Finally, some pictures from LPAC!

I am in Bloomington, Indiana! I have had an incredibly busy last week, and now I have some time to catch up on blog posts, etc. This first one in the "catch-up blogs" is going to be all the pictures from LPAC (the research station in Peru) I wasn't able to post because of lack of good internet. Enjoy!

1: Flying into Puerto Maldonado.

2: In Puerto Maldonado.

3: Fumigation of the entire city of Puerto Maldonado with toxic chemicals due to a dengue fever outbreak.

4: Chopping up a tree that fell across the road on our way to Lucerna/LPAC.

1: Volunteer platform with bunk beds, mosquito nets, and clothes hung out for drying (which usually takes 3-5 days).

2: Painted tapir skull.

3: Path to the sleeping platforms made up of tree trunk slices called "the cookies". These help keep shoes clean when walking from one platform to another, especially when the ground is muddy.

4: View of the dining hall on the main platform. The dining hall was enclosed in wire mesh to lower the volume of insects.

5: My wardrobe while at LPAC; I kept everything in plastic bags in an attempt to keep clean clothes dry and mold-free.

6: LPAC port and boats.

7: Hammock area at LPAC; much time was spent reading and relaxing in these hammocks.

Reptiles and amphibians at LPAC. All were captured in the spirit of science and learning, handled gently, and released. The first section is pictures I took, the second is pictures by other volunteers, some who have significantly better cameras than I do.

A small sample of the insects I saw at LPAC. There is an insane diversity of insect species there, many unidentified and uncatalogued. Again, pictures by me in the first set and pictures by others in the second.

Some beautiful plants and fungi from the Amazon.

1: Cappuchin monkey. These were the monkeys we saw most often: they are sociable, smart, and very common.

2: Skull of a deer.

3: Group of spider monkeys.

4: Macaws in the trees above the Collpa.

5: Chickens in Lucerna.

6-8: We bat netted one night and caught 4 bats! It was super cool to catch bats in the Amazon. The first bat we caught was humongous-- I've never handled a bat this big!

More pictures of monkeys, bats, opossums, and birds that were not taken by me.

Now for some social life at LPAC!

Boat trips were always fun.

Pictures from Sumaqcao. The middle picture is a small nursery of Ironwood trees. The LPAC Babes were given 4 to take back and plant at LPAC.

Planting the ironwood trees!

Jorinde decided to shave her head, which was accomplished by group effort with a series of tools including a machete, an electrical razor, and kitchen scissors.

We made butterfly traps and nets from old mosquito nets. Sewing them took a while, and we would ask each other "[name], tell a story!" This was an amazing way to truly enjoy each others' experiences.

1: Valentines Day at LPAC! We enjoyed a cake and a bottle of champagne together.

2: BBQ!

3: Playing cards, which made sweltering afternoons almost bearable.

4: Out on a hike!

5: Grilling at LPAC! Jorinde and Larissa and I also made apple crumble, which was amazing.

We were raising 4 tadpoles, with the aim of seeing what frog species they turned into. Sadly, they all died, so in the spirit of science, we dissected them.

1: We had an opportunity to draw on each other with Huito, which is the sap from a tree in the Amazon. It is difficult to use because when you first apply it, it is clear. It darkens over the span of 6 hours or so. A very talented person drew this tree on my lower back. It lasts from 2-4 weeks, depending on how much it is rubbed by clothing etc.

2: Movie night!

3: This is a Pacman Frog, which is one of the neatest looking frogs, I think.

That's it for now! In the next few days I hope to write about my travels through Peru once I left LPAC.