Basecamp

This is what basecamp at the Nam Sa Bi VMA (see Nam Sa Bi VMA) looked like. Surprisingly comfortable; constructed on site using local bamboo. Light bulbs powered by a battery charged each day by a small solar panel. That's my yellow duffel (see Duffel Bag) at the last spot on the rightside sleeping platform. Home away from home.

Nam Sa Bi VMA

U Myint Thein from the Myanmar Forest Department shoots a compass line as we lay out out a 100 hectare Village Management Area (VMA) in the forests east of Nam Sa Bi. Extremely steep and rugged terrain and running the baseline was tedious at best. I took a GPS reading at both the first and last stake, and Myint Thein's accumulated error after 2.0 kilometers - across slopes in excess of 100% - was about 8 meters. Really. [NOTE: This is unbelievable precision for a transect rope and hand compass].

Here We Go Again

Packing the duffel (see Duffel Bag). Back to Yangon, then Mandalay, then Homalin, then a long boat ride to Htamanthi, and, finally, a short boat ride to Nam Sa Bi. Twenty-five days of community forestry in the Upper Chindwin. [NOTE: Goes without saying, but I love my job].

Back To Nam Sa Bi

Got my visa–or e-visa, I should say–and all systems are go for my trip back to the Upper Chindwin next Tuesday. Laying out a Village Management Area (VMA) in the buffer zone of the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, clearing transect lines, setting stakes, sloshing around in streams, correcting for slope, and trying not to fall down. Should be great fun and I am very much looking forward to getting back to work with my friends from Nam Sa Bi (see Nam Sa Bi Field Crew).