Kate and Cameron here: Wow. Today was an eventful day. From eating empanadas to hiking in the
forest, we had it all. Today’s theme was nature/biology, so we split into three
groups: Snakes, Birds and Plants. The Snake group got to enjoy a very
interesting Powerpoint on the effects of venomous snakebites and the way to recognize
venomous snakes. Along with the PowerPoint came watching a mouse being eaten by
a corn snake. Many people did not want to eat after that!
Some of us also
went bird watching. We saw many birds, including toucans and kingfishers. The
toucans had amazing colors. There are too many types of kingfishers to count.
We also saw an iguana in a tree, which added to the fun.
In the
plant group, we started out by making prints on our arms with the spores of
ferns and progressed to eating a variety of very sour medicinal herbs and
plants. By the end, most of our tongues were numb. The numbness was soon
remedied by homemade coconut ice cream.
After the
second activity, we all had free time for a few hours. It poured rain for two
hours. During that time, many people took showers, talked, and played cards.
Because the showers were cold, and because it was raining outside, it felt like
we were standing outside in the thunderstorm. After that, we ate dinner,
followed by a slideshow of our experiences so far.
Update: Just as we were about to post, the night guard came
to tell us there was a big sloth crossing the wires beside the bridge. We all
went down to see it, and it looked right back at us.
PS: Internet service can be spotty and has to be
disconnected in thunderstorms. We’ll post as often as we can, but don’t worry
if we miss a day.
