The most impressive aspect of today was how connected the people are to the environment and how valuable it is to farmers and everyone alike. At the strawberry farm, they explained that they avoid using pesticides because of the negative effects they can have on strawberries and on the land. Instead of focusing only on profits and cutting expenses, they seemed focused on quality and long-term sustainability, which made the experience feel much more genuine.

I also noticed this at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. The animals there were not taken from the wild for entertainment, but instead were rescues that couldn’t safely return to nature. When I heard that, my perspective shifted entirely because it didn’t feel like a tourist attraction anymore. All in all, the relationship between the people, land, and commerce in these places felt sustainable to me because the businesses still succeed economically while still respecting nature and trying to protect it for the future.