As for the actual tour, we started at the farm where we were surrounded by coffee trees as well as fruit trees, birds and weeds. Carlos explained that at Cafe Ruiz, they don't use insecticides to get rid of bugs but rather allow birds to eat them. They also have tons of fruit trees - some of which are poisonous to the bugs. They also have pretty tall trees to create shade for the coffee trees and weeds in the ground to prevent erosion during rain storms. I forget the exact measurements he stated, but with all of the trees they have, each acre (?) produces 60 pounds of Oxygen a day. Pretty eco-friendly.
We also got to see the coffee trees up close and personal. He explained to us that the best beans to pick are red. They vary in color from green to red and any mix of the two. He then popped it open to reveal the actual bean. I had no idea that the beans are initially a creamy-white color and are sweet if you eat them. We then got to see the various stages of the coffee tree and how it grows and everything.
Next we went to the place where they turn the bean into the dark coffee beans that we're all used to. Turns out there are TONS of steps (16 to be exact). I know it starts with picking and somewhere in there they check the density and there's the washing and drying and sorting... it truly goes on and on but was all very interesting.
The last part of the tour was the tasting. Carlos explained to us the different types of roasts and that the European Roast is roasted lower than the French Roast and that the longer the bean is roasted, the more flavor and caffeine it loses. We tasted 3 types - European, Latin and Italian. You can definitely taste the difference! We also got to see Señor Ruiz (the founder of the company) who is 87 years old and is still working. Lastly, they gave us little gift bags which are small coffee bean sacks with a postcard and cookies and a pack of coffee beans.
After the tour, we booked it to David so that we could catch a bus to Almirante (the town where we catch a water taxi to Bocas del Toro). We were a bit worried because we weren't sure what time we'd get into Almirante and didn't know how late the water taxis run. We made it in plenty of time. During the bus ride from David to Almirante, we experienced tons of road construction and windy roads. A combination of the constant stopping for the construction and the 4.5 hours of windy roads got me just a bit car sick.
Once we got to Almirante, we took a cab to the water taxi and then the water taxi to the island. We didn't have a reservation on the island so we pretty much walked around to figure out where we wanted to stay. We ended up running into this guy named Alex who lives and works on the island. He helped us figure out where to stay by taking us around. We decided on this sweet little place called "Tropicana". At $30 a night for AC, TV and a private bathroom with a warm shower, I was happy. It's also very conveniently located - it's right across the street from one of the bigger party places.
That night, I took a little nap because I was still feeling icky from the bus ride and then we met up with Catherine, a PCV who was on the island. We got dinner at this little burger and hot dog place but I wasn't able to eat much because my stomach was not agreeing. We then went across the street to this place called Toro Loco. It's a bar where all the gringos go and they play all American music. It was a pretty chill vibe but the one guy who works there is pretty much a 30 year old frat boy. After Toro Loco, we went to Mondo Taitu (right across from our hotel) where they were having a Halloween costume contest. The guy who won was dressed up as the kid from "Where the Wild Things Are". We hung out there for a while and then went to this amazing roach coach that sells sandwiches. By this time, I was feeling better and I definitely enjoyed my bites of the chicken sandwich with mozzarella.
The next morning, we went on a boat tour of the area. We got to see dolphins swimming around and went snorkeling. Well, Dave went snorkeling. I stayed in the boat. I did go in the water for a bit but started to feel sick so got back in. We stopped for lunch at one of the nearby islands but I wasn't doing too well... I ended up throwing up and not eating lunch. I felt better though afterward which is good because the next stop was a two-hour stay at a beach.
The beach was gorgeous - Red Frog? Dave knows what it's called. It's located on Isla Bastiamentos and has some of the warmest water I've ever encountered. It was so nice and I spent most of the time sitting on the shore where the water would surround me but not overpower me. There were even these little fish that at first were incredibly cute because they kept hanging around me and then... they started to nibble on Dave and me and became not so cute anymore.
It started to drizzle while we were at the beach and then it started to pour while we were on the boat back to Bocas Town. I wasn't very happy because it was pretty cold but the trip itself was amazing.
When we got back to our hotel, we were soaked. And then!!! LAUNDRY MACHINES. We saw them and immediately wondered if we could use them. Sure enough, we could use them for free and they even gave us laundry detergent. It was so nice to wash clothes in the machine instead of the sink. We even washed clothes that were technically clean just because we could!
While doing laundry, I started to feel a bit ill again. I tried to work through it and we ended up going to a nearby hostel where Catherine and a few other volunteers were staying. We hung out with them for a bit and then got dinner. After dinner, I took a nap hoping that I'd feel better. It was Halloween after all and I really wanted to hang out with the other volunteers.
I wasn't feeling 100% but decided to go out. I'm glad I did because everyone was super nice and a lot of fun. We started at Toro Loco and then bounced around town. Dave played pool and I chatted with some volunteers who are from the Bay. It's always fun to talk to people who know where I'm from. I started to feel pretty icky around 11:30 and went back to the hotel to sleep.
This morning, I still felt terrible. I was dreading the bus ride back to David (where we currently are) because I knew it would be tons of windy roads. In the end, it wasn't too bad.
When we got into David, it was raining kinda hard, so we took a cab to the Purple House Hostel. As the day went on, I started to feel worse and worse. Eventually, I decided to take my temperature. 100.7! I took some medicine and rested a bit... 101.6! Then Dave ordered dinner from Domino's pizza. I ate a bit and my temperature actually went down. I'm back to normal now but I definitely felt absolutely terrible for a few hours there.
Now we're watching the World Series. I'm still feeling a bit off and am hoping it goes away soon. Sleep tonight will be well received for sure!
I'll post pictures sometime later this week...
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