Day #16: Friaje .....

Alright a lot of things happened this morning and a lot of emotions. Right now, I’m pissed off, but let’s start off with this morning. Woke up to a downpour. I was pissed off. My laundry wasn’t dry yet last night, although I still should’ve brought it in when my gut told me. So there goes that, but at least it had been raining all night so not like it was ”Muhaha you just woke up downpour no clothes for you” lol So it’s whatever, its also a friaje yay….last data collection day -_- So it was a constant downpour for the next few hours, so I read and then went back to sleep. Woke up, sarted reading again, and then I heard a branch break so I looked up for a while waiting and a monkey came into view. So I went oh it’s a Titi, since they’re always there. Krista said it wasn’t cause it’s tail was curled, which to me says Capuchin but it looked so small so I was like Squirrel? But those travel in huge troops haha So we thought tamarin? Went out to explore and found it to be a capuchin! Ran to get my data book came back and it decided to run…..yesterday all over again.

I told Anneke I was going to go find it, and do something with my day to be honest, and so I went down the trail…nothing! Ugh! Headed back up to the cabin and heard a monkey. YAY! Got a bit of data and it started to head up the hill. Followed it by going up the trail and around, found a little off trail to this little shelter thing? Anyway watched it and another rest, move around, forage, eat all that jazz haha It was great. While watching them there were sattleback tamarins running around, but I stayed watching the capuchins trying to not get distracted. THEN, a bat flew around me and went into the shelter….which FYI during lecture a bat flew around me haha it was cool. Anyway looked in and found a bunch of them resting, I’ll get back to that later as my current mood is based off the bats. As I continued watching the capuchins, I noticed this white animals tearing at the bark and went back and forth between it and the capuchins trying to see what it was. It was the anteater! A Tamandou, as I learned :D Anyway extra cute, it was SO tiny, and I didn’t have my camera. I grabbed Minny cause she loves them and I thought it was a pygmy but she said it was the same we’ve been seeing. Anyway, once my capuchins left I headed back and saw Anneke watching Titis and sattleback and told her what I saw so she came with me to explore and I showed her and we took pictures. I took a flash with them and I feel utterly awful and demoralized L UTTERLY

I showed everyone the bats, and I can’t remember the name of them. Krista looked them up and ID’d them. Otherwise the rest of the day was blah. Lunch was chicken noodle soup which was good on a cold morning, and then (we’ve had it before) that shredded chicken yellow curry sauce weird thing. I justify it as a curry sauce, but we now this it was tuna? Anyway, half a boiled egg and a kalmata olive which I gave away. I gave half the food away haha and I plan to do the same tonight, especially because we didn’t do much. I got a lot through my book, and went out in the afternoon. The drinking water they put out is the same color as the water in the toilet, which doesn’t mean anything since they filter, and boil it before giving it to us. The color is just off-putting, but Gatorade packets take that away haha.

Adam, the French guy, saw an Ocelot today….LUCKY! He showed me where so I’m making a point to find it xD So, when I went out in the afternoon all I saw was a glimpse at squirrel monkeys and juvenile capuchins running over the trail and disappearing just as quick. Haha a blah day. Tomorrow we are visiting an abandoned gold mine which will be extra cool J This firaje isn’t as bad though, It didn’t rain as much and it isn’t as cold….thank god cause I wouldn’t be able to handle it!

Saki lecture tonight by Dara, I'm also contemplating talking to Minny abotu how to apply for their program for ya know upcoming years as a research assistant. I talk to her and Gideon alot about their research. So we shall see :) And dinner tonight is.......soup...which you'd think we'd be sick of but it's amazing on such a cold night. It's filled with more vegetables and barley so good. Big 'ol plate of spaghetti haha and half a plantain haha Gave half to Gene xD No way I could stomach all that.

Well unil tomorrow with a longer blog,

REN