Day 5

All the students enjoyed a relatively rainless night, which was a pleasant change from the patter of rain on our cabin roofs. First year teams: Atta, Necrotizing fasciitis, and Phenomenal Phoenix, presented a short analysis of three different diseases; tuberculosis, plague, and cholera.We then worked on our science experiments for the rest of the morning. After a delicious lunch of braised chicken and a casserole of rice, cheese, and heart of palm, we set out in the pouring rain towards the river. First we took a tractor as far as we could, then we traveled, single-file, through mud, rain and bugs for five miles until we reached the river. By that time, we were thoroughly soaked with a few inches of water in our boots and ready to swim. The rivers water was around 60 degrees, which seemed very cold at first, but once we were immersed it was quite refreshing. On the hike back we saw three keel-billed toucans in one tree. Our forest guide/naturalist Juan Carlos got all three in the view of his telescope.  We could see the unique coloration of their beaks! Once we had cleaned up, everyone enjoyed a dinner of pork, sweet salsa, and fried yucca. Pablo’s birthday was today, we surprised him with a card signed by everyone, and the kitchen staff baked a delicious spiced carrot cake. Typically the groups do not have an activity after dinner, but tonight we went on a second hike with Juan Carlos through the rainforest. His flashlight and around 16 others lighted the dark path along a stream. The highlight of our night hike was seeing glass frogs, various insects and nocturnal birds.

Goodnight from Costa Rica. –Maxim and Heather