(yesterday)
After we landed in Liberia, we traveled by van to a local restaurant in the city, where we had our first meal. We had beef steak, rice and beans, salad, and smoothies. After that we got back in the vans and started the trip to Finca la Anita. Along the way we made several stops, including: picking mangoes on the side of the road, taking pictures of volcanoes, and meeting our driver Eddie's friends. At their house we were given mamons and jacotes, which are types of tropical fruit. Later when we arrived at the compound, we were served a delicious dinner of fish.
(today)
We were woken up by a chorus of bugs and birds. On our way to breakfast we met the dogs that live at Finca la Anita (they are very adorable and fluffy). Breakfast was rice and beans, plantains, and eggs. There was also toast, yogurt, and fresh watermelon and papaya. After our meal we went on our first hike. We came to a river, which Henry and Christo decided to explore (they got their boots full of water). On this hike we saw our first leaf cutter ants of the trip. When we got back to the main buildings, we began the chocolate tour. We learned a lot about the different types of cacao, and the process of turning cacao into chocolate. As a part of this experience we tasted freshly fermented cacao beans. Along with this, we drank a chocolate beverage with chili powder. Later we got many different flavors of bonbons, including ones with blackberries, raisins, and almonds. We also tried fresh pineapple (!!!) with chocolate sauce. Finca la Anita makes a chocolate spread that is a lot like Nutella, but without hazelnuts.
After the tour we had lunch. It started with heart of palm salad and homemade chips. We watched Pablo (the owner of Finca la Anita) harvest the heart of palm and make the salad. The rest of lunch was beef, potatoes, and rice and beans. Once we finished our meal we headed down to the village for the community service portion of our trip. We helped a group of the locals with landscaping, to aid their future business. We also visited the local shop and bought ice cream.
Dinner tonight was butternut squash soup, chicken, and mixed vegetables. Desert was flan with chocolate nibs on top. After dinner we went to the lab. There, we met the scientists we will be working with on the trip (Adrian Pinto & Ibrahim). We discussed the scientific method, and learned more about the leaf cutter ants. We also formed our lab groups. After a long day we headed off to bed.
Adios!
-Katie and Lily
