After breakfast, our day began with a 40-minute bus ride to the hanging bridges. Even though it was raining and wet, it did not stop our enthusiasm. As we were driving there, we were able to pass by one of the biggest lakes in Costa Rica. It was small compared to the Canadian Great Lakes, but still very interesting to see. When we arrived at the Mistico Bridges, it was soaking wet, and the rain was getting worse. Our tour guide was super friendly and informative, and we were able to see so many animals, including different types of frogs. One of the frogs was called “blue jeans” because their body is bright red, and their legs are a vibrant blue. Another frog that we saw was the “glass” frog. They were fully translucent, and if you looked closely, you could see their organs and their eggs. We even were able to see another glass frog with its eggs on a leaf. It was very cool to see different species we never knew existed before. Our tour guide brought a telescope so we could see them even closer.
Other animals we saw included snakes and squirrels. We were laughing because the sneaky, quick squirrel we saw was jumping around the tall, luscious, green trees. The tree branches were fragile, meaning that the squirrel had to be quick and it looked like a ninja hopping around an obstacle course. Our laughter made the long hike feel like a short walk. We passed through 22 bridges in total. Six of them were hanging bridges, which were extremely fun and breathtaking because of the beautiful landscape. For lunch, we quickly went to a restaurant with a gorgeous view and we were all mesmerized. The food was delicious and organically made. Afterwards, we went to a souvenir shop and bought lots of goodies, including hand-crafted beaded bracelets and keychains, wooden animals, and food.
To end our day, we went to an incredible organic farm where we were able to learn more about plants and vegetables. Did you know that pineapples are actually flowers? It was remarkable to see so many fruits and vegetables growing. We were even able to see and eat raw cacao and chocolate after the drying process! We also learned how specific crops were grown and how ingredients that we use in our daily lives are created. It is very important to understand where our food comes from, with a deeper appreciation of what we eat than just eating it. Then, we had a party, and volunteers were able to try to use a machine to get juice from sugar canes. It was way harder than it looked! We made our own dinner with a cooking class that consisted of us making tortillas and chopping vegetables for salad. There was also chicken, mashed potatoes, and beef – lots of options to eat. It was really cool making our own food to eat instead of buying it. We made it fresh, which was more organic and so different from what we were used to. Today was a long and very important day, and even though it was raining and we had to hike, it was enjoyable. We learned a lot about the way we live that isn’t common knowledge in today’s world.
