Ah yes, what everyone has been waiting for....I have seen MONKEYS! Granted with my standard lens even when I'm 20 feet away from them it still doesn't get close enough -sigh- but I'm more than thankful that after dry-bagging it the lens has de-fogged itself and it works perfectly....plus I'm happy I have a camera here at all :) But next time I'm getting a bigger lens :D
OK!!! First and foremost.........pictures meant for yesterday anyone? Sorry :( The internet is soooo slow here cause people are doing things they aren't supposed to like trying to watch videos which eat away at it and make it slow for everyone :/ But as long as I'm able to post :D
I have been taking photos of the food they have here, in hopes to add them in my day to day blogs......but under the circumstances :(
FIRST THINGS FIRST.....it was free day today lol xD Also people complain WAY too much here it's incredibly annoying.....it's as if people assume it's a vacation -_-"
So....woken up at 5:40 am by the kitchen staff and birds, but willingly, I also couldn't go back to sleep so meh :)
For breakfast they had "fried dough" essentially a pancake...two of them :) With your choice of strawberry jam or honey or both :D it was goood but way too light for the hikes xD they also had these sweet orange crackers haha
I decided to go in a hike with Linda who wanted to search for squirrel monkeys, no luck :/
HOWEVER, I spotted a Titi monkey.....essentially a black furball with a black face and long tail xD It was jumping through the trees so wasn't able to get a photo of that one....too much of the canopy in the way as well.
The rest of the time it was just a simple hike, incredibly surreal, you occasionally forget you're in the rainforest...except for the occasional Buttress trees. The hike lasted maybe 3 hours, also I hit 10k steps before noon xD About 5 miles at 12:30 so yay...but yeah surreal except for the guy who had an asthma attack! Halfway through the hike someone comes running through, clearly exhausted from said running, and asked us to take the inhaler further down the path. Apparently, Joe (who was in that group I took the boat with) had an asthma attack from the humidity. :/ He's okay now don't worry :)
Which by the way, they are my absolute favorite trees! Adaptive evolution at it's finest! If you cut the floor of the rainforest straight down so you could see a side view of the roots you would see every different length imaginable. It's not incredibly rich in moisture, as you'd think it would be, and so no species of plant has the exact same length of root so that they can get the optimum moisture from that level......then you have the buttress tree. A tree that can grow to enormous heights and where are it's roots? ABOVE GROUND! The trunk spiders out with these tall thin roots sitting at the top of the forest floor, it's pretty cool :)
Anyway, when we got back I began to catch-up on all the reading I have been missing. Which, I have to say, I kinda wanted to laugh when one of the students told me to "skim it cause it'd take like 20 minutes to get through it all" ....... really? The process still stands here.....read, highlight, type out notes.
Anywho, I then went on another hike with Linda which was shorter cause I left to catch lunch, ya only get an hour people and you need all the sustenance you can get here! Plus I ran out of water xD
We did see a brown capuchin monkey...and by see I mean we heard branch snaps and decided to travel offtrail to find the source. Don't worry most groups chase monkeys deep into the forest....hehe wait til I get started on my research xD One girl had her boots warmed with ants O.o ANYWAY, back on track, we started hearing the calls they make and boom there he was climbing up a tree and sitting right there glaring at us. We moved closer and he even started to give out warning calls. I say he, only based off of the behavior, I in no way know if it was male or female. Unfortunately, you really can't aside from body size and seeing the physical genitalia. But anyway he stared at us started grooming, scratched under his leg like a lazy man watching football or something while the other members of the group jumped through the trees behind us. Then as quickly as he showed up, he left. Yes, I have a photo
Anywho again, lunch was a starter of like potatos (dry, but still inhaled it) with like eggs? and ketchup????? It was good at least. Main course was rice, beans with some type of meat (how's that for encouraging), and a bit of lettuce. Great with this Aki...ahi? I dunno but it's this pepper and onion mix that sits in vinegar yummy and spicy!
Also was told by Linda that "you didn't have spam growing up?! You must've had a good childhood" .......Not sure how to take that O.o But I mean yeah I did, I guess. Makes me feel like I was extremely affluent or something haha
Anyway, more reading blah blah I then decide to go on my own hike...yes alone. Trying to cut off that capuchin where they were headed......but I got lost between the trails xD I had a map so it's not like total lost but I went down instead of up :/ And just as I was like "awwww but I wanted to see a monkey" Plop....A Titi monkey flies out of the forest and lands on a fallen tree in front of me.
I must've been pretty entertaining to watch. I was creeping so quietly, and anytime it looked at me I'd freeze........you know like when you try to sneak up on a cat lol Yeah doesn't work then and doesn't work with monkeys either xD I got within 20 feet or so, huge approximation, but I could see it clearly camera not so much -_- but it then climbed up into a neighboring tree and hid behind leaves occasionally poking its head out to glare at me. To which I waved that white flag and let it be :)
Just finished dinner, which started with like chicken noodle soup but add like something in it like quinoa or something (Peruvians tend to have soup every dinner) and the main corse was chicken on the bone (just a leg) with mushrooms and this great sauce...dunno what it was but it looked like "orange chicken" sauce :D Did you know thats a color!? It is now. But yes....I don't eat bugs here...that's strictly voluntary ;) The food is great and well portioned, and the family will be happy to know I have yet to come to any harm.
Seriously though, so many people have complained about it taking DAYS to get adjusted....I dunno if it's a bad thing or good thing but I was adjusted like my first night. After I had cooled off from the stairs and such like it's like being at Lake Mooma (yeah spelled wrong I know) It's like frikkin' camping I swear! Which you all know I love....so I think it's pretty safe to say I found my niche haha. I guess we'll find out when I chasing capuchins through the forest.
Ah, and for those that don't know I am studying how capuchins travel through the forest (i.e. the different levels of the forest.....canopy.....mid.....underbush) those are simplified terms haha there's generally five layers to the forest. But I am studying that and reasoning why, if its adults or juveniles all that good stuff :)
Long blog and they'll just keep getting longer :)
ALSO, sunsets amazing, stars amazing I already said it but still. Just tested the camera and it CAN take the stars in the sky.....about to fiddle around with it when the generator shuts off in about 55 min (currently 8:04) To those trying to call me (aka, mom and dad) I have ZERO signal here, and my phone AND computer both died between last night and the end of the first hike. I can't charge until between 6-9 pm no joke....there's no power. Anyway, I'll start calling now that everything is powered on :)
Lessons learned:
#1:Wear flip flops when walking in the bathroom and shower......there's like soap residue and grossness .....it's just hygenic just do it.
#2: If you have things like powdered gatorade such as I, make sure to create the concoction in the bathroom. Easier cleanup of the sugary goodness.........like it's an extra step...do you WANT bugs in your room?! .....More than there are usually.
#3: Best signs for monkeys in the forest are of course something shaking branches (monkeys leaping between trees), branches breaking (capuchins break branches to eat the inside.....everything here is mainly just focused around bugs ok!), and even leaves falling. Also, don't get discouraged when you follow the sound of fruit dropping and you only find a green parrot...those are cool and they deserve some "ooo"ing and "aaa" ing too.
#4: Be able to distinguish monkey calls.....some sound similar to birds.....I'm talking to you tamarins
-_-" Did hear some chirping back and forth asserting where their territories are, but their palm sized and I have the vision of a 90 year old.
Rules broken: ...YES THERE ARE MORE OF THESE
#1: Don't go in the forest alone when you haven't been exactly.....completely.......not even trained at all :D Hey I brought my whistle, pocket knife and compass...and I had a map! eventually you hit trail markers, and I'm not dumb enough to venture off trail....I'm too dumb to use a compass xD
#2: Don't go into the forest without telling anyone even if you sign out.......permission required.......Okay just quit your face palming would ya....go enjoy your AC, and comfy sofas.....and ceilings......
Anywho I do apologize for a lack of photos but the internet is so horrible! :( Until tomorrow :)
Ren
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