Demarcation Diaries
26 September 2001
Right now I am looking past a bee and thousands of flies. I am covered with them, sitting here next to the solar
panels, on two giant green leaves, in the sunlight, waiting for
some giant animal to walk out here and disturb my solitude. I have heard a
few crashes already.
I have a mosquito-proof, bug-proof coat on, but this is verging on
misery. Flies all over my hands and legs, the constant buzzing
sound is similar to an electrical transformer outside your room at
night, buzzzzzzzzzz. In this same spot, two pairs of macaws have
flown over, screaming their Hellos to me in voices that are not
exactly sweet. I think it is more like screeching than singing.
We slept our 7th night last night in camp number 3. I am still
amazed how fast the Deni can put up a tent that sleeps 13
hammocks. Last night, they decided to disturb some wood that
was full of black and red ants, so we all spent a good amount of
time debugging our hammocks before sleep. I guess it is funny to
listen to everyone slapping and waiting, slapping and waiting in the dark
for the next crawling critter to go across their arms, legs, faces. This
lasts for hours, we fall asleep to these sounds.
Morning comes early out here, the Deni are up and joking and
building a fire a little before 6 each morning. We have been getting up at
6:30 to start the cooking for breakfast, usually some type of sausage to
go with their coffee. I set up the radio this morning, we have been having
problems keeping our batteries charged, it is one reason I am sitting
watching things happen here today, to make sure we get the charge we need.
I think a good indicator of what it is like here is watching our
visitors come and go. When they first land from the helicopter, they are
clean, dry and smiling. Then I watch in only minutes as
they start to sweat, their clothes get wet, bugs start to come, and they
are soon slapping and looking for some kind of shelter... there is none,
no where to look, only places to go where there are more insects, more
heat.
As for those of us who stay, we are happy with a spring full of
water. We took baths yesterday for the first time in three days,
the camp is full of drying clothes hanging on every available branch.
The demarcation slogs along. 800 meters here, 400 meters there,
our rhythm is slowly developing. Yesterday's track was full of tree
roots, small muddy streams, vines everywhere. To swing a machete all day is very calming for the
workers, it gives them a goal each day, and to walk along the track
each morning that you cleared the day before gives a real feeling of
accomplishment, like the end can be reached if we keep getting up, keep
going out. If you have ever made a trail, anywhere, jogging, or riding a
bike, or walking around a lake, you know the feeling you have,
that the trail leads somewhere. I imagine that for the Deni, this trail leads
to their future. So, we all keep getting up and keep going out.
From the trail,
Bryan
(Team A)
Find out about the different
volunteers on the demarcation project.
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