This morning we began earlier than previous days, most of us groggily getting ready and grabbing a quick breakfast before waiting for our ride at 7:15 am. Unfortunately, some of our members were sick, so they had to stay back and miss the field trip. The rest of us loaded into the suped-up school bus—named Cristian Traveling Services, which we assume to be named after our bus driver, not to be confused with Christian Traveling Services—and drove through the mountainsides of Puerto Rico towards the Parque Forestal La Marquesa in Guaynabo. We read our reading of the day or listened to music while looking out the windows at the bright day ahead of us.
After our drive, we arrived at a parking lot a few kilometers outside the park entrance and loaded onto a different bus that took us to the base of the park. We made our way to the first attraction by way of a teleférico, or cable car, which carried us up the side of the mountain above the lush forest. Once we arrived at the edificio central and made our way through the line, we watched a short informational video about the Mariposario and Aviario before heading inside.
It was an incredibly beautiful and large aviary and butterfly enclosure, and both areas had my favorite butterfly, the monarch, and the national bird of Honduras, the Ara macao. Seeing all the creatures and wildlife be able to roam in a free environment similar to their native home, compared to the small cages that are usual in many zoos, was satisfying to see. It was also a good reminder of how important it is to preserve the bosques that are the homes of these majestic animals.
Afterwards, some of us rode a train, which was actually two carts pulled by a tractor, that took us farther up the mountainside to get to the watchtower. We got off the train and, after a short but grueling ascent, we gathered our breaths and waited for our turn to head up the stairs of the watchtower, as it was busy with the many other groups and schools on field trips at the parque. After a few minutes, we climbed up the stairs and took in the amazing view. The sight was breathtaking, and being so high up allowed us to see locations we had been before, such as the Castillo San Felipe del Morro from days past. But then it was time to leave, so we hurriedly descended the tower before loading into one of the teleféricos that took us back to the entrance. We then took the bus back to Salesianos and rested for a while before having a group meeting about the day and a plentiful dinner.
By Meredith and Jocsan
