Traveler Profile: delacouri

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Screen name:

delacouri

Age:

Gender:

Female

If you must know:

I'm single

Travel status:

Traveling now

Hometown:

nashville, tennessee

Currently in:

vietnam

Expert Vietnam

I adore Vietnam!! ive been 5 times since 2001 for research purposes, but always gain so much beyond the purview of my projects. i know northern vietnam well-- have explored all parts of Hanoi (my favorite city!) and lived in rural communes and camped in forest along the old Ho Chi Minh trail in central Vietnam. i speak Vietnamese pretty well. While I originally went to Vietnam to study and help preserve wildlife, I fell instantly in love with the people, culture, food, and way of life of this dynamic and richly stirring country.

Favorite places I've been:

every step of northern vietnam; kruger national park, south africa; galapagos, ecuador; ecuadorian amazon; grenada; inside passage of canada/alaska; denali national park, alaska

Places I want to go to:

antarctica
egypt and madagascar
all over africa
to see gorillas and chimps in equatorial africa
to see orangs and proboscis monkeys in indonesia
bhutan, tibet and india
australia and new zealand
the rest of europe (only covered london and paris so far...)
the coast of maine
prince edward island, canada

About me:

im a phd student at duke university, moving to vietnam in june for 15 months to collect the data for my dissertation. i study the behavioral ecology of the Delacour's langur, a critically endangered leaf-eating monkey endemic to limestone karsts of northern vietnam. there are only about 300 individuals left of this species, but they show an incredible adaptation (rock-climbing and sleeping in caves)to these harsh limestone outcroppings. i get to live among a village community that has become a second family, study and help save some of the rarest creatures on earth. i absolutely love what i do! :)

Profile URL:

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/travel-community-delacouri

Read more about delacouri

I'm fired up on:

conserving biodiversity, human rights, illegal wildlife trade in southeast asia, animals, being outside, Darfur, Duke divestment from Sudan, living cruelty-free, veganism, my family and friends, npr, teaching, making a difference, running, laughing and living a very full life

Tunes I rock out to:

i love listening to the local stuff so i hardly take my own music... but reggae, bluegrass, and the dead are on my life's soundtrack

Travel style:

mostly by myself, because of research. but i have had some unforgettable trips with loved ones... a friend once told me when it comes to travelling, 'never say no' and i mostly don't...love to wander the streets of wherever i am and get lost- find thats the best way to get to know a place. i trust easily and find most people to be incredibly warm and generous

Quote:

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sports I do:

ultimate frisbee, long distance running, rock climbing

Favorite artist(s):

sam bush, dead, dylan, ani, marley, yonder mtn string band

Favorite books:

mostly political and historical non-fiction; love anything by bill bryson and kurt vonnegut and george orwell

Who I'd like to meet on my travels:

interesting people

I want to make a difference by:

my actions my words
...helping vietnamese colleagues save their naturall heritage (especially the limestone langurs, which along with most wildlife have been decimated by the illegal wildlife trade in se asia)
...doing my part to end support of the genocidal regime in Khartoum (duke is working on divestment with the university administration)
...being the best aunt i can to my niece lily!

Languages spoken, other than English:

vietnamese

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when:

when living in vietnam...sharing tea and fruit with friends in their one-room house in the early evening after work, while intergenerational neighbors walked in and out of open doors

Why I travel:

in every way i just have to; the excitement the adventure the faces the smells the sounds as i fall asleep the airflights the views the unbelievably warming, swelling sensation in my stomach and the smile and joy that i cant suppress which bubbles up in laughter

Ideal place to watch the sunrise:

flatirons, boulder

Ideal place to watch the sunset:

over the ricefields, vietnam

Before I die I'd like to:

run a marathon on all 7 continents

My links:

http://www.primatecenter.org/
http://www.sudanreeves.org/

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by jimmyb | 2009/11/16

Thank you for the wonderful pictures. Your monkeys have some pretty stellar outfits. I'm looking forward to Vietnam next month and think I'll focus more of my energies to "every step of northern vietnam" after seeing your pictures. Have a wonderful time during your 15 months! Jim B.

by danmur | 2009/08/31

Loved your photos!

by fajarajie | 2009/08/26

hi delacouri,
i wonder if you could share some tips about vietnam? i'm going there in december. i found it that you are the only expert on vietnam so here i am :D
cheers

by halamen | 2009/06/27

Hi delacouri,

Co-editor of Matador Trips here. As you may know, each Monday we feature one of the community's destination experts on Trips. It includes info from your Matador bio, links to your personal blog(s) and/or other writing, and an invitation for people to contact you with questions about your region of expertise.

Would you be interested in being featured? Let me know.

Cheers,

- Hal

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by 11eleven | 2009/05/15

Hello -
Vietnam is one of my top 3 places I want to visit next and it is my favorite cuisine in the states. Vietnamese food in some cities is growing in popularity and to my added enjoyment in my neighborhood. Could you tell me when the best months to visit are? As far as weather, humidity etc. I appreciate any insight and also loved looking at your photographs.
Angela
"Peace&Blessings" 11*11

by Hannah Pocock | 2009/04/06

P.S. Your Delacour's langur pictures are spectacular!

by Hannah Pocock | 2009/04/06

Hi! I spent a month traveling up and down the coast of Vietnam last year as part of a five month trip around East and Southeast Asia, and I fell completely in love with the country. I've managed to land myself a research project in Vietnam this summer, so I'll be spending two weeks in Danang in mid to late May. Do you know anything about the area around Danang? I know it's not your particular area of expertise, but I thought I'd check! I won't have time to do much more than a weekend day trip or two, but I'm wondering if there are any interesting places I should explore in or around Danang (besides Hoi An and My Son, both of which I saw last time I was in Vietnam). Any thoughts?

Peace,
Hannah

by Mojo | 2008/10/18

You take amazing photographs!!! I love how you focus on animals and things that are green!

Keep it up!

-MOJO
"Live simply, so that others may simply live."

by Kdeez | 2007/03/21

Thank you for sharing your photos, they are a great view into the roots and essence of the places you have been. Looking forward to seeing more!
Kd

by Ben | 2007/03/20

Amazing Photos!! Thanks for taking the time to upload those. Take a look folks, a great slide show.

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"Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. there is no why." vonnegut

By delacouri | Location: Vietnam | 04/05/07 | Pics: 5

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Border of Vietnam and Laos
Central Vietnam 2004

Hello all:
The final and most exciting leg of this Vietnamese journey has concluded. I returned on an overnight train to Hanoi from Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park early this morning. The survey was an incredible success...

"The universe is a big place, perhaps the biggest." vonnegut.

By delacouri | Location: Vietnam | 04/05/07 | Pics: 3

Sapa and Hanoi
Vietnam 2004

Sapa was smashing. A bustling, colorful town set in the midst of lush,
green mountains. The overnight trainride was nice and I awoke to us chugging
alongside a river dotted with the occasional dugout carrying a fisherman or
two. I had a corner room in a hotel that overlooked...

"peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from god." -bokonon. vonnegut

By delacouri | Location: Vietnam | 04/04/07 | Pics: 0

Van Long Nature Reserve
Vietnam 2005

Now here at Van long--been here for 3 weeks, and tomorrow is my last day.
what can I say-so much has happened...the site is about 2600 hectares in 7
communes with many villages around. there are about 8 groups with roughly 80
animals over a few chains of...

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"Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. there is no why." vonnegut

"The universe is a big place, perhaps the biggest." vonnegut.

"peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from god." -bokonon. vonnegut