Waterfall Gardens (Written by Addie)

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Last weekend, three students along with Dr. Owens took a trip to La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Poás Volcano. The tour also included a coffee plantation mini tour. Lisa, Randy, Dr. Owens and I all found the trip very interesting. When we first got to San José, our tour guide explained what we would be doing that day. He was very good at explaining the history of Costa Rica as we went on the combo tour. First, we went through the coffee plantation and saw how the coffee comes from the plant to the bag. It was a very complicated process. We learned that it actually is a very bad crop for the farmers simply because they do ninety percent of the work and only receive 10% of the profits. This is why many people in Costa Rica are living in poverty. Companies such as Starbucks can go to places where the wages are only $1.00 an hour and receive a bigger profit. This actually reminds me of the United States. A lot of our businesses are outsourcing to the same countries and we are losing the jobs.
After the coffee plantation, we went to the volcano. Unfortunately we did not get to see very much because it was cloudy. However, we got a good hike and got to smell the sulfur. It also started to rain while we were there and it never stopped for the rest of the trip. Then, it was finally time for the big event. The drive from the volcano to the waterfall seemed like it took longer than it should have. There was so much to do at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Not only do they have the actual waterfalls, they have a mini zoo. There was an aviary, a big cat zoo, a snake area, monkey, butterfly section, and frog section. They also had two big bulls, a mini pony and a flower garden. The aviary was pretty neat because the toucans fly right over your head. The big cats were hiding from the rain but we did get the chance to see some ocelots and a big jaguar up close. Lisa wanted to take her home and make a pet out of her. After lunch, we finished up the rest of the exhibits and headed for the waterfalls. The trail was pretty wet going down to the waterfall but we got to see both waterfalls. They were definitely worth being out in the rain for. The sight simply took your breath away. By the time we were done seeing the waterfalls, we were soaking wet and ready to relax for the night. It was worth every penny and was a wonderful trip. I suggest this trip to anyone that comes to Costa Rica. Just hope it’s not raining!
(Note from Dr. O.: Last weekend, some others in our group took a weekend trip to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica to sample the beaches there. We are hoping for some pictures from them soon!)

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Photos

Addie in the Clouds
Addie, author of this blog entry, at Poas Volcano (completely clouded over). (Photo by Addie)

Coffee Plantation
Addie, Lisa, Randy and Dr. O. after breakfast at Doka Estates Coffee Plantation.

Doka Plantation
A nice view of the plantation buildings and coffee fields. (Photo by Addie)

Coffee Fields
Here is a closer view of some of the coffee plants.

Coffee Roasting
Workers are roasting, bagging and shipping coffee as we visit the plantation. (Photo by Addie)

Walkway to the Volcano
In Poas Volcano National Park, this is the walkway to the crater of the volcano. (Photo by Addie)

Where's the Volcano?
Yes, there is a volcano down there somewhere! Randy is taking pictures of the surrounding vegetation. (Photo by Addie)

Poor Man's Umbrella
This plant is called the Poor Man's Umbrella plant. They are huge!

An Opening
The clouds finally opened up a little bit, just long enough for everyone to get a partial view of the crater. (Photo by Addie)

Central Valley
On the way to La Paz Waterfall Gardens, we stopped briefly for a great view of the Central Valley (Photo by Addie).

At La Paz
Addie poses for a picture close to the entrance of La Paz Waterfall Gardens (Photo by Lisa).

Waterfall Theme
Even the sinks in the bathrooms at La Paz are little waterfalls!

Aviary
As you enter the bird enclosure, you realize that the birds can fly around free in here. (Photo by Addie)

Toucans in the Aviary
We got very close to a number of toucans and stood under then as they flew around in their special section of the enclosure. (Photo by Randy)

Taking Off
This toucan was just taking off to fly to another branch in the enclosure.

Blue Morpho?
The blue morpho butterfly looks like this on the outside portion of its wings.

Inside Wings
But the inside wings of the blue morpho are bright blue!

Scarlet Macaw
This bird is real and it has the natural coloring of the scarlet macaw.

Cuddling
These two sloths were cuddling on a tree branch. (Photo by Addie)

Hummingbirds
There are over 40 species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica (and just 2 or 3 in the U.S.)

Too Fast
They were too fast for our cameras to catch them clearly.

Comments

[Romona]

Addie's Blog
Very nice writing,Really proud of you and all that you have accomplish in your college 2 yrs so far.So happy that you got to experience this wonderful adventure,hoping you have many more to come! Come home safe and remember Mom loves you!

[Brian]

Coffee
Did you bring back some coffee for me? Hope you are having a awesome time.

[Erica Boehlke]

Love it!
Hey girl, Your travels sound so fun I wish I was there! What an incredible experience! Our girls are learning lots from you! Amazing blogs! Enjoy and I don't know that I can drink coffee and not think of the profit margins you wrote about. Business decisions and oppurtunities are often so complicated and ruthless....Ah the love of money....Take Care love you~Erica

[Rev Bill Koch]

Love CA
Addie I've been to the top of Poas 3 times, what a great place. It sounds like you are enjoying the people (they are great) and the country. I love Costa Rica and have worked there on missions 5 times at the LABU. You may want to contact Dr. Roy May at the Latin American Bible University; San Pedro. I hope that you will get to travel to Valcano Irazu and Arenal. We stayed at a small resourt near Arenal in 05 and had the greatest 4th of July show ever. Also there is a great hyke across an old lava flow near Arenal. Another great location is Punta Leona on the Pacific coast just north of Japa. There are meny other wonderful locations. Enjoy. bk