Brazilian Amazon

[Liz Day]

> > Let's ask that question now:  How many of you at this site would be
> > interested in
> > a non-collecting butterfly study trip to the Amazon ?
> 
> Do I get to be young and muscular? 

Anne,

Yes, you do!  You heard Dr. Shuey - there's a 4-hour trek up some 
big ole hill.  Bring some hefty binoculars, microscopes, camera, etc.  
If you're not muscular when you start out, you will be when you finish!

Furthermore, when you reach the camp, you'll find that
a) you're a thousand miles or so from the nearest fashion-addled socialite
who could care whether that color sweater flatters your complexion;
and 
b) you're in the company of 8 or 10 fit, studly men with beards, who 
will soon realize you're practically the only woman they're going to lay
eyes on in over a week;
and
c) you can play with bugs all day long.

If this doesn't make you feel young, nothing will!  ;-)

However, you mustn't tell anybody back home.  If the media ever got word that 
people could get fit by chasing leps, soon everybody would be doing it.  :-(
You'd go up to the farthest cloudforest in Mexico, and there would be Madonna, 
with her personal trainer, and she'd be holding some poor butterfly and saying,
"I need 500 of these for my new video."  So keep it sub rosa.  Remember 
the secret handshake, where you tap your fingers on their hand like antennae.

See you there! :-)

Liz