June 17, 2018
Hello friends and family, this is Miah Sandvik and Liam Black reporting for your favorite research trip blog! Everyone is alive and well. Our day began insanely early in the morning with a 3:00 am meeting at the Minneapolis Airport. Our two flights went swimmingly, first to Atlanta and then to Liberia, Costa Rica. The very second we exited the airplane in Liberia, we felt the custard-like humidity envelop us, like a hug from a sweaty relative. Our drive to Finca la Anita was characterized by views of thick foliage, charming livestock, and colorful, open architecture. We stopped for lunch at about one, and the food was unremarkable only because we are currently not permitted to remark upon it. (It was really good.) We also enjoyed some quality music on our drive to the eco-resort. Once we arrived, we unpacked and ate another unremarkably delicious meal. And then began the science! In an after dinner lesson, we were given several difficult questions for discussion. One of the most perplexing was Why is there so much biodiversity in the tropics, as compared to the Midwest? After a rousing discussion, we concluded that there are a plethora of factors influencing the biodiversity in the tropics, ranging from high water availability to extremely efficient decomposition mechanisms. We concluded our exhausting day by writing this mind-boggle-ing-ly wonderful account of our (nearly 20 hour) experience.
Our lunch
Our driver, Eddy
Sincerely,
Liam and Miah
