To Kill a Toucan

I have a crazy story.

So currently, a wonderful group of tropical biology students are visiting from Prescott University (pronounced "priscitt," like biscuit... ?) with their professor. Yesterday, we spent the day cruising along the rainforest trail, pointing out baby sloths, heleconias, passion flowers, and turtle-tail mushrooms. Showing them the trail was particularly rewarding because we were both able to teach each other things- I was able to point out my favorite trees/plants and their indigenous uses, and they were able to share their expansive knowledge of Costa Rican birdlife. After the trail, we scarfed down another fabulous dinner, and then the craziness began.

As the group was leaving to retire to their rooms, a high-pitched, siren noise started to howl from a nearby tree. Startled, we all walked onto the road with our flashlights and tried to see who, or rather what, was in so much pain. At first, I almost thought it was a squealing pig caught in a fence, but the desperate noises where clearly coming from above. One student suggested that it was a porcupine. Apparently they live in trees here. After several more moments of excruciating cries, we located some movement up in the tree. The beady eyes looking back at us belonged to none other than an opposum. But why was it shreaking?

After watching the opposum swing down to a lower branch, someone noticed that there was something odd about the opposum's face. It looked like it had a large, yellow beak. Then it dawned on us:

the opposum was eating a toucan

What?! I can't even begin to imagine how that was possible. Me and all the tropical biology dorks were jumping up in down in excitement. Poor toucan did not go down easily. I mentally added this as yet one more marvel to my experience. I am hoping that future Costa Rican surprises won't be quite as destructive...

Insects 500, Mara 0

The mosquitos are brutal down here. They must have heard that the gringa was arriving, because I am getting destroyed from the knees down while everyone else is going itch-less. Perhaps it is from all the sweet juice I've been drinking... I am going to have to tighten up on my repellent applications fast if I don't want to get a blood transplant.

The bugs in the rainforest have it out for me too. Yesterday, I thought it'd be cool to go visit my favorite tree on the farm by myself. This tree is in the middle of primary rainforest (trees that have never been cut down/deforested) and has giant, and I mean huge, vines stretching up to the life-giving sun above. Some of these vines can easily be as thick as my torso. What is the coolest thing about this grandfather tree (Jacaranda copaia) is that in all of its vastness, what really drew me in were the small ferns, electric mushrooms, and bromeliads that had taken up residency around the tree's base. Gorgeous. I decided to be true to my Californian roots and give the tree a hippy hug. But the damn bugs sabotaged my moment of zen! Something zoomed into my hair and started making a highpitched clicking noise. Fearing the worst (some sort of Bob Marley festation) I let out a yelp and madly batted at my head. At that moment, another creepy-crawly flew down my shirt and bit me on my chest. Now I have never been a pansy around bugs, but who knows what kind of eggs and deadly bacteria these jungle bugs could be planting in me? I made a made dash for the forest exit, swiping at my head the whole time.

I feel so lame as I write this- 2 little bugs kicked me out of the rainforest. I am going to need to hone in on my masculine side or something. Here's a wild rainforest statistic to depart on:

Every second, 1 acre of rainforest around the world gets cut down. That means by the time I end this sentence ten acres of rainforest will have been cleared....

Hasta luego

Tai Chi and Mariposa Bailando( dancing butterflies)

These past 2 days have been action packed. Yesterday morning, my buddy Ruth (the VP of New Chapter) and I met up at 5Am and we went to a secret location on the farm that is teaming with wildlife: Mariposa Bailando. We decided to call this mysterious area Mariposa Bailando because of its most dynamic and prominent wildlife: blue morphus butterflies. These butterflies, which have electric blue wings the size of my hands, would flit by us, occassionally pausing to swirl in descending spirals with 2 to 3 of their companions. Magical. We also saw a few snakes and 2 strawberry poison dart frogs. It was hard to imagine that such a cute red frog with blue legs was so poisonous... and as for the birdlife...inexplicably loud and happenin. Oh and I saw a damsel fly! Who knew those existed?? This special spot (I am not allowed to give away its location because its biosphere is too delicate for heavy visitation) is one of the many sensational places I've explored at Luna, and when I think of the word "harmony" from now on, the visual of the dancing blue butterflies at Mariposa Bailando will always flit through my mind...

This morning was the first (hopefully of many) yoga sessions I shared with the guests. Me, 5 girls, and one courageous man got together at 6:30 and got our stretch on. As the tropical rain pounded down only feet away from us in our converted studio (the Casa Luna common area), we took turns sharing our favorite practices and poses. We decided to start off with a few Tai Chi movements, which was kickass. The act of focusing all my attention and energy into one or 2 joints unquestionably released any and all unknown tension that had manifested there. We did this one where we just flicked our wrists up and down for a solid minute, and I'm not going to lie, it felt quite odd while doing it, but when we stopped there was this healing blanket of warmth that coursed through them. Way cool. Now I am going to head back to my Tico household for some sleep because I want to be alert for the session manana.... buenos noches!

Settled in

I am rounding on day 5 here at Luna Nueva, and I can already see that it's going to be hard to write down all that I am up to. In classic Mara-ness, I forgot the chord that connects my camera to the computer, so it may take a few more days for me to upload some photos. It looks like I'll have to just be highly descriptive for the time being...

This morning I discovered my new morning ritual: a few laps in the pool at 7:30 AM. Sure, that sounds a bit hardcore, but I swear it's heavenly. By the time I walk the 5 minutes through the Sacred Seed Garden, I've already built up a little sweat because this area is always at a steady 85 degrees F. I'm out of the pool at 8 and ready for a breakfast of eggs, fried bananas (my fav!), fresh watermelon, yoghurt, and, of course, some version of rice and beans. All of it was made that morning by ingredients on the farm. I don't think it gets more organic and local than that.

In my blogs, I want to share a few of the awesome trees or plants I have been learning about. Thanks to the 2 resident sloths on the farm, I quickly got acquainted with cecropia treees. They can get quite tall, have candalabra-shaped crowns, and are the first trees to make comebacks from forest clearings. A sloth can latch on to a single cecropia for weeks at a time and only comes down once a week to bury his poop. I think this is wild because the sloth, in exchange for eating 20% of the trees' leaf mass, loyally plants fertilizer that only the tree can benefit from. Soo cool! Another favorite tree of mine is the bixa orellena, which is commonly known as the lipstick tree. When I passed by it with Stephen the other day, he plucked a quarter-sized seed pod from the tree and said, "Hold out your hand." He dropped several ordinary, brown seeds into my palm and instructed me to rub my hands together. Immediately, my hands turned a blazing orange-red color. Seeing the shocked look on my face, Stephen explained that indigenous women of Latin America used it as lipstick. I was even more surprised when he said that several big-name cosmetic brands were looking to market it on a global scale. I pretended not to be surprised when Stephen joked that orangy-red wasn't quite his shade though :)

I received a few plant manuals from the other rainforest tourguide, Robert. I am stoked to become an expert on all the ones we have at the farm. I am hoping within a month or 2 to become a tourguide too. I mean, when else am I going to get to say

and to your left, we have the Boussingaultia baselloides. Check out those rhizomes!

Equally as colorful as the scenery are the guests and workers at the farm. I am learning almost as much by conversing with the people who are attracted to such a special place. From Whole Food natural connosiers, to company presidents, then former Costa Rican rockstars, and finally to architect professors from Texas, I can't believe all the walks of life I am encountering. If this is what is going on in less than a week...?

My friend Kristin is not going to believe this- I might start leading yoga sessions at the bamboo garden every morning...

more soon! kjlas d; (i just wrote that because a toad just jumped on my foot and i thought it was funny so I'm going to leave it)

As I begin to write my first blog ever, I can't help but become distracted by a jurassic butterfly outside my open-aired window. I marvel at its fierceness as a sudden rain starts to pound the earth. Little moments of wonderment like this have occurred roughly 1000 times since I arrived at Luna Nueva 2 days ago. I have been given the opportunity to stay as an intern at Luna Nueva for 10 weeks, and if the next 68 days or so compare at all to my experience thus far, well, I will be more than stoked. So, I arrived at the airport, unsure of who, when, or where I would be picked up, but was comforted to see a kind Costa Rican man holding a sign with my name on it. Using my rusty Spanish, I introduced myself to Leo and quickly became his good friend for the remainder of the 2 and 1/2 hour bus-ride to the farm. Upon arrival, I could not quell my excitement- the pictures on the website did not even do Luna Nueva justice! (here is where I start to sound like I am selling something because of the necessary clichés…) I was hit by all colors of the rainbow, dynamic architecture, and smiling faces. Stephen Farrell, the farm manager, and Tom Newmark, the CEO of New Chapter. Both welcomed me with open arms to join them for what was to be my first taste of excellent Costa Rican cuisine. I thought to myself “Score! I came just in time for lunch…” The food was not only extremely healthy and tasty, but there was plenty of vegetarian options too. I was not the only guest at Luna Nueva that afternoon; also eating in the main common area were 30 or so employees of the Whole Foods "Whole Body" department in the Southwest Region of CA and TX. After getting a bit settled in, I was introduced to the woman, Guiselle, whom I would be staying with. Her house is quaint and representative of a typical Costa Rican household; I am staying with her mother, her uncle, her husband, and their five year old daughter (who is a fire-cracker). After moving in my things, I went back for dinner and got to know some of the Whole Foods people and realized that I had met several of them before at a New Chapter Probiotic conference with Nancy Angelini. They were all extremely chill people. Exhausted, I passed out by 9:30. All i could keep repeating in my mind was:

I am in frickin Costa Rica!

The next morning, I had the pleasure of meeting Rafael O'campo, a leading ethnobotanist in neotropical plant knowledge. He led me and the Whole Foods group on a tour through the "Sacred Seeds Sanctuary." Me, in a classic college nerdiness, scribbled down notes attentively. The plants are wild: there are over 240 medicinal herbs in the garden! I am making sure I get to know as many as possible while I'm here.
I am making friends quickly here at Luna Nueva. All the workers are completely understanding of my gringa accent and that I have much to learn when it comes to Spanish. I have found that a sweet smile and "no se" works quite well when I have no idea what is going on...
So for now I get to learn the ropes of what is required of a “agro-tourist coordinator.” My main concert at this point is controlling myself and not getting fat off of the incredible food! More soon...