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Published: April 2nd 2010
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hatchery
We had to build a hatchery where the turtle eggs go! Our first full day in Panama! We woke up to a yummy breakfast. I am one of those people that absolutly cannot function without breakfast. I wake up starving and have to eat NOW. Evelyn was our cook, and a good one at that. Every day we had coffee and hot cocoa waiting for us, fresh fruit like papaya and pineapple. some days eggs, other days some hot dog bread thing, other days corn flakes! It was all very good and I made sure to eat alot of breakfast because we'd be working hard.
We started off doing "turtle training" which sounds kind of funny. Erick has us build a sand turtle! it was cute and I took lots of pics. Neil built the turtles head and made him have a sad face!!! I sculpted the turtles fins and backside. After playing in the sand, we had to "practice" digging the holes for the turtle eggs which have to be about 75 cm deep, or the length of your shoulder to fingertip. Then at the bottom of the hole is a boot-like crevace that the female turtle digs for the eggs so we practiced that too. I got dirty and
grayness
Its so cloudy! I thought it would rain, but it didnt gritty, but it was fun. We practiced digging several holes.
Afterwards it was time for the beach clean, which was one of my favorite projects that we did. All it consisted of was walking up and down the beach and "cleaning" now....its not really a public beach, mind you, so it wasnt covered in trash, but tons of logs and sticks wash up on shore and the female turtle only comes up on the beach to lay her eggs if it is CLEAN. We raked up logs and sticks, and carried them to a further end of the beach, away from the shore. The area immediatly outside of our "camp" is very clean and thats where most of the turtles have been spotted, but further up the beach it is just crawling w/ logs. And when I say "logs" it is basically like huge palm tree trunks that wash up on shore!
Well, our schedule is pretty grueling. Every day on the marker board Erick would have listed our "activities." well, after the beach clean it was Break - Lunch - break. In that order. Lol. I went to my bunk and took about an hour nap until
sand turtle
the sand turtle we had sculpted we were called for lunch. I was so groggy eating! I just wanted to sleep. Well after lunch, it was another break for about an hour and a half so I went back to nap! (they do that mainly because it is early afternoon, the hottest part of the day)
After break was help building the hatchery. This was my least favorite project! As you can see, in my pics, it looks nothing more than just a giant hole. Well, the purpose of the hatchery is when the turtle lays her eggs, we take them and place them in the hatchery until the little guys hatch and we monitor them. The only reason I didnt care for this project was, it was because I got so many blisters on my hands! and it was hard work and it was hot!! The three of us volunteers worked on the project as well as Erick and the other locals. Well, we have to make sure "clean sand" is used in the hatchery for the eggs, so we used these large sifters to sift through the sand, and whatever sticks, rocks or whatever are collected at the top, we throw out!! Neil
hatchery
this was my least favorite of all the projects.... my hands got so many blisters! dug and tossed sand on the sifter while Shen and I "sifted" .... within a few mins I had my first blister! I didnt want to poop out so I just continued, then my blister popped and it hurt even worse!
Well, one of the locals began cutting down coconuts from the trees and cutting them open with a large machetti he had. It was the coolest thing ever. I have never drank coconut water (or is it milk?) right out of a fresh coconut! and it was good and refreshing.
After the hatchery and coconut eating, we took a break, then had dinner, then it was turtle patrol time!!
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