On Thursday night (7/22) we arrived at the 128,000 acre Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, named after the likeness of the mountain ridges to a rooster's comb. Here we were introduced to composting toilets, which use no water and are good for the environment but a little disconcerting to use at first! Following each visit to the toilet, we were instructed to place a cup of peat into the toilet and close the lid. These toilets work better than traditional pit toilets. There was no heated water for bathing, but some of us treated ourselves to ice cold showers!

We went on a night walk deep in the rain forest in search of red-eyed tree frogs. We not only saw the frogs, but also spied their eggs on the undersides of leaves. While in the jungle, we turned off our flashlights and stood quietly, listening to the chorus of frog calls. We also saw many other animals during our walk, including a pauraque (bird) and a scorpion (which some of us held). Stars filled the sky and we were able to identify Scorpio and the Milky Way. Upon returning to our bunks, we fumbled through the darkness with flashlights and slept to the music of frogs and cicadas.

Friday morning, we awoke to find the clothes we had hung out to dry were soaking wet from the humidity in the air. The high humidity is just a natural part of the rain forest of Cockscomb Basin, which has an annual rainfall of 180 inches per year (North Carolina gets about 42 inches per year). On our 6:00 a.m. walk we did not see a jaguar, but at least we saw the tracks of an ocelot. After breakfast, a walk through the forest astounded us as we viewed larger than life trees that created a towering canopy above our heads. After walking 3 km through the jungle, we saw a welcome sight: a water hole, complete with a waterfall! The cold water provided a wonderful respite from the heat. While returning to camp, we were fortunate to observe a spotted racer (a type of snake) seeking a morning snack.

After lunch we packed up and headed out to the coast to discover new ecosystems. We were sad to leave the sanctuary without seeing a jaguar, but richer for having had the opportunity to experience the Cockscomb Basin. As we left, we stopped at the village of Maya Center to purchase hand-crafted Mayan souvenirs.

On our one-hour drive to the coast, we passed banana plantations and spied magnificent frigate birds. We arrived to our own coastal paradise, Kitty's Place, where the Caribbean Sea is just outside our door. We gathered to bid Nathan farewell. We will certainly miss his booming voice of expertise, kind explanations, and agile ability to catch critters. We couldn't wait to put on our swimsuits and snorkeling gear and hit the beach. We know we will enjoy our time at the coast learning about fish, coral, mangroves and the coastal ecosystem.