Hi Joshua,
Great to hear from you. Basically, I will be doing part of my dissertation research this summer using stable isotope analysis to look at what primary producers support the food web in lagoons and the main channel of the Tambopata River, and doing some work measuring net ecosystem productivity in the two habitats as well. If you came to help, you would most likely be doing a lot of seining, cast netting, and fishing with rod and reel in the two habitats, and learning how to id Neotropical fish species. If you decide that you want to come, make sure there is room for you at the Posasa Amazonas research station for the $15 per night rate. Here is a website about the lodge http://www.perunature.com/pages/pa_about1.htm if you want to get a better feel for the area.
Now come on that is just crazy huh, I will be a glorified fisherman who learns to ID fish in one of the most pristine and biodiverse places on earth. Make sure you click the link to see the area and details on how to get there (very isolated). This is exactly what I wanted to give my odyssey more of a direction and something kind of tangible I can take back to Australia and build on. I'm over the moon, just hoping I have enough money to make it.
Do you ever postulate or ponder why good things happen to you? Is it chance? Is it destiny? Is it good bloody luck over and over again. No I dont think so. I am begginning to think it has some interconnection to how we deal with the bad things that happen in our lives aswell. Its kinda like reaching a tipping point of negativity, if we let the not so nice parts of our day overcome the balance of good vibes from the day, we close ourselves off to the possibilities of life. I think in the past I had a tendency to blame others when bad situations presented themselves, and this only perpetuated the bad luck, the bad things just kept happening. These days I try to take the responsibility for everything that happens to me and thus far it has made me feel stronger mentally. It has also given me a bounce in figuring out how to solve the problem rather than looking for someone to blame. Remember its not bad luck, its just a different kind of good luck.
So, where was I? Ah Mexico! I learnt yesterday that unlike the Western world where death is considered a sad and somber occasion, here in Mexico its almost a party. You see they believe that death does not represent the end of a life but the continuation of a life in a parallel world so why not celebrate the death instead of wallowing in sorrow. Got to admit this is making a whole lot of sense to me or is that just the bottle of Tequila talking. The day of the dead in October where Mexican families actually spend the night partying at the cemetary follows on from the belief of the Tarasco people (pre hispanic times) that the dead can return to their homes one day each year. I think its such a great idea, think about it, if you die what would you rather, family and friends coming and crying at your grave or having a fiesta?
Ok time to wrap this puppy up with a little montage of a couple cool things I've been up to.
I went to the actual town of Tequila today where the famous drink was founded, toured a distillery and even managed to score a 750ml $15 bottle of 3 yr old Tequila, try and get that at home! I've been rock climbing and hiking already on the outskirts of town and managed to score an invite to a great couch surfing (couch potato for mum) party the 1st night I arrived. Mexicans are really friendly and like talking to foreigners like me.
Odyssey out.
