Eco-Tourism on Prezi

Mas Fotos

Random spheres that have be found all over Costa Rica. Historians do not know how they arrived, but some suggest it was from another world (Javier) Alien spheres anyone?

The gang enjoying fresh coconut water! Apparently it is really good for your digestive system and your kidneys....also a cure for a hangover.

Wonderful hot springs! There were different levels of naturally heated mineral pools at the hot springs, this one was moderately warm. It was important to take breaks or enter a cooler pool so you didn't get overheated.

Can you spot the spider monkey swinging in the trees?? What a great experience to get to view a whole flock of them just making their way through the forest!

La Catarata de La Fortuna - What a memorable hike! It's a shame that locals have to pay to view such a beautiful waterfall, but it is definitely worth it.

Pineapples!

Here is Christopher holding up a part of the pineapple that can actually be planted into the ground and it will produce another pineapple! Something to try at home!

Universidad de Costa Rica Butterfly farm

Here is one of the species spotted in the butterfly farm on UCR's campus. It was a nice farm with many different types of marisposas (butterflies). I really enjoyed learning about how their color plays a large role in their defense mechanisms.

Tico Electronics

Here is a photo of the Tico Electronics employee production board. I thought this was very interesting on how they show weekly employee performance.

Poas Volcano

Poas Volanco. This was such and exciting hike! Wish we could have seen it erupt because apparently the day before it erupted 18x.

June 5 - San Jose last day - shopping

Our last day in San Jose was full of bargaining and shopping. We were able to go to the market that we visited the first couple of days and bargained our way to buying tons of gifts. It was hard to not want to buy everything especially since the vendors were all very nice. After the market, Taylor, Michelle and I decided to go downtown and explore San Jose. We walked around and stopped in a McDonalds for Taylor so she could get a snack wrap and I ran out when I saw rice and beans. Michelle and I packed a lunch and we all ate outside in a nice park area. We also stopped in a nice bakery and had a little treat and some coffee. We took a taxi home and prepared for our last lecture with Mauricio on Eco-tourism. It was a very interesting lecture and it was easy to comprehend, it also led to good discussion during dinner. After a traditional dinner at this very nice restaurant we all packed our bags and got to bed early to get up early for our departure at 4:00 a.m.. I was ready to go home, but at the same time I really wanted to stay and explore more of this country. It was such a fabulous and eye opening trip and I am very happy to be able to have experienced it with such great company.

June 4 - Kayak, Snorkel and leave for San Jose

Kayaking out in the ocean and then snorkeling for hours was probably the highlight of my trip. Although I learned a lot of new things, this activity was so much fun and I was happy we saved it for the end of the trip. We saw so many beautiful fish and kayaking was fun, even though in the beginning Jeff being captain was a little scary. In the end though, our kayak didn't flip, thanks to him! More sun and some really good food for lunch, then we headed off to San Jose (4-5 hr drive) After we reached San Jose, we had a few hours to relax. Tomorrow we are able to go shopping around downtown for our last day and then we have one more lecture.

June 3 - SAMARA

Early morning wake up to head to the bus and travel to the beach. We only have 1.5 days at the beach so I'm going to make the most of it. As soon as we got to the hotel it was time to take a hot shower (finally) then hit the beach for the rest of the day. The weather was amazingg and the beach was outstanding! Being able to lay out, each a delicious lunch and then play in the waves was a perfect afternoon. That evening we all enjoyed a good dinner together then came back and all passed out I think from too much sun. We had an exciting morning planned with a kayak trip and snorkeling out in the ocean.

June 2 - Hiking Activity with our host family and River tour

Thanks to the Howler Monkeys, it was easy getting up at 4:45 in the morning to go eat breakfast and then head off to meet the rest of the group for our hike. Kimberly the daughter in the host family Bri and I were staying with came with us. Kimberly is one tough kid, she did the whole hike no complaining, always smiling and kicked most of our butts! It was a very tough and tiresome hike, but the views and the cavern at the top were definitely worth it. The way down was a little rough because I was very tired and dehydrated and got a little frustrated, but I still enjoyed it. After we got back from the hike, we ate a quick lunch and then headed to meet the group again for a tour on the river. The river was very pretty and we got a great view of the wildlife out there. We stopped over where they produced most of their clams and dumped the shells. There was just this hill of clam shells which was very cool. We saw a few crocodiles which was scary, but I was glad we got to see some! During the boat tour, we had a torrential down pour of rain which lasted the rest of the night into part of the morning. After the boat tour, we took a nap woke up for dinner and then watched a movie with our host mom and then went to bed. It was a very exhausting day and the mosquitoes were just making me even more tired. I wish we could have experienced more of their day to day lifestyle, but being able to hike and go on a boat tour with them is going to be a very memorable experience. We were the first group to stay with most of the families in this community and I think they did a good job at hosting us. Our host family was very accommodating. Although I am ready to go to the beach, it will be sad to leave in the morning.

June 1 Ad Astra and 2nd homestay

We woke up to a rainy day which spoiled our canopy tour so we instead headed off to Ad Astra early. Franklin Chang-Diaz developed an idea in college for the plasma motor for rockets and planes during space travel. This company was very interesting because they showed how the idea began and also provided information on what they've done and what they plan to do in the future. I really enjoyed the fact that they have programs for waste management and detection. They have developed so many new ideas and are trying to get the younger generations educated so they can continue to provide more knowledge and progression in their discoveries. This new plasma rocket will save time, energy and help protect the health of the persons who will be traveling. As a part of NASA, they are working together with their department in Houston, Texas to attempt a travel to Mars by 2030. I was very interested in this lecture and was eager to research more on my own. I really appreciated that we were able to see how the plasma motor worked and that he really helped us understand every component in the product. As we left Ad Astra it was time to visit our 2nd home stay family at corral de piedra.

We were greeted by our families with all the little girls in the community performing traditional dances they have been practicing. We were separated in to 2's for each house. Brianna and I were set up together to join our family. We were kind of passed off between 2 different families during this stay, but it was very nice getting to know the both of them. They did not speak any English at all so Brianna and I had to really be confident and spit out as much Spanish as we could. They were very understanding and easy to talk to. They fed us a very interesting meal for dinner which consisted of Cauliflower dipped in eggs and then thrown into some rice. The mosquitoes here are very very very bad and repellent must be worn at all times. It was a very tiring day and we had to get up to hike for 5:30 so we went to bed early.

May 31 Ricon de la vieja national park and eco-lodge

After Arenal, we headed to Ricon de la vieja park and went on a very nice hike to view the volcanic mudpits and wildlife. The trees, birds, monkeys and lizards were amazing. I can't believe the pits and water can reach up to 249 degrees Fahrenheit. Again we had to pay for park entry which really bothers me since we go to school in an area where parks and trails are free everywhere. After our hike, we got settled into our rooms at the eco-lodge and did some P90x abs and yoga. After our workout we had a nice dinner and just relaxed the rest of the night. The next day we had planned a horseback ride up to the canopy tour and zipline early in the morning then off to Ad Astra to learn about rockets.

May 30 La Catarata

In the morning we spoke to the manager of the Eco-lodge and got a history and an explanation of what they actually do there as far as running the lodge with sustainable energy and what times of the year they are most popular. It's time to go check out the waterfall! Supposedly it was only a couple of Kilometers away so Michelle and I decided to hike it and enjoy the views of the Volcano. Unfortunately we did not bring enough money and had to return to the eco-lodge to get more and then make the trek back up to the waterfall. It was very hot, but definitely worth it. The waterfall was amazing and it was even more rewarding to get in the water! The waterfall is another example of how the national parks are a part of the tourism industry because they charge to enter the parks. After the waterfall we were able to visit the Indigenous replication of the Maleku Tribe. This tribe is actually located about 40 or 50 Kilometers from this location. I was a little disapointed with this presentation because I felt like it was very over done and was a little fake. I understand that they did perform dances around fires and most of the information they told us was real, but it was too theatrical for me. I did really enjoy their art work and bought a little souvenir for my parents and the money went to different families in the tribe. After the tribe we entered into town for a dinner. We found a place that had pasta and pizza!! So exciting, even though rice and beans was good and fit the culture, I was in need of some comfort food. PASTA! It was a fun night to get together, eat and relax.

May 29 Cataratas Eco-Lodge La Fortuna

It was very sad to leave the home stay. I wish we could have stayed at least a couple more days to really get a feel for their day to day lifestyle. We left San Marcos to head to La Fortuna and arrived at Cataratas Eco-Lodge. This eco-lodge was beautiful and had a super view of the Arenal volcano. We got to take a break and relax at the pool for a little while at the pool, go to lunch at this delicious restaurant with the coolest drinks. I got a pina colada which ended up being in a carved pineapple and was decorated with fruit to make a face sooo cute! After a great meal and a couple of fancy beverages, we headed to the hot springs for a couple of hours and it was sooo relaxing. The water in the hot springs was naturally heated and having different levels of temperature was really cool. After we ate dinner at the Hot Springs we returned to the Eco-lodge and just relaxed.

May 28 San Marcos Community

Early wake up call by some howler monkeys...wow those things are awful! I had no idea what it was at first, a wild boar or something? haha very unexpected. Had a very good breakfast with fruit, eggs, rice and beans. Getting to know our family more was very nice. We took a tour through their pineapple, sugar cane, papaya fields. Listening to all the effort it takes to plant and harvest all their produce is a lot of work that they must keep on top of daily. We were able to try fresh sugar cane and pineapples freshly picked and drink fresh coconut water. This is an experience and a taste I will never forget. You cannot have fresh produce like this from the grocery store. All of this contained no preservatives or pesticides it was all natural.

After the tour we had free time to go play soccer with the local kids. I have been waiting to play because I love soccer and I bet these kids have a lot of talent, which they clearly did! I have to remember to use my spanish because mostly everyone only speaks Spanish that's about it.

We had the rest of the day to relax and hang out with our families. We all went to bed pretty early because the next day we get to view/help out with their chores on their little farm and possibly milk a cow!

May 27 Poas Volcano - Doka Coffee - San Marcos Homestay numero Uno

What an awesome day Volcanos, Coffee and meeting a wonderful family!

To begin the day we traveled to Poas Volcano. We went on a nice hike up to the volcano and let me tell you it was amazing. I have never seen a volcano up close before and I was so impressed and knowing that it was active was even more exciting. I didn't enjoy the smell of sulfur so much but I got over it. Having volcanoes and other sites like these is very good for tourism in Costa Rica because you have to pay to come to these parks and most of the time if you're in Costa Rica and you're near a volcano you're gonna go see it. The lake here was very pretty as well and there pretty birds flying around that our tour guide Javier pointed out to us. I was hoping to see it erupt since the day before had 18 eruptions, but it didn't happen so I guess I'll just have to make another visit sometime.

Doka Coffee Farm

Being a barista and being around coffee all the time, I was really interested to see all the labor that is put into the beans. The tour took us through each step of the process and it is a very long process, especially when it comes to the plant to mature. It was cool to see how they protect their plants from other animals and bugs with planting fruits near so they will go after those instead of the coffee ones. Although the workers did not get paid very much and their labor was very intensive, it was nice to see that they received housing and care for their children. Being an HR major worker rights is very important to me and I am glad workers are not getting taken advantage and that their jobs take care of them. I again feel like this is a huge part of tourism with all the gifts shops and how the coffee plant was presented.

San Marcos Arrival

We arrived pretty late to our first home stay and we were greeted with hugs and a delicious dinner. First thing to do was put on that bug spray, from here on during our trip I kept my repel-ant at my side 24/7. We were all very exhausted and it was so relaxing to hang out on their porch and get to know the family we were staying with. The girls and I had such a fun time playing with their grandson Christopher. He is a very intelligent kid and was very helpful to his grandparents. I'm excited to play soccer with the kids in this town!

UCR

It was really interesting to see the Universidad de Costa Rica's campus compared to ASU, it is very different. It is a very large campus and there are a huge range of student ages and is not as focused with being green. Although there were gardens, butterfly farms and attempts to cut out pollution, the campus I thought was very dirty and had a lot of litter. ASU's campus really tries to recycle and trash is usually picked up. Although Costa Rica is known as moving to being more green and sustainable, it really bothered me to see how dirty and how much trash was on the ground. The campus was very colorful and had a bunch of culture which was really cool to see. The butterfly farm was so nice and interesting to see the different types and colors. It was really cool to learn how the different colors play a huge role in their defense mechanisms.

When Maria Paula spoke about Free Trade Agreements, she explained about why they were important and about the positive and negative benefits. She is a very intelligent person and I wish I knew more about FTA to fully understand her lecture. It was very hard to follow and difficult to listen to because I felt like I had no knowledge at all of the topic.

I really enjoyed exploring downtown of CR. There were many great restaurants, shopping and a nice museum. I really like going to museums and looking at the artifacts and history of a culture because you can really understand visually. Overall it was a nice day to go see how people my age interact in Costa Rica.

Dia Tres - Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is very popular in Costa Rica. Through out the day we visited 3 hospitals, 2 private and one public. The private hospitals were extremely nice and the conditions were superior. I didn't feel like I was in a hospital because it was so quiet and the atmosphere was very calming.

Clinica Biblica
The first hospital we visited was a private hospital called Clinica Biblica. It began in 1929 and has a certification from the Joint Certification International. This hospital is no free, but insurance here is good and works with many other country's insurance companies. Prescriptions are also cheaper and are regulated in Costa Rica. Clinica Biblica has different departments such as dentistry, psychology, social work, nutrition, and physical therapy. It was interesting to see a dentistry department in the hospital. I was excited to tell my parents about this hospital because they work in hospitals in the US. All the nurses were RN's and there are 80 rooms in the hospital. As far as sustainability, they recycle materials and they use electronic files for all of their patients.

CIMA

CIMA is a private hospital. I was very impressed with this hospital. Their main goals are Quality, sustainability, and ethics. There are 8 facilities 46000 divisions and 38000 surgeries. CIMA is the first hospital to receive accreditation from the Joint International Commission. They offer great healthcare, medical packages, great customer service and cheaper prices. CIMA seemed like it was run more like a business than a hospital. The lobby was very nice and relaxing and the rooms were very accommodating. These hospitals had many and the similarities to US hospitals but a difference that stuck out to me was how quiet they were. It was calm and the intercom was rarely used.

The Public Hospitals health care in Costa Rica or any type of treatment is free because of their social security system. People must pay for private but the care is better and is still 1/4 cheaper in Costa Rica than in the US. You must be a Costa Rican citizen or have to live in Costa Rica for 3 months to receive free health care in a public clinic. The public hospital Blanco Servantes: Hospital Nacional was pretty much a geriatrics hospital. It was very clean considering it was public and offered many services. The nurses were very nice. A public hospital nurse earns about $2000 a month where as private make about $8000-$10,000. I can't believe all the records were only recorded on paper. With the hospital being public there has to be so many records to keep track of.

I really enjoyed these visits and comparing them to US hospitals. It was a great experience and I am going to persuade my parents to view possible job opportunities there!

Day 2 intro, Tico, INCAE

San Jose is a very interesting city. There is a lot of traffic and congestion. I wish I was able to explore more around here, but unfortunately its not very safe and the streets are dangerous after dark. Javier our tour guide provided us with interesting facts about the culture as we drive from place to place. The country is very green and the view of the mountains outside San Jose is very pretty.It is funny to see American companies and restaurants all over like Burger King, Taco Bell, and Firestone. Even though the exchange rate is low, prices on products in CR are very high. I think water, meals and clothes are about the same price as the US if not more. The water seems fine to drink, so far... Rices and beans seems to be a popular meal here. I am very excited to see the other cities and compare the cultures.


TICO
Our first tour of the trip was at Tico Electronics. It was very informative and interesting. Tico is basically a facility where there is outsourced manufacturing. Compared to the US and their manufacturing facilities, Tico is rather small. There are many different sections, but each combine in an assembly to make a final product such as sleep apnea, airplane joysticks etc. The company is 15 years old and there are 2 plants with 400 employees. Tico thrives on high mix low volume and their customers know exactly what to expect. Their competition is mainly from a duty free area in Mexico which is right next to the US mainland. It was interesting to see that customers find Tico through things such as the web, word of mouth and gov't agencies. When I first saw the company, I did not think it was as popular as it was.

As an HR major, I took notice to the working conditions and was impressed that the climate was controlled for a comfortable environment, good ventilation, as well as exercise, therapy and an on site doctor for the employees. Workers opinions and voices are heard to help their day to day production. They are paid about 8.000 colones an hr which is equal to 4 US dollars.

Tico was a very interesting company in the sense that each employee( labor intensive - low technology) and department played a huge part in keeping the company successful.

INCAE

Our visit to this university was very impressive. It is number one in Latin America and is rated the 20th best schools in the world. This school is very selective and only promote their school through word of mouth and their website. Diversity is very important which I agree with and expereince in the class room is a major goal of the program. I thought it was cool how student must live on campus. The work load is very tough and will have you studying from 8am-2am, very intimidating. Our speaker was very intelligent and I enjoyed listening to him speak about his school's success. He spoke a lot about business protocol which was cool because he explained different contexts in cultures and how it can really affect a business meeting. I really like how the university used non-drinkable water to irrigate the grounds. He also mentioned how the Brewery in Costa Rica was being sustainable and pays upstream farms. Very much enjoyed this campus and made me interested in looking internationally for universities.


Overall it was a very educational day. I really enjoyed Tico in being able to relate my HR knowledge. I am hoping they become more environmental in recycling materials soon though. INCAE was a very beautiful campus and I felt very informed by our speaker. It was a good start to the beginning of exploring Costa Rica's businesses.

Chao!