NRES 285/ 499

Today was data entry day...definitely the most interesting and exciting day to write about. The day started off with me making up very dehydrated and the smell of the previous night's fire permeating the air. I made my way over to the dining room at Rancho Acosta to eat some huevos con chorizo and drink their delicious tangerine/ Tang concoction.

After everyone had finished breakfast and coffee we got to work on our report and data entry. Luckily, I got to work on the largest (in terms of palms) transect with Crystal. Crystal was great, the data entry was even better! Thank God Crystal not only knew how to use Excel, but was actually good with it because we would have been there all day if I was on the computer...I know my strengths though, so I chose to stick with reading the data off of the sheets. Crystal was extremely patient, and in return for this patience I showed her my "O" face (she actually got it when I did it; people reading this will probably just assume I am a creep. See Office Space).

When we finally finished with the data we went to lunch with Tony, Bryan, Christa, and Leonel. Cafe del Sol has the fastest service in town. We only waited for an hour or so before getting our food. The other two patrons must have been regulars or something. The food was actually really good though. I had chipotle chicken apple cider cream crepes; Tony got a salad that looked really good; Leo and Bryan both got chimichangas or something; Christa got apple crepes; and Crystal got the best looking ham and cheese I've ever seen. Refills were free, but not necessarily what you had originally drank--keeps things interesting.

Side Note: There is a roof top palapa at Cafe del Sol. I wandered up to take a look, and it was pretty neat. Lots of people seem to grow plants on their roofs, and there is a very nice view of the cathedral and the mountains. It would also be the easiest place to be a cat burglar since everything is connected, and everyone has a hole right in the middle of their house.

After lunch I went with Leo to grab some cash and stop at the Internet cafe. Writing an email on a Spanish keyboard with half of the letters worn off is a challenging endeavor.

When we arrived back at Rancho Acosta, we broke off into groups and began to analyze our data. Then we had a very nice meal of steak tacos, soup, beans, rice, and some type of corn dish. Was anyone else dumb enough to eat the big pepper in the soup? We also had margaritas, which were pretty refreshing. I love the sea salt they used throughout the trip--the best salt ever.

Then we drank on the porch for a while. It was a good time. All in all the day was pretty relaxing and pleasant. Although I love Palo Injerto, it was nice to be back in Alamos, even if I did feel a little claustrophobic with a roof over el bano. I'm glad we didn't finish thatching it, and I hope it never gets finished either.

Some other highlights/ favorite things so far:

• The group. You all have been really fantastic and made this whole experience even more enjoyable.
• The birding/ photographic opportunities…countless
• The food. Everything has been very good.
• Dinners have been particularly enjoyable for the amount of hilarity that occurs.
• Climbing up the mountain with Leonel when we were trying to find the trail and blazing our won.
• Sleeping beneath the stars in the orchard. I’ve never slept open air before.

And many more.—Joe M.


photos from Nathan S., Don Chavez, Salipaso, and Stephanie L.