Trip Day 8

I can't believe I have survived a whole week! It was a habitat day today. We walked all the way down to transect 1 to a 20 by 20 metre plot to do some touch poles and measure trees. Once we did that we walked back via the old transect 3 and up the road. You could say I was a little sweaty! I needed a shower by this point since I didn't have one yesterday and as I did I rinsed a couple of my tops at the same time. A sit on the sofas in the museum with my book before lunch, which was delicious. Spicy minced meat and carrots with rice and hibiscus water.

I had a free afternoon and at first I laid in a hammock which Mira lent to me then I ventured to the science room because it was quiet, played some cards, did some puzzles and chatted with Jamie the habitat guy and Josh - part of the monkey team. Dinner arrived but we didn't notice. Deep in conversation. We noticed when a large queue began to form out of the kitchen. Vegetable soup and pineapple juice AND finally they brought back some bananas. We had some on the first day which were lush but hadn't seen them since.

Today was Katie and Etienne's birthdays and they had an angry bird piñata full of sweets. Which was a nice 'dessert' since we haven't really had any treats since being here.

We had a late night bat session as well and luckily we managed to get 3 and one of them were pregnant! Considering the last bat night got cancelled. I got a surprise when Veronica released the bat and it flew straight into me! At KM27 (where we were for these bats) the radio signal isn't very good and we couldn't get through to base camp since we finished our research early. The truck was coming to get us at midnight anyway but as we were early we ended up laying in the road for 45 minutes. (As I think back on that now, all the creepy crawlies that could've been on us and we didn't have a clue. Imagine the tarantulas!!) The sky was incredible though. There was a gap in the trees above us and with everything being pitch black the stars lit up so bright. There was a perfect view of the Milky Way! Best thing I've ever seen!

 

 

Toodles for now.

Mayan Ruins! - Trip Day 7

A jungle lie in today as our museum tour wasn't until 9.30 but I woke up at 5am just like every other day of the trip. I didn't mind though, it keeps me closer to UK time. Vanessa gave us a tour of the museum talking mostly about the Mayans and their temples. At 11am we set off in mini buses to the Mayan ruins of Calakmul. It was the most interesting thing I have ever seen in person. We climbed all the way to the top of structure 1 which was very steep and then to the top of structure 2 which was even steeper. By this time I was covered in sweat and smelt like a skunk but still we went up another structure which to me felt even taller than the last ones. At the top there was a swarm of dragonflies. It was beautiful but of course couldn't get them to stay still to catch a good photo. (see below)

 

 

We saw the Mayan king's house but weren't allowed in because they were excavating something. We had our lunch in the carpark. It was mole (anyone know how to put an accent onto a letter?) chilli and chocolate with chicken and rice and more hibiscus water. We left the ruins at about 4.10 pm (very specific) and took about an hour to get home and by the time we did the showers had a queue. 25
people trying to get in 2 showers. I waited until after our second lot of herpetofauna surveys so I wouldn't go to bed smelling.

We were sitting in the lecture room when the science team came in to watch a movie and since the only plugs were in this room I gathered they needed some power for the laptop. Dinner was shell shaped pasta with veggie chunks and pineapple juice. John asked me how the food was. Which was very nice, then translated it to the cook lady from the village who smiled back at me and said thank you. Some of us chatted for a bit and some played cards to pass the time before the herps.

We left around 8pm in the back of the truck to KM27. Unfortunately we didn't get any snakes but we did get some frogs. A couple really big ones and a couple really, really small. We got to the end of the transect and headed back to the truck to go jungle cruising to find random animals. We got to about KM35 and turned around to come back to camp. We had a few emergency stops because Ettiene was seeing snakes in the road. He jumped out only to find it to be a trick. It was funny. The only thing we definitely saw was a tarantula. It was a biter but Ettiene decided to pick it up anyway. We really weren't that keen but he obviously was! We got back to camp around 11pm, the latest I'd been up since we arrived at camp.  I couldn't be bothered to shower at that time of night so I wet wiped it!

Toodles for now.

First proper day of the expedition - Trip Day 4

7 am start with cornflakes and powdered milk and mammal transect lines, looking for tracks. Our team leader for this activity was Natalia from Ecuador. She was a genius because she was finding tracks everywhere when I couldn't find a thing. She pointed to indents in the leaves where an animal had trod and the faint footprint underneath, another indent where a red rocket deer had been laying and on our way back we saw a group of about 6 or 7 peccaries. One even came towards us until Natalia shooed it off.

At 11.30 we learnt some jungle skills with John the Australian. It lasted 2 hours with a detailed discussion on how to survive if your plane crashed in the middle of a jungle and some knot tying.

Lunch today was chicken soup with rice and mango juice. Definitely much better than I was expecting. Since it's a conservation trip. we were here to learn as well as help in the projects. We had a lecture about the Calakmul area that we were in. At 3.30 I was in the bird group with Tiffany the Canadian and Enrique the Mexican who knows what any bird is just from hearing its call. Unfortunately we had no birds in the mist net this afternoon. They were probably put off by the thunder going on around us.  We'll have to come back.

I had a shower in daylight today which was much easier than the dark. The shower was in a little cubicle. And dinner was those beans and mashed potato with hibiscus water. I am starting to sense a theme with those beans and also I now know I like to drink flower juice!

Toodles for now.

February 14th 2016

It's Valentine's Day today and I have no Valentine, no chocolate, no romantic dinner, but I do have work! From 11am until 10pm. Fun times.

It wasn't so bad though. The time went quite quick and the evening wasn't as busy as I thought it might be considering it was Valentine's Day. I must've finished about 9.15.

I went home, showered and just got into bed really. Watched some youtube vlogs and played mahjong. When I have to be at work all day long it doesn't really leave enough time for anything else.

February 12th 2016

Travelling home today from my mini vacay. 2 trains, a boat, another train and a walk up a hill with my suitcase. It took about 3 hours in total to get home, everything worked to the correct time. It was a simple journey.

I got home and first thing I did was have a shower. Not because I smelt but because there is something about being in your own home, showering in your own shower and eating your own food. After my shower I felt so much better. So comfy in my woolly pyjamas. But I dare not to get too cosy because in 2 hours I had work. If I got too comfy I would fall asleep and then never want to go to work. Instead I started watching The Good Dinosaur. I had heard it was good and it looked cute so thought I'd check it out.

Work was boring, not very busy but surprisingly the time went pretty quickly. I had work from 5 until close. I managed to get out by 9.30. 

I got home, put on my pyjamas again which I secretly had placed on one of our radiators so I just new it would be toasty and warm for me. Got in bed and relaxed with a not so relaxing episode of Grey's Anatomy which has just come back off it's midseason break.

February 10th 2016

Today is a lazy day. Had a shower and got dressed and ready. Watched the latest Chicago Med and Chicago Fire episodes. Drew a picture of a tree. Don't know why it just happened.

I ate a no mayo chicken sandwich. It's yoghurt and creme fraiche instead of the mayo. Less fat or something apparently. It's healthier.

Went out about 4.30 to go to some bar because the people where I'm staying are insane and start drinking early and also it's a Wednesday. I don't get the hype.

I had 2 drinks where everyone else seemed to have like 2 bottles. I didn't know anyone either so they were having conversations about things, people of which I had no clue so I just sat there. We ate chicken wings and eventually left at about 11.30.

The others decided to go out to some club. I had no desire whatsoever so I am now in my friends bed while they're out partying.

That was it for today.