We made several stops while in the Alajuela Province to learn about local culture and small agri-businesses. We had already visited a local elementary school and had done tours of an organic coffee and pineapple farm. On this page are three more such visits. The first photos are from a home-hosted meal at a local residence in Garabito, San Carlos. Our group provided the food and then assisted the family in making our own lunch. This was a wonderful cultural learning experience for us. We also made a brief visit to a souvenir shop located on the Indigenous Reserve of the Maleku , the smallest of all the indigenous tribal peoples in Costa Rica with about 650 members. A tribal person told us about their history, customs and rituals and how they survive on their reserve. We were then given time to browse the various homemade souvenirs the tribal members make to bring in additional income. The last photos on this page are from a visit to a local cacao farm in Upala. In addtion to cacao, the farm also grew orchids and a variety of medicinal plants. We were shown the process of converting the cacao bean into delicious chocolate. This was a small enterprise selling to locals and tourists only.