Bella Vista - day 4

This morning we know that we are in the middle of a tropical rainforest in the midst of rainy season without a doubt! It has rained on and off all night and as we eat breakfast it starts to rain heavily and gets progressively worse as we make our way to the river to board our very wet boat, the mood among the group is still pretty positive . The water whipped up as we travel on the river makes us wet and we can see the sky light up with lightning in the distance and hear the thunder rumble......yet in the wet boat the group is still singing.

We arrive at our work site and the water is pouring down and we slosh our way to the our building area and move indoors to the shelter to assess what work needs to be done and can be done given the weather. We set up stations within the hut to build the rebar constructs that will be used to strengthen the cement pillars. One group does attempt to move rock and sand in preparation for cement mixing but it is too wet a day to mix cement as it won't cure in this weather. As the morning moves along, we again have help from some of the local children and toward the end of the morning, 2/3's of the group goes out into the rain and muck and mud and plays soccer with some of the children. They end up slipping and sliding in the mud and are covered from head to toe but laughing and smiling from a good time. We head back to Minga lodge and hose down those that are dirty and get ready for lunch.

After lunch we have about an hour of free time. Some use it to sing and play guitar, others join in a cut throat card game of Egyptian rattlesnakes. The rain clears and the sunshines brightly again as well. At 3 pm we head to the cocoa farm to learn about this important industry for Ecuador. We see the plantation, the six different types of cocoa pods grown, how grafting works, how the market treats the farmer, how the middlemen reap most of the profit and what the most prized cocoa pod is for Ecuador. We get to taste the cocoa beans right out of the pods when they are still slimy and covered in a sweet jelly like substance. We learn about the fermenting process. Upon our return to Minga lodge we take part in a hands on demonstration where we learn how to roast the beans, shell the beans, grind the beans and then mix the cocoa with sugar to eat with some bananas. A fun and interesting time.

Then it's time for dinner and following a gathering of the group to look at ways to continue supporting the work of Me to We upon our return to Victoria. Small groups work on both enhancing current projects and dreaming ups some new ones. A final check in about our day and what we have appreciated about each others leadership and folks head to their rooms just as the power for the night ends at 10. Tomorrow is our last day to work at the village so we hope the weather will cooperate so we can finish what we can to keep the project on task.