Arrival

After a few hours of driving, we turned into a small opening in the forest at the side of the road. The smooth asphalt gave way to a dirt road which ran through a savanna, with dry forest in the distance. Soon we came upon a small camp that would be our home for the next week.

(view of the camp from the creek)

Our camp this time around was a small farm on the edge of the forest and savanna. There was no bath or beds, or toiletries for that matter. Instead, we bathed, washed and got our water from the flowing black water creek at the base of a small incline. For the toilet we had a small shovel, a cutlass, and a light, which was an experience by itself. We were a few miles from an Amerindian village called St. Cuthbert's mission. The village was small, though, and we only knew it was there from the faint glow off in the distance at night. The owner of the farm and his family were our hosts. His wife and daughter cooked for us, while he was our guide. This was his land, and he knew it like the back of his hand.

(the creek)

We spent the rest of the afternoon getting the equipment off the bus and setting up the camp. This consisted mostly of Leram and I asking for help and watching them put up the tarps. We managed with our own hammocks, until we found out that we'd set them up badly and would have to put them up again. Needles to say, a lot was learned that day. Eventually, we got everything set up in time for dinner, and then after a bit, were off to bed.

(our final hammock setup)