Coffee certainly may not be my beverage of choice, but I can't deny wanting to spend a day or so in cocoa plantations across various lands that boast greatness in each cup of the stimulating aromatic drink. Like most processes the process of farming and tending to the bean-like seed before they ever make it to a humming 6 AM Starbucks machine intrigues me. Perhaps it's the rural people who day in and day out devote their lives to making sure the crops are plentiful. Who knows?

In the event you (or me) never make it to Sao Tome & Principe, the Portuguese speaking west African islands in the Gulf of Guinea there's always this excellent IFAD gallery of photos to turn to. The photos take us on a tour through the cocoa bean process and the lives of the hardworking natives who live off the industry. Very cool way to check out Sao Tome & Principe before planning travel to the area if it's anywhere close on your list of destinations to visit.

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Learning, Food and Drink, Africa, Sao Tome and Principe