Day 1: Pineapple Plantation, Zip Lining, and Thermal Pools

Pineapple Etiquette

We have all done it from time to time.  We arrive at the grocery store, we enter with the desire to search for the world’s perfect pineapple. We walk up to the pineapple section, we grab a pineapple; we might sniff it, pluck a leaflet from the top, maybe even look for more yellow than green.

Well, let me let you in on a little secret…

We have all been doing it wrong!

Here are a few rules you need to follow if you want the best pineapple at your local grocery store: (as recommended from a plantation farmer)

1. Look at the color of the pineapple before grabbing it. It should be between green and yellow, but more green.

Contrary to popular belief, pineapple can be completely green outside but completely ripe inside. This is always hard to accept because we have a tendency to believe that all fruit will continue to ripen after harvest, as a high percentage of the fruit that we generally eat are climacteric and do continue to do so, but not pineapples.

When the pineapple is picked from the plant, it is already ripe and will not ripen more when transported or taken home.

2. Don’t grab the pineapple by the body, always from the stems

Fully ripe pineapples means that the pineapple has reached its full sugar content, which also means it’s more prone to bruising and rotting. Pineapples are sensitive plants and if people continuously grab onto its body, it will start bruising (creating that amazing pineapple smell making you believe that its ripe and ready to go). Unfortunately, that delicious smell is only an indication that people have been grabbing, hitting, and abusing that poor pineapple.

3. Don’t determine ripeness from pulling a single leaf out

If anything, grab the bottom leaf of the stem (it should be tiny), and if it holds, it is ready to be eaten. If a leaf pulls right out from the pineapple (this includes the big ones), that means that the core of the pineapple is already rotting away.

4. The stem should be the same length as the body of the pineapple.

If you notice that the stem leafs are shorter, then that is a sign that people have been plucking away at the pineapple.

5. Eat the pineapple right away!

If you think you won’t be eating pineapple anytime soon, then refrigerate it.

Random fun fact: when the diamonds on the pineapple’s body are the same size, then you scored a perfect pineapple!

🌋

How to not have a panic attack while Zip-Lining

If you would like to see a video of somebody else’s adventure zip lining, you can watch the YouTube video below, skip to 0:56 seconds to watch the zip lining portion:

(I did not get a chance to record any video of my own because phone’s were not recommended if they were going to fall out of your pocket at about 2,000 feet in the air – probably a smart choice)

 

If you are anything like me, you have something called acrophobia, otherwise known as fear of heights! Zip lining is probably not the wisest thing for an acrophobian to do, however, once I was done, I felt invincible!

So here are a few suggestions to not have a panic attack while zip lining:

1. Admit that you are scared

There is nothing worse than lying to yourself. As we were riding the trams up to the top of the mountain, I kept wanting to tell myself and others that I was okay, but I was wanting to scream at the top of my lungs. I finally admitted to myself and my friends that I was indeed afraid and they supported me throughout the whole activity.

2. Take deep breaths and DO NOT lock your knees

Everything can be solved with a few breathing exercise. Sounds logical, but in the moment of fear, you sometimes forget to do the most involuntary thing your body has been used to doing: breathing. Locking your knees can amplify the process of fainting. So do not do it!

3. Make jokes!

At times, the best cure is to laugh at yourself or at the situation. When you finally complete the zip lining course, you will only wish that you had taken advantage of the scenery instead of panicking in the moment.

4. Just do it & enjoy the scenery!

🏊

The science behind thermal pools in El Fortuna, Costa Rica

Most people go to Costa Rica to relax and vacation in luxury. But what’s the fun in that if you don’t leave with any knowledge shared from Costa Rica’s locals or from the beautiful land itself?

Above is a diagram that is shared at the thermal pools explaining the magical process of how thermal water is formed (if you are curious, read on):

The temperature and minerals of thermal waters is explained by the movement of groundwater at different depths, where water comes into contact with hot materials like rocks and heated by magma.

This helps explains why your skin comes out feeling soft when you leave the thermal pools and replenished your skin with silica. If you have eczema or psoriasis, the sulfur in the water really helps to heal it!

What a beautiful process from mother earth!

Below is a link to the thermal pools I visited, it was so beautiful and worth visiting if you are ever in El Fortuna, Costa Rica:

https://paradisehotsprings.net/

Stay tuned for more Costa Rica talk! Please leave a comment below about your own Costa Rica excursions or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! 🙂

In the meantime, Bob says, “Good night world!”

Many of us have fallen under the trap of packing last-minute before a trip. However, there are a few things you need to consider before you start grabbing your travel sized shampoo and conditioner….

1. Research into where you are going.

That’s right. Before you even think about beginning to pack your clothes into your complimentary luggage (or carry on baggage), you need to consider the following:

• Where am I going? (you did book a flight right?)
• What will the season be like while traveling?
• Do they speak a different language? (Klingon might be a thing there)
• Do I need money? and if so, do I need to exchange said money?
• Will I find true love?

All of these are important questions!

1a. Check your flight and hotel booking information

Check your flight itinerary and make sure that you have a copy of your ticket in your email, in your apple wallet (if you have an iPhone), printed on paper (just in case), and save a screenshot in your photos as well.

At times, downloading the app also helps so that you keep up to date with any updates on your flights.

You can always check in online if you are only taking carry on baggage (for us poor college students, this is typically our only option).

If you are gifted with one or two free baggage, you can always get your ticket at the gate when dropping off your luggage.

Secondly, check in with your hotel and make sure you check out the amenities they provide. Some of the amenities we love: free breakfast (yay), free wi-fi (needed!), pool (!!), complimentary pick up, a fridge, a tv, and a microwave. Make sure to call ahead of time to confirm you have a reserved room, there is nothing more sad than reaching your destination and realizing you had booked a room on the wrong day!

1b. Research, research, research (did I mention this earlier?

Check in with monetary necessities: what this means is looking into the country’s currency and how much money you will need on the trip. Look into how much it will cost to exchange your money to the country’s currency. Also, always plan to have a back up with your money. You can carry cash, have a debit card, a credit card, gold coins – but always have a back up.

Look into popular restaurants and local spots you would like to visit: try to look into a free walking tour (this is a nice small introduction into your destination’s history as well as getting a few suggestions on where to visit next), try to look into special deals for certain museum’s throughout your time there, and take advantage of TripAdvisor & yelp reviews to help with your restaurant search.

Try to learn a few words or phrases to help you get around: Apps such as Dualingo or a free playlist from Spotify can help you with learning the required language you need!

Look into the weather! There is nothing worse than reaching your destination and not being prepared for a really hot day, a snowy day, or even a rainy day. Plan for a variety of unexpected surprises.

2. Now that you know your basic information, pack!

Here are a few essentials:

• pants/jeans/shorts: these are to be used throughout the day depending on the weather
• shirts & blouses
• work out clothes: there is something refreshing about working out in a foreign country
• undergarments (pack extra, you can never have enough)
• socks (a variety of sorts)
• pajamas
• swimsuit
• one big towel, one small towel
• bath essentials (toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, etc.)
• poncho or umbrella or rain jacket
• walking shoes, running shoes, sandals, nice shoes (for nice events)
• dresses
• camera
• reusable water bottle
• sweater & jacket
• gloves
• beanie
• scarf
• a small blanket
• beach towel
• phone, phone charger, adapter if necessary
• a notebook: to keep hold of memories
• backpack
• sunscreen

Please add more in the comment section if I am missing anything!

3. You are ready to go!! Enjoy your trip 🙂

 

If you’re curious… I have a trip of my own coming up…

For my spring break, I have signed up to study abroad in Costa Rica. So, if you are in search for a blog to help you prepare for this destined location, look no further! This post is also a small reflection of the expectations I have for my trip to Costa Rica.

Research into Costa Rica:

Where is Costa Rica located?

Costa Rica is a country located in central america and what seems to be lodged between North America and South America. A map is shown below:

What will the season by like?

 

This post is written in the beginning of March, so if you are reading this and are planning to go at a different time, you might want to do your own google search when it comes to the weather. With that being said, a simple google search led me to the following Weather Channel forecast:

From the looks of it, it looks like it going to be partly cloudy but with temperatures in the high 80’s & plenty of fun in the sun!!

Oh yeah!! 

What are my expectations for this trip?

I always plan to travel to a new destination outside of the U.S. every summer break. Surprisingly, I have always traveled to places such as Canada, Europe and even Africa, but never have I ever traveled to a location in South America.

I speak Spanish already, so I know that language will not be a problem. However, I know that not all words have the same meaning, even within the same language, so I am intrigued and excited to see if my fellow Costa Rica friends have accents or new slang terms I have never heard of before. Another expectation of mine that I look forward towards is the food; I am assuming that it might be similar to the food I grew up eating, but sometimes every country have different spices that they cook with.

Another expectation I am looking towards is getting to share this experience with my fellow classmates. I am so excited to see everybody’s reactions and impressions of being in a new country and asking about what they have learned while on the trip.

Stay tuned for more!

Clouds is off to bed!