Hola hola Coca Cola!
Today began with a torrential downpour as we ate breakfast in the open-air cafeteria at the Tirimbina Rainforest Center, where we've been staying. The sound of the rain pounding on the roof made it difficult to carry on a conversation. Fortunately for us, it stopped raining just as we were finishing breakfast.
Our first activity today was a visit to a nearby farm (or "finca" as they're called here in Costa Rica). This was a private farm that allowed us in, which it normally does not do. Carlos, the owner of the farm, gave us a brief introduction in Spanish and then we went off to try our hand at milking their cow. This was quite an experience- definitely more difficult than it looks. After we got over the language barrier with the cow, though, things went pretty smoothly. We took turns milking and eventually filled up a bucket with milk, then let the calves take over.
Carlos took us all throughout the farm, showing us his black pepper plants and how they are made into both black and white pepper (same plant, different process), his banana trees, his coconut trees, his avocado trees, his lime trees, and the river on his property. It was exceptionally hot and humid out, so it was especially refreshing to be treated to lemonade, homemade cheese, and crackers at the end of the tour. We chatted a while with Carlos and his family and then boarded the vans to go home. He gave us two fresh coconuts as a going away gift, which he chopped down with a machete just as we were about to leave and chopped the top off of so that we could drink the water inside. Very delicious and refreshing!
On the way back to Tirimbina, we stopped at a small store which sold a variety of items- think of a Super Target but on a very, very small scale. We stocked up on bottled water, and some people bought ice cream treats and glass bottles of Coke.
After another delicious lunch (the food ever since the La Paz Waterfall Gardens has been very authentic Costa Rican cuisine), we had a siesta and then left for a chocolate making demonstration. This involved a 20 minute walk through the rainforest in the pouring rain. Not a problem under normal circumstances, but the fact that we had to cross suspension foot bridges made things a little tricky. The kids were amazingly calm and collected despite the difficulty, and this positive attitude was contagious.
Upon arrival at the chocolate hut (fortunately there was a roof, though no walls), we learned about the history of the cacao plant and how it is transformed into chocolate. This involved several samplings of things along the way- from the seed of the cacao fruit (which is actually white, slimy, and tasted like a combination of kiwi and musk melon) to the final product (a piece of solid dark chocolate). We took full advantage of several other samples in between, including hot chocolate with a variety of flavorings (cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, chili pepper, and black pepper), chocolate syrup, and the cacao seed itself after it had been roasted in the sun. The walk back to the lodge was even more intense than the walk there, with even heavier rainfall. It was the true rainforest experience, and we all returned to the lodge soaking wet despite full rain gear and umbrellas. Pura vida!!!
The grand finale tonight was a superb presentation about everybody's favorite flying mammal, pterodactyls....just kidding bats ;-D. From the number of species (1116 species in the world=21% of all mammals, 113 species in Costa Rica and 45 species in the US), to determining the different diets of bats based on appearance and adaptations to the medical advancements that have been and are currently being explored in bats, I think I can speak for everyone in saying that we all learned something about these incredible flying creatures. After the presentation, they had captured a few live bats for our viewing pleasure. We were able to snap a few pictures and pet a couple before releasing them back into the wild.
That's all for tonight. We will be live tomorrow night from the Arenal Volcano. Pura vida!!!!!!!
Profe Simmons & Profe Olson
Our first activity today was a visit to a nearby farm (or "finca" as they're called here in Costa Rica). This was a private farm that allowed us in, which it normally does not do. Carlos, the owner of the farm, gave us a brief introduction in Spanish and then we went off to try our hand at milking their cow. This was quite an experience- definitely more difficult than it looks. After we got over the language barrier with the cow, though, things went pretty smoothly. We took turns milking and eventually filled up a bucket with milk, then let the calves take over.
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