My first job assignment - field sampling at Cuatro Cienegas, Mexico, one of the spots featured in The Lonely Planet. How exciting is that? Microbial ecologists typically don't spend as much time outdoors as most ecologists. A lot of our work is performed indoors with a test tube of DNA solution extracted from minute amount of samples followed by a whole bunch of data analysis in front of the computer. My previous experience with field sampling was limited to Kellogg Biological Station, which was very well equipped for field studies. This trip is definitely an eye-opening trip for me! It is always a lot easier to learn about the samples and to think of ecologically relevant questions when I get to see where the samples come from and all the biogeochemistry dynamics related to it. It is also a long one because we have a six-week long mesocosm experiment.
Cuatro Cienegas is a little town located in the state Coahuila. To get there, we had to drive from Saltillo (the capitol of Coahuila), which we flew to from US. Saltillo airport reminds me very much of Kalamazoo airport where it only has one baggage conveyer and you have to walk from the plane to the airport building. I was super glad that I was accompanied by Spanish speaking colleagues! EVERYTHING was in Spanish!
From the airport, it was about 30 minutes drive to the town area. We stayed in Saltillo for a night before driving out to Cuatro Cienegas. The lab had a rented Jeep, which we filled to the brim! Literally!! As the trip is a long one, we had to bring everything we need in the field and also materials we needed to process samples for measurements that are time-sensitive. The weirdest was bringing a dry shipper with us! It felt like R2D2 came with us. Everyone at the airport at Saltillo was curious about it. Well, we need a way to freeze our samples for DNA and RNA extraction.
Surprisingly, all the luggages placed on top of the Jeep were totally secured. It did not bulge the entire four hours drive from Saltillo to Cuatro Cienegas. The drive was quite boring, as the roads seemed endless. It was a pretty sight though, with mountains and endless desert view. It was also fun to see the dust devil, which are little dust tornados.
Once we arrived at CC and unload the Jeep, we went to get dinner at one of the local restaurant called El Doc. Like some Mexican restaurants, they serve chips and salsa as starter. In addition to salsa, they also have this pickled veggie dish that reminds me of acat! I could make that a meal if only I have some rice!
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