Costa Rica - Something like a local farm!

In contrast to the big Pineapple and Heart of Palm Plantations, we visited a local multi-crop farm. 

We wandered along a path through the various plants but it seemed to be very fast and not particularly instructive about their crops or processes.

I don’t have any real distinct memory of our tour prior to the demonstration of ‘how sugar cane is milled’; learning how to make tortillas; and the splendid lunch they served right there on the farm. There were a couple of interesting stone sculptures on the property.

Tourism has become such an important aspect of the Costa Rican economy that everything we saw and did was especially developed to speak to and entertain the tourist. The everyday life of the Costa Ricans is not hidden but there is little opportunity to explore their reality.

Anyway, back to the visit to the local farm.

Cacoa-cacao tree and cocoa tree

Seeds are used to make cocoa powder and chocolate

Cannonball tree 

The fruit is edible, but is not usually eaten by people because, in contrast to the pleasing fragrant of the flowers, the fruit can have an unpleasant odor. It is generally fed to livestock such as pigs and chickens.

Bananas have been a staple of Costa Rican economy for well over 100 years. Today, production and export of Costa Rica bananas are dominated by three huge, well-known companies – Dole, Chiquita and Del Monte, which harvest, package, and export bananas directly to world markets.

I’m not sure about the commercial side of growing the sugar cane on this particular farm

But they led us through the process of milling the sugar cane (on a small scale). 

The cane is cut, stripped and run through the rollers and it comes out juice.  Imagine!

And then they fed us lunch – with the tortillas we made and the juice from the sugar cane we milled.

So, not only do they grow the produce, they prepare it and feed you!

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We moved onto the Arenal Volcano National Park area and so moved from a traditional-style living space at the Sarapiqui Rainforest Lodge to more resort-style accommodation at the base of the Arenal Volcano - Hotel Arenal Manoa – they classify it as Superior accommodations. And it certainly is!

Bright spacious rooms and great gardens just outside your patio doors. 

(The most amusing thing was that the first night, while I was lying there in bed, the light went on. I turn it off and in a while it went on again. I call the desk to come and fix it. There was no place to unplug it. They came and it goes off. An hour later the damn thing goes on again. I call them again. This time 2 come. They worked on it for about 15 minutes with no success. Finally they taped it up and left. It didn't come on again.)

 Next Episode, Arenal Volcano National Park!!