Have you ever tried a pitahaya? Maracuya, mamones, or guanabana? Our students hadn’t before yesterday! Every Friday local farmers and vendors descend upon Liberia, the capital of the Guanacaste province, to sell locally harvested fruits and vegetables at the Feria (Farmer’s Market). Nicole organized an activity for the group to practice their Spanish. She gave each group of 3 students pictures of fruits and vegetables, their Spanish name, and enough colones to purchase their items. The students had a fantastic time interacting with locals and putting their haggling skills to the test.
With plenty of fruit to sweeten the ride, we packed into the bus and headed off to Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve for an action packed day of reforestation and monkey watching. At the biology station, UCLA professor and field biologist, Susan Perry, delivered a sensational presentation on the social interactions of the white faced Capuchin monkeys. Eager and full of information, we set off into the bosque tropical seco (tropical dry forest) and planted over 100 tree seedlings to forever solidify the student’s trip to Costa Rica.
On the way back to the station to eat lunch, our local guide, Alex, spotted a group of Capuchin monkeys. The curious little guys just couldn’t help themselves and within minutes 3 monkeys turned to 20 as they recruited their whole gang to say hello to us. After seeing the Capuchin monkeys at Lomas Barbudal yesterday and the Olive Ridley turtles nesting at Playa Ostional just a few days ago, an appreciation for our fortunes with Mother Nature have definitely been present in our group.
Before heading home for dinner and our community meeting, we stopped at Llanos de Cortes waterfall to bathe in one of the most impressive waterfalls of the Guanacaste province. Pura Vida!