Why do they call it the rainforest?

Author: Anonymous
Location: Rio Napo, Amazon
Today we got to sleep in. We didn't have to be at breakfast until 7 am! When we woke up it was raining so we put on our "jungle gear" and headed out to breakfast. We ate the delicious breakfast that we have every morning here. Everything is fresh and it's different every morning and great! When we were done with breakfast Hector came up to us and told us that because it was raining we couldn't go out yet and that it would be another hour. We were splitting up into 2 groups - one was going piranha fishing and the other was going up to the canopy to the see the rain forest from up above. We all waited around and did our cards about other people and caught up with our journals. When we finally got moving the 2 groups split up. I went up to the canopy first. The hike was really great. There was plenty of mud and our boots definitely showed it. Once we got the canopy Victoria and I looked up at the height of it and had a small being nervous moment. When we started to climb it we got even more scared. This was because the stairs were separate with whole in between and that made us both nervous. We got to the top and it was totally worth it!! You could see the tops of all the trees and the clouds were so clear and I don't think I have seen a more beautiful site. We of course took tons of pictures and saw many different types of birds and a few monkeys. It is hard to explain because you could just see everything. We made the hike back down. Victoria and I were still nervous on the way down but we made it down safely with no accidents. It was quite an experience. Then Anabel started to make a basket out of leaves and Hector helped her. It turned out really well and it was totally home made.

We came back and had some lunch. There was rice and other great food. Today was the day that we tried grubs. I thought it was repulsive but some people tried it. Hector showed us how to kill them and how to eat them. Alli, Allison, Roberto, Sky and Jack tried them. I couldn't watch because it grossed me out too much but they were really brave to do it. Then we sat down and Hector tried to get us to eat them cooked and most of us refused again. It was just the thought that I think got to most of us. The we had about 2 hours and we wrote cards and journals. Then the groups switched and I went piranha fishing. We took canoes and went to a small park. We walked around and saw the bird that is the closest living animal to the dinosaur. Then we saw the largest rodent in the world. It was really interesting to see both of them. Then we walked back to the canoes and went out to go fishing. I will say that we had no success and that the only thing we caught were small puffer fish. The first group had all the luck! About half way through we gave up on the piranha idea because we were having no luck and moved on to trying to catch the fish. It was great to see everyone try.

When a few of us headed back to the lodge Rafi decided that she would be in charge of steering the boat. We got in with a little tipping but nothing too drastic. When Rafi started to steer, we headed more towards land than water, but she was doing a pretty good job considering it was her first time. Eventually, she seemed to get tired and Kelly took over with the paddling and we got to the lodge in one piece safely, singing a few tunes along the way. Because we had gotten wet during the day, we showered, changed, and came back for dinner. This time, there were no animals that people weren't excited to eat. We had a short meeting about our community service hours and a few more sheets we had to fill out before we have to go home, and then time to write our cards and in our journals. Overall, it was a very eventful, fun, and unforgettable day.
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