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Hello from the Galapagos (still!!)
So, some people commented that it was about time for another blog entry, but I really hadn´t got much to write about - I mean - I´m still in the same place doing the same thing - but then they asked what that was! So I decided to write a "day in the life of Jatun Sacha"! (this originally was a week in the life, but then i decided it was already pretty boring so i stopped at monday!)
(DISCLAIMER: the following does not represent an actual week in the life at Jatun Sacha rather this is a representation of what a typical week may be. This is because I am far too lazy to keep a diary)
Monday
06:45 Wake up, get thoroughly confused by the mosquito net, but eventually find way out of it. Get dressed as quickly as possible to avoid bug bites!
07:00 Breakfast, scrambled eggs
08:00 Meeting to decide what we´ll do today. This morning we go to cut mora (blackberry brambles) in the reforestation area. armed with a machete we chop away a path through the brambles. The government have recently approved some kind of organic herbicide which the station is hoping to get hold of - but they need to be able to walk through the area.
10:00 Juice Break. This is preceeded by many many calls of "JUICE BREAK" in the direction of Miguel, the member of staff working with us from about 9am onwards.
10:30 More chopping of mora
12:00 lunch, for me, always rice, beans and some kind of deep fried vegetable - usually aubergine or brocoli but occasionally cucumber!
12:30 siesta. run for hammocks and then do nothing (maybe read if i´m feeling particularly energetic!)
14:00 meeting. this afternoon we will be preparing coffee which we collected the previous week. collecting coffee is a nightmare, involving numerous "fire ants" dropping down your top. (fire ants are so named because they burn when they touch your skin - most displeasing!) however, this coffee had been collected and has been dried out. Firstly we grind it in a very old fashioned contraption attached to one of the houses by a vice, this takes the shell off. then we drop it from one bowl to another bowl in front of a fan and all the shells fly away and the coffee beans drop into the other bowl because they are heavier. (genius!) then the beans are roasted on a little fire surrounded by bricks in like a big wok thing. it takes ages - about 40 minutes and you have to keep them moving all the time! however - it´s soo cool when we´re finished, and we get fresh coffee for a few days at breakfast! the remainder is sold, - slightly cheekily we have to pay for it too - but i´ve bought 2 bags so we can have a galapagos coffee party when i return for a real taste of the galapagos!
16:00 finish work. race for the cold showers, there are only 2 for my house and its much easier to cope with before you cool off! they´re quite special really, its just a pipe which freezing cold water drops out of in a bamboo hut! after that, its back to the hammocks until dinner
18:00 dinner. usually spaghetti or potatoes. after that maybe a game of cards in the kitchen - it´s already dark!
20:00 bar. well - the term bar is used rather loosely, it´s a wooden structure which is mostly open but has a man with beer and rum. the beer is horrible, so i have taken up only drinking rum and fanta (classy i know, but there is only orange fanta or coca cola here - most strange!)
12:00 bed. it almost definitely won´t be another bar night tomorrow night! in fact it might be a 7.30pm bed time......
hope you´re not too bored after all that! will endeavour not to lose the coffee so i can bring it back for everybody!
take care!! love to everybody!! xxxx
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