The thing that struck me most about Peru is all of its different parts. It is dry, it is wet, it is cold, it is hot (REALLY hot), it is dry, it is humid (REALLY humid), it is high it is low, it is on the coast, it is in the mountains, it is in the suffocating rain forest. I was amazed at the diversity of landscapes, food, and people that are engulfed within one massive country. I was originally planning to post about all of the Peru expedition, but it didn’t seem fair to all of the amazing nooks and crannies we found ourselves in. Our first stop was in the north of Peru, where it is mostly coastal desert until you reach the Andes. We took an overnight bus from Lima (liquid nitrogen and all), and after a groggy 14 hours, the term “mirage” might be appropriate here. When we finally convinced ourselves of what we were seeing after hours of Star Wars-esque terrain, the surprisingly bustling city of Piura emerged out of the desert. We met with our fellow bat biologists and hopped in a (precarious) pick-up, for yet another 4-ish hours north, until we were almost in Ecuador. A family welcomed us in their home and we were able to set up our field equipment for the night.
Our first night was in Roca Rojada in Suyo. The views speak for themselves.
By day, we are full time dog-petters…
…but by night, the life of a bat biologist really begins.
Others prefer the after-hours as well…
With only a wink of sleep, we get ready to set off to our next locality. But not before some last minute freshening up…
Next stop, four hours up the mountains.
