Azul

I met a girl named Azul. She was 11 years old and looking ill as the double decker bus swerved side to side on the twisty road into Chile. In my poor spanish I came to learn that she loved to macrame bracelets, she showed me all the colorful twine, circuling her tiny wrist and ankles. She liked my trenza and wished she could have one but they wont let them wear trenzas at school. I wanted to give her a gift, a little jewel of some sort but they were packed away in my bag beneath the bus.

The color of the water wasnt quite blue like the sky, it was mixed with green colored geese poo. A naked little boy gleefully dove and splashed into the water as four kids stood watching. He quickly got out and screamed at them with happiness, all the while shakin his little booty and stinking his tongue out. A little girl stood next to him wearing a safari printed dress that held a small pouch around her waist and brown color print up to her neck. Her brown matted hair, bleached by the sun was pulled back into a blue clip. A dread of hair ran long down her back. It flung wildly as she pushed the boy into the water. Four mothers stood nearby in their bright flower printed flowing dresses, their hair pulled back into a loose bun. They had already tried getting money from me and every other person relaxing in the park. She wanted to read my palm but I wouldn´t understand a word of her so I passed.I wondered if those young spirits would ever go to school.

¿Donde estan los condoritos?

Morgan and I sat in the shade, camouflaged by the leaves of a cipres tree. Most of the time we sat, staring out at the rocky cliffs in front of us or way up in the sky, hoping to see the 3m long wingspan of the great condor. But alas, we saw none. We sat, we stretched, read the Tao Te Ching book by William Martin, and fed some nearby ants the flies we killed. We eventually got so bored and killed so many flies that we focused our attention on how the ants were controlling the wrestling strength of the flies legs. It was amazing! There were ants that took pieces of dirt outfrom under the fly, ants that brought sticks over to lay on top of the fly, and ants that bit and tortured the fly. We didnt find the condors but we did find the wonderous life of an ant. Our goal was to try and find the nest of a pair of condors in an area within Nahuel Huapi. With the help of Sergio we buskwacked our way through thick bamboo and spiky plants that pierce the skin and clothing easily. On top of that, it rained the first few days. By GPS we made our way on top of a hill that looked into a 1km long valley with rocky cliffs on the opposite end. We learned a good lesson, the glorious life of a biologist is few and far between reality. Orlando thinks the pichon might have died. It will be furthur investigated. Off again soon to another nest location in Nahuel Huapi. In the meantime, anyone have any questions they would like to know about condors?

UPDATE:

I forgot to mention a few interesting experiences while we were out there. The second day it rained pretty good and our tent was dripping water from the top, down into the middle on our stuff. As it continued to rain we had to figure a way to stop the water coming in. We used two of our foam pads, brought so we could sit on the ground comfortably. There was a gap letting rain through between these foam pads so we cut a plastic bottle in half and set it there. We had a plethora of plastic bottles because the area we were in had no water resources so we had to rely on what water we brought. In the end our set up worked perfectly. The next morning the birds welcomed us to a new sunny and clear day. Birds such as the curious Chucao came as close to landing on top of our tent briefly with a loud chhuuuuuuuuuuucao. Skipping ahead now. At the end of our trip, Orlando, Morgan and I were hiking out and came upon three horses silently resting under the bright moonlight. We talked to them for a bit and one by one more horses arrived. It was getting dark so we left with a trail of horses behind us. As we walked on the sendero de los caballos, trail of the horses, under the guidance of la luna brillante, the bright moon, I had one horse behind me bump into me with its head. Morgan was following another horse when it decided to take a crapp. When we got the end of the trail only two horses remained and as we left, one horse gave us one last farewell.

¡Oh, Condoritos!

Buenos Dias, Allyce and I were discussing how strange how we are able to sleep better in the woods. The white noise of the rushing river flowing by our tent. The sweet cool breeze blowing in through the mesh lining, wafting in rhythms, filling our head with memorable dreams. Now we are in Bariloche, with a constant background of noises, the stale air inside the room made for a disturbing night. Morgan and I left eight days ago with Orlando and assistant Pablo.We took a trail halfway up to a well known Refugio called Jakob. Our condor location was off trail, once off trail we made our way up a river, scrambling over boulders and cursing while stromping over the sharp spikes of Michay and the whipping sticks of Colihue (bamboo). Once we got to the condor nest area we pitched our tent next to the river. For five and a half days we scrambled up steep, slippery rocks to our observation area. The condors nest is called a nido in spanish, although it`s not really a nest, just an indent in soil with a rock overhang for shelter. We had to get high enough to view the chick or pichòn. From about 8 am to 7 pm we looked through our spotting scopes at the lives of the condors. The pichòn is a cute, large, fluffy, and awkward bird covered in a pile of down feathers. Most of the time Pichòn slept, huddled in a corner but sometimes the parents came to feed. Unfortunately I don`t have enough time to write about all that we observed. It was amazing, special, unique, and I treasured every moment. Even mid day when the sun was scorching our brains and we went crazy looking for shade. Or when Morgans Nalgene bottle went tumbling down the steep slope and shattered into pieces. Morgan brought along two flutes so while he sang sweet melodies, I awkwardly tried to make a few notes. Heading out again in a couple of days. Going to enjoy the time off I have.

Nuevas aventuras

Morgan and I have successful connected with Sergio A. Lambertucci,a leading researcher of the Andean Condor. Today we head off into Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, cerca de Bariloche to camp six days and study the condors. We will be apart of a study that derives from a previous study done by Segio and Orlando. If you`re interested, this is the research paper we are basing our own study off of.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1557-9263.2008.00156.x/abstract
Once we get back we will camp another six days, twice in different areas within the park. Will keep you posted. ¡Nos vemos!