Day 4: Paradise

Today I walked in paradise. Probably a cliche statement, but that is how I felt.

The focus of today was to tour the community here in Sibinal and learn how people earn a living. I didn't have to walk very far to visit a trout farm. The trout farm belongs to the man whose house im staying in. There were several pools where trout are placed depending on their stage of development. I learned that the man who owns this trout farm can not afford to feed his trout the sufficient amount of protein for them to develop so he has resorted to feeding them halibut (different species of fish). Consequently, the fish take twice as long to grow. I also learned that it is extremely difficult to throw a fishing net. Apparently, watching it on television did not make me an expert. Below are some pictures of the trout farm and several trout that were given to me for lunch. Yum!!! 

After lunch we headed to a small village higher into the mountains in Sibinal. I was going to learn how fertilizer is made and processed. I always thought it was just a bit of cow dung and dirt. Today I've come to appreciate fertilizer on a whole different level because it is a complicated scientific process that takes time and precision. I learned that fertilizer is not only made with cow dung but also chicken dung, coal, the left over outer shell from corn, and a special type of dirt. Amount and temperature are also important and every single day, for 20 days, the fertilizer must be moved around to prevent it from mineral loss. After 20 days the fertilizer is sold to local farmers. A good method of income since the majority of people here depend on agriculture. Below are some pictures of a small fertilizer processing plant. 

Another method of income is ecotourism. Although still under development, I was fortunate to have a private tour and go bird watching. However, as fun as it sounds I was unable to see any birds. The guide suggested I shut my eyes and listen instead. After several seconds I began to hear all kinds of different birds. I was so focused on seeing the birds I was missing out on hearing them. Below are some pics of the walk. Oh, I also got to taste a wild flower. It was sweet and delicious. 

The last part of my day was probably the most exciting. Two guides took me on a walk through the woods to show me where bees were making honey. They would collect the honey twice a year and sell it. Some if you may not know this, but I'm allergic to bee stings. I go into anaphylactic shock, but hey, I had my Epi-pen and quite honestly, I didn't think I would ever get an opportunity Iike this ever again. It was well worth the risk. 

On our walk back to Sibinal there were so many exotic plants and vegetation. Both guides kept pulling stuff off the trees and eating it, of course I would imitate what they were doing and would sometimes pretend it was as tasty to me as it was for them. We got to this road and they started pulling carrots out of the ground. When I tried to do the same I ended up with just a root or clump of dirt. Below are pictures of the beautiful vegetation and of course, a carrot that I finally found and proudly ate.