The Beni: Into and Cast of Characters (1 of 7)

Hello one and all!

I have returned to civilization, and I will be here for at least four days, spending much of my time right here, in front of the computer, writing furiously to catch up on my blog and emails, until I am so far removed from reality, I will have forgotten how to tie my boots. To those who wrote me, I cannot thank you enough, I have enjoyed hearing about everyone at home so much, I have tattered papers containing each email that I have been in the field with me as they came, and I have read and re-read them all more times than I can count, it is a real morale boost on the days when the Beni seems particularly hostile. I will respond to everyone as quickly as I can in the next four days, but please have a bit of patience, as my one lifeline to the internet is a tenative dial-up with a bad temper.

I have decided that, in effort to increase readibility, preserve my sanity, and to break my life in the Beni into digestible chunks, six posts are coming in the next four days, with a final, wrap-up post at the end of things, since it is likely that not much will have changed hugely. The first 6 posts will regard: Intro (see above), My Average Day, The Land, Random musings and details, Adventures and Events, Beastie Report, and, of course, Birds. This is basically just an expanded form of my Costa Rica emails that many of you slogged through last August, but this gives me a bit more breathing room, or just more space to ramble on.

In any case, I supppose the best way to start is to answer the five most common questions I have been hearing from the emails that I have recieved:

1. I am, in fact, alive.
2. I am in good health and have maintained good hygiene. Animals and Bolivans downwind of me have not been keeling over dead, as suggested by some ¨concerned¨ friends and family suggested.
3. I am happy.

4. In regards to several questions of just where in God´s Green Earth I acutually am, I am currently in the town of Santa Anna de Moxos in North-Central Bolivia. For the past month and a half, however, I have been living on a cattle ranch called Betaina, roughly 40 or so miles Northwest of Santa Anna, which is itself northwest of the departmental capital, Trinidad. A link to a Map of Bolivia is here: http://photo.goliathus.com/bolivia/pictures/map-of-bolivia.jpg
Enlarge the map by clicking on the icon that will appear in the lower right corner when you leave your cursor on the image for a while (for those wo are less than computer-savy, I know you´re out there...).

5. The last question is a bit more complicated: What have I been doing. This question is why I am being such a nerd and organizing my posts, there is simply too friggin´much to put in one post. Suffice to say I have been busy, as you will soon be able to read all about. I´ll try to make it as un-boring as possible, and I´ll start by introducing you (sort of) to the people and beings that I have been interacting with for what feels like forever, so I won´t have to keep explaining who people are in later posts. So take a deep breath, grab some coffee, use your fancy indoor plumbing (cause I sure won´t be using any, ha ha!) and settle in, here we go...

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Toa Kyle - My boss, the director of the World Parrot Trust´s Blue Throated Macaw studies. He is a tall wiry canadian in his early 30´s, with a shaved head and persistant five-o-clock shadow, and a typical sense of sarcastic, understated canadian humor radiates from his relaxed speech. He has gained somewhat of a minor celebrity status here as the leader of the Paraberos, or the Parrot Guys, and as the most commonly spotted Gringo in the Beni. He has been in Bolivia for the past 3 years, and you can sense his growing frustration and cynicism with the area. He is the one who makes sure I don´t run out of supplies, and talks to me over my radio as often as the weather and airwaves allow.

Paco- My fellow Parabero stationed at Betania with me. He is from the small northern town of San Borja, and has become a good friend. His real name is insanely long and nearly impossible to pronounce, and I can usually only remember that it involves way too many vowels. Hence, Paco, his preferred shortened name. He is my very patient Spanish teacher and is a great help with local customs and expectations. I can best describe his personality as humor-loving, patient, and a self-proclaimed ladies and macho man (though this is sort of par for the course, most Bolivians try very hard to display an abundance of machismo). Paco is my age, and may have been in the field for a bit too long, as his normal conversations concern alomost exclusively women and their anatomy.

Alonso- Also know as El Capitán. The manager and lone cowboy that runs Betania, a round, extremely friendly, middle-aged Bolivian with a thick bushy mustache, and a serious liking for the sauce. He is usually more difficult to understand, on account of the large ball of coca leaves that usually lives in his cheek, but is a great help with the horses, helping us find new nests by hearing rumours from the other cowboys, and generally keeping the camp running smoothly.

Maria- Our cook, and the object of Paco´s unsuccessful (so far) lust. She is quiet, but has opened up a bit, and trys to balance the male presence and keep us civilized. Also twenty-something, she is the fourth and last member of the regular Betania group.

El Viejo- My horse. His name means ¨the Old One¨, an ironic and seemingly perfect horse for me. He is a smallish brown horse that is older than me by a couple of years, and has a bit of a stubborn streak in him. Also a good friend, but a bit fickle. He is absolutely terrified of Caimen, and usually forces me to go it on foot through anywhere with water. So much for staying dry. I could also call him lazy, but to be fair, I would probably be sluggish if I had to carry him all the time, so I guess I can´t judge.

Los Vaqueros- The cowboys, a regularly roving group that work on other ranches and pass through to help out, or while driving cattle. There are too many to name individually, but they form a coheirent group themselves. In general, they are overwhelmingly friendly and hospitable (if you are visiting one of their ranches, the will not stop feeding you untill you beg them to stop), boisterous, and pretty much what you would expect from cowboys. Great guys, and in between the steady stream of jolly cursing, they have some deeply profound thoughts to share.

The Farm Animals- These are not old MacDonald´s freindly little animals. We have chickens, pigs, dogs, mules, horses, and of course, tons of cows. They all display more than one extremely irritating trait, and with the exception of El Viejo, all have become Newmans to my Sienfeld. More will follow on these evil beasts...

Others exist, but this is a good start. I´m pooped so I´m gonna call it quits for now. I will be posting tomorrow early, and writing emails like a madman, so I will say goodnight to you all, and I´ll talk to you tomorrow...

-Chris
Santa Ana
Yacuma Province, Beni Department
Bolivia