Mekong Journals: 25
ChrestomatherOnce we start moving there is no doubt at all that Isabel is in charge – completely in charge. She’s absolutely the captain of her…
Mekong Journal: 24
Most women field biologists, Isabel says, take it more or less for granted that they will not marry or have children or indeed, any kind of domestic life (although…
Mekong Journals: 23
In watching Isabel administer this survey, it occurs to me often that this procedure and everything it entails, is exactly the opposite of what it means to study…
Mekong Journals: 22
Yesterday I took three turns as Principal Observer. What it consists of is this: for the first half hour, the Observer is equipped with binoculars; either standing…
Mekong Journals: 21
Earlier in the day we stopped at another small place – just a single hut surrounded by breadfruit and cassava plants – and found a forty-ish man…
Mekong Journals: 20
I’m writing this as we slowly make our way through a series of rapids. The current seems very fast, and in place the water is turbulent, but…
Mekong Journals: 19
January 9, 2003 We’re setting out in two boats this morning. This is the beginning of the expedition properly speaking. Now we head straight up to the…
Mekong Journals: 18
Yesterday, in the boat, Isabel commented that among zoologists there are many who don’t take cetologists seriously: ‘how can you work on dolphins?’ She attributes this in large…
Mekong Journals: 17
Isabel hopes to do these surveys continuously over a year. After that she will have a complete and fairly exhaustive record of where the dolphins live and where…
Mekong Journals: 16
The whole point of the survey is to create very highly standardized measurements and recordings. In ‘On Effort’ periods, in Isabel’s survey, there are 2 observers on…