Day 9: Viento Fresco Waterfalls

Not too far from our lodge we discovered hiking trails to 5 huge waterfalls.  Our favorite became the 265 foot Angel Falls because we could get in the water and swim UNDER the falls!  The spray was so powerful it almost hurt, but it was so cool.  Lincoln wanted to go first, of course, and Brigham brought his wet suit so he was happy in the cold water!  He didn't want to leave!  He swam around like it was a swimming pool. 

We stopped to eat lunch at this fun place along the trail.  There are always ants, spiders, and beetles everywhere and the kids have done so well at just flicking them off their sandwiches, chairs, bowls, books, legs, beds, etc!

Eliza is a champ.  She never complains about have to be encased in this plastic rain cover on the backpack on every single hike since it pours every single time!

By the time we arrived at the "parking" lot, the rain had soaked the dirt road into a muddy mess.  We prayed that the 2-wheel drive van would work properly and we could make it out of there on the steep hills OK.  We did:).  There are dirt roads to most of the places we go, so we knew that it could be sketchy.  So grateful for the extra heavenly help!

We have had to string up more and more line to hang out our clothes and bags! By now everything is getting mildew because it is constantly drizzling. I love this photo of these Camelbaks though.  It has been SO fun to have the kids have their own water and snacks!  Best investment!

Day 8: Recovery at the Lodge

After adventure-packed days, we were ready for a recovery day.  There is so much to do at the lodge, so we decided to stay home and see more of the beautiful forests.  We did school in the morning.  The birds were singing, the insects were buzzing, and there were no sounds of humans anywhere.  At home we live by a busy road and constantly hear trucks, sirens, jets, trains, etc.  At this lodge, however, we are nestled in the mountains and the only signs of life we see are animals.  There are pastures of cows grazing across the valley and everything is so serene.  Doing school in this environment was like a dream.  Look at this photo!  It's like this scene jumped out of a fairy tale!  Stone chairs and a table covered with a light layer of moss in the middle of the woods. It's so dreamy!

Coati

Howler monkey.  These guys are so loud!  We woke up one morning to hear the moan and growls of the howler monkeys carried on the wind - it sounded like a horror film!  Jade thought they sounded like the walking dead.

Jade loves hanging up the wet laundry.  We feel like we've gone back in time.  Life is slower here because the daily tasks take up so much of the day!

It rains EVERY afternoon!  But it's warm.  The temperature doesn't change much, even during the night.  It's absolutely perfect.  We don't even sleep with a fan.

This cool tree was so large we could climb through a hole in the roots!  It was a little creepy though, because there were gigantic spiders in webs in there. We spent a while throwing bugs into their webs and watching them come out to eat them!  Nature is so fun!