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Location: Cabecar Indigenous Tribe
The day started with us waking up quite early with our host families. At 6:30 we were all on the bus ready to head to the Cabecar Indigenous Reserve. It was a four-hour drive, and the majority of us slept or talked to each other. When we finally got to the reserve, it was time to begin the two-hour hike up to their village. The hike began with the crossing of an old suspension bridge that swayed in the wind. Crossing it was both fun and challenging. Next came the actual hike. Most of the hike was a path, but parts of it were knee-high in mud in which we sank. The hike also included the crossing of several small rivers. The hike was made even more fun and challenging when it began to pour. When we finally got to the top, we enjoyed a tasty lunch prepared by the indigenous people. After the meal, we presented donations to them such as whiteboards and markers for each student to be used in high school. This is a sustainable way to ensure that they always had materials to learn how to read and write. Then, the women of the village put on a presentation on how they use nature to make string, paint, and bark that are then used to make crafts. We then began the hike back down the mountain in the rain. Once we had finished the hike, we got on the bus and drove down to the hotel where we were staying. At the hotel, we cleaned up and headed out to dinner. We went to a place called Rico con Coco. This was a local restaurant that had opened just for us. We had a meal of chicken, pinto, and plantains that was extremely good. After enjoying the meal, we headed back to the hotel where we swam and talked. After having fun at the pool, we all headed back to our rooms and went to bed.