Jan 15 2017
January 15 Sierpe -> Campanario
Our day started around 4:45 am for a wonderful 5:00 am breakfast. Right after breakfast we headed down to the docks to board a boat to Campanario. After saying goodbye to our hosts families, we jumped on the boat and our ride began. According to our professor this marked the turning point in our trip. So far we have been staying in cities/ villages and now we are headed to the jungle. We took a detour along the way to try our hand at climbing through a mangrove forest. It was so much fun (except the scraps and bug bites)! The boat touched the shores of Campanario before 9:00 am, we were all shocked how much we had done so far in the day.
Once the boat was unloaded of all of our bags and other supplies we brought with us, we had a short orientation about Campanario. Campanario is a biological reserve that has a field station for environmental education. After completing orientation we were given free time until lunch to get settled and explore a little bit. Lunch was at 11:30 today. Right after devouring our meal we pulled on our rubber boots for a hike. During the hike we discussed a lot about the difference between a primary and secondary forest, learned about the different plants in the jungle and their uses, checked the camera traps, and much more. At the midpoint of the hike we were all told to spread out and write down observations as well as reactions/ feelings at the moment in silence. It was shocking to realize how little silence we get in the lives we live today. On the hike back to the field station we saw a juvenile female tapir napping in the middle of the path. We had to take a different trail home, to not disturb her. Some of the other things we saw and heard on the hike included: spider and white faced monkeys, scarlet macaws, and blue crowned mannequins.
As soon as we got back to the field station we changed into our bathing suits to swim in the ocean. We spent until dinner playing on the beach and enjoying the scenery. Dinner was so good, we were all very hungry after the adventures of the day. After dinner we all sat out on the porch to admire the stars. The amount of stars we can see here made us all realize how much light pollution there is back in the United States. Campanario is off the grid and relies on solar power for electricity so bedtime for us here is 8:30 pm at the latest, so after we were done star-gazing we said our good nights and headed to bed.
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