Reflections by T. Hardin

 On day two of the trip, we did horseback riding, which was easily the most stressful part. Mounting the horses was more difficult than expected, and some of the horses did not want to do what we wanted them too. On day four, we went to a place in the village that grows and exports butterflies. They also sell very nice jewelry and clothing, and other items made of recycled materials. On day five, we got a chocolate tour of the farm. We got to see how the chocolate is made, the history of chocolate and cacao, and got to try some of the items that Finca la Anita produces. We tried five different things, 100% cacao nibs, 28% chocolate, or as Pablo called it, chocolate flavored candy. We also tried pieces of 72%, 82%, and 92%. Not many people appeared to be fans of the 92%. On the topic of the ant research, most groups seem to be successful so far with their projects. One group is trying to find a way to protect the cacao plants, one group is seeing what leaf leafcutters favor, one is trying to disrupt pheromone trail, and the last group is testing a fungus gardens vulnerability in a Atta colony.

Finally being able to see the top of our volcano, Rincon de la Vieja
A volunteer Atta cephalotes queen

Bullet ants up close and personal! 
REAL chocolate with tasting the good stuff before touring the farm!  

Comments

  1. Carol LJune 14, 2022 at 5:56 AM

    Thank you for your post. It seems that you've accomplished a lot during the first half of the trip. We love reading the post, not quite as exciting as being there but gives us a glimpse of your activities. We're all cheering you on here and KY is just as hot right now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michael HardinJune 14, 2022 at 7:53 AM

    Thanks for the update! What a special trip this is!

    ReplyDelete

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