JOIN QUEEN'S COLLEGE STUDENTS ON THEIR EASTER ADVENTURE
COSTA RICA 2023
HEREDIA | SAN JOSE | MONTEVERDE
DAY 9
Saturday, April 8
DAY 9 – WALKING TOUR – COFFEE, COCOA AND SUGAR CANE FACTORY
At 8:00 we had another super breakfast that would rival IHOP – We gathered in the rancho area and enjoyed fresh cantaloupe and papaya, two kinds of cereal, yogurt, fresh orange juice and coffee. The main breakfast today was toast, turkey, cheese and scrambled eggs.
 We would soon be able to walk off this morning’s breakfast as we headed to a walking tour of El Trapiche where we learned about how coffee, cocoa beans and sugar cane are grown, harvested and processed.Â
We were able to see the different coffee plants at various stages, see the coffee berries and how they are dried and peeled and then roasted in real time. We saw cacao plants and the fruit was opened to reveal the seeds which are dried and peeled to make cocoa powder and cocoa butter and eventually chocolate.Â
We saw how sugar cane gets pressed, fermented and then turned into raw sugar. Antonio our guide was extremely knowledgeable about each process and has been working at El Trapiche for 7 years.Â
We were able to take the sugar that was boiled and turn it into a type of fudge. Everyone had to participate and stir the mixture until it turned into a solid. Then we were able to take it with us. We ended up at the small dining room where we had a very nice buffet for lunch in a rustic setting. Chicken, salad, rice, beans again – it was great. We ended up in the gift store where we had the option of buying more souvenirs to take home.
Dinner was at a fancy restaurant tonight with linguine and shrimp being the favorite among the group. One in the group had pork chops with a passion fruit sauce. The appetizer was a tomato soup with nachos and guacamole on top. Dessert was a soft brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle on top.
Back to the hotel to get some sleep for the last day in Monteverde. Tomorrow we head back to San Joaquin!
