Sticky Day!

Thankfully today started off as a slow morning with breakfast then a walk through the market down town. The market in Costa Rica was similar to the one in Cartago. Here we were able to see a traditional dress that is worn by children for gatherings when they do traditional dances. 

  After leaving the market, we killed time and walked pass the Teatro Nacional built in 1897. Then pass McDonalds which may not sound like a big deal however it is the original building from 1970 which was also the first McDonalds in Latin America. & P.S. Louisiana is famous down here - we have seen 3 Popeyes (haha). Fun fact about Costa Rica is that they no longer have an Army and have not had one since the 1900s. 

    We walked roughly 10 blocks to meet with Congress. Here we met with the director of personal relations who is also a congress man. He discussed with us the way they hold elections, political parties, scandals, and the way congress meets. They hold elections every 4 years and the process is quite similar to ours. As for as the presidential elections things are a little different. One part is that they hold 4 year terms but are not allowed to run for consecutive terms. My favorite part is that they have such pride for their fellow Costa Ricans that they make themselves heard and the President listens. For the most part, everything else is almost identical to our system of checks and balances. 

Blue Castille 

 Background = awesome

President's Room 

   We then headed off to the Souvenir shop for lunch (delicious burgers and dessert)! After shopping we went into the factory where they hand make the wooden jewelry, bowls, place mats, and many other decorative items. Another fun fact about this business is that the factory has been family operated and owned for decades. 

 Unfinished hand crafts 

 Smoothing process of wood 

 Finished Inventory 

      Then off in a rush to an amazing part of the day; the bubble gum factory! Chiclera Costarricense was founded in 1962. It's target market is all of the Americas and the Caribbean. Here we walked through each process of the manufacturing stages! First they mix all the ingredients. Once they have "gum" they send it to machines to cut it into the sizes they need & it's heated to hold its shape then off to cool it down in a climate controlled room! After its been cooled for 24 hrs it then goes to the coloring  process I'm a room filled with huge mixers. These then head off to packaging then out to its market. 

Sanitary Necessary 

 Beginning process of gum

 Coloring process 

   We finished off our agenda with another lecture. The speaker was from Lubbock, Texas. While he was educated on medical tourism and his presentation was great - he was so self-centered! Literally told us that he looked good surfing oh but he had lipo! Definitely not a fan of that personality. 

As promised last night, here are some photos of supper! 

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