Today, we explored the Caribbean side of the continental divide and it was easy to tell when we arrived. As we stepped out of the bus the humidity hit us like a wall. Even if the humidity is annoying it allows for the growth of some super interesting crops, such as the heart of palm which we saw today.

The conditions were extraordinarily different from those which we observed with the coffee plantations, as the heart of palm loves humidity but coffee is grown at high altitudes just to avoid it. It was interesting to learn about how it is harvested, as it is much like a banana tree where it will create other small plants around it, so you can have a continuous crop to harvest. The Caribbean side is often said to have two seasons just like the rest of Costa Rica, however, these seasons are the rainy and more rainy seasons.

Most small palmito plantations source their labor from their family, however, it can sometimes be difficult as they have to source external labor such as immigrants or Ticos. Acquiring the land was not difficult for them because the plantation we visited was given a grant for the land, as the government wanted a greater production of agricultural products.

After spending a week in Costa Rica, I can truly say that it is an amazing place to be. The people, culture, and food have me wanting to stay for much longer than just two weeks!