Nanners Finale

Last weekend we visited Chiquita's pilot Guayacan plantation in Sarapiqui. At the plantation we were presented with their banana show performed by Grupo Nogua.

Although bananas are a tropical plant, they are not native to Central America, so they require a lot of pesticides to produce effectively in CR. All the plants are tied in order to stay upright because they are are too big and would fall over by themselves. Nanners take nine months to mature and the process to cultivate them are environmentally damaging. They require acres of low level rainforests to be cut down in order to make them room to grow. They place bags over the bunches of bananas to protect them from insects. At this specific Chiquita plantation they use biodegradeable bags that are reused when many plantations do not.

At this plantation herbicides are sprayed twice per year, via plane. This is what most people are scared of, but apparently they are the least dangerous. More dangerous pesticides are sprayed quite often by workers. When spraying, workers wear protective gear and masks. The worker's blood is tested every three months to make sure that levels of toxins in their blood are not too high. Most workers, who generally do not make great wages, live on the outskirts of the plantation. At other plantations workers usually do not wear any protection at all, and are never blood tested. The Chiquita plantation uses the best chemicals on the market, while the others do not, furthering the need for blood tests that is not being met. Many of the chemicals used in banana production are proven to cause cancer and sterility.

With all of these issues in banana production, there is a huge need for reform. This is why organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance has been created. They strive for a world where the workers are not being killed by the very things that allow them to make a living. But even the people at the Chiquita plantation said that it took the workers a while to adjust to working with protective gear on. This shows that it is not only the plantation owners who do not provide safety for the workers but also the workers ignorance that is working against them, they do not know any better.

Fun Fact: Chiquita is a Spanish word used to describe something small and feminine.

The End of Coffee (Not Literally)

The coffee industry currently has a commodity chain that involves producers, middlemen exporters, importers, roasters, and retailers before reaching the consumer. Middlemen exporters purchase coffee directly from small farmers. They typically purchase the coffee below market price, keeping a high percentage for themselves. Large coffee estates and plantations often export their own harvests or have direct arrangements with a transnational coffee processing or distributing company. Under either arrangement, large producers can sell at prices set by the New York Coffee Exchange. These large plantations generally pay workers extremely low wages, typically two to three dollars a day, and offer poor working conditions.

Here in CR there are different prices for coffee compared to the states. Back home we import over 1200 thousand tons of coffee each year while CR has no reason to import any. The demand is normal and the supply is high in CR, while in the states the demand is high and the supply is lower. A one pound bag of Cafe Britt in CR is $5, but in the states it is $9 not including the international shipping costs. At Del Cafe Tal, we were able to purchase coffee for $10 a pound while in the states coffee boutiques and large scale stores purchase the coffee for $15 a pound. The mark up is created through middlemen and can be even higher, unless significant effort is put forth in order to reduce or eliminate them like in Del Cafe Tal's case. Starbucks sells a Costa Rican coffee called Tarrazu that is $13 a pound. The description is full of lavish descriptions to make the coffee sound different and great. The price of coffee depends on its classification. The price varies significantly if the coffee is Fair Trade, organic certified, shade-grown, or sungrown. Some of these methods are healthier for the environment in general, while others are not, so it is up to a eco-friendly consumer to purchase the more expensive coffee.

Fun Fact: Twelve billion pounds of coffee is consumed around the globe annually, and the United States alone has over 130 million coffee drinkers.

Caribbean Coastin'

After getting back from the Osa we immediately turned around and headed to the Caribbean coast for five days.

Thursday afternoon we headed to the La Selva Research Station. La Selva is the premier ecology research station in Costa Rica, and one of the most important worldwide. Located in the northeastern lowlands, La Selva includes a nature reserve that protects about 15 square kilometers of primary tropical rainforest. We hiked down one of its numerous trails were we saw tons of poison dart frogs (aka blue jean frogs) and a couple of monkeys. That night was spent at Cabina Tortuga, one of the many lodgings offered at the station for its visitors that come all over the world. This is where I was able to finish my leasure book of Bringing Down the House, the story of a MIT card-counting team and the basis behind the movie 21 (which I really want to see now) We were up nice and early for a morning hike down a different path, but saw generally the same plants, animals, and insects. We eventually checked out and headed to a Chiquita banana plantation. At the plantation we were presented with a history of the company and how they have made strides in sustainable banana production. After that we were off to Puerto Viejo.

It was around a five hour drive to PV, but time passed quickly as we finished up the Jason Bourne trilogy (which was awesome to watch again). We made it to PV and checked into the Hotel Maritza, which ironically is the name of my house mother. PV as I describe it is a Jamaica Jr. with its large rastafarian influence. My hotel room had a Bates motel feel and lingered of cigarette and weed smoke, but it did have AC. We then began our night in Big Jon, JP, and Peter's two bedroom, two bath, full kitchen penthouse suite aka Party room. Eventually we moseyed over to the hotel bar were we sang some karaoke for a bit, but decided we would follow the bass we kept hearing in the distance that lead us to uber club of Standfords. This club was pretty awesome we were hearing the bass from blocks away and found it to be located on the beach. There was a lot of good music, lights, smoke machines, and reasonably priced drinks. After working up a sweat dancing (at one point being molested by a Tica via dance) and being offered cocaine a couple times (not taking the offer for any doubters), I decided to walk out to the beach with friends to cool down. A little time passed and then I was pleasantly told I there was a lingerie fashion show about to start. My friends and I were fortunate enough to witness the show which lasted around a half hour displaying 6 of CR finest. By the time the show ended it was getting late and we headed home for the night.

Up early again the next day we feasted on a variety of croissants for breakfast before heading to Cahuita for more snorkeling. We did not have a guide this time, but I enjoyed myself more this time around. There was a lot more to see including a bunch of coral reef and the "blue-sparkly" fish that I wish I had a waterproof camera to take pictures of. We ended up at the Cahuita national park were I got to cross off the list of animals I wanted to see: snakes, sloths, and the white-faced monkey (who kept trying to steal food and valuables from the group). We then headed to Manzanillo. I was not positive on what we were going to do there except visit beaches. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that we would be staying at a resort, an actual vacation destination, and we had the whole weekend off. Most of us, with our swimsuits still on, headed straight for the beach and ocean. Peter brought his frisbee and we just literally soaked our surroundings in. I also played some beach volleyball and headed to the pool were I found out I can do backflips off of people's shoulders. It was eventually dinner time, which was a great feast. I especially enjoyed their tuna salad, which was the best I ever had. That night we took in more of what the resort had to offer in the pool, beach, and AC. On the first day I was allowed to sleep, I only made it to 9:30 and quickly made it to the pool were I was able to finish Cradle to Cradle (actually in the pool, since the book is waterproof). I was at the pool til lunch where I had more tuna salad and a pretty good bacon cheeseburger (even though they didn't have mustard). It was cloudy and looked like rain after lunch, so I took a fabulous nap for a couple hours. I woke later to watch Peter gather firewood for the bonfire later that night at the point of beach where waves where criss-crossing each other. It was time for dinner with a nice chicken dish and even more tuna salad (my mercury levels had to of rose this weekend). A couple of us digested by watching some of the strangest movie we ever saw. The only reason we kept watching was twofold: 1. we wanted to figure out what was going on 2. Gretchen Wieners from Mean Girls and Bubba from Forest Gump were in it. After that it was the bar, bonfire, and pool to close out the night.

Yesterday we regrettably had to check out of the hotel. We drove back to PV and were given two hours of free time to do whatever and grab lunch. After a little souvenir shopping Bob, Paul, Peter and myself came across a scooter rental store directly across from Standfords and jumped at the opportunity to do a little scootin' for an hour. The ruff ryders and myself tore up the streets in our scooters honking at group members and Ticas. After going down every street in the town, we decided to grab a quick lunch at Peace & Love Pizzeria. I had one of the best pizzas I ever had, consisting of lettuce, prosciutto, extra cheese, and their amazing crust. Our alloted rental time was nearing the end, so we went on our victory lap and returned the scooters all in one piece. It was an amazing two hour span spent at PV, but we had to make it back to SJ. Now we need to finish up class/project/final, visit Poas volcano/waterfall, finish souvenir shopping, bungie jump, last nights out, pack, and head back to the states.

Final Thoughts on Tourism

After spending almost a month in this incredible country I thought I would give a general rundown of what to expect if traveling to CR in the future...

The beauty and scenery this county offers is abundant, easily reason enough to make a visit. The variety of landscape and endless activities to engage oneself in can be found across the country. The rainforest and the beaches are the main attractions but there are also other varieties of cloud forests, volcanoes, lakes, swamps, rolling hills, and others from one of the most ecologically diverse countries on the planet. Hiking, camping, boating, snorkel/scuba, surfing, horseback riding, sightseeing, bird watching, beach time, white water rafting, and night life just covers the basics of what is offered. I feel like this country has something to offer anyone who comes to visit.

The typical Costa Rican meal consists of rice, beans, salad, and either fish, chicken, or beef. Over the past couple of years I have found a new apprecaition for food, having to prepare and cook most of my meals and my intrests in the Food Network. I´ve become less of a picky eater and embrace new offerings to my palate. I have enjoyed the food here immensley, even with some non-tradtional settings at the american dinner table, such as rice, beans, and hot dogs for breakfast or a chicken and cheese lasanga without sauce for dinner. I know I am going to miss the fresh fruit offered and juices made daily by house mother. The food here has so much flavor and variety of meals here is hard to compare back in the states.

Poor transportation is beyond aparant in CR. It always seems like there is an abundance of traffic, especially in SJ. It seems like the city is in a constant state of rush hour and then there you get stuck in the actual rush hour! Drivers here is Costa Rica are terrible especially the cab drivers, kamikazee gets thrown a lot (for good reason). The roads are in horrible condition and often times outside of the city streets are not paved, just dirt or gravel. Many bridges are sketchy at best and are usually one lane (more traffic). We have been told that CR has the ability to improve road conditions, but refuse to allowing CR to remain distant from outside development. The address system is very flawed, relying heavily on landmarks, but the mail still gets delievered. Taxis will usually have an idea if you give them your two sentence long address. There are some taxis that are not properly licensed so tourists should always look for the red cabs with yellow triangles on them. Finally, there really isnt parking guidelines in this country. Cars will park any which way they want and I have not really seen any meters, parking tickets might be non-existant.

Then there is Tico Time. CR is a laid back country and promptness does not seem to be an issue. Plans change, people adapt, and everyone stays happy. The people here are incredibly nice and I have been able to manage without knowing any Spanish. CR is also one of the most politically stable countries in Latin America holding a steady democracy and boasting how they abolished their army back in 1948. If you are a person who lives by appointments and intineraraies, this might not be the place for you. If you are reasonably patient and are looking to explore a beutiful, amazing, exciting country then come down and enjoy all of CR has to offer. It has been a great experience for me.

Nanners Tres

Conventional banana production in Central America is not sustainable. It depends on frequent and heavy chemical applications to reduce pest damage, increase yields, and comply with the quality standards of importing countries. This has resulted in the contamination of soil, water, and food and the poisoning of workers and local communities. Employees of banana plantations work long hours under harsh and dangerous conditions usually without a contract or adequate compensation, and are often prohibited from organizing to improve their condtition. Housing in plantation towns is often run down and overcrowded, with a high incidence of social problems such as alcoholism, child abandonment, and physical abuse. The multinational banana corporations control all aspects of production, transportation, and marketing, limiting the control of and economic benefits provided to local people.

However, more sustainable forms of production do exist. Small scale producers, operating independently of transnational corporations, are able to grow bananas without heavy agrochemical inputs, often organically. These locally controlled agricultural systems are supportive of local people, economies, and cultures. The major obstacle to the success and increased implementation of small scale systems is the lack of market demand in importing countries, primarily the United States. The only way to insure the sustainability of banana production in Central America is to increase awareness amongst consumers in the U.S. about the problems associated with conventional banana production and the benefits of supporting small scale banana growers.

Dunkin´ Donuts

Dunkin´Donuts is my favorite coffee in the States so I thought I would share some infomation about it with everyone.

Dunkin´ Donuts claims to be the "world´s largest coffee and baked goods chain," serving 2.7 million customers per day at over 7,000 stores globally which includes approximately 5,300 Dunkin´ Donuts locations in 36 states throughout the states. This figure compares with the 10,800 stores of coffee chain Starbucks, whose baked goods are usually prepared out of shop. Over the past several years, Dunkin´ Donuts has heavily emphasized its coffee offerings and related coffee products, enough that the company added a Dunkin´ Donuts coffee cup to its logo in 2003. This is due to the company selling more coffee products than donuts in recent years. It now offers several types and styles of coffee drinks, in hot and iced forms.

Espresso, Cappuccino and Lattes - These traditional Italian style coffee beverages are available at most of its locations.

Flavored Coffee - The flavor options are: French Vanilla, hazelnut, cinnamon, toasted almond, caramel, coconut, raspberry, blueberry and chocolate. Each of these flavors can be added to any of their coffee beverages, allowing the possibility of combining more than one flavor.

Turbo - The product adds an extra shot of espresso to its contents. Its individual product slogan says that "Turbo provides you the boost you need to power you through your day".

Latte Lite Espresso is combined with skim milk and then Splenda for sweetness.

Iced Lattes - Their two varieties are Iced Caramel Swirl and Iced Mocha Swirl. Each of these drinks are made of espresso, caramel/mocha syrup, milk and is topped with whipped cream and more syrup.

Bulk Coffee - Dunkin´ Donuts sells its coffee and flavored coffee in bulk packaging for in-home consumer preparation. It offers whole bean and ground varieties in 1/2 pound, 1 pound and 2 ounce tester sizes. It is sold at most Dunkin´ Donuts restaurants, online from their web site, and at other retail outlets.

So I learned how to shuffle and play hearts...

Well after some revisions due to the Tropical Depression/Storm we have just completed a fun, five-day, action-packed adventure.

Last Saturday we went on an all day white-water rafting trip. I have never rafted before and was excited to get in the water. Bob, Evan, Peter, Paul, our guide, and myself combined together to form team meat-stick (Carmen was present as well btw) a very manly group who were determined to conquer any and all rapids. We started off to a strong start with Evan getting tossed off the raft into a rock face two minutes into our trip.

We rafted for over an hour through class 2-4 rapids, which was exhilerating and left us all soaked. Eventually we stopped on a river bank, had some lunch, and many of us saw either how far we could throw rocks or who could lift the heavist rock. There was more rafting after that and I was fortunate enough to be in the front of the raft were I recived the brunt of the rapids. Once we finished our trail, I found out that I didn´t put enough suntan lotion above my knees or on my right shoulder blade as weird as that sounds.

Sunday we left for Drake Bay on the Osa pensula. CR is about the size of West Virginia, so you would think that any trip from San Jose would not take a riduclous amount of time, you would be wrong. It took us around ten hours plus an additional hour boat ride to reach our destinataion. Time was passed by naps, ipod, someone bringing Friends DVDs (first time watching the show, pretty entertaining), and did I say naps. Once we reached Drake Bay we were greated by the staff of our lodging for the next 3 nights, our lodging being sets of 3 person tents on cabanas with a workable bathroom and minimal electricty. Also one of the muggest places I have ever been. There was an open-air restaurant/bar/entertainment center were we spent the majority of our free time. They actually had satelite TV were I got to watch the Mets for a bit, but I felt weird watching TV at the most remote place I have ever been to.

We were up at 6:30 for breakfast and were off the national park of Drake Bay. We traveled by boat 30 minutes to the park were we spilt up into groups and had a 3 hour hike through the park with a guide. Our guide showed us differnt wildlife including many insects, monkeys, and a pair of scarlett macaus. He also showed us that termites are a good source of protein if stranded. I tried a couple, tasted like dirt and bark. We ended up at a beach a learned how to shuck and crack open coconuts. Again I tried the coconut and its milk, but did not find it too appitizing. We made it back for lunch and then headed for a 8-10 foot waterfall which we got to jump off of. The rest of the day was off and I found out that I don´t know many card games or how to shuffle and was critized for it by certain individuals. I eventually learned how to shuffle and bridge pretty decently, play hearts, egyption ratscrew, kemps, and euchre a little.

The next day we headed to Cano Island were we got to snorkel. It was fun, but I´ve been scuba diving once and it snorkeling only made me want to scuba. We also had some beach time, were I was able to boogie board for the first time since I was 8. That night more card playing was had, a tab was opened at the bar, maranga, and Fernando in general sums up the night.

Today we woke to a beutiful day, but unforetunalty it was spent on the bus. We stopped at one of the many open air restuarants for lunch. I had this awesome shrimp curry dish that was served in a bowl made out of a carved out pinapple. Later on in the bus, I found out that Rachel and Ross still love each other which could not come at a worse time since Ross was about to marry Emily. Some one dropped the ball, since that was the last episode we had, left the bus on such a cliffhanger.

We are off to the Carribean coast until Monday.