Next day recovery and memory test

WELCOME!

My cabin mate Kate and I agreed to a slow morning
(read: sleeping in until lunch if possible).

Here is our blue-doored cabin; aka "Casa Azul".

The living spaces are tucked away in the dense hilly forest. The accommodations are simple and comfortable and the fluidity with the surroundings make it feel a bit like a secret camping spot.

What was her name? Where was that kitchen? Some coffee might help.

If you are not a coffee drinker, humor me for a moment...

If you drink coffee, you should bring the ground coffee of your choice with you everywhere you go. Surprising as it may seem, the colonial coffee growing regions of the world are either totally uninterested or prefer the instant stuff. In addition, Brazil is not known for its quality coffee as Columbia is and makes no effort to change that status. Green (upripe) fruit is picked, processed, and roasted along with the red (ripe) creating a bitter taste in general. I stand by my ability to quit the stuff "at any time" but I drink it daily. It is nice to pack and share these kinds of things.

Always bring treats to share. Candy from another country goes far to warm the hearts of those who don't understand a word you're saying. It is also a fun thing to spend your Reals (pronouced: hey-ice) on if you can catch a ride to Rosario da Limeira and shop in a local market. The local school bus is a free travel option if you can handle about a 40-minute brisk walk to the bus stop from the Iracambi Center.

It is also an adventure to attempt to brew it depending on equipment available. Iracambi's Volunteer Center has a small kitchen for self-prepared meals and two stovetop percolators:

Binka and Robin arrived in their rough and tumble older model Range Rover with their boxer. The lunch bell was rung (or more accurately: metal dinner plates banged together) and we had a nice chat and snack in the open air restaurant.

Food is cooked over an open fire.

Water is filtered. Drink this.

Food is overwhelmingly beans and rice with a protein powder and cashew juice (the fruit, not the nut. That would be cashew juice, silly!). We, the people, cried out for variety and were supplied with noodles and a delicious slaw.

I spent the afternoon sorting through assignments and updating folks back home on the level of alive I was. I recommend taking a day or two after a big trip just to sort yourself. Friends and family have a tendency to want proof of life. The earlier you provide this, the more likely you are to stay alive.

Comments

Farmers vs. Rain Forest Conservation

Bauxite Threat Iracambi keeps a constant watch on the threat. A public online map is updated often. Signal Grass aka brachiaria Benefits - high quality for grazing cattle. Also highly requested exported seeds. "Brazil is also the largest exporter of tropical forage seed in theworld, with the main destinations in Latin America (especiallyMexico, Colombia and Venezuela), Africa and Asia. Brachiariaspp. are the most requested species, representing >80% of the total volume exported in 2010." https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289852654_The_value_of_improved_pastures_to_Brazilian_beef_production However, brachiaria grass is a major threat to re-forestation. It takes over and chokes out all other growth in the area. It is also very hardy and extremely difficult to remove. As silly as it sounds, this miracle grass presents a long term obstacle to all other flora. Wildlife Corridors : How to convince the subsidy farmer? ...

The Iracambi Spirit

Water - Collection, filtration, use Compost processes - toilet paper, food scraps, coffee Below is the little kitchen in the center. Tiny bin to the far left is for actual garbage. The cardboard box is paper and plastic recycling. The bin to the right of the stove is compost. There is another cardboard box for cans which are sold at a nice rate. Reuse is common wherever possible. These plastic bags are hung to dry for reuse after washing. Classroom for visiting local school children, workshops for farmers, and computer lab. Wildlife cameras monitor activity Laundry Pick a sunny day to do laundry. This machine is powered by electricity and spins on a timer. You must manually oversee the process of filling and emptying water - first with soap and then two or three times with just water to rinse. Next you must wring each piece well and hand outside to dry. Iracambi past volunteers and locals oft...

What's the deal with the Atlantic Rain Forest?

The Atlantic Rain Forest is the Amazon's little sister. Less known and more intact. Just as important to the world and equally in danger. There is a lot of talk about Amazon biodiversity and the Atlantic Forest shares this quality with the added bonus of higher endemic species present. The biggest threat to the forest is agriculture with coffee, sugar cane, palms (oil and fruit related to acai berry), various root vegetables, and banana as common crops in addition to Eucalyptus (used to make paper). Cattle pasture, logging, and fire are major challenges as well. These human activities cause habitat fragmentation . Important processes such as seed dispersal, gene flow, and migration patterns are cut off. This means biomass reduction and mass extinction for endemic species. Many look to creation of wildlife corridors. More about this in my post "Farmers vs. Rain Forest Conservation". Photo here Iracambi Research Center founders ...

My 21 days At Iracambi Research Center Mapping the Atlantic Rain Forest

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