Today we visited one “Mistico”, one of Costa Rica’s greatest rainforests, we visited Lake Arenal and spent some time on kayaks, and then we visited an organic farm to learn more about the production of sugarcane and chocolate. During all three activities we experienced lots of rain. Costa Rica is split into two seasons, a rainy season…
Category: Plus3 Costa Rica
Check out all the Plus3 Costa Rica blogs below!
May 16: Pura Vida and Piña Coladas
After today, I honestly understand a lot more why younger generations in Costa Rica are becoming more interested in tourism than traditional farming. Visiting the pineapple farm made me realize how physically exhausting and repetitive farming can actually be. Our guide talked about how workers spend hours outside in intense heat while fully covered in…
May 14
Today we were able to have the chance to go to Sibo’s Chocolate in the morning. This was such an awesome experience, where I was able to see someone so passionate about what he was working on. Sibo’s Chocolate not only values the money it receives from their profit but values more its morals and…
Our travels to La Fortuna went swimmingly
Today, we had to say goodbye to our host families before setting off to our next destination, La Fortuna. About two and a half hours into our trip, we stopped at The Best Pineapple Tour, where we learned the ins and outs of pineapple production in Costa Rica. Then, we made our way to the…
Day 6 – Tourism Vs. Tradition
We’ve been talking about how farmers in Costa Rica are starting to use ecotourism and agrotourism to earn extra income. It makes sense that younger people are more into tourism than farming. Tourism feels faster, more social, and usually pays off sooner. Farming, on the other hand, takes a lot of time, hard work, and…
Pineapple Perfection!
Today, we said goodbye to our host families and made our way to La Fortuna. The main stop along the way was The Best Pineapple Tour. Even though I am allergic to pineapple and could not actually eat any, I still learned a lot from seeing how the farm operates and how much work goes…
Picky Pineapple Picking
During our visit to the Best Pineapple Tour in Costa Rica, I learned around 20 percent of the pineapples grown in the plantation can’t be exported because of aesthetic qualifications. The pineapples must look perfect, including having the correct color and proportion between the crown and the fruit itself. I also learned how physically demanding…
Respectfully, I’m not a farmer
If I grew up in a family of farmers, I think I would be way more interested in tourism than keeping family tradition. No hate to my family, but I think we can all agree I’m not a farmer. Part of that comes from the long days and the other part comes from all the…
Always Trust the Country Known for Pineapples
Today we spent some time on a Pineapple Tour and then enjoyed a waterfall hike. Both experiences were new to me, but I had so much fun with both. The taste of the fresh pineapple was unmatched; I had never tasted something so fresh. The waterfall hike was also such a great experience with great views. During my time…
My First Piniayada!! – 05/16
¡¡Bienvenidos a La Fortuna!! First to catch you up to date, yesterday I went to San Jose, went to a museum and visited some markets blah blah blah. Today we departed our host families and made our way to the Caribbean side. It was sad saying bye to our host mom, her hospitality truly meant…
May 16th: Hola, La Fortuna!
Today, we said goodbye to our host families and made a few stops on our way to La Fortuna. On one of these, we were given a tour of a working pineapple farm. This tour gave great insight into how farms can double their operations between products and agrotourism. This tour represents a shift in…
May 16th – Hot Springs and Waterfalls!
Today we visited La Fortuna Waterfall, a pineapple tour, and Baldi Hot Springs. The pineapple tour was pretty cool, and you could tell the people running it really cared about what they do, with a ton of knowledge about how everything grows and works. That said, with the pineapple lollipops and everything priced in dollars,…
May 16th- I miss Andres y Anna
The younger generation in Costa Rica is often more drawn to tourism than farming because tourism offers quicker income and more social interaction then farming. Farming also feels less appealing because it is very physically demanding and has unpredictability through weather. The Pineapple tour today was a great example of agrotourism, and it allowed tourists…
Hey Siri, play “Escape” by Rupert Holmes
Today, we said goodbye to our host families and left Heredia. On our journey to La Fortuna, we went on a pineapple tour and swam in the La Fortuna Waterfall. Comparing the farm to the tourist traps we’ve been to, differences are very clear. In the hot weather, with rough terrain and wind blowing, it…
May 16th – Moving out and the best Pineapples
I think many people of the younger generation are more interested in tourism than traditional farming because tourism often seems to offer higher incomes, more opportunity, and less wear and tear physically over time. I feel as if Jobs connected to tourism also usually involve learning English, interacting with people from around the world, and…
Tropic Like It’s Hot
Today honestly felt like the most “Costa Rica” day possible. We visited a plantation called “The Best Pineapple Tour in Costa Rica,” and somehow it actually lived up to the name. Our guide Daniel made the whole tour feel less like a class and more like an adventure, especially when he told us about the…
I learned a choco-lot today at Sibö
On our excursions today, we visited Sibö chocolate, toured, and had a wonderful lunch at Riverside Gastropub, and attended an informational lecture about medical device sales in Costa Rica at the Universidad Latina. At first glance, I felt that this schedule was very disorganized, but as we made our journey through each location, I realized…
May 15: Fueled by Chocolate and Compost
Today honestly ended up being one of the most interesting days of the trip because even though all three visits seemed completely different at first, they were all connected by the idea of businesses focusing on more than just profit. At Sibö Chocolate, what stood out to me most was how intentional everything felt. Even…
Literally ate the compost
Before today, I never thought about the triple bottom line. To be honest, I didn’t even know what it meant. The triple bottom line is when a business incorporates success by people, planet, and profit. Most businesses just focus on profit, but when you focus on the triple bottom line, you can become even better….