Today started early as the bus came to pick us up at 7:30. We had gallo pinto (rice and beans mixed), egg and fruit (watermelon, papaya and banana) for breakfast today with our Tica Mom. When the bus picked us up we went to Tirimbina Reserve again. That is where we went for the bat tour last night. They do a lot of other things there. First we had the chocolate tour, we learned how chocolate comes from South America. Indigenous people used cacao beans as money. The also sucked the pulp from the beans and spit them out as they traveled, which planted more trees and brought them north to Costa Rica. The indigenous would break the hard fruit open by smashing it on their heads! Ouch! After sucking off the pulp, they would dry the beans for 7 days and make a drink out of it. We got to taste the pulp (which is white and tastes nothing like chocolate). We also got to taste the ground beans which were a very strong, bitter dark chocolate taste. Then we got to taste the hot chocolate. Finally they made the thick sauce by heating the ground beans. Then, the sauce is put into molds and chilled to make chocolate candies. We got to taste it at every point. We also learned if the chocolate doesn't melt in your hand right away, it's because the cocoa butter has been removed and replaced with a cheaper, less healthy ingredient.
After the cacao tour, our very knowledgable guide, Julio took us on a walking tour of the rain forest in Tirimbina. Julio's passion is nature. He has dedicated his life to research and has studied the plants and animals in the rainforest. He has slept many nights on only plastic on the floor of the rainforest and climbed high trees and placed fruits or other foods to attract certain animals they wanted to study. He taught us the three things that make a rainforest healthy. A certain vine called "monkey's ladder" that only grows a millimeter each year. If there are those vines it means it is a healthy and strong forest because it could grow and thrive there. Secondly, a healthy rainforest has butterflies because of the work they do pollinating. And thirdly, it must have frogs. Frogs are very in tune to the temperature and humidity of the forest's environment. If it's too wet, it will die and if it's too dry it also can't survive.
We learned about bullet ants whose bite hurts as bad as a bullet wound. We learned about the order of leaf-cutter ants- the workers who carry the leaves to the colony, soldiers who protect the home, the queen who is constantly pregnant and lays 1,000 eggs a day. All of these are females! The males don't do anything put fertilize the eggs.
We walked over several hanging bridges in the forest which made Abby very nervous! But, she really wanted to see the wildlife, so she walked close to Julio and crossed them even though it was scary for her. One of the bridges is the longest in Costa Rica! Walking over them offered beautiful lush views of the rainforest.
Julio also took us the the very bottom of the rainforest in hopes of spying a some animals. Here we saw huge trees with great big trunks and a tiny poisonous dart frog. Julio was looking for them, but it was actually Ryan who spotted the tiny (size of an insect) amphibian. It is red to keep it's predators away. The color warns them that it is poisonous and if you eat it, you will die. Julio also spotted three bats sleeping under a tent-shaped leaf. They looked cute that way. We got in close and quietly took pictures. After the two hour hike, we had lunch at the restaurant in Tirimbina which was very good.
Then we went back to our host families to prepare for tonight's going away party. We all showered and put on nicer clothes. All of the host family moms brought food to our host mom's house because she has the biggest table. Before we ate, a few people said a few words. A few of the Tica moms said that they really appreciated having us here and really enjoyed hosting us. It was an honor, they said. Then, we thanked them for hosting us and opening up their homes to us. Then we all ate rice, chicken with lentils and garbanzo beans, cabbage salad, choyote. There was also dessert- cake and arroz con leche (like rice pudding).
After supper it was time for the dance. They turned on the music and we danced in the patio. Costa Ricans are good dancers and they wondered why some of us were hesitant to dance. I told them that we do dance in the US but not as much as they do and many times boys are not into dancing. In Costa Rica men and boys like dancing as well. Everyone was a good sport and danced. The little kids enjoyed dancing with us and many of them got close to our students during the stay. Ryan's host brother, Marco taught him and few others some dances. It was very fun to see! When it was all over our students went home with their families in the bus. There were many pictures tonight as this is our last night together with the families.
Afterward, Dillon, Marzarella's grandson was here and wanted to play card games with us. We played Spot it and Uno again. It's kind of funny because we play Uno all the time at home! I also shared a bag of Starburst that I brought from home with him and the other little kids at the party. It turns out Dillon does not like that kind of candy. But the other kids did and so did Marzarella dn her son, Douglas who came home today.
Before bed, we sat talking to Marzarella and her family. She talked about how she is Facebook friends with other people who have stayed with her from the US and Austrailia. So, we decided to become Facebook friends with her and keep in touch!
I really enjoyed the experience here but I'm also looking forward to our new adventure tomorrow. It will be packed full! I'm signing off to go to bed and get some rest. I will have to add pictures to this post tomorrow!
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