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| July 23 | Group 2 Trip to Las Cruces from La Selva
Things looked rather foreboding as we loaded the bus this morning. Rain,
rain, rain. We were wet, wet, wet. The prospect of 21 adults crammed in
a bus riding for the next 10 hours in rain like that, well I was not looking
forward to it to say the least. Soon out of La Selva, the conversation
in the bus quieted down and sleep took over for the majority of us – fiesta
the night before!!
Here are some of the reflections of my colleagues:
Pouring rain – heavy suitcases - snoozing – eatinglunch at 10:00 – stop in the clouds – greasy empanadas – paramo – switch seats – eat ice cream – play spades - laugh – go through potholes – Las Cruces – oasis – sleep. 10 hours!! Not bad. I expected the ride to be awful, unbearable and annoying. I actually found it to be more pleasant than I expected. Our group had such synergy. Today is the last day at Las Selva. I walked the bridge one last time. I bid farewell to the forest and said “God bless”. The sloth hears me and for a moment, we are one. There were lots of great views as we drove across the mountains today. It feels as though we are in a totally different country than when we were at La Selva. The highlight of today was the beauty of the landscape. The pineapple fields with the dark monstrous volcanoes in the background amazed me. WOW! A very long drive but lots to look at. Las Cruces was a beautiful and welcome new “home” at the end of a long day. The drive was long but rewarding. The trip over the mountains was great. A big temperature drop and change in plants. |
| July 24 | Today was our first day to explore Las Cruces. The feelings were
undeniable. There is an amazing collection of plants and animal at
Wilson Garden, including the shampoo ginger and the fantastic blue crested
motmot. There is so much to look at, a comfortable lodge, and great
food. The whole place is the Club Med of research stations!
While the mixture of groomed gardens and rugged wilds is amazing, some did not find the garden as pleasing as the rainforest. It did seem a little “fixed” after La Selva. After our tour of the gardens, we walked down to the Rio Java. Wearing rubber boots without socks was not a good idea. However, the pain could be relieved upon reaching the destination. Putting one’s feet in the cool pool was quite relaxing. After all, water does have such a cleansing essence – sitting in it, laying in it, thinking in it, playing in it. It seems to wash away all that is worrisome. We also visited a coffee farm. One question comes to mind. What will it take for humans to put the Earth before money? After that, we drove to the top of the ridge to see what we could see. We met a couple who graciously allowed us to view their garden. We were all touched by the angels’ genuine generosity. How wonderful the Costa Ricans have been! |
| July 25 | Wilson Botanical Gardens
OTS Las Cruces, Costa Rica I intended to make this journal entry a fun and exciting editorial. However, due to limited time on the computer and (mostly) because I’m pretty tired, I’m simply going to list all of the reflections I received for the day. Perhaps the wit and humor will be provided by the statements.
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| July 26 | Las Cruces Biological Station
Costa Rica When it rains, it pours. This was a final busy day for gathering data for our research, and we had falling rain for most of the day. Reality reminds us that we are still in a rainforest environment. Observing insects, hummingbirds, and critters in heliconias was discouraging, but informative. One member of our group made the comment, “Hummingbirds are still fascinating beautiful birds.” We are learning to evaluate ourselves. Another member was discouraged in the results of an investigation. “I learned so much about research design from Tom. I never understood how to make observations until I made so many mistakes watching insects.” We are growing interdependently. One quiet more reserved member of the group told me today, “I would be happy to work with any member of our group of 18 teachers.” Finally, conservation means commitment! Las Cruces is a fragmented forest because of land that was cleared f or cattle raising. Just before dinner, Tom gave his last lecture on the impact of the fragile edges of these forests next to cleared pasture land. Before dinner, I decided that I was going to have the traditional rice and beans, and skip the meat. We had stroganoff with beef in a wine sauce. Oh! It was great! Later, Amy sent me a note for this journal. “Doesn’t demand increase production?” |
| July 27 | “Today we experienced the excitement of another research project coming
together. Nice to be done and fun to get results.”
“My research group is awesome. Everyone‘s doing their best to prepare for tonight’s presentation.” “ It is amazing how teachers can adopt the attitudes just like their
students when placed in cooperative learning situations!
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| July 28 | The ride from Las Cruces to the beach at Dominical was greatly anticipated by the entire group. We drove along the Rio General, cutting through the coast mountains and descending from pre-montane wet forest to the coastal humid forest. It was getting hotter and hotter. Soon we could see the Pacific and feel the cool breeze blowing onshore. Sitting near the beach some people went into the surf, others strolled along the beach, some sat on driftwood and watched the surfers catch a good wave. Some just sat and drank Imperials watching those who were watching the surfers. We noticed as we walked or drove to the Villa del Mar that many places had for sale signs in front of them (se vende) inviting us to buy a piece of Costa Rica and enjoy the good life. It seems that many Americans have already taken this advice. I just hope that they will use good judgement when building here to not ruin the peaceful and slow paced way of life here. |
| July 29 | Travel Day
The day began with Dale rousting out the late risers and he and Roger helping Fernando getting all the gear on top of the tour bus. What does one do on a 10-hour bus ride. A couple of people tried to work on their web page but the bumps, sensitive mouse, and tight space prohibited effective work. We stopped in Quepos near the ocean and saw frigate birds soaring above the bay, visited the banco, and found a good bakery. We had hear wild stories of Palo Verde and it flavored our expectation. The first impression was that the stories were true but we quickly learned that first impressions aren’t everything. We learned that it is an amazing land! Some of us went on a night hike down to the river. As we walked down the road, our flashlights caught several pairs of red eyes. They belong to nightjars. As we got closer, they hopped up and flew into the air. Suzanne won’t forget the white stripes on the bottom of their wings that flashed at us as they flew overhead. Sleeping under mosquito nets and checking for scorpions was a new adventure but the biggest challenge of the day was finding slats long enough to keep the mattress from falling. |
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July 16 - July 22 |
July 30 - August 3 |
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