Megan Unbounded

This week I went to the mountains with the Cruz family to harvest guandu, or pigeon peas, on their farm. It was a good hike on the outskirts of the community and about 2 hours from my house. While my legs are still a bit sore, the views were awesome and it was a good day to get to know the Cruz family better. The kids are cute and every time we passed by water rapids, they would use the slopes as a waterslide! How creative :D We even walked by these trees with huge roots that were bigger than people and could even make a house under them, kind of like Avatar, the movie with the blue people lol The stories that were told on this trip, because my community likes to share stories with me, were about witches that live here and how once, a person became a frog and ate a tamale. Kids sharpening their machetes for the today's adventure! And our before picture!  We found guanabana, or soursop, too!  The walk back was so beautiful! So m...

The community aqueduct needed some repairs so I went with a community member to check out the problem with the water source. It took about an hour and a half to hike to the location over many hills (omg my legs were burning because the steepness was insane), some creeks, and farm animals hanging around. At the top of the highest hill, it was beautiful to see all of the mountains and rivers that surround the community and the lake that flows into the Panama Canal. The site of the water source was shaded and cool without many people or animals, which is a good thing to ensure that the our drinking water stays clean! though the hike was intense with many hills but it is like a natural stair stepper for a good days workout as well. On the way there, we came across some goats and I learned of a time when the community was in a bad time where something was eating their livestock and goats. I was told, it possibly a jaguar or the Chupacabra because the odd thing about the animals was that o...

I really enjoyed my time in Costa Rica, especially the climate, because compared to Panama, it was so much cooler and not as humid. It was seriously perfect weather everyday! Also, I got the vibe that Costa Rica is an artsy, hipster city and every person tries to live up to the country's motto, Pura Vida! The only downside about Costa Rica is that it is really costly. The food, national parks, and transportation were expensive and the only thing that I found surprisingly cheap were the hostels (online they had ones for $8, $9 and up per night). For my trip, I went to Monteverde to hike through the cloud forests and having a jacket and long pants are essential. They do have other activities, like canopy adventures and the tram but I would suggest doing all of those activities in La Fortuna, the Arenal Volcano area! You get more for your money and the views I think are more breathtaking in La Fortuna if you decide to do a canopy adventure. A fr...

Finally I had some visitors from the USA!! My former college roomies came to visit my community and experience Panama! Let's just say that I forgot about some the interesting things about Panama and campo life that I have become accustomed to, like the diablo rojos (buses with crazy designs), 3AM rooster wake up call, and cold showers/bathing in the river. Also, they enjoyed the variety of fruits and vegetables that are easily available in our gardens or found in the jungle especially coconuts, pipas, and bananas.   Iguana! A monkey!