5-Day excursion, Day 4: Coffee plantation and rafting

We had a chance to sleep until about 6:30am today (woo hoo!) and then began another fun but busy day.


First we visited a coffee plantation.  The weather was perfect.  We had the chance to pick coffee beans and then see the entire process of how they turn it into a product ready sell.  The students had fun and Nata (another teacher and my partner in crime for the week) and I got to enjoy some excellent "tinto"(coffee).

After lunch we went rafting.  This was not as crazy as rafting in the Nile in Uganda but perfect for sixth graders.  It was about an hour and half trip and we got to swim in the river...VERY enjoyable for all.

We returned to our hotel and had a chance to explore the town of Barichara with a game of "Amazing Race".  The students were in groups and had a packet of questions to answer by asking people in the town.  Barichara is recognized as the most beautiful town in Colombia and is a national monument.  Because of this they work hard to maintain the original architecture.  My favorite part of the city was that there was honeysuckle everywhere.  There it is called "caballero de la noche".  Honeysuckle is quite possibly my favorite smell, to me the town smelled of heaven - absolutely intoxicating.  Warning:  I might move here and never leave.


We ended the game at the top of the hill where we all had a chance to reflect on the trip.  The students talked about how beautiful their country is and they hope the school would invite other foreigners to come work and see Colombia so that they could truly understand what Colombia has to offer.  (If you're interested in teaching, let me know!)  I couldn't agree more.  I know Colombia has a bad reputation but the people are loving and welcoming and the country itself is like something out of a picture book or a movie.  I feel so lucky to be here and to know that this is just the beginning.