4
Location: La Finca, Doca Coffee Farm
Today we did not go to La Carpio; we went to Gail’s house instead. Her home is owned by the foundation; it is called La Finca, which means The Ranch, intended to be a getaway for the people of La Carpio to come and enjoy the open space, nature, and pool. We helped her out in the garden by weeding, mixing compost in the soil and planting vegetables. The garden is utilized by the people of La Carpio, giving them a source of agricultural education and fresh produce. In her backyard, there is a river that is full of water, and when you look in the trees, you can see Jesus lizards and watch them run across the water. Also when you look on the ground, there are so many life forms around ranging in size and color. After a while of working, we took a break and were able to try some of the freshly baked bread from the local bakeries. The bread was amazing, some with strawberry and pineapple filling. We went back to work after our break and worked up until it was time for lunch. After lunch, we left and drove to go on a coffee plantation tour. The drive was so beautiful, the trees and mountains were so green and lush. On the drive up it started raining hard, followed by lightning and thunder. On the coffee tour, we learned how they get the coffee beans out of the fruit and how to tell if it is a high or low-quality coffee bean. When the tour was done, we went to the butterfly garden, and the butterflies were all different colors. The butterfly’s varied in size and color. Some of us were able to get the butterflies to land on our hands, and it was amazing to see. When we were done in the garden, we got back on the bus and headed back home. We were able to have our phones for a little and then it was dinnertime and off to bed. That was all for today; we will give you another update tomorrow!