A Cup of Joe

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Debbie and I were up before dawn this morning as the pilot boat was on our starboard side and it was noisy. We went out to take some photos of us arriving before dawn and went back to sleep for about an hour. We have to be in the theater by 7:45 AM for our coffee plantation tour. We boarded the bus and the guide speaks very good English. He gave us way more information than we were able to take in. We had a long drive up the mountains to the plantation. The vegetation is so dense here it is like jungle everywhere. The flowers growing wild are absolutely gorgeous. Poinsettias were everywhere in the wild here and the Christmas bulbs Amaryllis I think they are called are just beautiful.

We are so high up in the mountains that our ears were popping while we were driving. Looking over the edge of the road and passing other trucks, cars and buses was horrifying. By the time we got to the coffee plantation, it was raining but we had prepared so had our ponchos and umbrellas. It didn’t last long. We first went to taste the different blends of coffee and then they took us into the plantation where we got to see the plants and beans and the baskets the pickers use to pick the beans. They get $1.40 per 25 lb basket and most will pick 10 a day average. They said women and children are better pickers because they have smaller hands and fingers. Most other plantations only pay $1.00 per basket. As small as these beans are I can’t imagine filling that basket 10 times every day for $14.00 per day. We were very lucky that the clouds and rain kept the heat down because it was comfortable but generally it is around 90 degrees and very humid to be working in these fields. They took us through the whole process from growing to roasting then of course there was the gift shop with everything coffee. After everyone had finished there we left to head to Sarchi which is where we had lunch. If you could see a map of Costa Rica, you would be able to see how far away from Puntarenas we are. This city is known for it’s painted ox carts which are extremely colorful. Also we are told that many Americans live in this city. We went through the gift shop and then went next door to the restaurant to have lunch which was good. Black beans and rice, salad and grilled chicken. They also had several desserts to choose from but we passed on those. Our next stop was the butterfly and toucan shop. The butterflies were few and far between but the sole toucan was beautiful. After that we were on our way home and tired as it was after 3 PM when we arrived back at the ship. We dragged in and tried to find a place to put our purchases and then poured some coffee liquor that we bought and sat on the balcony and drank it along with our Jenny popcorn snack—makes good sense huh? We decided not to go to dinner in the dining room since we are tired and wanted to get the blog done tonight. We have just pulled away from the dock. We are trying to pick out the photos to go on the blog and after we get this posted it will be shower and bed. Debbie just reminded me to tell you about my conversation with God. The mountain roads coming down, we were traveling very fast on wet roads and the bus was leaning first left then right to the extreme. Rather than jumping out of my seat and yelling “We are all going to die” I instead blessed myself and promised I would be a good girl if he got me back to the ship alive which of course he did. B So now I must be good. Amen.