San Luis Waterfall

Hiking to the second largest waterfall in Costa Rica

Coffee beans in each stage- from the plant to the finished product

One of my favorite foods- arepas. A sweet bread that goes well with coffee.

This is a basket used to harvest coffee beans.

Another view from the farm. And that's sugar cane in my mouth...

Coffee plant at Finca La Bella

Fotos de Finca La Bella

Alvaro's House in Finca La Bella

Finca La Bella (Beautiful Farm)

Just one visit to Finca La Bella and all of a sudden, I'm in love with this place. It's about a 30 minute walk from campus, and once you arrive, the view is breathtaking. We looked across the mountains and saw the eastern peninsula on the coast. We met with a farmer named Alvaro and he gave us some information about the history of Finca La Bella. Finca La Bella is a cooperative farm that is operated by a group of 24 families, and each have their own parcel of land. They don't own the land, they have a long -term lease. This farm began about fifteen years ago when 24 hectares was purchased with the intent to work and improve the land. Each family finds their own niche project. Some families grow coffee, some sugar cane, etc. This reduces competition between families on Finca La Bella. The income earned by each family is theirs to keep, income is not shared between families. But they work cooperatively to improve the land. In fifteen years they have planted over 18,000 trees in a reforestation effort.

One thing Alvaro said when asked about living in the city for economic reasons instead of the rural area-

"In this life, not everything is money. What we have here is safety and tranquility."

For the locals here, life is not about how much money you have or how beautiful your house is. Life is about living well and being happy. Spending time with their family, building relationships with their neighbors, and improving the land God gave them. Living is not about going through the motions. Every day is new and fresh.

Life is simple, it's not complicated. We tend to complicate life on our own. At the end of the day, it's about loving God, loving your family, and being a good steward of what has been given to you.

"Living on this land is not just about farms and cows. When I'm walking down the road and see someone I know, I can say hello. When my child is walking to school every house on the road knows her and will keep her safe. You can't have that in the city." -Alvaro

Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.
Proverbs 22:5

3 month old Brahma calf

Getting my hands dirty...

I had to take this picture :)

Son treinta mil tipos de orchidias en Costa Rica. ~There are 30,000 types of orchids in Costa Rica.~

This furry little creature was sitting right next to the trail. Looking for a meal?

Coffee Lovers Welcome...

Where to begin? So many exciting things have happened already. We arrived safely on Saturday after a very long day of traveling which consisted of two flights and a very long, very windy bus ride up the mountain. Sunday morning we hiked in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, where you literally walk through the clouds. Our guide, Oscar, gave the tour in Spanish which proved to be quite challenging. After our descent from the mountain, we visited at a hummingbird (colibrí) viewing area. There were colibríos everywhere! (Mimi- you would have LOVED it) They were all different colors and sizes, and not scared of visitors!
The food and COFFEE is fantastic. Rice with every meal, no exceptions. The plantains are my favorite food, so far.
And probably my favorite adventure thus far was milking the cow this morning. I guess I was a natural cow milker! Maybe I should take up dairy farming as a hobby? After the milking, I asked Don Ortuñel "Puedo venir a nuevo para ayuda?" Which means, "Can I come back another time to help?"

Later today we are visiting "Finca la Bella" (Beautiful Farm). Life is good. Pura vida!