Day one in Panama (5.20.24)
Salvador Ayala My first night in Batipa was a bit different from what I was used to, as there were various factors I wasn't exposed to before, like insects, heat, and humidity. These were things I had imagined before arriving, but they turned out to be completely different from what I expected. At night, we had to use mosquito repellent, and I slept in long pants and a long-sleeved shirt to prevent any bites. There were all sorts of animal noises—monkeys, birds, water—which made it interesting but also hard to sleep because I was constantly thinking about protecting myself from insect bites. In total, I slept around five hours, but I woke up at 2:00 am because I was very thirsty and sweating a lot. I needed to drink a lot of water before going back to sleep. Before fully waking up, I checked to make sure I didn't have any insect bites, and then I started my day by applying insect repellent and sunscreen. I prepared myself with all my work gear: boots, a hat, field pants, a long...