went to was a national park. Absolutely gorgeous. The water was so warm. The waves were so strong. The jungle and the sand met where they monkeys and sloths played. I got to stand like 3 feet away from a monkey!! I wanted to take it home :) Early Christmas present! So much fun! That night we ate a traditional meal of Limón. We ate rice and beans, but they make theirs with coconut milk. Not exactly my favorite, but it was interesting to try. There was a calypso band playing traditional music from Limón (and a few songs in English, so we could sing along). Everyone was dancing! It was so great! One of my professors, Javier, started the dancing by asking me to dance, because he knew how much I wanted to learn! I can't say that I am any better than I was before, but I had so much fun!
Sunday morning, we went to an all Black Methodist church in Limón. It was very traditional and long. They had a choir - dressed in the robes and everything! It was a great experience. When I got back home in the afternoon, I was so exhausted. I took about a four hour nap. I have lots of homework to do now, but it is difficult to get it done. Lack of resources and time. I will do what I have to do. And hopefully do it well.
Here's a picture of me and the monkey!
