Sloths andLizards and Turtles, Oh My!

Hello everyone! We are sorry for the delay in blogs and pics - we have been adventuring beyond the bounds of wireless internet here in the beautiful Caribbean region of Costa Rica! Pictures will be up tomorrow from the last two days, but are loading too slowly to post now.

Yesterday at Aviarios del Caribe we were able to learn a lot about sloths, and how the staff at Aviarios cares for them - we even got to pet one! Her name was Buttercup, and several of the girls tried to sneak her onto the bus. (just kidding.) We did see some very adorable baby sloths as well. (To Ronnie's mom - I didn't let her bring one home, even when she begged. :)

For lunch, we tried the first of many Costa Rican dishes (accompanied by rice and beans, of course) - chicken made with coconut milk. The girls at my table all ate part of their hibiscus flower garnish, and finished off their tamarind juice, except Abby C, who was a big chicken and wouldn't try it. Every day is a new adventure for our tastebuds!

After lunch we took a man-powered canoe ride through the reserve, sighting "Jesus Christ" lizards, herons, crabs, and other local wildlife, while learning their names from our guides, Herman and Leo.

On the way to our hotel, the students played bus games and got to know their new friends from around the US, and have had a great time together!

The evening held more once-in-a-lifetime adventures! After a bus ride out toward the coast and border with Panama, we tried more local fare - fried plantain patties (delicious!) - and heard a presentation about the turtles we were hoping to see on the beach late at night.

The cool thing about nature - weather and animals - is that you can never predict what they will do! We did not get to see any nesting turtles this time, but we did get to see how volunteers care for the eggs, and experience a little bit of what a female turtle would encounter on a very rainy, moonless beach as she tried to lay her eggs. It was fun using our other four senses (since it was so dark), to hold onto each other, feel the sand beneath our feet, smell the salty air and listen to the waves! Grace and Ana had a very exciting incident, falling into a tidepool! (Don't worry, mom and dad, they just got wet.)

After such a long day, everyone was excited to take a hot shower and get to bed and couldn't wait to get started on another day of exciting times! Tomorrow, canoeing the Yorkin river, and making chocolate!