QueenPuya

Back in Lima again, land of sun and humidity, big lunches and lots of taxi rides. I absolutely love being in the care of Mercedes mom Norma, and she keeps me well fed on potatoes, pumpkin soup, avocados, drinkable yogurt and my favorite condiments in the world- red onions in lime juice and plump purple olives. Both are like drugs for me and I seriously don't think I could ever get tired of them. I have to hide my olive pits so people won't make fun of me for how many I eat! I am also well caffeinated, as they drink Coca Cola (or bright yellow Inca Cola) about 3 times a day and coffee more than that! You can spend a whole day at the table in Peru and people would think nothing of it.
I am extremely please to be working in Lima with Noema, a Peruvian woman who is starting her thesis project on Puya of the departmento Ancash. Undergraduate theses in South America are a really big deal and usually very professional. Perhaps more on the Peruvian education system and how awesome it is later. Noema is working out of the Museo where I take my plants to dry and we have exactly the same opinions on the Peruvian Puya species (both under and over described) and have fantastic plans for future collaborations. Her timing is perfect, as I am starting to dump many of my collecting supplies (it actually makes me a bit emotional!) and she is inheriting my gloves, excess silica gel, Puya-strength plant press straps and even some of my grant money. It is virtually impossible to find funding for fieldwork as a Peruvian botanist and I am very happy that I can help her out. I have been looking for a collaborator of my similar age and experience for years in each country I visit, to no avail and here she is! I think she is committed to the group and very knowledgeable about all aspects of our work. I had so much fun teaching her how to press Puya and examining my new species number 4, from Ancash. The future is bright and the work will go on! An unexpected and delightful surprise.
Now I play the waiting game with INRENA for my permits to take the plants out of the country. So far the Peruvian Environmental beauracracy has been more straightforward and quick than any other country I've dealt with, but today I find out that Bryans permits are done, but mine need two more signatures, even though we submitted them at the same time. It will be fine, I am assured, and I'll return tomorrow to retrieve them and then apply for ANOTHER set of permits for exporting the plants. I will show all this paper to someone at the airport before I leave and all should be good! Ah, to finally be legal! Bryan is alive, we know, and somewhere in Lima. We will find him later today.
Hopefully Mercedes and I will get to go a national Park south of Lima that has flamingos, penguins and sea lions in a few days. She has lots of work still to do here at the International Potato Center and I am enjoying the beautiful facilities and free internet (why is no one online to chat now??) The laboratories here are amazing and they are doing excellent work on protecting the world's supply of potato genetic diversity. Too bad we can't find lots of the potatoes I've eaten here in the States. Some are quite pretty and tasty (unlike different strains of South American bananas...just doesn't do it for me!) I also hope to hit the beach and the salon before trucking home in a few days. Off to work on my South America awards list...