Welcome
to the Kids Corner!
Introduction
This year I (Bongo) was selected to
be the team’s journalist because I have opposable
thumbs and can hold a pen. At first Leo wanted the job,
but he kept crushing the pens in his powerful jaws.
His tongue is still blue from all the ink.
We are a team of explorers and scientists
doing research at high altitudes in the Andes mountains
in southern Bolivia. Our goal is to better understand
this place and the things that live here. The high altitudes
mean that the air is very thin and cold here and that
ultraviolet rays from the sun (the rays that give you
sunburn) are very strong. It is sometimes hard to imagine
that anything at all can survive here!
Our work is being done at three locations
this year: at a pair of lakes (“lagunas”
in Spanish) on a high plain at 14,500 ft above sea level,
and in two different lakes at the tops of two volcanoes
reaching altitudes of nearly 20,000 ft. Because of the
altitudes, these are very harsh conditions for life,
so we call them extreme environments.
This is our fourth year in this amazing
place, and we have seen and learned some incredible
things so far. For example, we have seen living things
here that nobody has ever seen before.
October 25, 2005
We arrived at the refuge this afternoon
along with our human compadres.
Arriving at the refuge
The drive from Chile to Bolivia was
short, but the road climbed almost 7000 ft to an altitude
of 14,500 ft above sea level. Because of the altitude,
we were all a little chilly and short of breath when
we arrived at the refuge where we will be staying for
the next two weeks. GB and I always feel a little home
sick at these altitudes because there are no trees to
climb. As you can see from the photos, the land is beautiful,
but quite barren. It is amazing that anything can live
up here! Upon our arrival, our human compadres went
inside for some warm soup (they are very sensitive to
the cold because they have no fur) while we sat and
admired the view of the lagunas.
Taking in the view
The refuge is beside laguna blanca (the
white lake). Laguna verde (the green lake) and the volcano
Licancabur are to the West of the refuge.
That night we snuggled in to our sleeping
bags for a good night's sleep before a busy day.
Getting comfy
October 26, 2005
Eating breakfast
This morning, after breakfast, Flash,
Doc, and I drove out to the peninsula in laguna blanca
to retrieve the weather station we erected last year.
Flash wanted to race the truck on foot, but since he’s
not as fast as he thinks he is, we tried hard to convince
him to ride with us. Waiting for a turtle to catch up
when you’re trying to get things done is just
no good!
Here's Doc and Leo working on setting
up one of our devices at the Refuge.
Taking down the weather station
As you can see, there was a glitch in
our satelite link and the picture got a little garbled
at the bottom. When a satellite phone is your only link
to the rest of the world, this sometimes happens.
One thing that's important at this high
altitude is staying healthy. Because there is less oxygen
in the air, it can be harder to breathe if you are used
to lower altitudes. Doc is our team doctorm, and he
makes sure we're all healthy.
Doc checking up on Kermita
October 28, 2005
Today we climbed a mountain called Juriques.
Here are some pictures of Flash at the top!
November 9, 2005
Today, Funky Monkey and GB helped our
human amigos with some sampling and water filtering
at Laguna Colorada on our way to Uyuni City.
Here's Funky and GB at the Laguna
Funky and GB keep an eye on Andy
GB discusses water filtering with Rob
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