Fieldwork and Snakes


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September 19th 2009
Published: September 19th 2009
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Hello.

I wanted to quickly upload some pictures and talk about the work. I was walking up very steep inclines (up to 55+ degrees) and taking measurements on seedlings. The work was exposed, as there is no forest at this time, as a result of planting 100,000 trees in March. Still, there are a lot of climbers (~vines) with thorns and caterpillars that hurt a bit and leave discolored, blistering skin... jerks, huh? Anyway, the sun is challenging, and I am officially a redneck. I got a haircut recently to discover that I now have a bright white band bordering the top of my neck. In Gutianshan, Maria and I saw a snake in the river and this time, in Xingangshan, I was walking up a pretty steep incline to check out a planting position and noticed a good-sized hole behind the small tree. I looked closer inside and saw a scaly rope the size of 3 inches. I jumped back and ran half-way down the hill in reflex until my brain said, "hey, that's cool." Markus, a German that I was working with, and I went back up to check it out. It looked like rain, and the snakes here supposedly become more active with the rain (which makes sense--don't want to be caught in a hole as it fills up with rainwater). Through a moral debate, we decided to tell the farmers about the snake because they either eat them or sell them for a good price. Our interest was double-fold--we wanted to see the snake and we wanted to sample the area without worrying about a snake coming out of its hole unannounced. The pictures show you what happened. The Chinese farmers took the snake alive to be sold---not sure I agreed with my decision afterward as we condemned it. I remember seeing the snakes in town all bundled up in cages awaiting their fate, and that juxtaposed with this beautiful creature in its "habitat" ruined some of my initial interests... So much so, that I found myself in Gutianshan today murmuring to the would-be snakes in an area (known to have many) something like, "Sorry about the other guy. I'm here for just a few minutes and I'll be on my way--I mean you no harm." Oh, yes this guy was very, very poisonous. The farmers informed us that if bitten, you would die quickly. This is the part, mom, where you ignore everything written. I tried to find out exactly what it was, but I haven't really studied herpetology and the internet didn't help me much. It looked very much like a cobra... from what I know. Maybe somebody out there could comment if they know.

I hope all is well wherever you may be.

Shane


Additional photos below
Photos: 15, Displayed: 15


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Democracy 1Democracy 1
Democracy 1

Civilians blocked out taxi to protest...
Why did they protest?Why did they protest?
Why did they protest?

They wanted a bus station in the town
Snake 3Snake 3
Snake 3

A big boy... or girl--I don't know.
DSCN1967DSCN1967
DSCN1967

Alive and in the bag.
The FieldThe Field
The Field

Martin from Colombia and Chenling (don't know if that's how you spell it)
Restaurant in cityRestaurant in city
Restaurant in city

Cooked to order--very nice.
LunchLunch
Lunch

Matteo, Martin and Chenling


27th September 2009

Miss you and china...
14th October 2009

Sit down
Alright, enough with all your exploring, happy adventures, crazy smiles, and close encounters with death. What are you trying to accomplish- live life to the fullest?? Thanks for all details and photos and I wish you the best; wherever the compass needle spins. Wilf
19th November 2009

Wow Shane
Your work looks exciting, man. Very very cool. and she's beautiful. You feeling pretty good these days? Pretty fulfilled with life? Drop me a line sometime. Seeing pics of ya makes me miss ya dude. I'll be back in Parker around Christmas if you're around (i doubt it but i hope it :) later. -ross

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