Day 9: Monday 19 March 2012
We had new arrivals during the last days; 3 new masters students and a research assistant of one of them. That is why the Londoner and I didn’t go to the Green group on Thursday nor Sunday; days that I spent with the Tourists group.
I’m sorry for the monkeys of the Tourists group but, even after 2 months with them, I’m not so fond of them as I’m of the Green group macaques. Maybe it’s because of the amazing home range they have; maybe because the Tourists’ group site only reminds me the ability of humans to sodomize nature and all the valuable things in the world, or maybe because the Greens were my first macaques. Whatever the reason, when I have to go with the Green group I don’t consider it work.
Today the Green group site was, once again, full of researches. Apart from the Londoner and me, the French came to start to get to know the monkeys before I leave, as well as the German3 and her assistant, the Washingtonian (?) who started on the field.
The German3 and the Washingtonian began the search in the valleys, while the Londoner sought in UK and the French and me in Texas. Due to the shortage of radios and that the ones we had were toy-like; the French and I couldn’t split too much and luckily. It seems that the French orientation sense is less acute than Londoner’s and, when I realized, instead of going on a straight line, she made a kind of U, ending up going on the completely opposite direction! Fortunately, the Londoner contacted us through the toy-radio not much after to tell us that she had found the monkeys in UK.
She has improved a lot on her tracking skills in this couple of weeks because the monkeys were quite hidden on the trees! And they didn’t start to climb down till 9 or so…
Then the French started the identification and I with the faecal sample collection. In less than 1hour we got Danni, Lewis, Helen and Joan. Good one. And in not much more, the French had already learnt to recognize pretty well the monkeys and soon after, Danni became her favourite.
After lunch, the monkeys had continued on the trees, following their current routine of grooming and rest; ideal time to try to collect urine…or to be showered with it as Helen did with me. At least that was better than Artemis, that also dropped to me some faecal samples…(Thanks man ’).
Short after, the monkeys climbed down from the trees and started to travel to Parallel while the French tried to do some photogrammetry and I continued with the faecal collection. Together we were able to collect Oz and Noddy, so was a pretty good day in that sense.
Travelling and travelling, the reached the fence and, what better to welcome the new researchers than a quick walk through Vertical Valley?
We had to leave them there so, probably tomorrow we will need some time to find them.
It’s good to see again so many people working with the Green group; but I certainly enjoyed the peaceful days alone with the Londoner. I guess that things seem more special the less people has access to them, but so is life.
Well; today was 5 months since I arrived to Morocco to go after the Barbary Macaques, and I've only got one week left. Tough, quite tough and, in such situations, the f&%cking sentimental girls like me do things like this:
Day 10: Tuesday 20 March 2012
After walking through the road which goes to the Quarry, the German3 and her assistant went to check the Amphitheatre, letting the tough task of climbing to the top of the hill to the Londondoner, the French and me.
When we finally arrived to the top, we walked towards the Quarry and, once more, I
mistook Vertical Valley for Gash (If I don't see the Gash I don't know if its the Gash valley or not, sigh). After correcting my mistake, we continued going towards there sligthly splitted. Then the French started to cough several times. "What are you doing?" I asked her, cause our toy-like radios didn't work and she was in the other side of the slope that we were supposed to check. She had found the monkeys just at the edge of the forest, between the Gash and the Quarry.This time they started to travel sooner than the day before; just after we found them. Soon, they reached the back of the Quarry, giving us the chance of enjoy the amazing view. After a couple of pictures, George appeared. After looking at us, he walked toward the edge of the Quarry "No, George, no!" The Londoner and I exclaimed lowly (We are agree in that he is the best). And he stopped just a couple of cm of the edge and chewed some grass while staring at us. We breathed calm, but just for some seconds, before he walked into the Quarry out of sight...but, after a while, he jumped again out of the Quarry, looking at us like saying "Were you worried? What did you expect?"
As expected, they travelled to the Amphitheatre and, of course, I had to do the hourly scan when they were still travelling. In doing so, two eagles flew through the sky and the monkeys made a vocalization that I don't remember to have heard before. It wasn't an alarm call, sounded more like a weird grunt and they were all looking at the sky.
Soon after, I could collect Artemis faecal sample when he had a small scream fight against Oz and Simon.
After some time doing photogrammetry, the French approached me and confessed that she still had some problems to recognize some of the females " I don't know if I'm glad or disapointed" I told her, and went with her to check some IDs.
Then, I came back to watch George, who was sleeping on a tree not to high, perfect location for sample collection. Finally I received my prize (as well as some drops on the face, but that is routine, as well as he peed just before a scan).
It was grooming and resting time on the trees, and I was waiting between some trees to collect whatever any monkey wanted to eject. As usual, I cannot avoid to watch a little bit what the little juveniles and infants are doing around and I found a comic scene. While feeding, Danni's infant (Daphne? Daikiri?...let's see) saw something that scared her and jumped doing a tumble on the air. Her sister, Dakota, was around and went to examine whatever the infant has seen, while this one lagged behind holding her hands. Apparently, Dakota decided that there wasn't any thing wrong and resumed her feeding, so did her little sister. Suddenly, I saw Simon and Kerry chasing Rebecca and I had to run towards them to collect the sample, while them interrupted the lunch of the German3 and the Washingtonian.
Only Kerry was kind enough to deliver another sample; Anna and George only make us following them unsuccessfully.
Around 15:30, the French and I had to left. The Boss was going to meet us at the car park at 16 for having time to prepare stuff for a 3 days trip to Maerzouga. I will be great...but I wouldn't mind to be all the rest of the week working with the Green group, especially now in the Amphitheatre...I'm gonna miss them and their forest so much...
We arrived on time and, when driving towards the Tourists site to collect the boys, I asked the boss if the Green Group could come with us to the desert, but she wasn't very pleasent with the idea of driving with Artemis sitting on her knees...not even if I only invite George, Anna and Rebbeca, sigh. When reaching the end of Texas, we could see one of the neighbour groups of the Green group; Big Lewosky one, who sit and stared at us with cockiness.
Day 11: Sunday 25 March 2012
After a couple of days going around Erg Chebbi by camel with the Barbary Gang, I worked on Saturday with the Tourists group. Then we could experience the side effects of holydays, with Bart stealing the English’s lunch after clapping his ass (Bart also tried to clap the French’s bottom, but she is quicker), some forgetting the radio, or some others collecting a faecal sample from Smarties (Elliot) thinking that is Galack.
Today, I had a mixed day, working with both groups. First, we struggled a little to find the Tourists group under the rain, which has came back to say me goodbye and remembering me my first weeks here. I finally found them hidden in the Bushy area; I hoped that their weird location indicated that there was a new born, but no. A funny morning trying to collect urine in the rain…I could get Chocobon’s in a break of rain and, soon after, I found myself surrounded by a teacher and his 50 students asking me questions and me trying to answer with my amoeba-like French, before sending an SOS to the French and the English. I could also see how about 30 teenagers suffering the consequences of harassing Tabasco (Tequila’s (Leila’s) infant); being aggressed by Tequila, Cinnamon (Osiris) and Pepito. The tourists then tried to run away, some of them fell and some other nearly steep on them.
After my lunch, I did my last scan on the Tourists group; starting with my beloved Tequila and ending with my old friend of extremely long focals, Lychee ( Fidji).
I looked at them sadly and said “ I’ll come back tomorrow and I’ll say you goodbye properly”
Then, the French and I, accompanied by a noisy storm, drove towards the Green Group site. The Boss had let me to try to find them during the afternoon to don’t spend all my last day looking for them unsuccessfully. I owe her a lot.
We checked UK. The rain stopped and no monkey was found, but we saw some fresh faeces…really fresh. We checked the outer part of Parallel and then, we started with Texas. The sun had come back and the temperature was increasing.
When we were on the half of the area, I heard a well known scream and I saw something purchasing something behind some shrubs. Happy like a vampire in a blood bank, I went that way and found them. The French had also seen them and was moving toward the place. “Oooh…si es que sois todos más monos. Os abrazaba a todos, c_ñ_!” I said.
No much could happen in the hour and a half that we could stay with them; no samples, a couple of pictures for the photogrammetry…Just the lack of Artemis. Well, when waiting to see if Anna stopped to groom with Simon, to try to collect a faecal sample from her, while waiting to see if Joan and Kerry delivered some urine while they were grooming Joan’s infant; I saw these three looking behind me. I looked too and I saw George around 30m far, chewing something, while sitting on a low branch and looking at me. The next time I looked he had disappeared as suddenly as he appeared.
We had to leave at 16:30; to don’t be late to a dinner with Ben, part of my last-things-to do list (It was a long list, I’ve needed three weeks to do stuff and I’ve got some more for tomorrow, let’s see…). The French, the South Carolinian and me bought some pastries at the Hadaf and food at the mythic Chicken Place before going to Ben’s place. There we had dinner, with a good amount of tea among others, and the presence of Katrina, a little cat that has been around since New Years Eve. Ben was remembering the Californian and the Czech and speaking a little bit about everything with the French, while the S. Carolinian and I tried to get some of the conversation (I have to learn French urgently!).
And then, tomorrow it’s my last day…It’s finally here…C’est a vie…
Day 12: Monday 26 March 2012 (last day in the field) & Tuesday 27 March 2012, the departure
As usual, the alarm of the French’s mobile sounded, just 3 minutes before mine, even if both were supposed to ring at 6. I recovered the conscience after the short rest, getting ready for another day in the field…and then I felt a kind of kick on the stomach and opened the eyes; I realized it was the last day. According to my new philosophy, I tried to get those sad thoughts away from my mind and so, I put loud music on my mp3 as every morning.
After leaving the boys at the Tourists site, the Boss dropped us at the Green Group site, where the Londoner, the German3 and the Washingtonian were waiting for us... as well as George, who looked at us from the side of the road that leads to Texas.
“Oh, George!!! You have come for me, haven’t you? You are so cool…” I thought. And we went to meet them all in Texas.
“Ok guys, I wanna a perfect day today, I need 11 samples, so everybody shitting!” I said to the macaques, who were too busy chewing grass to pay me attention.
Nonetheless, the first two samples came shortly after; thanks to a small scream fight with Artemis against Oz supported by…the juveniles and the infants! It was funny to see Mac lunging and open mouthing to Artemis.
Then I spent an hour watching Noddy, Kerry, Rebecca and Anna who were resting on a couple of trees, in a perfect position for urine collection…but they didn’t deliver anything…until I came back from the scan and I found a fresh warm shit under Noddy, which I collected with the correspondent comment.
Soon, the monkeys started to move and I could collect a faecal sample from Rebecca. While I was processing it, the French appeared with a stone on her hand with and enormous mountain of shit on it. What is wrong with you, Joan?
When I ended up of processing both samples, my colleagues weren’t around since most of the monkeys have already crossed to Parallel. Near the road, I could collect Kerry’s sample. And, when I was preparing it, George appeared again, looked at me and defecated in the middle of the road…and urinated on it…so I couldn’t collect any of them. I know that you only wanted to help, buddy, what does a macaque know about sample contamination?…sigh.
The following hours passed following the monkeys trough Parallel until the fence and then, going up Gash Valley. The group was scattered and I could spend some time alone with Anna, with Dakota around making funny things and slapping other juveniles (Yeah, is true, she is the best juvenile).
Around 13h, the French and I went to have lunch near the Gash, out of the sight of the monkeys, when the German3 called me. When we reach them, she asked me for the keys of the house; she and her assistant were going to come back home to try to fix the computer they have. Technology…
Then, the macaques were having their sleeping-grooming session at the beginning of Portugal. The last couple of hours were spent with the Londoner doing her focals, the French in front of Artemis trying to take the last picture she needed (she didn’t and now she hates him and his dummy face…hehe); and me waiting for urine.
At 15h, I made my last hourly scan…nearly perfect, but for the lack of Simon and George. Half an hour later, it was time to leave. The Boss had given me an extra hour off to be able to prepare all my stuff. So, I asked to the French and the Londoner to meet me at the fence; I needed to spend a while alone with my monkeys. I gave the French the Green Group urine collector, a symbol that now the Green group master is she…well, I don’t know what the opinion of the Boss is, but for me the French will end up being the next Green Group master, as soon as she has time to spend with them and love them as much as I do. Well, she already has her favourite, Danni, the funky monkey, according to her.
When I saw that both girls had departed, I stood for a while, watching the juveniles playing, and Rebecca going down a tree and starting to feed on grass. Simon appeared too. Then, I did something that I couldn’t do since my first couple of weeks: sit and observe without neither waiting for anything nor to have to note anything. I just watched Anna and Joan grooming and sandwiching with Joan’s infant. It was cool…but short, I had already spent more than 10 minutes and it was time to leave. I started to walk down the valley and I turned around to looked sadly and to say “Bslama…adiós”…and ran down Portugal. I liked that they did pretty much the same way that they did on my first day, but I was a little bit disappointed that George didn’t appear to say goodbye but, as the Londoner said, then it wouldn’t be George.
It’s weird for me now to think that “my babies” are surrounded by nearly strangers; I guess it’s a similar feeling that parents have when their teenagers sons start to spend most of their time with their friends instead of at home…
We meet the Boss at the parking, with the guys already at the car. I had to sit on the French to make room for the Londoner who, given the early departure of the German3 and the Washingtonian, had to come with us at the car.No time to say goodbye to the Tourist group; they had travelled inside the Paradise area, far, far away. Fortunatetely, the previous day I could say goodbye to some of them, sigh.
At the Hadaf, I could print my flight tickets and buy some stuff for my parents. At home, I entered the last data and accomplish the amazing task of making my luggage to weight 15kg (Ryanair always makes you to be zen and toss most of your stuff…)
The last dinner was in the fancy restaurant at the Medina (no couscous this time!); with the Barbary Gang, the Londoner and the German3. The Boss made me to give a brief speech (my first choice, which was a simple open mouth with ground slap didn’t convince her) and so she did. I'm also very happy of having been able to work with you Boss! You taught me even more than the Great Portuguese.
Once at home, I shared some tequila and homemade fig ice cream with my fellows of the Barbary Gang, before going to sleep for the last time in Morocco (at least for now...).
The morning came, and so the time to say goodbye to everybody before they went to the field. Sad…but as the S.Carolinian reminded us “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”
The car left with the Barbary Gang inside while the tigress reminded on land. Some time after, the Boss came back and drove me to Fez airport. As I told her, who had told me when I first arrived to that airport that I would be leaving 5 months latter and accompanied by a different PhD student. Life is weird, fortunately.
She was helping me with the check-in and stuff and then, she, sadly, left.
I went into the embarquement area and wait. While doing it, I saw a Morocco tourist advertisement on the wall that said “see you soon”. “It’s hard to say… I surely hope so” I thought. I couldn’t see my face, but I had the feeling that probably was the same that I saw in the Californian the day he left, something pretty much like this :-( . The flight was delayed for an hour, of course and I started to feel hungry, so I opened the box of pastries that the Londoner had given to me and I found a short gratitude note. Thank you very much! The f&%cking sentimental girls like me love this kind of details! It was a pleasure to help you, I hope it was enough...and sorry for making you to walk through all the home range so fast the first day; I was so excited to be there again that I didn't realized that maybe it was too much.
When I was finally on the queue to go to the plane, the guy who checked the tickets asked me “ Porque tu triste” (Why you sad?)…”Porque me voy de casa…” (Because I’m leaving home)” I said. And then finally, I cried while walking up to the plane…
PD: Congratulations to Anna of the Green Group, who became the first mum this year...just one day after my departure...machiavellian monkeys...so lovely
“ Ain’t got no home, Ain’t got no money, Ain’t got no friends…I’ve got life” Nina Simone
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