Then we walked to the bus to go white water rafting. What a great morning! Our guide in our raft was named James (“James Bond” according to him) and he was a lot of fun. He gave great instructions and was interesting to talk to. He’s been guiding for 10 years and speaks very good English (which he learned on the job). The rafting was so much fun! It was a perfect day - hot & sunny, but the water was refreshing, and we got very wet. :) At one point there was a calm stretch that was also shallow and he told us we could jump out & swim for a while, so Mikayla B. and I went for a little swim. We stopped at a half-way point, where there was a small cliff (about 15 feet, I think?) that led to deep water that we could jump off of. I actually did it twice! Everyone in our group except one person did it--even Dudley and Bernie jumped into the river from there! Then we ate a snack of fresh-cut pineapple and continued to the end point. (We rafted by the spot we were at yesterday with Douglas and Marzarella, too. It was a great morning!
After that we rode back to the starting point, changed clothes and ate lunch at the restaurant - arroz con pollo. (I think I will have had enough rice by the time we leave.) Then we came back home and hung out for a while. I talked to Marzarella for quite a while, and then we played some more cards with Douglas. Then Marzarella brought out some Costa Rican hot chocolate (right up my alley!) with crackers for an afternoon snack.
After that, Marzarella showed us how to make the bracelets that she and some other women in her women’s group make. They’re several steps more difficult than the friendship bracelets I used to make in elementary school! It was fun to learn.
We ate an early supper of olla de carne, which is basically Costa Rican pot roast, but with some different vegetables - carrots & potatoes, like at home, but also plátano, yucca, and something else that I can't remember.
Then we left for the bat program at Tirimbina Reserve. It was very informative, and at the end we got to see bats and even touch one.
At this point in the day I was ready for bed! We rode home, visited with Marzarella for a while while we finished making our bracelets (she had the tv on for the first time since we’ve been here - she was watching the news), and now I’m ready for bed.
Tomorrow will be the cacao tour, hanging bridge walk and a hike through the Tirimbina Reserve area, and in the afternoon we’ll have a soccer game with our host families. It should be a fun day!
¡Hasta mañana!
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