Day 2 July 18th, 2012 (Ben and AJ)

Hola from Costa Rica! Day two was filled with many adventures. Started off the day with a humbling downpour on our way to breakfast. We enjoyed our delicious meal while listening to the rain and watching the bright white clouds swallow the towering volcanoes and thick rainforest. After breakfast, one owner of the farm we are staying at, Pablo, showed us many of the different crops he grows and explained how the different crops affect the economy of both Costa Rica and the rest of the world. He also gave us a solid introduction of the leaf cutter ants and the farmers' hatred towards their huge appetite for their crops. We tried heart of palm, starfruit, pineapples, weird-looking bananas, and many other oddities. After that and a filling lunch, the rain cleared and we went on a tour of the town. We got bags of ice cream with three flavors; cocoa, coconut, and cream. Pablo gave us a full tour of the town and explained how it was founded, the school system, and the law enforcement of the area. It was great to see how the people lived without any tour buses or fanny packs (not a lot of tourists). When we got back, we relaxed until dinner where we got our research groups and began to experiment with the microbes and bacteria that live on different places as practice for our experiments in the field. We are all very excited for tomorrow, where we will enter the lives of the leaf-cutter ants and explore the rainforest a little bit deeper.