Bananas

Costa Rica's #1 export is bananas, so we visited a banana plantation. I was surprised to discover they grew upward with their stems on the bottom. The one pictured also has a pretty red flower. There are many banana plant diseases, and there is even concern that someday bananas might become extinct. I also found out pineapples do not grow on trees like I had always imagined; they grow on on the ground.
The banana workers have hard jobs, but they are compensated very well. They get free housing, healthcare, and $450 a month. That is a good income for a Costa Rican.




There was a man selling coconuts nearby, and he had a couple big beetles as an added attraction.








This is a crossing sign for monkeys, coyotes, and people with afros. There are very few street signs in Costa Rica, even in San Jose. Nobody uses addresses. When I asked where a hotel or restaurant was located, people told us how to get there in blocks. One time, I asked a cab driver to take me to Pangaea Hostel at Calle 3 and Avenida 5, and he refused because he wasn't familiar with the hostel, and I suspect he didn't know where those streets were.