We started off our day with a 5:30 am wake up call,
but that early morning would soon prove to be worth it. After eating breakfast
that consisted of eggs, cheese, rice and beans, toast with cacao nibs, and
papaya and plantains, we hopped on a bus for an hour and a half ride to Parque Rincon
de la Vieja. On the long bus ride, pretty much everyone chose to catch up on
their sleep (but we all did catch sight of a large post-downpour rainbow). Upon
arriving to a National Park of Costa Rica, we met our tour guide, Freddie, near
a 150 year old house. We then took an hour and a half hike to hot springs. The
hike was very adventurous and we got to see many different forest creatures and
plants while wading through creeks and hiking up some rocks (Helaina took a
brief tumble on some slick mud). When we finally arrived at the hot springs in
the dry forest part of the park we took a dip in the warm waters and got to try
the nearby clay as natural face masks and body exfoliators. We had originally
planned to swim near a waterfall on the way back from the hot springs, but due
to a rainstorm in the mountains, the current was too strong, so we took
pictures near a different waterfall instead. Back near where the busses dropped
us off, we had a picnic. Our bus drivers handed out chips, turkey sandwiches, Costa
Rican sodas, and chocolate cookies. After lunch we began our voyage back to
Finca La Anita (which consisted of another nap).
Back at La Anita we regrouped and
then got back to science. Each of our lab groups took an hour and 45 minutes to
begin data collection for our lab experiments of leafcutter ants. Some of us
created solutions of sugar or mango juice, others went out and looked at lab
colonies, and a few started to test their lab colonies. Overall, today was a
pretty short science day to prepare us for tomorrow when we will immerse ourselves
into our experiments.
After we finished with our science,
we ventured off to a cooking class in town where we learned how to make a Caribbean
styled Costa Rican dinner. We all got split up into separate groups and made
many different parts of our main meal: some of us squeezed lime juice and made homemade
cheese, others made tortillas, chicken, and rice and beans, and the rest made
salads. The dinner was a lot of fun and by far one of the highlights of the
trip. Before serving our dinner to our teachers, lead scientists, and bus
drivers, we all had a quick dance party and we all tried shots of 100% lime
juice. Once we finished our meal, we were served delicious orange sorbet ice
cream and continued our dance party until the night finished. Overall we had an
active and action packed day and we are loving the pura vida.
Peace
and love,
Meghan
and Helaina
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