Costa Rica, Day 3-- kayaking, chocolate, and waterfalls

Woke up to the sound of rain. Warm rain. No complaints. Scarfed a snickers (breakfast of champions, need the calories for these long active days) and then hit the REAL breakfast-- rice and beans; fresh papaya and pineapple; and some funky sausagey thang. Then we went out kayaking on the second largest lake in Costa Rica, around the Arenal volcano. Obviously, every kayak got flipped and it was a grand ol' Costa Rica time floating around in the water with soaking wet clothes and sore paddling arms.

Then we went and toured a chocolate plantation to learn how chocolate is made. Again, like the coffee plantation yesterday, I had NO idea so much went into it. We got to see every step the cacao beans go through, from growing, fermentation, roasting, winnowing, etc. the final product was a bowl of melted chocolate. Hhhhhh. The highlight was eating spoonful after spoonful of freshly made chocolate and mixing in all sorts of things-- sea salt, cumin, chilies, sprinkles, cardamom, raisins, EVERYTHING. So good. Will I ever be able to eat a Hershey's bar ever again?!?!???! (Lez be honest, the answer is yes, but I'll know what I'm missing).

Hit another waterfall this afternoon (500+ stairs to get to it. Helloooo, quads) and am currently lounging at some hot springs. I have no idea where we are, but it's Costa Rica-y and I'm content. 

Haven't checked my email (okay, maybe once) and haven't even LOOKED at my capstone (nope, not even once). Much needed vacation. 

Costa Rica day 2

Coffee plantation tour.

 Had NO idea so much went into coffee production. Pickers wear these huge bins around their waists called cajuelas, holding 28 lbs of berries. 75% of the fruit is cast off and used for compost, while 25% are the actual beans inside the berries. When they're picked, they look like little red cherries. When the outside is peeled off, there's a slimy, sugary coating and a shell. They're sorted by quality and then sit fermenting for a few days. Then roasted. The premium coffee beans are roasted out on these huge patios and turned every 45 minutes for several days, while the lower quality is roasted in an oven for less time. 

Most coffee plants produce berries that contain 2 coffee beans, but there's a genetic mutation that caused only a single bean in each berry. It produces a kind of coffee called peaberry and its sweeter and a bit smoother than regular coffee. It's not exported, only available in Costa Rica. I will DEFINITELY be taking some home with me. 

The first part of lunch was tripe soup, which is cow stomach with vegetables. Slightly icky texture, but I DID IT. Then rice and beans and papaya juice.

(Here's where I start getting tired and lazy with the blogging....) Hiked up Paos volcano, 9,000 ft, to Laguna Botos. Gorgeous. Saw a cute little guy, maybe a coati?

Humongo waterfall. HUMONGO. La Paz.

Wine tasting on the side of the road at a tiny kiosk. Delicious strawberries, passion fruit, eggnog (lol?).

Dragonfruit icecream stop across the street from an area known for ENORMOUS iguanas. Several feet long, bright orange, roosting in the trees. 

So exhausted. Must sleep. 6 hours until tomorrow's activities a start...

Day 1: San Jose, Costa Rica

Costa Rica day 1! Departed from Burlington, VT in blustery, freezy conditions, and so showed up in Costa Rica wearing wool socks, a down jacket, and a warm beanie. Boy, was that interesting. After stripping off any and all possible layers and making it through the airport frenzy, Eliza and I found each other and we boarded a bus to our hotel. 

Low key night over here. Went out to a touristy overpriced restaurant ($19 for rice and veggies? Huh.) for dinner and hunkered down for an early bedtime. We're POOPED. Long day tomorrow-- coffee plantation tour, hiking a volcano, and hot springs maybe?? 

Feels weeeeird and surreal to be out of the country. I missed this feeling of being surrounded by different languages and a culture so different from my own. And the people watching is INCREDIBLE. I've only been in San Jose for a few hours, but I like it. 

Here's the only picture I've taken so far: