Turrialba, Costa Rica

Above are a few additional photos from the weekend festival in Turrialba.  We watched the parade on Sunday as it went through the town plaza.  It was great!  I enjoyed seeing some of the local culture in action. 

The great thing about Turrialba (which is a short five minute cab ride from CATIE or a 30-40 minute scenic walk) is how friendly the people are.  Ever since we have been here we have been treated so well be the local people.  I always keep in mind that I am a guest in this community, so I try to be as respectful as possible, observant of the locals and how they act, and also aware of my surroundings.  Overall I feel very safe and comfortable here.  In fact, we already joke that we are becoming part of the community!

The plaza in the middle of town is a congregating place for the community and you will frequently see people of all ages hanging around down there.  A lot of great restaurants and nightlife spots surround the plaza, which is very convenient.  There is a Friday and Saturday market (which we have yet been able to attend) which sells crafts and local food items.  A local CR ice cream chain called Pops has great sweet treats and there is also pizza, fried chicken, and Chinese food places as well in case you get home sick for some common US foods.  However, as we have been discussing in our course, these establishments have to expend far more resources than usual to appeal to tourist taste buds, so if you can, try to eat local-based dishes with foods that are grown or produced in the local region.  Plus, food is a HUGE part of culture, so by eating local cuisine you will have a much richer cultural experience while in Costa Rica.   I personally like the local food better because it is much healthier and although it seems like all we do is eat, I still feel like I am losing weight instead of gaining it!     

About to meet up

They should be arriving to pick me up soon. Stayed at the Grand Hotel Costa Rica last night. Very classic property. We stayed here in January when we first came down to establish this relationship with CATIE.

Just arrived

Just checked into the Grand Hotel Costa Rica and will meet up with Denisha and Jared Friday morning. Hanging out on the patio at the 1820 Cafe of the hotel. Beautiful evening.

Tico Time

What can be done in Costa Rica in three and a half days??  Well, A LOT.  In my short time here at CATIE I have already fallen in love with the people, the culture, the food, the class, the ecology, and our amazing adventures.  Costa Ricans (and the crew here at CATIE) are very friendly.  Since we are the first generation of SSS (Sustainability Seminar Series) students at CATIE, we are acting as the guinea pigs for the program, but we have already learned so much!  

 

On Thursday we took a field trip to a local farm where they make Queso de Turrialba, which is a highly desired cheese in the region.  I even milked my first vaca!!!   

I am milking a cow for the first time with Carla, our wonderful tour host.

 

We drove up to the closest point of Volcan Turrialba, which is a National Park in CR that has been closed for some time now due to the activity of the volcano.   

MIAM + SSS in front of Volcan Turrialba

 

We experienced the nightlife in Turrialba with a group of students from the MIAM program (Master's in International Agribusiness Management) and the MIST program from UNT (Master’s in International Sustainable Tourism). 

Me, Denisha, and a student from MIST at Charlie's, a local bar

  

Our first class was great and our instructor provided us with an introduction into the concept of sustainability and into sustainable tourism.   

Carla, her second cousin, and Eric Norman, our instructor for SSS.

 

Last night, we went to a festival in Turrialba that included local arts and crafts, live music, a DJ, and dancing.   

Vendors at a local festival in Turrialba

 

Today we white water rafted on the Rio Pacuare, the fifth top rated river in the world! It was a fantastic 19-mile stretch filled with unique wildlife, first generation rainforest, and intense class 4 rapids.  

Me, Denisha, and Juan (our UNT counterpart) rafting Rio Pacuare.

 

And to think, we have just begun…

Queso!

Water is Fiji's thing, pineapples are Hawaii's thing, and well, cheese is more than just a thing in Turrialba. Mastering the cheese making process was not something I thought I would be learning about. Nonetheless, here we were in front of cows learning the technique of the infamous Turrialba Cheese. Cheese can be aged, it can be new, it can come from a cow or it can come from a goat, the one thing that is for sure is that the Tico's love it which means there is money to be made. Carla, an amazing Costa Rican native, was muy paciente with me through all of this, since my Spanish is less than basic. Her family owns a farm where they produce a large portion of the cheese sold in Turrialba. Now that cheese is coming from my ears I have to go! Costa Rica is waiting for me!

First Meal

Just ate my first meal in Costa Rica at a restaurant in Turrialba!  Casado con pescado (a typical Costa Rican meal that includes black beans, white rice, fish, salad, and in this case a fried egg and french fries) with a Piña to drink (refreshing pineapple drink).  It was delicious!  So happy to be here.

Jared and Denisha are off to Costa Rica today.  I am looking forward to meeting up with them in 10 days.