Day 6- how do people sleep here?

Sleep is an still an elusive thing. Damn howlers!

This was our last day in Selve verde. I'm not sure if I'm happy or not. The humidity in this place is unreal. Nothing dries! You feel permanently damp!

We began today with a trip to Tirimbina Reserve and another hike into the rainforest. I'm kinds over it...I'm not gonna lie. It's very pretty, but I think our forests are just as nice. But that's the uniformity I like. Hey and guess what? It rained again! Not as bad as yesterday, but we were still walking in rain! Crazy! We saw the cocoa tree, and then, the highlight was learning and making some chocolate! It was interesting. We tried the cocoa bean in its raw form and it's extremely bitter. Then we learned how they're dried, peeled, mashed up, and then heated and melted. Added some vanilla and brown sugar. Tried chocolate with chili peppers in it! It was really good, but very hot...needed water afterward. It was delicious! Really interesting to see the stages of chocolate making.

We returned to the lodge for lunch and I attempted to nap while the others went to lunch. It didn't work real well. We met for our reflection of the tour so far. We've had a jam packed schedule! Not a lot of time for relaxation! The leaders want to know what everyone thinks because they want to know whether or not they can continue the program or not.

After our reflection, we saw and participated in conservation in action. We went with the learning center to plant a bunch of trees. On went the rubber boots, and the clothes we didn't care that would get dirty, and off to the farm we went! 115 trees had to be planted by us! Most were on the banks of the sarapiqui river to help combat erosion! So there we are: we've been told by every guide to stay on the path and be aware of snakes; here, we just marched right through the forest digging holes and planting trees, putting our hands down into the clay with reckless abandon! It was gross AND disturbing all at the same time!

When we finally finished planting, we went back to get cleaned up for our cookin class! We learned to make empanados and tortillas. It was a fun little demonstration. Then we went to dinner and went to our Latin dance class!! It was so much fun but hot!! There's very rarely ac here! We learned the merengue, salsa, and a costa rican dance called swing caculla (something like that)! It's very bouncy and energetic! I liked it!

We, of course, headed to the bar afterward (because that's how we roll) for a cold beer and it was desperately needed! Susie and I had teased Edwin that he hadn't showed us the real costa rica, so he agreed to take us to a local club! I was so excited to go dancing! A bunch of us went (most of the older crowd didnt come, but we did make karla come) including our bartender, Gerardo, who introduced me to the greatest drink ever: the guara sour! (Actually, Mau, the hot white water tour guide, told us to try it, but Gerardo made it). Guara is a costa rican spirit made from sugarcane. It's like candy! Can't drink too many and you'll be dancing on tables!! We had a blast at the club!! Now I feel like I've seen a bit more of the culture!! We have the best guide ever!