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Miles
to Arenal Volcano
1.2
Temperature in Fortuna
(7:30 PM)
73 F
Poisonous
frogs seen
11
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Lesson
Plans
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Daily
Dilemma
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Pika, Frosty, and I have been talking a lot
about raising endangered species in captivity
and releasing the off spring into the wild.
We have come up with good arguments for and
against this practice. Come up with two positive
and two negative arguments for raising wild
animals in captivity and trying to release
the off spring into the wild and help us solve
our debate.
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Walking with Bombero
November
11th 9:00 PM Fortuna, Costa Rica
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I've
always wondered what it would be like to live on a farm.
For the past few days, Dave and I have had the chance
to live with a Costa Rican family and help them do their
chores on their dairy farm. The Spanish word for farm
is finca (FEEN-ka). The Alvaro-Garcia family was nice
enough to invite us into their home, feed us authentic
Costa Rican food, and share their lives with us. It was
truly an unforgettable experience. |
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our stay we learned how to milk cows (see today's Tico
Times), but also learned tons about the surrounding land.
After our first morning milking, Marvin, nicknamed Bombero
(Spanish for firefighter), took us out on a walk to see
what we could find. Within minutes, Bombero had located
several poison-dart frogs. Bombero's hands are so calloused
by years of hard work, the frog's poison can't penetrate
through the thick skin of his hands. Normally picking
up a poisonous frog is not a good idea, because even though
they're are small animals, they are poisonous and can
make you really sick. |
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It
seemed like Bombero knew every plant in the woods and
that each plant had a purpose. He showed us edible plants
and fruits, medicinal plants, vines that hold water to
drink, plants that smelled just bananas, plants used for
dying fabric, and trees that were alive with bats, birds,
insects, and other animals. Every step of the way, there
was something new to discover. |
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of the most interesting parts of our morning walk was
when we came to a native cemetery. Bombero's father, Don
Juaquin, uncovered the first sign of native settlements
over 50 years ago. Since then the Costa Rican National
Museum and several indigenous tribes have excavated areas
around the farm, uncovering clay pots and jade artifacts
that are 500-800 years old. Bombero showed us an area
that we could conduct our own archeological dig. We used
a machete to dig the soft soil, and quickly found several
small pieces of pottery. |
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Click On Photo To Enlarge
Before there was a bridge, Bombero had to use this
zipline to safely cross the river. Here, Frosty gives
it a try. |
One
of the other great things about our walk was that Bombero
does not know a word of English. It made communication
and learning a little bit more slow, because neither Dave
nor my Spanish is very good. Therefore rather than using
words to teach us, Bombero showed us the purpose for each
plant or let us observe an animal so that we could learn
on our own. Have you ever been in a situation where you
had to observe something in order to learn about it? For
me, that's the best way to learn best. |
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Going for
a walk with Bombero is one of my highlights of the Rainforest
Project so far. His knowledge of the farm, and his patience
with us gringos, made learning a real adventure. Every
step we took, a new plant, tree, or bird came into view.
Bombero's knowledge of the forest is immense, and walking
around with him made me realize how much I still have
to learn about Costa Rica. The forest holds many secrets,
and I'm not even sure that one person could learn them
all. However, getting to spend time with someone who
knows many of the forest's secrets is a real honor and
a time I won't soon forget.
Happy
Trails,
Frosty
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Click On Photo To Enlarge
Besides knowing all of the plants and animals on
his farm, Bombero also knew all of the great swimming
holes. The water was crystal clear and a nice break
from the intense heat. |
Our next chat is schedualed for
10:30 to 11:30 AM on Thursday 11/13. We look forward to seeing
you all in the chat
room!
Notes
from the Trail Index
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