Waking up this morning was not the most pleasant feeling, everyone was sweating and my throat was sore. The first topic of discussion was whether or not everyone woke up to the howler monkeys. Apparently I was in a deep sleep because I was one of the few who did not. I wish I had, but I am glad I got some good sleep. Kristen, Meredith and I walked around a short loop to get some exercise during which we got to see lots of parrots and more of the town which we had driven through after it was dark. Watching and listening to the wildlife was very relaxing and made Costa Rica feel more like the country they portray it to be. We continued up to the soccer field where we met Javier bird watching.
After getting up a good sweat in hot, humid temperatures, we went back to the house to eat breakfast (more rice and beans) and get ready for our farm tour. I could not believe how much hotter it was here than in San Jose, even for 6:30 in the morning. We met up with the boys and followed Don Heraldo, Mauricio, and Christopher out to their fields. On the way, Don Heraldo handed us each a piece of real sugar cane to try. We sucked all of the juice out and then got rid of what remained. It was sweet, but not so much that it could not be eaten. Then they walked us through a pineapple field where we learned that not only did each plant only produce one fruit at a time, but only once every 8-10 months! We also learned that just by cutting the top off of the pineapple and replanting it, a new plant will grow. Five minutes into the tour and I already learned several things I would have never thought about.
As we walked further he pulled a tree out of the ground and showed us how yucca is grown. The root of the tree provides much of the protein and nutrients in their diet. I know I have heard of yucca before, but I have never tried it. He pointed out several papaya trees, and showed us an area where students who had stayed several months planted trees. Their project was to help regrow part of a natural forest that had been destroyed in order to provide more farming land. On the way back, Don Heraldo picked several pineapples for us to eat, and chopped them up with his machete right in front of us. He placed them on a banana leaf and told us that these pineapples would taste better since they had not been sprayed with preservatives. This was an understatement.
Next we went back to the house, and out to the barn behind it. He had a mom and a baby pig that were adorable, as well as about eight cows. Don Heraldo displayed the groups effort to be sustainable when he showed us his worms that ate through his cow manure in order to produce healthy soil and provide fuel for their gas stoves. He also showed us how they made their own cheese with the milk their cows gave them. The cheese they gave us from breakfast this morning must have been from these cows, although it was not to my liking. I much prefer processed cheese. The worms, milk and cheese they produce are used by the family as well as sold for an extra profit. It was obvious how hard they worked and how much attention they had paid to their surroundings and opportunities.
After our tour we went back to the house to relax and stay out of the heat. The still air in the house was brutal even if they had designed it to allow as much air flow as possible. None of the walls went all the way up to the ceiling, and the rooms were designed to take maximum advantage of the air flow. Yet, we were all still sitting on the porch in rocking chairs reading and writing our blogs. It was so nice to be able to relax and talk with everyone. After lunch we decided to go play soccer with some of the locals. I was extremely excited for this, it is my favorite way to exercise and I love playing with natural talent. After about two hours of soccer, I was drenched and exhausted. However, I had a great time and I got to learn a few Spanish phrases for things in soccer such as "banco" for "cherry-picking."
Even though the shower was the worst we have had so far, the cold water felt amazing and took away all of my sweat and bug spray. Of course immediately after getting out I had to cover myself in bug spray again. Our last adventure of the day was to drive to a river overlook that had beautiful views of the sunset. It was too late and too cloudy to really see much but the river was still pretty, and you could see how shallow it was compared to what it once had been. They showed us pictures of previous sunsets and told us that the river used to be so deep that this town used it as a trading port with people who sailed down it. I wonder how much tourism and how the country has been developing has affected that river. Finally the day was over and we went back to relax and get a good nights sleep. This time maybe I will hear the howler monkeys!
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