The Mexican Journey of 2001 By Joseph Barnett Destination: San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico Mexican Ecology & Culture (CON2233) 2001
Schedule: March 16, 2001 - We're off to Mexico March 17, 2001 - Arrived in Bustamante March 19, 2001 - Finally made to Matanchen Bay March 19-23, 2001 - Ecological fieldwork March 24, 2001 - The Boat Ride and the Mexican students departure March 25, 2001 - Departed from Manachen Bay; arrived in Real de Catorce March 27, 2001 - Departed from Catorce headed home March 28, 2001 - Arrived back home

In the following text are my journal entries of my experiences in Mexico. As like many of the students heading to Mexico for this course past and present I already had a different perspective for the country I have not even seen. From the moment the group past the first roadblock every thing I imagined about the life and culture of Mexico started to change. Not only were there culture shocks but the beauty of the landscape and the multitude of fauna and flora that I had never seen would never leave my mind. Mexico was a mesmerizing New World that I could never forget and someday return to explore once again

Entries from Joe's Journal Day

ONE (Going to Mexico) The Murray State group headed out to meet the Kansas Emporium group in Ardmore, OK. Introductions were the usual and like all people meeting for the first it takes time for the bonding to take affect. We all headed south on I-35 late at night. It didn't take long for the entire group to doze off but they would awake at first light at our countries border waiting to step foot into someone else's country. The anticipation was unbearable. We crossed the border and after a long delay with some misplaced paper work we were finally off. The first roadblock was a very different experience. The idea of a military controlled made us a little nervous because the Federalis stood around with fully automatic assault rifles. This would take some "getting used too".

We Stopped for Dinner!

We stopped the night in the Chihuahuan Desert in Bustamante in a canyon but it was too dark to see exactly what the area looked like. The campsite had hot springs with ciclids and even a native from the states, which was Diamond-back Water Snake. The flora and fauna of Mexico at the border was like South Texas. It wouldn't be until the next day that we would realize the beauty of this country.

Day 2 (The Canyon)

We awoke and were spellbound at what we saw. I new we were staying at some canyons but not at the bottom. The clouds moved through the tops of the canyon walls. The diversity of flora on the canyon floor was amazing! I had never seen a place like this before. We could have stayed there forever and I would have been satisfied but we had to move on because the journey had only begun. We traveled through many mountains and watched the desert ecosystem turn to a montane ecosystem and back again. We drove all day long and at that afternoon we reached the Tropic of Cancer. It was a long ways from home at that point already and it was still 12 hours away! After a few pictures we headed on. There was part of Mexico I did not like and that was the Guadalajara. If I never see that city again it wouldn’t be missed in my mind. The number of people there was unbelievable and it was 3:00 AM. The police patrolled the night with their red and blues on and citizens protected their businesses with rifles against who ever. Luckily we passed through quickly.

Day 3 (We made it!)

We arrived after about twenty checkpoint and thirty roadblocks, wild mountain roads, and crazy city drivers our destination was here in Manachen Bay near San Blas. We unpacked quickly and after breakfast we started what we came to do. Everyone broke into his or her groups headed out to start the fieldwork. My group started with the Ichthyology fieldwork and we headed out on to he beach to start seining shoreline. I saw critters I always wanted to see in our first haul like a Spotted Sea Ray, crabs, Spiny Blowfish, and even a Flounder. We gathered the specimens up and took them back to camp to identify and record our collections. Then we headed off to the Crocodile Farm. This was a reintroduction farm that would raise these crocs then release them into the wild. Here we snorkeled in a pool with all sorts of cool critters. We left and headed back to camp.

The group ate lunch and a few of us headed to a near by town. The town was a fishing village but had an inner beauty for it was simple. No flashing lights, any televisions or stereos blaring everywhere. We bought a few supplies like water because I still was not sure about the water yet. We headed back and walked the beach. I sat on the beach and was just amazed at the idea that I was on the pacific coastline in Mexico. I even met a new friend in Mexico that could speak my language quite well. She would help us out quite a bit the next day.

Day 4 (The herps)

I awoke early and just lay in my tent and listened to the waves pound the shoreline. It was tranquility at its best. The herpetology rotation was today. We headed out to a remote area of forest that looked like a seen from the movie "Medicine Man". Extremely thick canopies that reached to sky. We herped for a few hours but no luck so we headed off to another which was a banana plantation. We found a few critters like anoles, Mexican Vine Snake, mud turtles, and a unknown frog because I couldn't translate the its common name but thank goodness for the universal scientific name. After a good hike we headed back to take a break until dark. We headed back out to look for frogs in a creek. I had no luck capturing any frogs but one of American students from Kansas was a herping fool. She couldn't keep from catching these critters which devastated me because I spend all my free time at home in ponds of Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge collecting and identifying critters but couldn't catch one frog. I got over it quickly when I new I been out classed.

Day 5 (The Birds)

The ornithology rotation was quite rewarding. We headed out early and started birding in the same location we started the following morning with reptiles. We saw birds from Boat-billed Kiskadees to White-fronted Parrots. I had so many birds to add to my life list I was on "Cloud 9". After lunch we set up mist nets and caught a few ruddy ground doves and from there we went back to camp and started mammalogy rotation. We went out to a roadside field and set up Sherman traps and Tomahawk traps for small mammals. The traps would be checked in the morning. So from there we headed back to the same creek we herped at to set up mist nets for bats. We caught a few fruit bats and even two vampire bats that I never imagined to see. I was very pleased of that experience.

Day 6 (The rats and bats)

The next morning we headed out to check the mammal traps. We collected rice rats from the traps and took two back to be used as museum collections. My grouped survived we were finished. It was siesta time. I went back to town to look around some and when we got back we went to San Blas. San Blas was a really cool town. The square was amazing because the merchants had all sorts of handmade crafts and art that I couldn't help but buy and the food was excellent.

Day 7 (The crocs oh my!)

The entire group got onto the Mexican students' bus and headed out to a river nearby. We all loaded up on boats and head downstream. The flora embraced the river to form a cave, which was really cool. The birds on the river were outstanding. We saw Boat-billed herons (my favorite), blue herons in breeding colors, and I even got an excellent shot of a cormorant drying out his feathers. One bird we saw that was awesome was a Common Potoo. This bird resembled a tree branch so well I don't even know how the boat operator spotted it. At the halfway point of the boat ride we stopped at a fenced in pool we're we could swim and snorkel. While we were snorkeling a large crocodile swam right up to the fence. I got to see her face-to-face underwater it was absolutely awesome! After that we headed back to the bus and went back to camp. It was time for the Mexican students to leave so after about a thousand good-byes and a million camera shots they were off. The rest of us went back to San Blas to buy some more souvenirs.

Day 8 (LONG, LONG Drive)

After we packed quickly and early I went down to the beach to have one last look. It wouldn't be the last time I would see the Pacific again I thought to myself. We were off again and after another ride through that crazy city called Gautalahara we spent the entire day driving until that night we made it to mine shaft you could drive through which was really cool. Once we exited the shaft we were in a town called Real de Catorce. The group went straight to the rooms and went to sleep after all the driving.

Day 9 (Real de Catorce)

The day was spent exploring the wonders this town held and like all semi big towns in Mexico it had a cool market but first I wanted to explore the mine. The mine was cool it was over a mile long but the only downside to it was no ventilation so with all the vehicles passing through it got to be a little short breathed. We explored the Catholic Church in this town that had architecture and artwork of great beauty. I'm not very religious at all but this place had a very uplifting spiritual feeling to it. We spent one more night here so we would be rested up for the trip home.

Day 10 (heading home)

We shopped a little more that morning and then we headed off. We drove the rest of the day and ran into a heavy fog bank that slowed us down quite a bit but we made it to the border before midnight. The first thing we did was exchanging our money into U.S. currency and locate a place to eat. The food was good in Mexico but everybody was ready for some good greasy American food. We ate and off we went again.

Day 11 (Goodbye and Home)

Just before we went our different ways the Oklahoma students and Kansas students stopped to say good-bye to each other. Ten days together really brought all of us close. We watched as they drove off then home we went. As soon as we arrived at the campus everyone unpacked the vans and headed on to their homes.

Of all trips I have ever been on and to all the places I have ever been I have never experienced anything like it. I had many stories to tell everyone when I got to the home.