Post
by Lavabe » June 3rd, 2010, 12:13 pm
Good morning. Here's how today went...
1) Wake up at 430AM to the sound of lemur calls, which were a welcome break from the nearly constant loud calls of approximately 14 owls at the site I visited.
2) Got dressed at 431.
3) 432: Put on headlamp and packed my bag.
4) 435: Stepped out to brush teeth. Focused my headlamp on a log 30 meters away that had some reflectance, and couldn't tell if it was a nocturnal lemur sleeping, or maybe if it was a lightning bug, dead on the log. Then again, maybe it was wint-o-green Life Savers.
5) 440: Started finding and following a group of Sanford's lemurs. Also Identifed a group of crowned lemurs.
6) 530-625AM: Said good bye to the British team of researchers running the site.
7) 626AM: Left with two students and the regional director of the British team to go back to Diego. GO BACK means an 18km hike (that's roughly a 10.5 mile hike).
8) 930AM: Made it to the crossing of the national road where we promptly sat, waiting for the bush taxi. These do not come along at regular times. Essentially, it's all hit or miss.
9) 931 AM: Began having breakfast while waiting for the bush taxi... that's right. Did the hike on about 1.5 liters of water, no food. Been having trouble with nausea in the morning, and keeping food out of me during the hike was a good move. What was breakfast? Three sweet bananas, mokary (a rice flour donut), and a VERY sugary 1/3 cup of coffee.
10) 945 AM: Bush taxi actually comes by and picks us up. This is the fastest time I have ever experienced while waiting for a bush taxi in a remote location.
11) Umm... from 10AM - 1230 PM, all I could think of was how to reposition my bum to quell the pain of riding in the bush taxi with 19 other people.
12) At approximately 1112 AM, the bush taxi, now blaring Malagasy music, plays some song that I can only describe as being a Malagasy hit produced by Christopher Walken... you know...
MORE COWBELL!!
13) Arrived at the hotel in Diego at 1245PM. Took a freakin' long shower.
14) At 130PM, met up with my Canadian collaborators, and had pizza with them. OOOOOOH... thin crust St. Louis style pizza.
15) At 3PM, went with one collaborator (henceforth referred to as Chuck Norris) to the bank to get money from the States. ILJ should expect a withdrawal. Turns out, they do NOT change US dollars any more; it's that freakin' Euro they take. While at the bank, I meet up with Lavabe2, a grad student in the same region. Like me, he also did his undergrad at Duke.
16) At 301PM, Lavabe2 comments on the nice final four t-shirt I am wearing.
17) At 301:15, I kindly inform Lavabe2 that Duke men's lacrosse also rocks!!
18) 310PM: Chuck Norris and I go our separate ways for the day. I recharge my computer modem account, see a couple of friends, and make it back to the A/C of the hotel, because, as we all know...
IT'S HOT AND HUMID IN DIEGO!!
Cheers,
Lavabe
2014, 2011, and 2009 Lemur Loving CTN NASCAR Champ. No lasers were used to win these titles.
Oh well, I haven't had a lot of time to read ourhouse posts lately, but am glad you are safe and I was awake enough to respond! I look forward to your future posts! BTW, I think I won my first race today! 
;) Go Mark Martin!!!!!! ;)
Does bug spray help?
