10/7/2008

We started the day learning about the island's daily doings. We saw and tried to cut rice the traditional way in the fields, saw the cleaning process of the fields (to prepare for the next harvest), and saw how to weave (by hand) a fine hat made from a fiber of a plant (the woman said it takes about a month to make and can cost up to 100 dollars --edit-- 10/14: an extremely high cost for Panama). After lunch and class, not much happened. We went to the beach (about 200 m away) and body-surfed. The waves were big and the beach was empty. The sand was soft and the water was warm. It was indeed very calming. Tonight I got to witness part of the reproduction cycle of tortoises. We set out at 9 PM and went back to the beach. In all, we saw 4 tortoises laboriously make their way up to the beach, dig a hole, deposit their eggs, and return to the water. By the way, that's what Isla Cana is known for--their turtle conservation. So they're pretty much pros. Interestingly, you're not allowed to have too many lights at one time, b/c they use the ocean's reflection to know where to head back. Too many lights and they won't have any idea of what's going on... Oh and I have 44 insects bites (that I can count). I might have had 10 before today. And unfortunately I'm not kidding. Life here is tranquil...but bug-filled for foreigners not used to the insects.