Heading into the jungle

Up early to head to the jungle, we were asked to be in reception by 6.20. Our transport and guide Raimon duly arrived and squished us into the back seat of a 16 seater bus (there were 17 of us). He talked about his country for the first hour or so of the journey and was interesting although I couldn't retain much I do remember he said:

Top industry is agriculture....export of bananas, pineapple and coffee, 2nd tourism and third, production of microchips for companies like Intel

Costa Rica is the newest/youngest country in the world having been formed by plates colliding under the ocean. They have six active volcanoes. And several mountain ranges. 

Bananas are grown in fields and the fruit is covered by blue plastic bags to protect it from the insecticides that are sprayed by aeroplanes. Harvesting the bananas is done by groups of three men who use machetes to cut the fruit and then use sponges in between each banana to protect the fingers so they get no bruising or blemishes. They carry them on their shoulder and in the factory the bananas are cut into hands of 7 or 8 fingers each and the ends are sealed with varnish and then packed to be sent overseas. I have no idea where the bananas we see in Aldi or the Coop are from...note to self, find out. 

We saw pineapple fields as well and Raimon told us that they have to be careful the pineapples dont grow too big otherwise they can't be exported. 

We stopped for breakfast of rice, beans and egg and fresh watermelon, pawpaw and pineapple and good coffee and then had a quick snoop around a butterfly park at the back of the restaurant. Back in the bus we carried on to the port where we put our luggage on one boat and got on another to head for Tortaguerno village. On the way we saw two cayman and lots of birds. We also saw toucan earlier in the day. The village was interesting with the river on one side and the ocean on the other. All the buildings were on stilts as it floods twice a year! Picked up another boat and finally arrived at our hotel for the next two nights.