Don’t go chasing waterfalls in the rain…

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home. That wilderness is a necessity. That mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life” – John Muir

The preceding quote in theory seems to sum up our day today, but is in-fact, quite contradictory. John Muir’s beliefs and actions against indigenous communities create an important conversation around how we treat not only our environments, but the people in it. Our reflection and blog on today, shows this complex situtation.

It is your Leaders of the Day, Ruby and Jordana. It is Day 5 and we went on quite the adventure. We started off bright and early with a wake up call at 7 am, and a delicious breakfast cooked by our personal chef, Diego (Very fancy, we know). After stuffing our faces with banana pancakes and scrambled eggs, we packed our things and headed onto the bus to our destination…

We hiked down to Trillizas waterfall! It took a lot of physical and mental stamina, but the end result was worth it. we saddled up for a few minutes taking lots of great photos we’re sure you’ll see very soon. For us personally as two nature lovers, seeing the waterfall for the first time was a moment of peace and tranquility we’ve never felt before.

We hiked our way back up the trail, and settled down for some lunch at the waterfall’s restaurant. We all enjoyed some staple Costa Rican meals before it was time to head back to home base. Once at home, most people hopped in the pool and played volleyball. We, however, went straight to the hammocks. Our tour guide, Memo, accepted our request to take us down to the river near the property. We sat there for a few minutes and took in the views of the water and ginormous vines. Soon, it was time to go back up for our guest speaker.

Andres Zuniga, an environmental management and ecotourism educator, came to speak to us about the vast biodiversity and communities in Costa Rica, and the effects that tourism has on these areas. After a brief presentation, he split us off in to groups where we role-played 3 different characters in a live simulation: the government, the community of costa rica, and developers who wish to build a new luxury resort in the area.

Together, we were able to have meaningful discussions about the impacts of tourism and see what it was like to have a stakeholder engagement exercise.

Love your, lideres del dia, Jordana & Ruby