As I've described in previous posts, part of my job is to collect urine and feces from the monkeys we're studying. Prior to our departure, Mackenzie, the phd student we're working for, tried to describe her excitement upon collecting pee and poop samples in the forest, and at the time I quite honestly thought she was just a tad crazy! I mean who in their right mind gets excited about catching pee and poop?! Well, two months into my time here, I do!
So we're out one day last month and things are business as usual. I was following under an individual for samples, when she squats over a branch, much to my delight. Positioning myself directly under her, I decide to encourage her as I prepped myself for what was to come. My excitement bubbling over I began to chant "come on, give it to me, GIVE IT TO ME!" as she readied herself for her delivery. Well let me tell you, she gave it to me alright, all over my face! Contrary to the trend that seems to be developing here, we're not actually suppose to be collecting the samples with our faces, we're given butterfly nets, covered in plastic, instead to do this for us. I dare to be different however. Lucky me!
So once again, I found myself in the forest with my face covered in monkey shit! The only difference this time, however, was that I had people around me to assist me in it's removal, or so I thought. I quickly asked for someone to hand me a leaf, so I could wipe the shit off my face. I'm bent over, eyes squeezed shut, waiting patiently for my leaf to appear but it doesn't come! "How can this be?" I think to myself, I mean all I want is a goddam leaf! Many things went through my mind at this point, during what seemed like an eternity with shit on my face, some of my thoughts went something like this: "Why aren't you people listening to me?" "I mean how long does one have to stand here in front of you jackasses, with monkey shit all over their faces, before somebody tears a leaf off a tree and HANDS IT TO ME?!?" "WTF!!! I'm not asking for a kidney here people! I just want a #$%^&# leaf!!!" After a good 2 minutes, I did manage to get someones attention and I got my leaf, and after cleaning myself up, I stood up, opened my eyes and realized that the groups only dorsal baby had fallen off it's mother about 15 feet from the ground, and landed quite literally at my feet at the exact moment I got shit on, explaining quite justifiably my co-workers neglect.
The baby turned out to be fine, momma immediately jumped down and gathered him up no worse for wear but needless to say, I felt like a bit of a jerk. No amount of monkey poop compares to the safety and well being of a little one. So it seems I have come full circle at this point, once again I find myself learning life lessons from a face full of monkey poop.
Friday, July 9, 2010
My first Vaca
As I mentioned before, we get 4 days off a month, so what is usually a long weekend to most, I like to call a vacation, and after working 11 hour days for 26 days straight, I am good and ready for a little time off.
We decided to spend our first vaca in Monte Verde and La Fortuna. Monte Verde is a little mountain town in central Costa Rica, right smack in the middle of a cloud forest, while La fortuna if famous for its views of an active volcano. With only 2 days in each, we decided it best to rent a car, not to mention the fact that the buses down here are less than desirable mode of transportation.
Upon our arrival in Monte Verde, we found a nice little hotel to stay in just outside the town for only $30 a night. Our logic behind this was that it would be quieter than staying right in the heart of things and so it was……until about 9pm, it was around then that the dog choir started their nightly performance. But it gets better! Besides being able to enjoy the soothing sound of hounds howling each night, for free I might add, we were also treated to a solo performance by the confused rooster, beginning at about 4 am and going straight through until early evening the next day. Needless to say, I have made it my life mission to punch the guy in the face who coined the term “the rooster crows in the morning”.
Besides the unwanted entertainment however, our accommodations were quite lovely, and despite the nightly noise, we still thoroughly enjoyed our stay. After wandering around town the first night, we hit the hay early so we’d be well rested for our adventures the next day. We started our day with a zip-line canopy tour, something which Monte Verde has become quite well known for. The tour consists of a series of about 15 platforms set up about 150m off the ground, in the canopy of the cloud forest. You then zip-line from platform to platform on cables, with some hiking in between. There was also a tarzan swing which is exactly as it sounds, a massive swing that begins with an ~30 ft free fall, before catapulting you up 30 ft in the opposite direction. The whole tour took about 3 hours and it ended with the “Superman” a 2 km long cable harnesses to your back, giving you the sensation of flying through the air.
The canopy tour was unbelievable but our day wasn’t over yet! We then went to a reptile center (I know you’re thinking we visited some of my exes here but it literally was a center for reptiles), where after some subtle flirting, I got up close and personal with a massive toad, a jigsaw turtle and a snapping turtle! We also arrived just in time for dinner and were treated to buffet of live mice, it was actually only the snakes that were eating but we got to watch it in all its abhorrent glory.
After the reptile center, Bhavisha and I went back to the hotel to get dolled up for our first date. I know, usually you do the dating thing before you actually go on vacation with someone, but I’ve always liked to do things a little different. There was a great little restaurant in town we’d heard tons about which was built around a large tree, swiss family Robinson-style, and after checking out the interior earlier that day, we knew we had to check it out! Dinner was fabulous and although we had big plans of going out, between the wine, and the adventures earlier in the day, we were beyond tired (could it be that I’m getting old???.......Naaaaaah!) Besides, we had a long day of driving ahead of is the next day as it was off to La Fortuna!
Had the roads been paved, it would have probably only taken us about 45 mins to travel from Monte Verde to La Fortuna, but for those of you who’ve spent any time in Central America, you know that what’s 45 mins in Canada means 4 hours down here! The scenery was breathtaking however so we enjoyed every moment (although I’m positive that Bhavisha enjoyed it slightly more than I did because she had the joy of getting to listen to my much anticipated rendition of several well-known artists. LUCKY!)
We stayed at a beautiful hotel in La Fortuna and decided to begin the recreational activities early, but if our room number was a sign of things to come (ahem…..#69), recreational activities were inevitable. After settling into our room, we set out to visit the infamous La Fortuna volcanic heated hot springs. For only $20, I let Bhavisha watch me prance around in a bikini for the better part of the night AND we got dinner too! The hot springs were incredible!!! There were over 20 pools, ranging in temperature from really hot to pretty effin cold. Although we had plans of heading out afterward and getting jiggy, we were so exhausted after our dip, we quite literally went back to the hotel and crashed. The next day was spent just wandering around town and browsing through the local shops. We enjoyed a nice dinner and again hit the hay early because we were on the road again early the next day to head back to the park.
We decided to spend our first vaca in Monte Verde and La Fortuna. Monte Verde is a little mountain town in central Costa Rica, right smack in the middle of a cloud forest, while La fortuna if famous for its views of an active volcano. With only 2 days in each, we decided it best to rent a car, not to mention the fact that the buses down here are less than desirable mode of transportation.
Upon our arrival in Monte Verde, we found a nice little hotel to stay in just outside the town for only $30 a night. Our logic behind this was that it would be quieter than staying right in the heart of things and so it was……until about 9pm, it was around then that the dog choir started their nightly performance. But it gets better! Besides being able to enjoy the soothing sound of hounds howling each night, for free I might add, we were also treated to a solo performance by the confused rooster, beginning at about 4 am and going straight through until early evening the next day. Needless to say, I have made it my life mission to punch the guy in the face who coined the term “the rooster crows in the morning”.
Besides the unwanted entertainment however, our accommodations were quite lovely, and despite the nightly noise, we still thoroughly enjoyed our stay. After wandering around town the first night, we hit the hay early so we’d be well rested for our adventures the next day. We started our day with a zip-line canopy tour, something which Monte Verde has become quite well known for. The tour consists of a series of about 15 platforms set up about 150m off the ground, in the canopy of the cloud forest. You then zip-line from platform to platform on cables, with some hiking in between. There was also a tarzan swing which is exactly as it sounds, a massive swing that begins with an ~30 ft free fall, before catapulting you up 30 ft in the opposite direction. The whole tour took about 3 hours and it ended with the “Superman” a 2 km long cable harnesses to your back, giving you the sensation of flying through the air.
The canopy tour was unbelievable but our day wasn’t over yet! We then went to a reptile center (I know you’re thinking we visited some of my exes here but it literally was a center for reptiles), where after some subtle flirting, I got up close and personal with a massive toad, a jigsaw turtle and a snapping turtle! We also arrived just in time for dinner and were treated to buffet of live mice, it was actually only the snakes that were eating but we got to watch it in all its abhorrent glory.
After the reptile center, Bhavisha and I went back to the hotel to get dolled up for our first date. I know, usually you do the dating thing before you actually go on vacation with someone, but I’ve always liked to do things a little different. There was a great little restaurant in town we’d heard tons about which was built around a large tree, swiss family Robinson-style, and after checking out the interior earlier that day, we knew we had to check it out! Dinner was fabulous and although we had big plans of going out, between the wine, and the adventures earlier in the day, we were beyond tired (could it be that I’m getting old???.......Naaaaaah!) Besides, we had a long day of driving ahead of is the next day as it was off to La Fortuna!
Had the roads been paved, it would have probably only taken us about 45 mins to travel from Monte Verde to La Fortuna, but for those of you who’ve spent any time in Central America, you know that what’s 45 mins in Canada means 4 hours down here! The scenery was breathtaking however so we enjoyed every moment (although I’m positive that Bhavisha enjoyed it slightly more than I did because she had the joy of getting to listen to my much anticipated rendition of several well-known artists. LUCKY!)
We stayed at a beautiful hotel in La Fortuna and decided to begin the recreational activities early, but if our room number was a sign of things to come (ahem…..#69), recreational activities were inevitable. After settling into our room, we set out to visit the infamous La Fortuna volcanic heated hot springs. For only $20, I let Bhavisha watch me prance around in a bikini for the better part of the night AND we got dinner too! The hot springs were incredible!!! There were over 20 pools, ranging in temperature from really hot to pretty effin cold. Although we had plans of heading out afterward and getting jiggy, we were so exhausted after our dip, we quite literally went back to the hotel and crashed. The next day was spent just wandering around town and browsing through the local shops. We enjoyed a nice dinner and again hit the hay early because we were on the road again early the next day to head back to the park.
Never think to yourself that things can't get any worse when there are monkeys over head!
It’s the rainy season right now in Santa Rosa which means rain on pretty much a daily bases. It doesn’t usually rain non-stop this time of year, instead we will see rain for only a few hours each day. There was a good stint at the start of the rainy season however, where it poured for about a week straight. Regardless of the rain, we are still out with the monkeys and there was one particular morning where it was especially bad.
I hiked out at my usually time, leaving the dorms at 4 in the morning, to wake up the monkeys. Usually Mackenzie meets up with me around 7 but because it was raining so hard, there was no reason for her to hike out as it would be impossible for us to collect data. So instead of the usual collecting poo and pee samples, my only job was to keep the monkeys in my vision until the rain let up enough for us to begin data collection. This seems like a particularly easy job, you’d think that the monkeys would be inclined to take shelter when the sky opens up and decides to dump buckets of cold hard hell on your heads, but noooooooooooo, instead the little effers like to run frantically in opposite directions, making it virtually impossible to keep track of the group.
Now keep in mind that Capuchins usually forage as a united group. This means that for the most part, they stay within the same 150m radius of each other. So why they decide to split off and run in complete opposite directions when it rains, is completely beyond me.
Anyway, as I was saying before, this was a particularly bad morning and after about 4 hours of chasing monkeys around in the pissing rain, I was soaked through, cold and miserable and I thought to myself “things can’t possible get any worse!” At that exact moment, I looked up and a monkey shat in my face.
Needless to say, the moral of the story is never, EVER, think to yourself that things can’t get any worse when there are monkeys overhead!!!
I hiked out at my usually time, leaving the dorms at 4 in the morning, to wake up the monkeys. Usually Mackenzie meets up with me around 7 but because it was raining so hard, there was no reason for her to hike out as it would be impossible for us to collect data. So instead of the usual collecting poo and pee samples, my only job was to keep the monkeys in my vision until the rain let up enough for us to begin data collection. This seems like a particularly easy job, you’d think that the monkeys would be inclined to take shelter when the sky opens up and decides to dump buckets of cold hard hell on your heads, but noooooooooooo, instead the little effers like to run frantically in opposite directions, making it virtually impossible to keep track of the group.
Now keep in mind that Capuchins usually forage as a united group. This means that for the most part, they stay within the same 150m radius of each other. So why they decide to split off and run in complete opposite directions when it rains, is completely beyond me.
Anyway, as I was saying before, this was a particularly bad morning and after about 4 hours of chasing monkeys around in the pissing rain, I was soaked through, cold and miserable and I thought to myself “things can’t possible get any worse!” At that exact moment, I looked up and a monkey shat in my face.
Needless to say, the moral of the story is never, EVER, think to yourself that things can’t get any worse when there are monkeys overhead!!!
The first 3 weeks
I flew in on the 4th of May, leaving Calgary in the wee hours of the morning. I wish I could say that the trip was drama free but it wouldn’t be a story about me if there weren’t at least some drama along the way. I arrived at the airport at 4 in the morning and as luck would have it they were already checking in people for my 7am flight. Not one for standing in lines, I figured I’d check in immediately and meet my travelling companions on the other side of security. Well, that was my first mistake. Apparently they had the opposite idea and waited for me in the lobby, prior to checking in, causing them to almost miss the flight. So, while I was chillaxing at our gate, they were frantically going through security and running for the plane. It wasn’t until we were already in the air that we realized we’d all made the flight. HUGE problem evaded but it doesn’t end there.
We had a layover in Houston, enjoyed an icy beverage (or 7), had some eats and boarded our flight to Costa Rica. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Midflight, the flight attendants handed out customs forms for all passengers to fill out. Not a problem there, they simply required some passport info as well as info about whatever you may or may not be bringing into the country. Arriving in Costa Rica, we headed for the customs line up and it was at that point that I realized that my passport was missing. No worries right, I mean I just had it out on the plane, therefore if it wasn’t in my purse, it must still be on my seat. Well with 20 people searching (and by searching I mean tearing apart that plane) and 45 mins later my passport was still nowhere to be found, customs was closing for the night, my companions and I were stuck on opposite sides, not allowed to speak with each other, and it looked like I would be spending the night at the airport alone, only to board the next flight home in the morning. Just a little anticlimactic wouldn’t you say?! It was at this point that the lady in charge of the search asked if she could go through my purse herself ( I should note that I had searched my purse about a dozen times at this point, literally emptying its contents onto the ground and rummaging through them). Well wouldn’t you know it, the very first thing she grabbed was you guessed it, my passport! So there I am ugly crying, in disbelief, as she casually hands me my passport and proceeds to laugh hysterically at me, along with the 20 others who had been searching for it the whole time. Needless to say, I felt like just a bit of an asshole.
So, I made it through customs, barely, we picked up our car rental and made our way to our home for the next 4 months, Santa Rosa National Park. The park is found in the NW quadrant of Costa Rica. It’s a secondary growth forest, meaning it was once farmland which was abandoned, allowing the forest to re grow. There is a dry season from Dec-May, during which there is virtually no rain and temperatures soar to upwards of 40 ̊c, and a rainy season from May-Nov, where is can pour non-stop for days on end. I am here during the rainy season and I have already had my fill of the rain; it’ll be a long 4 months!
We are with the monkeys 16 days a month, studying 3 groups. I work the early shift, meaning I am up at 3am to be ready to hike out to their sleep tree by 4. The monkeys begin moving at a little before dawn, so I need to be there standing under their tree ready to follow them by about 4:45. I then spend the next 2 hours following them through the forest, as they forage for food, trying not to lose them, until Mackenzie (otherwise known as McBitchy), the PHD student I’m working for arrives. Bhavisha, the other assistant shows up at 9am and works until sunset, when she puts the monkeys to bed making note of the tree they sleep in, so I can wake them up in the morning again. We collect behavioral data, making note of the behaviors and interactions a certain individual has in a 10 min period, as well as fecal and urine samples, to test hormone and stress levels in the different individuals. Needless to say I’ve been shat on more times than I’d like to remember. We hike for approx 11 hours a day, after which I go back to the dorms, shower, exercise in my room (yes, I realize that I’m a psycho), eat and hit the hay for 8:00, only to do it all again the next day. Days we aren’t in the field with the monkeys are spent doing lab work, therefore processing poop and analyzing nutritional data. Needless to say, we work 25-26 days straight before getting any time off, so by the time vacation comes around, I’m good and effin tired!!!
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