This post continues the retelling of my time in Belize: participating in an archaeological field school and learning about jaguar conservation. Reading the previous entries in this series will help this one to make more sense.
As a result of the events detailed in the last post, I now had to spend 2-3 days resting. Therefore, this a good time to describe my accommodations.
The site where I stayed is officially called the R.E.W. Research Facility, but it is more commonly referred to as Texas Camp. This is because Drs. Valdez and Adams – who started the Program for Belize Archaeological Project (PfBAP) – were both from Texas. Even today, most of the students who participate in the field school are from the University of Texas at Austin.
Despite being located in the middle of a subtropical rainforest, Texas Camp proved to be incredibly comfortable. The grounds were open enough to allow the breeze to flow through, but there was still decent tree cover. The walkways were also lined with gravel, which provided protection from chiggers. These mites were plentiful in the area, and they would infest the feet of anyone who walked in the grass without shoes – causing severe itching for days. But Texas Camp had more to offer than gravel paths.
It was remarkable how many amenities we had, considering our location. There were cold water showers, a screened-in dining hall, latrines (outhouses), a hand-washing station, and three different sleeping arrangements.
One option was to choose a cabaña, which was essentially a small wooden cabin. They had beds and privacy, but they seemed to be reserved for faculty members and experienced participants. Many first-year students slept in the dorms. These facilities were located on the second floor of the building that housed the field lab (see the featured image), and they had the advantage of being indoors. But I wanted to be outside, so I opted for a tent.
Staying in a tent in the jungle might not seem ideal, but it was. At Texas Camp, most of the tents were grouped together in an area known as “Tent City.” It was covered by a corrugated metal roof, and the floor consisted of a raised bed of sand. This meant that we had protection from the rain, as well as soft ground. The tents’ large, screened windows allowed for good air circulation, and everyone was given a mattress to sleep on. I found this arrangement to be quite agreeable.
The tents had another advantage. Sleeping outside meant that I had a front-row seat to the nightly chorus. I loved to listen to the nighttime calls of the various creatures, except for the howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra). They sounded exactly like dinosaurs from Jurassic Park, and would howl as loud as possible for most of the night. However, I eventually got used to them. In fact, I actually missed the howlers when they stopped calling later in the season.
As if nightly music was not enough, we also had meals prepared for us at Texas Camp. The PfBAP employed several Belizean cooks, and they graciously made breakfast and dinner for us. Breakfast always consisted of scrambled eggs, fruit, some type of carb (tortillas, fry jacks, or rolls), oatmeal, cheese, and beans. Our dinners varied, but they were always fantastic. We had fajitas, fried chicken, several varieties of rice and beans, and many more delicious meals.
As far as lunch was concerned, the people working in the field usually brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with them. We would hurriedly prepare them after breakfast, scrambling to finish before the next group arrived (our breakfasts and dinners operated on a shift system). I must admit, by the end of my time at Texas Camp I could not stand peanut butter and jelly. Fortunately, the cooks made lunch for the participants who remained in camp. This is what I would be doing for the next few days.
The Jaguar 
I should have loved to have heard that night-time chorus!
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It was incredible. It was infinitely better than the chorus I grew up with, which consists of: traffic, people screaming, emergency sirens, and the occasional loud boom.
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Wow ! What an incredible experience !
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It was! Texas Camp was a lovely place to stay, considering we were in the middle of a subtropical rainforest.
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It’s on my bucket list, want to spend at least a night in the tropical forest ! Is it weird?🙈
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That’s not weird at all! I love tropical forests! However, I recommend you try to stay for at least a week. The conditions in tropical forests can be very uncomfortable, and it’ll take your body a few days to adjust to them. So if you only stay one night, you might not be able to fully appreciate your surroundings.
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Ah yes I can totally understand what you mean !! will keep that in my mind for sure ;)
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I might have told you this already, but it’s on my bucket list to spend time in some of the natural areas in Pakistan. Your country has many beautiful landscapes and fascinating creatures (especially snow leopards).
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Aah yes I think when you first visited my blog you mentioned ! That’d be so awesome if you could visit Pakistan and enjoy the natural beauty. Its so unique in it’s own way ! Wishing you luck !
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I’d love to spend time in the Karakorum Mountains, and of course hang out with real Pakistanis. There would also be sooooooo much history to explore.
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Yessss absolutely!! I really really hope you do get to visit all these natural terrains and explore our culture and people. Maybe one day I’d be reading a post about it on your blog ;)
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Haha, I hope you do get to read about that on here someday :)
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Josh ! I love your campsite. Into the wild. It must be such an experience to stay amidst nature !
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It is! Have you ever had a chance to stay amidst nature before? I’m also curious to know if camping is popular in India or the UAE? One of my dreams is to spend time sleeping out in the desert, preferably in a very simple tent (not one of the modern ones).
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I gave never done pure camping before although I’ve recently bought a tent and I so long to go out into the wild !
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You should! I recommend trying to find some friends who are interested in organizing a camping trip with you.
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Muy buenas fotos Josh! tienen todo bien organizado por lo visto :)
Los monos les llegaron a robar alguna cosa? jajaja
Un beso!
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No, los monos nunca robaron nada. Pero los monos aulladores fueron ruidosos por las noches.
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Que bueno eso! Porque hay algunos que tienden a hacerlo y es un bajón quedarte con la mitad de tus cosas jajaja.
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The three settings of accommodation – especially the tents with the jungle setting and all the comforts despite the remote location like the fantastic meals and cold showers are just a wow. I wish I too can join you some day in one such camp
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We were very fortunate to have so many comforts! You never know, maybe some day you will get to join me :)
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Yeppp ! Hope so too :)
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