We’ve completed our tech fast and had a very good group debrief about the experience! We had an interesting discussion about the pros and cons of having technology and how we want to keep using it from now on. It will be good to watch the influence of the experience on the rest of our program.

Today we woke up early to catch our bus to Hojancha, Costa Rica. We stopped in Hojancha proper to visit the plaza, the school, and to learn about the Blue Zone here in the Nicoya area. There are a large amount of people who live to be over 100 years old in this area and scientists are currently investigating this remarkable trend.

Then, we headed up the mountains to meet a coffee farmer and his family. At their home, they offered us an amazing breakfast of homemade tortillas, cheese, gallo pinto, fruit juice, and coffee. From there, we explored their coffee finca, which is full of not only coffee plants, but oranges, sugar cane, and zapote. We learned all about the process of picking the beans and their growth cycle. On their land, we were able to see one of Central America’s largest waterfalls, el Salto del Calvo, from afar.

Later, we visited el Centro Diurno de Hojancha, where we were able to sit down with the elderly. We met Don Luis, who is 105 years old and happy. We were able to ask them questions about their lives in the Guanacaste region and they were very happy to receive us.

Finally, we were invited to participate in an AMAZING coffee tasting. Overall, today was an incredible day full of adventure and discovery!

¡Pura Vida!

— MS Costa Rica 2019