Today was our last day of sight seeing. We will present our projects tomorrow, and then we will head home Friday. We visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens today and it was the most breathtaking view I have seen here. At the waterfall gardens we saw many animals as well: toucans, sloths, peacocks, butterflies, snakes, and a panther (Hail to Pitt). I have been so excited to see toucans this whole trip and this was the first time I saw one…IT POOPED ON MEEEEE. Besides that tragic event the waterfalls were so beautiful, and it was a fun but difficult hike up and down stairs.

From my two weeks here with many site visits to numerous coffee, banana, pineapple, chocolate, and strawberry farms/plantations/stores I have learned a considerable amount of information with the delivery aspect of their businesses. From the farms itself, I have learned that it is important to pick fruits early so they have time to ripen. If the fruits are picked too late they may rot while being shipped. Processing mills and exporters are also a crucial part in the delivery logistics. The company has to choose where they send their products strategically. For example, Britt chooses countries that have stable economies and politics. When the product arrives in stores it needs to still be fresh and uphold their good quality, so packaging is also important. Many of these companies we visited explained how they keep their food fresh why trying to be sustainable as well. Finally, the customers want the prices of these items to be low, so the whole process of delivery needs to be efficient and economically friendly.

I cannot believe how quick this trip has gone by, and I have learned so much. I loved learning fun facts about the products and plants that we have seen, and I really enjoyed all of the nature. My favorite parts of this trip were the cloud forest hike in Monteverde, the night hike in Monteverde, and the waterfall gardens.