On the road from Gaupiles to Limon you will have the chance to see naturally growing bamboo culms. Heading South East, Limon is the most important port on the Caribbean. It is also where the Chinese mission, in cooperation with the Costa Rican Government, first established a training center for bamboo. From the period of 1982 to 1997, three hundred and twenty two students have been trained and are now qualified in furniture making.

At the center, the students receive direct technical advising from the Chinese instructors. The center also supplies them with materials, tools, housing, transportation, lunch, and other services. The main goals of this project are as follows: to train and transfer the technology of working with bamboo to the Costa Ricans, and to reduce the use of wood by the replacement of bamboo thereby releasing pressure on the forests.

This stop at the center in Limon will give the visitor a wider perspective about the rich versatility of bamboo products. This center gives you the opportunity to experience first hand how the students, under supervision of the instructors, construct a variety of attractive bamboo furniture and other crafts. All of these bamboo products are offered to the public at a very low price.

Another point of interest are the thirty bamboo houses near the "Rio Banano" which were constructed by Funbambu. These houses are made out of bamboo slats and reinforced with concrete. The durability of these houses was tested in 1991 when a severe earthquake rating 7.6 on the Richter scale destroyed many houses, except those made of bamboo.