The last days: consolidated May 10th
Today was a bit rough.
I saw a strange mammal- probably a cat. DH asked “ did you chase it?”.
Me: Ummm…no. Why would I chase it?
DH: So you could catch it.
Me: Hmm. I’m not a really a “chase the animal” kind of girl.
In a demonstration of our team’s frustration Kevin started throwing coconuts at a bull. It came close to charging him. I took some pictures of it.
We have 4 more days of surveys and I am tired.
May 12th
This is my last full day on Pagan. I volunteered to leave with Fearless Leader tomorrow morning (more likely tomorrow afternoon). He has alienated pretty much everyone on the trip with his bad attitude.
Today Kevin and DH lassoed another monitor lizard.
It was so hot yesterday; I think my brain cooked a little.
The little mangoes we found were just little juicy bits of sunshine- mostly pit and skin but still a delight.
The only weird part of being the only woman of reproductive age in a camp full of men has been the walk to the tent from the I-can’t-even-pretend-to-call-it-a-shower rinsing booth. After days of watching me, Gus, the craziest of the local guys, invited me to go fishing with him, which has made me the subject of much ribbing from the snail team. I could stay and be Princess of Pagan! Ha. I said that if the Gus can find and kill a unicorn that I will consider it. I think that’s a pretty safe bet.
May 13th
So last night, after a very heated post-dinner discussion about logistics, I left the table to spend some quality alone time in the tent. Then I noticed that the volcano was glowing red. It was quite a sensation and we all took some long exposure pictures. After a couple of hours the glow died down. This morning the crater has been chugging out smoke like an old coal engine. We’ve not felt any tremors yet.
May 14th
I made it back to Saipan with a couple of others from the crew. I can hardly express the joy of a long shower with plenty of soap. Fearless and S.M. are going sight seeing but I am holing up in the air conditioning with a bag of Doritos and some Diet Cokes. Gonna watch a ton of C.S.I. and take a nap.
