I arrived under heavy rain and fog...it took me a little over 6h to get there but it was really nice to see a completely different scenery. I met a slovackian couple with who we decided to go trecking the following day and share transport and guide costs. We were very lucky with the weather the next morning. These rice terrasses are said to be the 8th wonder of the world and are 2000 years old. Amazing site, especially thinking of the lives of labour it all represents! we had a pretty heavy treck but it was well worth it! We made it back to our hotel just before dark. The following day i went to various view points before heading back. Unfortunately, i was unlucky with the traffic and the bus, and it took me 10h to get back! As i arrived, i realised that we were being hit by another typhoon. The amount of water coming down was impressive, and weather in the Netherlands is a real joke in comparison! Yesterday was pretty bad but today we have sunshine...hope it lasts and i don't know yet if i can make it back to te field on thursday

I was accompanied by two guides that day. The early sunshine was gushing through the vegetation and i was admiring the amazing orchids colouring the frigid cliffs. It came to mind that i could even work on my tan today while trecking through the river and be looking for tracks, while my european friends and relatives would be looking for their woolen pullovers! Anyway, it had high potential for being one of the good days if not one of the best, had it not been for Tom Jones violently intruding my piece and quiet. Yes, you did read it right, Tom Jones. My guide had a walkman with an integrated speaker from which the british crooner's greatest hits were howling harassingly. A couple of hours later, the single tape we had in our possession was still playing and the beat to "She's a Lady" had now replaced my heart beat. I have to confess that i couldn't do anything but smile.

Anyway, after the Congo, Cameroon and now the Philipines i had already come to the conclusion that the one thing binding all the people of this earth was Cocal Cola. I mean everyone around the world knows the drink and it can simply be found everywhere. I have been very much mistaken and now have to add dear old Tom. Once back for a late lunch, i was secretly hoping Tom Jones would need a rest or that the batteries would suddenly disintegrate. My guide reached out and proudly showed me another wonder of the world: Celine Dion. However, the good part was that it was her greatest hits.

The second day now...those things always seem to happen the night before i have to treck back to the 'city'. It had been a pretty long day and i was hitting the sack by 21h. By 23h i suddenly woke up, switched my headlamp on and realised that i was under termite attack! I lifted my mattress and bags and came to the conclusion that up to 1/4 of the bottom of my tent was already eaten up. Termites were now crawling in and bare earth was all over the place. I decided to use my secret weapon:ducktape. By 23h30 my tent looked like a patchwork masterpiece and after all this action and excitement i realised that i had only a few hours of sleep before i had to get up...I was up by 4h00 and we headed off a little later under pooring rain and i had a most enjoyable mudbath! By the time i got back people in the office told me "Ah, Nicholas, how was it? Ouh...you look terrible!" which is always very nice to hear, but by that time all i could do was smile back...

Dear all,

i have just come back from a very nice place called Vigan. Eventhough the journey was a little hectic (8hours way in, 12hours for the way back) it was well worth it and really nice to change sceneries! It was also the opprotunity to see other westerners and do a little shopping. The empanada were great even if a little oily! Unfortunately buses were too rare and i had too little time to go and have a swim near the paradise beaches of Pagudpud in the magic coloured Philippine sea but that will definitely be for next time! I now need to head off for the field, so more news in 2 weeks!

Thanks a lot for your emails of support, it's nice to feel thought of and it's a real boost for the moral! Thanks A LOT!!!!!!

I got back last week-end which was a little earlier than planned because of very heavy rainfall and a typhoon threatening. This led the river to rise very quickly and meant we couldn't carry out our usual activities anymore. Night surveys have not been successful so far, and it's just the perfect opportunity to get acquainted to charming blood thirsty insects named here sipsip! My dear crocs are a lot less mobile than forecasted, the male has been staying in the very same spot from the beginning, only the female seems to be moving a little more. However they have been washed away with the downpoor we had, and we now have no real clue of where they might be! Apart from that mud and mud and...mud! When i think many aging women like mud baths, they would be thrilled here!

So to stop rabbling and to sumarise, the physical aspect has definitely gone up a level compared to the previous fieldtrip and as for the psychological side of things, well:

complete isolation in the field+ complete isolation once back form the field=reading+thinking+talking to myself since i am the only european at about 500km around.

To get my spirits up i have decided to head off next week-end to the North West (6-8hours away-Laoag), however they are forecasting another typhoon for the next couple of days so i hope i won't be blocked here... To finish on a positive note i have discovered a cyber cafe in the middle of nowhere with webcams! Yes, a little paradoxal when you have carriages pulled by squeletic horses outside, but as you can all imagine it's really great when my second half also has access to a webcam!

Thanks again to all,

n.b: i will be heading off again next Tuesday for another two weeks in the field.

 

hey there! As you can see from the pictures, a lot has happened. After the release of the first Philippine crocodile back to the wild with officials and journalists present, i headed off to my usual spot, Diwagden. There after 6 days of trapping and cave characterisation (so yes i went in again and even saw the skin of a rattle snake!) we were successful in capturing 2 crocodiles! First Gloria would be the breeding female which gave birth to the hatchlings you saw me holding previously. Then, we got Mario, the biggest crocodile ever caught in the wild and first male to! The big boy is 2.73m and it took 4-5 of us to restrain him even once tied up. It all went well and we put transmitters on the buggers which will allow us to follow their movements from now on. The physique is still going while the brain found it difficult i must admit. It's the first time i am faced to such a language barrier which leads to great isolation. I end up spending a lot of my free time reading and playing with the kids.Anyway these kids are great even though nosy but it was fantastic to show them how to make paper planes, show them what a lolipop is or even how to make chinese shadows! I should be heading off again on the 20 and back on the 4/10. I can't think of anyhting more to say for now apart from the fact that it's really great to get all your emails, it really boosts me up and i am trying to answer everyone!

Take care!!

First of all i would like to thank all the people who have been writing to me! It's great to have everyone's news and it boosts my moral!

I got back a few days ago and i must say that i was knackered. We managed to get all the work done in 5 days instead of 7, which meant that we ended up working 8 to 9 hours a day. We went to places where even the Karabao couldn't go so we had to carry our luggage 80% of the time...walking through the river with a 20kg backback+ collecting data....hmmm challenging to say the least and very very slippery.

Several of you have been asking about the food, well....rice and rice and....rice. As soon as i got back i just went mad looking for sugar and cocacola. The problem is that rice has no nutrional value and i think that i might have to buy vitamines soon because you just get drained out of energy.

I should share with you my last night in the field...it was memorable:

After working hard the whole day and stuffing myself with a platefull of rice, i always need to go to bed by 20:00. So i am in my tent, already feeling my muscles getting stiff from the day's work when it starts raining. I had great trust in my tent since it was the one i used in Cameroon for a year and several people advised me to use a waterproof sheet under my tent to avoid any bad surprises. So there i am, starting to feel the usual sauna heat in my tent, dripping with swet, just like after a game of squash except that i am just lying down and doing nothing but thinking of my second half. It's still raining...and then i suddenly realise that the whole place is getting flooded and that half of my clothes are already soaking wet. It's already too late to and i was so tired that i just decided to stay there, go to sleep, and that i would improvise the next day.

Unfortunately, approximately 30minutes to an hour later, i was not only flooded with water but with mud. It was all rising and the rain was just going on and on...i realised that the waterproof sheet was accumulating the water and that i had to remove it if i didn't want my tent to transform into a swamp. Pretty annoyed and tired i got out, got soaking wet and attacked by clouds of bugs attracted by my head lamp,  and removed the ... sheet. By now, however tired i was i just couldn't fall asleep and i realised that i really realy had to get to sleep quickly because we were leaving at 4  in the morning  and had to pack everything to then treck and get a lorry back to the city. The only thought which keeping me going was to imagin Tsjitske who on this sunday afternoon should be having tea by now, maybe even with one of her sister's fantastic apple pie and that i would very soon be able to phone her by surprise, 2 days in advance.

To finally end this story i have to say that i fell asleep for a few hours and then trecked the whole way to the logging lorry in 1h15 minutes instead of 2! 

I shoud be heading off again on saturday or sunday to release the 1st philippine crocodile back to the wild (2 metres long, a big girl) and put a transmitter on her. From there on i will treck to Disulap to try and trap crocodiles and do some cave characterisation. I do not know exactly how long i shall be staying (2-3 weeks?) depends on how successful or unsuccessfull we are in trapping the buggers.

Take care, enjoy the photos!

 

Hey all,

i have pretty easy access to the internet at the office. The only thing is that it's at office hours, so no week-ends and no access after 16h30-17h here...but we do have msn!! Before i forget, as i promised last time, my mobile number is:00639176108452 just in case you feel like getting hold of me. Remember that there is an 6 hour difference.

Today i had a chat with my supervisor trying to get field trips organised and scheduled. I will be heading off on monday and should be coming back the 11th or the 12th. It's just a first introduction and getting acquainted with the area and the people.

I will be heading off again the 14th until the 22nd to get really down to work: trapping crocodiles or at least trying, hoping we can put transmiters on them but also doing some habitat/vegetation characterisation. THen i will have to give a presentation on my research proposal on the 24th.

The internatinal house where i am staying is pretty nice, no running water but plenty of space and a confortable bed (which is all i really need). I have had my first ride in what they call here a tricycle. It's the only means of transport here and it's just the only way getting around. The only thing is that philippinos are really tiny (men get up to my shoulder and women are even shorter), so getting into the tricycle with why shopping was good fun!! The closest city is called Cabagan and is pretty small but there is a supermarket.

Otherwise on monday i will be introduced to all the officials, and i will also be shown around the military base and just have to smile and agree to everything they tell me.

For the week-end no real plans for the moment, a dutch couple sharing the house with me will be leaving, so might have a drink or something and also get started on the reading.  

take care!

Hi all,

just to say that after a 17 hour flight or so i have reached Manila. Since each flight was late, it avoided me from waiting in Frankfort and in Doha. Once arrived in the Phillipines i got a taxi to take me to the hotel where a room had been booked for me. It was raining but nothing like in the Netherlands! It's extremely humid and i think i will need a few days to get used to it. 

Today i had a walk around the city briefly. It's huge! 10 million people and the traffic it implies...simply diabolical. I managed to visit a few things and my delight of the day was to see orchids groing on a tree in a park. 

I will be taking the bus tomorrow morning at 5, and will reach my base in San Mariano hopefully at about 6pm. Luckily i have someone from the team who has joined me here and we are travelling together.

I am longing to get away from the city and its crazy traffic and get to see the countryside and my new home.

Hope to have access to the internet very soon,

I have a mobile number here but of course i forgot it at the hotel...will put it on the blog next time.

take all care!!

We have just got back from the south of france, we went to Montpellier, Palavas les Flots and Marseillan. It reached record temperatures and unfortunately our air conditionning was not working. We were simply cooked alive. It'll be an experience we will definitely not forget and it was nice to have a swim in the Mediterranean and see special people again and before the Big Departure. We shall be heading back for Leiden, Holland on wednesday.

Until next time take care,

n&t