"Chocolate Waterfall"

I’m back! A full two weeks in on the trip and I’m still having a great experience!

Today I would have to say was one of the best days I’ve had thus far! We traveled to Talamanca Canton in the Limón Province of Costa Rica, which is an indigenous territory (Bri Bri) near the Caribbean. We spent the night in a lodge nestled in the (literal) jungles of Talamanca. The territory is occupied by around 3,000 indigenous people who are actually referred to as the Bri Bri tribe. We arrived at the site to meet the patriarch of the indigenous society, Timoteo, for a presentation on the history of the tribe and a tour of some the surrounding area.

The history that Timoteo shared with the class was extremely impactful. He positively spoke of his community and detailed measures that he and others have taken in order to preserve their way of life and advance their communication skills. He also appeared to be very passionate about environmentalism and education.

After speaking with us about the Bri Bri way of life, he served as our personal guide on a 40-minute hike to a beautiful waterfall entrenched in a dense forest area. The hike was tough but the sights were breathtaking. We hustled along the paths lead by Timoteo until we finally arrived at the waterfall. Wow! Just looking at the waterfall soothed me. We all eventually got down to our swimsuits and waded in the swimming hole where Timoteo instructed us to jump in.

Jump in? Well alright, but is it safe? The first things I thought about were snakes and alligators. (Haha.) Obviously, wildlife doesn’t fall under my area of expertise, so I was a little hesitant to indulge. FORTUNATELY, I was also no expert on waterfalls, but I was excited about this adventure that lay before us! So the class eagerly jumped into the lagoon as a way to relax after a good hike. We swam and talked a bunch amongst ourselves and Timoteo until we watched him climb on top of a huge rock in the middle of the swimming hole.

We looked to get some sort of inclination as to what he was doing. I assumed he was going to dive in, so I thought, “Oh, I want to dive too!” But he called for everyone’s attention and informed us that he wanted to pray with us. Intense! I bowed my head and listened to him praise in appreciation. Who gets a chance to do something like that? I can’t begin to describe the feeling that overwhelmed me. I was more than just a traveler in Costa Rica; I was a very small portion of a big picture. I felt connected.

We eventually left the waterfall and headed to a farm where Timoteo was excited to pass on to us his knowledge of herbal remedies and natural cures. If there was something he wanted us to try, I volunteered for it. We had to rush the tour a little because we were hungry and were going to have lunch prepared for us by the Bri Bri women! And the mosquitos in Costa Rica are very serious about lunchtime as well, and boy they were hungry!

We bid farewell to Timoteo, who proved to be an insightful guide and a really nice person. My experience with him made me think about my first blog, “Bad Behaviors.” Remember that? Well, I began to think specifically about my experience at the racquetball court. My new friends were wrong. The people in Puerto Viejo couldn’t be further from the negative stereotypes perpetuated about them in the rest of the country. The people in this area are wonderful.

After our tour, we board the bus and travel through the territory and arrive at a small grouping of houses surrounded by a farm. Keep in mind, farming in this area of Costa Rica is entirely different from farming in most areas of the U.S. Farms in this area and many parts of Costa Rica are tremendously dense with a variety of vegetation (fruits, trees, grass, vegetables, everything) and a house could literally be on/in the farm. Alright, let’s get back to my day.

We met a small indigenous family who spoke to us about culture and family life while they prepared our great lunch, which was very interesting to say the least. We were served chicken, rice, yucca (a potato-like vegetable), vegetables and I’m not sure what else. Great food, but it came not on a plate but in a banana leaf. Haha! This was wild! If only you could have seen the girls’ faces. Classic! No forks, no knives, not even a cup. The juice was served in a hardened fruit shell. Lunch plus watching the girls have to eat with their hands?? The best! I’m still laughing at this surprising yet spectacular experience. The Bri Bri welcomed us into their community with open arms.

Shortly after lunch, we toured the farm and were amazed by the many ways by which medicine, jewelry, and ointments could be fashioned from the vegetation on the small farm. Everything seemed to be on that farmnatural dyes, teas, threads, and food! I imagined how much of a pest I would be if so much fruit grew right behind my house back home. No bueno. The best part of the tour was a few steps away from the farm at a small cooking house. Here we learned about the history of chocolate production and the way that the family currently manufactured their chocolate. We also had the opportunity to assist with the roasting and grinding of the cacao beans which we immediately used to make hot chocolate. It was probably the best hot chocolate I had ever tasted!

We ended the tour by visiting a small “shop” on the family’s property, fashioned out of natural materials, where we purchased handmade items that they created onsite, ranging from jewelry to wall ornaments. Eco-tourism! We were so grateful that these women took time out of their busy schedules to not only prepare us lunch but to teach us a great deal about the communication, culture, and history of the Bri Bri people. In exchange, we showed our gratitude by supporting the local economy and purchasing very unique, decorative items from their shop.

Overall, today was a great day. The indigenous community was welcoming and eager to teach our class about their way of life. What struck me most was their “simple” living. They were literally living off the land and seemed incredibly content with life as a Bri Bri. I enjoyed my contact with people whose culture was much different from my own and “bad behaviors” were essentially non-existent. Thankfully, my experience with this community taught me not to judge a book by it’s cover ─ even if someone else claims to know it as truth.

Until next time,

Ryan