Helping out on the Pacuare...
The jungle around here is nuts! It is so thick and SO green- a leprechaun's dream I tell you! I really cannot believe how beautiful this part of the country is. I also cannot believe that people want to cut down these incredible trees to mine resources. There are just too many plants and animals being effected. I am psyched to be helping lend a hand to these communities in a few days. Our guides explained the plan to us today before we got on the river. First, we are going to run the river and really enjoy all the exciting things it has to offer. Then, Jose said we were going to give back by helping a group of students build something in their community for a day I love this! What an awesome experience.
-CraigZip-Line at Genesis...
Here we are, staying at a cloud forest. It is weird to see so many plants even though it is not hot. I like seeing the difference between a tropical and higher alpine rain forest. the animals are different too. Steve, the owner here, took us on a really cool hike around his property and pointed out a lot of different animals I didn't even notice at first glance. We help her cook meals and we have slept out underneath this covered deck. Later we are going to do the coolest thing! We are going to fly through the rain forest canopy on this zip-line! I cannot wait! We are going to learn how to wear the harness and rope and then we be able to see this amazing place from a different perspective. Steve and Paula said you can understand how the forest looks from a bird's-eye view by doing this. I have always thought it would be fun to be a bird. Now, I will get a little taste -- in the rain forest no less!
-Joseph
Phosphorescence on the Gulfo Dulce...
Wow! Serene and calm. Those are the only words to describe this body of water in the evening as the sun sets beyond its horizons. We have been waking up kinda early, making killer breakfasts, and then heading out on the water all day. Tom stops us ever so often and we hike through the forest to a cascading waterfall. It is incredible. But, my favorite part of the day is now -- evening. I like sitting on the beach and watching the sun go down and the sky get colorful and then dark. Also, there is this stuff called bioluminescent algae in the water that we can see when it gets really dark. If you move the water around you sparkles everywhere. It sort of looks like a Disney movie how it lights up and follows your movements -- like a million diamonds all around you. This is a magical place -- that is for sure.
-AlexMonkeys and Toucans and Parrots, Oh my...
I saw four different kinds of monkeys today. I never thought I would be able to tell the difference but if you do things just right, then they will hang around and you can get a really good look at them. Tom is teaching us how to be cool around the monkeys so that they don't just run away from us. For example, he told us that looking at them right in the eye scares them away. Also, we learned that itching and scratching yourself is a sign of comfort so we all look away and scratch ourselves whenever we see a group of monkeys. It actually works! I felt like they just wanted to hang out and be our friends. I felt like I belonged out there. The other animals we have seen have been pretty incredible too. The parrot we saw this morning looked like ones I have only seen on TV. It was HUGE and such a BRIGHT red. It is called a Macaw. I hope we see more.
-Gail
