Money Does Grow on Trees!

Our day began with a white water rafting adventure through the rainforest. Pozo Azal was a great host for our adventure. The trip was roughly 13 miles with the break including jumping off of a 10 ft cliff and a fresh pineapple! The river pictured is where we rafted. The water was cold but we passed a great time - even saw a Toucan!  

After completing the trip we were served lunch including delicious tilapia. Upon the completion of the rafting adventure we traveled to Tirimbina to learn about sustainable Ecotourism and the preservation of the forest and the wildlife. Tirimbina protects about 400 acres of forest, wildlife, and the river. This trip included a tour of the "chocolate factory" and I use that term loosely! After a 20 minute hike on the edge of the mountain & across one of the most terrifying bridges that you would only expect to see in the movies; I.e. Jurassic Park! :) The following picture is the horror movie bridge that I absolutely loved. 

(View of the canopy from the bridge)

We made it to the "chocolate factory" where we learned about the cocoa plant, seeds, fermentation process, and preparation process & were also able to enjoy each step!

(Cocoa plant) 

(Cocoa fruit)

Peyton, is pictured holding the cocoa fruit that contains roughly 40 - 60 seeds. The bean is protected by the tangy pulp, which we were able to taste. After opening the fruit, they remove the beans and put it through a fermenting process which takes roughly 7 to 14 days. 

 Chocolate after the all the hard work is completed & delicious!! I'll need some of this in the states - it's said to make you "happy" but I'd like to picture the Robertson's saying "Happy, Happy, Happy!"

We then repeated this hike and had a lecture on Sustainable Business & Ecotourism! Tirimbina is classified as a 4 leaf business in CST (Certification of Sustainable Tourism). 4 leaf is similar to the U.S.'s 4 stars thus representing how much the business meets their standards of sustainable business practices. The trip back to the hotel was a little rough with most people getting sick! If the driving st home freaks you out .... You haven't seen anything yet! We played "chicken" twice today!

Loving the place & the people I'm with!