Day 3 July 17th

This morning, we ate breakfast. The same meal of beans and rice. After breakfast, we geared up to go searching for ant colonies with Dr. Adrian Pinto and Dr. Andrew Bouma. We were taught the proper way to dig up the colonies and search for the fungus gardens and the queens. Meghan, Kevin, Cort, and Andrea all had a chance to extract the fungus and queen from the chambers. Then we took our captives back to lab and prepared them new homes in the lab. For lunch, we had rice, chicken, beans, salad, and plantain chips. We continued to enjoy the delicious variety of juices.

After lunch we hit the road. We rode in a wagon pulled by the affectionately dubbed "Swagtor" (Swagging Tractor). The ride was calm at first but then we started to go through the jungle. We were whipped by branches and bombarded with a variety of insects. We saw preying mantises, stink bugs, daddy long-legs, grasshoppers, and stick bugs. The dogs from the farm followed the trailer all the way to the beginning of the hike. We started the long trek down the slippery slope of mud, similar to a slip-n-slide, down to the river. I [Allie] fell twice because they are not lying when they say the dirt is all clay. Melissa did not fall once. We finally made it down to the river. It was a beautiful place. We all went swimming and it felt great after the long, treacherous hike. We bonded as a group as we fought the current to stay together.
Before we started the trek back up the hill we got to see some howler monkeys. They were really cool to see in the wild. Then it started to pour. They call it the rainforest for a reason. It was even harder to get up the slip-n-slide in the rain. All of us persevered and made it to the top of the hill (although it felt like a mountain). We boarded the "Swagtor" and started our way back. It was a more treacherous trip on the way back. The leaves that whipped our faces on the way there, were now whipping our faces with water too. Ms. Leland had a huge stick bug land on her face. She wanted to hold it and check it out but our guide took it off and threw it out because the rest of us were screaming bloody murder. When we returned we finally got into some dry clothes.
We went on a night hike (as if we hadn't hiked enough) and some members of our group even saw a jaguarundi. We had dinner which tasted fantastic after a long day of hiking. For dessert we had something similar to bread pudding with cream. As good as cupcakes back home. We ended the evening with more science videos featuring Dr. Cameron Curie. Now we are going to sleep because we are exhausted.

Goodnight
-Allie Macdonald

P.S Mom tell dad there is a blog!
Melissa Bebchuk

July 16, 2013 - Day 2

Our second day was the best so far because there was no 2:30 wake up!! However, we did have some noisy dogs last night. For breakfast this morning we had toast (Mary's favorite), starfruit marmalade, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, eggs, and rice and beans.We also some delicious juice that tasted like strawberry banana smoothies. We then headed out for a plantation tour which included some directly off the plant pineapple,
 some delicious hot chocolate (also known as cacao), and some heart of palm. Next, we had some down time (P-90X anyone?) and headed off to lunch which was potatoes, carrots, and beef and rice with some sort of delicious sauce. After lunch we had our first classroom session where we got our teams. They are: Cort, Meghan, and Maddy (Team Los Tres Tremendos); Mary, Anna, and Kevin (The World Runners); Erin, Claudia, Melissa, and Annie (Team Los Increibles); and Grant, Leah, Hannah, and Allie (Team #Yolo$wag). We then conducted an experiment involving bacterial swabs and petri dishes and learned about the scientific method. While in the classroom, our daily rainstorm came through and we lost power and couldn't hear each other over the rain. Then after some more relaxing time and our afternoon card time, we embarked on a tour of Colonia Libertad, population 322. While in town we had some homemade ice cream, visited the school with a playground from a person in Minnesota, saw the soccer fields, got some cool sunset pictures, saw some peoples' gardens, and we saw Oropendula. These birds, funny enough, create pendulum-like nests dangling from tall trees along with some toucans.
Our next adventure was dinner. We ate some delicious squash, mashed potatoes, chicken and some sauce, green beans, and salad. For desert we had some Cajeta. (coconut, chocolate, milk and eggs; creating a little ball that had a texture like cookie dough). After dinner we watched a video about zombie bullet ants and it featured our mentor Dr. Adrian Pinto. We then had a group discussion with Adrian and Dr. Andrew Bouwma (Dutch for 'son of a farmer') about ants and the rhino beetles that were crawling all over our classroom.

For all of you reading this we are all doing well, being fed adequately, and are having a blast. Our only injury so far was a Bullet ant sting for John and plenty of mosquito bites.

Signing off for now,

Cort and Mary

July 15th, 2013- Day 1

Hours well spent 

Finca La Anita

 As many of the parents know all too well, we met at MSP at 3:50 this morning to begin our adventure. Connecting through Atlanta, we took two 757 jet liners, eventually arriving in Liberia, Costa Rica. The view over the Gulf of Mexico was spectacular, and I missed out on a much-coveted window seat. Luckily, after multiple customs and security stations, we managed not to lose a single passport (knocking on wood). With an exhausted crew of 14 students, we boarded a bus from the airport. Lunch was a group meal at a small steakhouse known as El Toro Negro. Though some had their doubts about local food, it was delicious and all apprehension was overcome by hunger.
          The bus ride and lunch break gave us time to appreciate the culture, noticing that everyone we met was kind and welcoming. Our Spanish is rusty to say the least, but we struggled through some thank you's. Then we moved on to our end destination, a small, beautiful cabin resort called Finca La Anita. We were assigned cabins in small groups, which are quite cozy.
         After we settled in, we gathered for an orientation and received knee-high rubber boots, primarily for preventing snake bites. Precautions must be taken for safety, but with our sound judgment and experienced guides, there is little threat. With our equipment and orientation, we went for a hike in the rainforest, with a   slight reminiscence of the jungle from Jurassic Park. There were ants to see, rivers to cross, and much more.
      Returning from our hike, we enjoyed a fantastic supper of fresh, locally caught fish, home grown lettuce and spinach salad, and banana sorbet with cacao chips on top. We are now officially spoiled, and returning to our American food and processed cupcakes may be a challenge.
     In conclusion, the first day of our expedition was largely consumed by travel, but we have the best times ahead of us. I know we are all excited to be on this trip, and thankful we were able to come. All we have left for today is getting a good night's sleep, and I'm looking forward to that part. Stay tuned for further entries and photos.

Welcome to the Wayzata High School 2013 Costa Rica Rainforest trip blog.  The trip is scheduled to leave July 15 and return July 25