THE RAINFOREST
Grad students observe monkeys, plants in Children's Eternal Rainforest
The group spotted capuchin monkeys in the rainforest. (Contributed photos)
Who needs an alarm clock when the cloud forest is wide awake at 5 a.m.?
We awoke to the sounds of many birds, insects and other animals that were ready to start their day. We enjoyed a traditional Costa Rican breakfast of pinto gallo, which is rice and beans, scrambled eggs with ham, fresh fruits and bread.
After breakfast, many of us took to the porch to sip our morning coffee and see the beauty of the eye-level clouds.
Our bus arrived and we ventured off to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. We separated into two smaller groups, but before we could take off on our own paths we were greeted by multiple white-faced capuchin monkeys (we can check that off of our bucket list).
It was so exciting to see them jump around from limb to limb and snack on fruits from the trees. Fun fact, these monkeys eat more than just bananas. They actually are omnivores that eat fruits, seeds and insects.
The next creature that we saw lurking around the forest floor was the agouti, which is a common large rodent found in Central America. Then, for the rest of our hike, we observed many different species of tropical plants, trees and birds, such as the toucan, motmot, tucanette and the three-wattled bell bird.
Once we completed our hike, we headed back to the biological station for a traditional lunch of rice, beans, fresh vegetable salsa and grilled plantain.
After lunch we attended a short lecture on climate change and analyzed temperature and leaf wetness data of different elevation rainforests in the area. We presented our data then we decided to take some time to explore downtown Monteverde.
We hiked from the biological station to the heart of the city. We went into some local jewelry, art and souvenir shops. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with positive vibes and the expression of “Pura Vida.”
Several members of the team also decided to indulge in some wonderful Costa Rican ice cream like higo y leche condesada, guanábana and even the tradition vanilla with chocolate chips for only $2 or 900 colones.
After our sight seeing, we took a taxi back to the biological station. By then, it was time for dinner. You’ll never guess what we had—hamburgezas con queso, also known as cheeseburgers.
At the conclusion of that delicious meal, we attended another lecture, this time on identifying differences in biodiversity related to elevation. After a day packed full of excitement, we are all extremely ready for a night of good rest. However, we will be back up and ready to explore tomorrow.
Sights of the rainforest
-by Kayla Sager, fourth-grade teacher at Angier Elementary in Harnett County
Kayla Baker, seventh-grade science teacher at North Johnston Middle School in Micro
Mary Rose Yoo, physics, earth/environmental and physical science teacher at Princeton High School in Princeton
June 19, 2018