Sarapiquí

Today we just got back from our trip to Sarapiquí. Yesterday, our first stop was at a banana plantation that you all might be familiar with, it's called Dole. None of us knew we were going there so it was an exciting surprise. Of course the whole banana issue in Central America has been a topic of controversy for decades now, so it was really great to actually see first hand what is going on. The company gives jobs to about 200 workers. We learned a lot about how complicated the process is. The bananas need to be of the highest quality otherwise they cannot be exported. Therefore, there is a lot of use of pesticides. The bananas that don't "make the cut" are then sold to Chiquita and made into banana puree which is also exported. It was a great experience and we all received bananas as gifts.

After leaving Dole we headed over to the organic cacao plantation. We learned all about the process of cultivating cacao and turning it into the chocolate we all love. A group of women, wives of the workers on the cacao plantation, started making chocolate a few years ago. The dark chocolate is 75% chocolate which we learned is far more than your usual commercial chocolate which is on average only 10% chocolate. We all bought chocolate bars from them..mmm. Their brand is called Amazilia and they're delicious. The owner of the plantation explained to us the pros and cons of having an organic plantation, which means no use of chemicals or pesticides. In the case of cacao, the pesticides wouldn't hurt the consumer but they are a threat to the health of the workers. This was a big difference from the Dole plantation. Also, the purpose of the cacao plantation is to be sustainable which means that there are many other trees interwoven with the cacao trees and there is still wildlife that lives there so that the soil won't be completely wiped of nutrients when the plantation is too old. For example, there are many sloths that inhabit the plantation and we all got to hold one too!

We then headed on to Tirimbina, which used to be owned by the Milwaukee Public Museum. The Museum could not afford the expenses anymore so a few years ago it became a non-profit organization. It's a beautiful location with little cabanas and many programs and tours. The people there are also very dedicated to education and host many students groups. We walked through the rainforest which was absolutely beautiful. We also walked across a suspended bridge so that we could be at the same level as the canopy, which was very cool and fun since the bridge is really wobbly! Some of us also saw howler monkeys! It was amazing to hear all of the different sounds while walking. We also learned more about cacao and how to the indigenous people used to make it. We all brought home some cacao beans which used to be the currency in Central America amongst the various indigenous groups. The trip was a wonderful experience!