Day 3 was filled with strenuous exercise, fun volunteering and stargazing. Once again, we started off the day with a yummy breakfast: correspondientes, made from two tortillas with either cheese and ham or just cheese inside. We also had fresh squeezed orange juice. After that, we headed out to go on a waterfall hike. The hike started off with a steep climb up alongside a small waterfall. We had to use guide ropes because it was so steep! The steep climb led us up into a canyon full of sand, plants, and a small river. On the way, we learned about the many different native plants ranging from fruitless palm trees and plants used for love potions to tiny cacti and flowers that only bloom when in contact with water. We soon hit a tall obstacle of rocks, leading us to climb a rope ladder to the top one by one. After that strenuous climb up, we had a relatively peaceful hour and a half hike on mostly flat ground, learning about plants and trying not to get our feet wet. While there were some of us who took off our shoes and played in the small rivulets, receiving a natural exfoliant from the sand, others refused to take our shoes off and instead bounded and leaped across on the sand to keep our shoes, socks and feet dry. However, most of us failed in the process. Midway through the hike everyone stopped for lunch before turning around. On the way down, we collected and learned about different types of rocks and how they were formed with help from one of our guides.
After the hike, we headed back to Todos Santos for some town time. We split into groups and enjoyed perusing the local shops and picking up souvenirs for ourselves and people back home before all reuniting at Paloma’s for some ice cream. Post ice cream, we split into volunteer groups and everyone got to volunteer somewhere different than where they volunteered yesterday. At the Hogar del Nino, we brought the kids a new trampoline. They were so excited and took to it naturally, immediately able to do backflips and other tricks. At the Palapa Society we enjoyed teaching English to two different classes of students. In the more advanced class, we got to know some of the local kids that are our age that live at Hogar del Nino. We all became friends and are looking forward to seeing them tomorrow and the next day. At the local boarding school, we helped the kids with their art projects and then had lots of time to play games with them. By the end, we were exhausted!
All the groups reunited for dinner at Landi’s where the owner cooked us an amazing spread of mole, rice, beans, fish, cactus salad, and hibiscus water. We ate on the patio where we could enjoy the beautiful sunset over the ocean. At the end of a very tiring, but fulfilling day, everyone huddled up near the pool to stargaze. Our guide talked us through the different constellations in the sky, the different colors in the stars, and the way to classify the brightness of a star. We learned about the mythology of Orion killing the favorite white bull of Zeus, were told there were 6 colors of stars ranging from blue to brown, and learned that on the scale of brightness, the moon was a negative nine. When we finished learning about the stars, everyone went back to their rooms for a good nights sleep in preparation from the next day.
After the hike, we headed back to Todos Santos for some town time. We split into groups and enjoyed perusing the local shops and picking up souvenirs for ourselves and people back home before all reuniting at Paloma’s for some ice cream. Post ice cream, we split into volunteer groups and everyone got to volunteer somewhere different than where they volunteered yesterday. At the Hogar del Nino, we brought the kids a new trampoline. They were so excited and took to it naturally, immediately able to do backflips and other tricks. At the Palapa Society we enjoyed teaching English to two different classes of students. In the more advanced class, we got to know some of the local kids that are our age that live at Hogar del Nino. We all became friends and are looking forward to seeing them tomorrow and the next day. At the local boarding school, we helped the kids with their art projects and then had lots of time to play games with them. By the end, we were exhausted!
All the groups reunited for dinner at Landi’s where the owner cooked us an amazing spread of mole, rice, beans, fish, cactus salad, and hibiscus water. We ate on the patio where we could enjoy the beautiful sunset over the ocean. At the end of a very tiring, but fulfilling day, everyone huddled up near the pool to stargaze. Our guide talked us through the different constellations in the sky, the different colors in the stars, and the way to classify the brightness of a star. We learned about the mythology of Orion killing the favorite white bull of Zeus, were told there were 6 colors of stars ranging from blue to brown, and learned that on the scale of brightness, the moon was a negative nine. When we finished learning about the stars, everyone went back to their rooms for a good nights sleep in preparation from the next day.