Socio Cultural Group Blog

Seeing both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in a matter of a few days was an experience! They were both beautiful and filled with vibrant, yet different people. After visiting both oceans, we noticed that the Caribbean side was less developed with dirt roads and smaller hotels. While the Pacific side, had paved roads and large resorts. On the Caribbean coast, we stayed in a town called Cahuita. Many of the locals in Cahuita were Rastafarians who were very friendly and laid back.







On the Pacific coast we stayed in a larger town called Quepos. Quepos was filled with so many businesses which catered toward tourism and so much to do, it was hard to walk down the street without feeling like you would be run over by a taxi or a Tico (Costa Rican)!












Both towns were really fun, and while they were both economically centered around beach tourism, they had extremely different vibes.

Environmental Group: A Rainy Goodbye

We finally made it to Manuel Antonio! The Pacific coast is one of the most visited areas of Costa Rica by tourists of all ages, especially Europeans and Americans. We spent four nights at hotel Divisamar and we went down to Quepos every night for dinner. Quepos is like the downtown of Manuel Antonio, the locals are very friendly and everyone seems to know one another. It’s really interesting how the locals are aware of the tourists that come to stay the night or even several nights, and they are always expecting those groups to come by and visit. The whole idea of tourism in Manuel Antonio continues to grow but when we visited the hotel Si Como No the speaker, Mateo Villalobos, explained that it is becoming a problem. He says that the hotel infrastructure continues to grow while the biodiversity and environment shrinks. Si Como No is doing an exceptional job in regards to sustainable tourism and strategizing to find new and better practices to conserve the environment. They have earned five leaves from CST and they are a leader in sustainable tourism (something we haven’t seen in any other hotel). Yesterday we ventured Manuel Antonio National Park and the beaches were like nothing any of us have ever seen….the whole make up of the beach was relaxing with smooth waves, warm water, and a beautiful view! The white faced monkeys were very anxious, sneaky, and kind of creepy because they would snatch anything they would see especially food. Then it poured on us, yes it had not rained on us throughout the entire trip, what a bummer! Sunday, “the day before” our flight back home, consisted of attempting to see the animals at the zoo until it started raining once again. Later, we went out and explored the market and went “souvenir shopping”. Many of us waited so that we could make the best purchases but sometimes we had to spend a few extra “hundreds” (500 colones equal 1 dollar). Overall the past four days fulfilled all of our expectations and more….We will miss this country but it’s time for us to go home! :(


While all of us are anxious to get back home to see our family and friends, it is a clear consensus that everyone will miss this beautiful place where the air is clean, weather is perfect, and the locals are friendly towards us as if they have known us for years. The professor and staff members on this trip have stressed that we have learned more than what a student taking this course at UNT would have learned over the course of a whole semester. We have taken in a lot of information and knowledge from this trip from the lectures we attended and talking to some of the local people here. Being here is really an eye-opener because sometimes people tend to take in information but don’t apply the knowledge because we don’t see how much our actions impact our surroundings, but here in Costa Rica we were surrounded by a completely different world and were able to experience some of the activities many Costa Ricans do on a daily basis. After being here and witnessing this experience, it is only natural for us to come back with a new perspective on the environment and how we as people shape it. We cannot create an instant transformation on the way people around us choose to live, but if we change our ways, then people will start to catch on.

Economic Group...Enjoying the last few days

The last few days of our journey throughout Costa Rica have been both educational and memorable. We had the privilege of visiting a palm oil plantation at El Silencio, a small co-op farming community. It was amazing to see all the work that went into getting the fruit out of the trees that contains the palm oil. It definitely brought about a greater appreciation to something we all take for granted. The next day we visited Si Como No, a hotel that has earned the highest level of sustainable certification by CST standards. This hotel was very advanced in their practices including solar panels, water conservation, employee transportation, and even a wildlife refuge. The part that we were most impressed with, however, was the employee benefits. Besides giving free transportation, once a month, the hotel brings in a masseuse for the staff, free of charge!

The last two days were spent relaxing at the beach and then driving back to San Jose. No one objected to spending time splashing in the waves or laying out on the sand with monkeys in the trees overhead. We went to the beach at Manuel Antonio National Park, which has earned Blue Flag Certification for its eco-friendly practices. With our last day of driving, we are prepared to head back to the United States. This is a bittersweet moment for us all as we are excited to see our family and friends back home, yet we are sad to be leaving such a beautiful country. This trip has far exceeded all expectations and has given us a chance to learn and grow not only as people but as conscious consumers and travellers.

Socio Cultural Group's Adventures...

These recent couple of days have been a whirlwind of cultural awareness, biodiversity, and great fascinating wonders. The indigenous BriBri tribe were very hospitable to us and a quite pleasant friendly lot. We were exposed to lots of bugs during our stay there, consisting of a bat, an unwelcome visit of ants, grasshoppers and all sorts of other critters. Prior to making acquaintance with the BriBri tribe we were told not to show them the soles of our feet, not to speak to them unless spoken to, and to not do anything disorderly. We did so, however the natives were different than we expected for they were civilized and quaint. We played soccer with them, archery and enjoyed their delicious cooking. They have been doing events like this for about 18 years and they are getting a boom in tourists now. Seeing the world from their perspective and resources was an enlightening keyhole into understanding symbiosis and harmony of diverse communities.









Just before departure, we hiked to a waterfall nearby. On Sunday, our free day we dispersed to relax, or immerse ourselves in writing our journals, head to the pool or lovely beach and Cahuita National Park. Shopping that night in the evening was a majestic adventure of many artisan stands and a plethora of aesthetically appealing accesories, jewlery, and artistic works. Then come Monday and Tuesday we observed many animals such as iguanas, turkeys, Spider monkeys, ocelots, and Capuchin monkeys. We learned that some of the iguanas are used for meal consumption and also as a medicine through frying its fat to make oil. Then it can clear sinuses and relieve colds. On Tuesday we went to see a crater and to La Paz waterfall garden. It was just stunning to be in the presence of so much wildlife and to be around so many waterfalls, three of them. One of the highest being the Magia Blanca Waterfall at 37 meters (120 feet) in height.

More from the Economic Group...

On Friday, some members of our group were suffering from general illnesses and stayed behind in a hotel with a pool and the beach to recover while the rest of us went on to see the Bribri indigenous people. The border between Panama and Costa Rica is split by the Yorkin River so we got to see two countries at once. Of course Panama looked just like Costa Rica, but the experience was still cool.

We were not sure what to expect from the indigenous people but we were excited when they greeted us warmly and welcomed us into their homes. They showed us where the local kids all go to school together and the building where they meet for general community meetings. Our rooms were cozy with bunk beds surrounded by netting to keep the bugs out. They served us lunch when we got there, and afterwards everyone had a great game of soccer against the local kids. That night after dinner they told us about how they started their co-op and what they did to make it successful. It was definitely an inspiring story and we loved getting to hear the history of how they started.


On Saturday we were supposed to hike to the Panama waterfall, but because of weather issues, we were not able to go. Bummer. We did play another game of soccer instead and splashed around in the Yorkin River. We were sad to leave the Bribri people, but excited to get back to those we had to leave behind because of illness. After that, we stayed at the Atlantica hotel and enjoyed a day of swimming and being at the beach. At night we got a chance to eat out at some of the local restaurants and look for souvenirs from the many shops that are along the beach.

On Monday, we drove back to San Jose, but along the way we stopped at an Iguana farm. We got to see how they raise the iguanas and later release them back into the wild. On Tuesday, we went to see the Poas volcano. It was quite an amazing site. We hiked up to the large crater and got to look down on a lot of smoke and surrounding burnt scenery. It was cooler than it sounds. Afterwards we hiked up the Botos lagoon and got to take a lot of pretty pictures. For lunch we went to La Paz, and then we got to see all of the different exhibits they have. They keep jungle cats, monkeys, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other animals in really neat exhibits. After we saw the animals, we hiked to several of the different waterfalls there and got to see some really pretty scenery and of course, take more photos. We are all getting to know each other really well and establishing some great friendships on this trip. We are looking forward to our last week of Costa Rica together.

That’s all for now,
Bekah, Christel, Krista, Tyler and Angele

Iguanas and Monkeys and Jaguars, oh my...

Hey everybody! These past few days we did something that not many people can say they have done: spend a night with indigenous Costa Ricans in the middle of the forest! This past weekend we discovered that the farther you are from civilization the better the food is :)





After we left CATIE, we drove past Cahuita (the Atlantic Ocean), canoed down the river that divides Panama and Costa Rica, and hiked to a small native town called Talamanca, which belongs to a group of Bribri people. Upon arrival, we had to win a soccer game against the highly competitive Bribri children in order to get dinner. Thanks to Tyler's amazing coaching skills we tied and called a game over :)



We learned how to make 100% chocolate out of cocoa beans and were serenated that night by Dr. Vargas and his guitar-playing Bribri friend. Some of us also learned how to weave out of leave strands and got to swim under a Panama waterfall. Sunday was a free day at the beach!! We all did different things: some swam, others body-surfed, and Kristel and Chase walked on the beach during sunrise. Some of us also walked into the city of Cahuita and spoke with the locals. On Monday we went to an iguana breeding farm and drove back to San Jose. On Tuesday we visited Volcano Poas and saw the third largest crater in the world. After walking down the volcano, we went to the La Paz Waterfall Garden, which was beautiful. There, we were able to see monkeys, jaguars, frogs, snakes, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Oh and 4 giant waterfalls! Can't wait to see what's next.

Pura vida,
Economic Team
Kristel
Tyler
Angelle
Krista
Bekah

Talamancan territory!

We have experienced a wide range of tourism on this trip, but the most interesting was our stay at an indigenous Talamanca Bribri community. We took boats up the Yorkin river and then stayed at their village. The Bribri people are unique, there are less than 75,000 people that even speak Bribri. During our stay at the village we learned how to make chocolate, straight from the cocoa bean! It was delicious. We also learned archery from one of the village boys. Friday afternoon we played the village kids in a game of soccer for dinner! It was a lot of fun, soccer is the same in every language so there was no barrier at all! The tourism to the village is limited, there are only about a thousand visitors a year. It is really neat how tourism has helped the village. It has created jobs inside the community so that the village men do not have to travel far from home to work in the banana plantations.

While most of the group made the journey into the Talamancan territory, a few of the group members had to stay behind due to a minor illness. The first night at the hotel, the group made their way to the Atlantic Ocean which was only about a three minute walk across the street. It was unique in a sense because no matter what time of day it was, the ocean water was set at the same warm temperature. The water was crystal clear. Later that night, our bus driver Miguel, drove the three of us, Agustin, Chase, and Krista, out to town a couple minutes away. During our time on the little strip filled with restaurants and souvenir shops, we explored a variety of different places.

Due to the unfamiliar surroundings, it was Agustin and Chase's duty to protect Krista. We finally found a place to eat at a pizzeria where the movie Cop Out was playing while we ate our dinner. The next day, Agustin was able to talk to a local man about the negative stereotypes that are given to the area and the people. There were many locals of African descent but there was one that seemed to attract the most people. Roberto, or Agustin's new friend, explained to him how he didn't appreciate all the criticism given to him because he was a Rastafarian individual who was always happy. Roberto was very peaceful and all smiles when you approached him; he told Agustin that many tourists look at him and think he spends his free time smoking marijuana. He also told Agustin that he felt it was unfair that the locals, from airports to hotel receptionists, do not recommend visiting that location. Agustin became such good friends with the man that he decided to donate his green shirt that Roberto liked. After the visit with the local, Jennifer, Agustin, Violet and Hope continued their journey to the beach where they took some pretty amazing photos. One of which seems to be out of a movie scene, (Agustin with his ninja kick).

Overall, although many people seem to stare at the locals, the locals seem to stare back, but it's only because of the curiosity to learn more from each other and when the ice is broken, it becomes a learning experience that can only be done by traveling the world.