13
Location: Amubri
After an interesting night with all thirteen of us under one roof, we somehow woke up well rested and ready to tackle the day. Once we were fed, our Bri Bri guides named Roger, Hector and Alan showed us around Amubri, and we went to a farm where there were loads of cacao trees and other good stuff. We learned the history of the cacao and got to suck on some of its sweet seeds. A few of us bit into it and let our mouths become bitter because of the raw cacao. Once our lesson was over, we had the chance to help plant some trees! Some were planted specifically to attract birds away from the crops, and others were planted so they could be used later as lumber. Roger let us know that the trees were native to the area but weren’t planted at their farm until now. Soon after we said goodbye to our new friends, we headed to a small chocolate factory on the outskirts of Puerto Viejo. There we had the opportunity to see the process the cacao seed has to go through to make our yummy treats. We even got to try some of the chocolate they had there. It was a delicious experience. As our long but eventful day came to its end, our wonderful leaders treated us to out-of-this-world sushi and Asian food buffet! To end on a perfect note, we had a bonfire on the beach and just enjoyed the crashing of the waves as well as each others company.