Fantastic story guys, glad to you both home safe and sound and managed to get some goodies too :-)
Cheers Martin Martin Goff www.msg-meteorites.co.uk IMCA #3387 Sent from my mobile phone On 14 Dec 2016 05:13, "Michael Farmer via Meteorite-list" < [email protected]> wrote: > It seems like yesterday! Oh wait, it was. > My suitcases are still on the living room floor. > Michael Farmer > > Sent from my iPad > > > On Dec 13, 2016, at 9:50 PM, Greg Hupe via Meteorite-list < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > > Bolivia Meteorite Adventure > > By Gregory M. Hupe > > > > > > On November 20, 2016 a massive meteorite event took place over Aiquile, > Bolivia at approximately 5:00 p.m. local time. While still daylight, > Quechua Indian eyewitnesses saw ‘corkscrew’ smoke trails and heard > ‘whooshing’ noises followed by sonic booms and then stones literally > falling at their feet! > > > > Michael Farmer and I went to Aiquile to hunt for meteorites and attempt > to acquire stones from the inhabitants. Things didn’t quite work out that > way… > > > > Welcome to Aiquile Bolivia. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia1.jpg > > > > Possibly the main mass, an approximately 35-kilogram impactor. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia2.jpg > > > > Town Square in center of Aiquile. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia3.jpg > > > > Charango guitar with caballero and bull sculpture in the town square. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia4.jpg > > > > It would take us over two weeks after the fall to fly to Bolivia due to > Mike’s yearly show commitment in Japan. Just 24 hours at home after > returning from the show, Michael flew to Florida to meet me. On December > 8th we began our journey to South America from Miami. Our travels would > take us by air to Aiquile by way of La Paz and then on to Cochabamba and > then by private hire to Aiquile. With no sleep for over 30 hours of travel > from home to the dusty town near the strewnfield, we were exhausted but too > excited to rest. We went right to work meeting with fellow meteorite > hunter, Dario Ruiz, who had been there for two weeks. He introduced us to > individuals about hunting for meteorites or buying some, but our hopes were > quickly dampened by the news of the town’s government putting up road > blocks to deny access to the strewnfield. It turns out that the officials > were confiscating stones from the Quechua finders which put them in a panic > and afraid to talk to outsiders. Things quickly became complicated. > > > > Dario, Michael and Greg in Aiquile. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia5.jpg > > > > View looking up the Aiquile strewnfield from the Quechua trail. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia6.jpg > > > > Cactus are a common beauty in the strewnfield. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia7.jpg > > > > We realized we were not going to be able to hunt for stones ourselves > without the threat of arrest, or far worse, physical harm from protective > villagers we were told may use force to stop outsiders from hunting. > Knowing this, we immediately went to ‘Plan B’ and were granted secret > meetings with owners of pieces from the fall. To our thrill and amazement, > we were able to see several stones ranging from small broken fragments to > large kilo-sized pieces. Throughout the 48-hours we were on site we were > told of several large pieces included a 50-kilo ‘Puzzle Stone’ which we > believe to be just rumor as is consistent with most falls. > > > > Reflecting upon a fresh meteorite. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia8.jpg > > > > 100-plus gram fragment. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia9.jpg > > > > Same 100-gram fragment displaying ‘Slickensides’. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia10.jpg > > > > Interior indicating a shocked high metal H Chondrite. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia11.jpg > > > > On our second day we had an early start with a scheduled meeting to see > some stones, but being on ‘Bolivia time’ we sat for several hours waiting, > waiting and waiting some more. To keep us from leaving and going to other > contacts, our new friend entertained us with some guitar play dressed in > his caballero ranch clothing made of javelina, lama and other durable > animal skins. Aiquile is known as the ‘Capitol of Charango’ (guitar) where > the guitar is manufactured. It was nice to enjoy this flavor of music high > in the mountain village. > > > > Local Quechua playing a Charango guitar. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia12.jpg > > > > Video of the music of Bolivian friendship: > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Videos/AiquileBoliviaVideo1.mp4 > > > > Newly fallen meteorite with Charango guitar. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia13.jpg > > > > Noon was soon upon us with nobody bearing stones for us to consider so > we walked down the street for lunch and chose one of a few street vendors > offering potatoes and sausage. We ventured to the local market and town > square for a little tourism while we were there. The meal was very tasty > and the sightseeing was nice but we were eager to get back to work. > > > > Quechua offering an assortment of foods. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia14.jpg > > > > Aiquile market stocked with fresh fruits. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia15.jpg > > > > Coca leaves, a staple of high altitude living. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia16.jpg > > > > Grandmother and granddaughter enjoying an afternoon in town square. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia17.jpg > > > > Approaching our meeting place to see the stones we noticed two > out-of-place characters on brand new mountain bikes looking our way and > pointing a cell phone towards our direction and acting like tourists. We > knew immediately they must be government officials with their shiny bikes, > mirror sunglasses and new clothing. And we thought WE stood out in the > crowd! Most Quechua don’t own bicycles in this town, and if they did they > would be very old and worn out. Entering the hotel meeting place we were > led to a wall where we were informed that a notice was hastily taped on the > wall in the darkness of night. It was a new ‘law’, or heavy suggestion as > we surmised, that encouraged locals to hand over their finds and forbid > hunting for the meteorite or the sale of them. This new ‘Declaration 69’ > would be voted on in 60 days at which time it would either become official > law or be struck down. > > > > Young Quechua boy wearing chullo cap. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia18.jpg > > > > Small Quechua girl shopping early at the market. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia19.jpg > > > > Declaration 69 (Page 1). > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia20.jpg > > > > Declaration 69 (Page 2). > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia21.jpg > > > > Not wanting to tempt fate and be accused of stealing meteorites or be > set up by the ‘tourists’ on the mountain bikes, we decided to cut our trip > short and bug out early. We didn’t want to alert anyone of our revised > plans so we made new appointments for later that day and the next morning. > After making arrangements for an inconspicuous ‘escape’ we met with our > driver who quickly loaded our small amount of luggage and he made his way > through back alleys away from prying eyes. He stopped by an out of town > gas station but did not pull in like normal but chose to park behind a > large bush for concealment from the cameras at these locations. We would > later learn that some cars are stolen from Chile and utilized in small > villages in Bolivia without proper plates or registration after the right > people are paid off. After filling the tank from a gas can we were easily > permitted to travel an old Quechua trail. The trail was a handmade > cobblestone road that threaded alongside treacherous mountains with > hundreds of hairpin turns without guardrails and lined with 1000-foot > drop-offs. Many memorial markers lined the path indicating where many > souls met a terrifying death. > > > > Handmade Quechua cobblestone road leading towards the mountain pass. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia22.jpg > > > > ‘Highway to Hell’. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia23.jpg > > > > One of many destroyed vehicles along the Quechua trail. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia24.jpg > > > > Video of our route on the ‘Death Road’: > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Videos/AiquileBoliviaVideo2.mp4 > > > > After six hours of a white knuckle and frightening ride utilizing five > different vehicles, either for evasion from possible followers meaning to > do us harm or because of the ‘stolen car’ issue, we finally made it to > safety in Cochabamba. During our travels on the ‘Highway from Hell’ as we > called it, we received word of meteorites that were in Cochabamba that we > could possibly acquire. > > > > Three fragments of the Aiquile meteorite. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia27.jpg > > > > Fresh 437-gram fragment displaying black fusion crust and impact > markings. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia28.jpg > > > > We arrived at the pre-determined location and were escorted to a dimly > lit corridor in a downtown room without furniture. After much negotiation > in Spanish between Michael and the owner, a few pieces were purchased. The > large stone was not to be had as the owner wanted to what amounted to the > cost of a large ranch. We left content with the few pieces we managed to > get and took two different taxis to a hotel we booked online while in route > to the meeting. We took no chances of being set up or followed. Risk of > false imprisonment in South America is high so we had to constantly be on > guard and switch plans on the spot. ‘Head on a swivel’ was the motto here. > We managed to get a 2-hour power nap after changing our itinerary back to > the U.S. before we had to be at the airport to fly to La Paz. > > > > Michael standing next to fountain town square in Cochabamba. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia29.jpg > > > > Greg in front of government building at town square. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia30.jpg > > > > Upon checking into yet another spur-of-the-moment hotel, we had a few > hours for some sightseeing around the neighborhood before getting some rest > before yet another 3:00 a.m. wake up call to catch a flight. > > > > Pedro Domingo Murillo Plaza in downtown La Paz. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia31.jpg > > > > Christmas celebration at San Francisco Plaza. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia32.jpg > > > > Quechua woman wearing traditional Bolo hat and attire adding color to > downtown. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia33.jpg > > > > After departing La Paz, with a quick stop in Santa Cruz, we flew over > the jungles of Brazil, Colombia and the northern Caribbean coast over > Barranquilla. Next was a narrow of emerald-colored sea that led us over > Jamaica and over central Cuba before delivering us to Miami. > > > > Flying over the jungles of Colombia. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia34.jpg > > > > Leaving South American airspace over Barranquilla, Colombia. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia35.jpg > > > > The emerald Caribbean seas embrace the island nation of Jamaica. > > http://www.naturesvault.net/Images/AiquileBolivia/AiquileBolivia36.jpg > > > > While most of the meteorites recovered from this fall were confiscated > by the municipal government, some of those will be put on public display in > the local museum. This means that of the very few that were legally > obtained before any overnight laws potentially go into effect, very little > will be available to the collecting community. While we were prepared and > had to bug out early due to a challenging and fluid situation, we overcame > the difficulties and returned home safely. The Bolivia meteorite adventure > was a quick thrill ride composed of; Excitement, Frustration, > Disappointment, Danger, Reward and most importantly – A trip we will not > soon forget! > > > > > > > > Best Regards, > > Greg > > > > ==================== > > Greg Hupe > > The Hupe Collection > > [email protected] > > www.NaturesVault.net (Online Catalog & Reference Site) > > www.LunarRock.com (Online Planetary Meteorite Site) > > NaturesVault (Facebook, Pinterest & eBay) > > http://www.facebook.com/NaturesVault > > http://pinterest.com/NaturesVault > > IMCA 3163 > > ==================== > > > > ______________________________________________ > > > > Visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/meteoritecentral and > the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com > > Meteorite-list mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > > ______________________________________________ > > Visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/meteoritecentral and the > Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com > Meteorite-list mailing list > [email protected] > https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list >
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