Mexico:

An Adventure South of the Border

By: Kimberly A. Urick (me on right)

March 13- March 25, 1998

Destination- San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico

Mission: Travel 30 hours to San Blas, experience the ecology and culture of Mexico, participate in various field studies, and ultimately, broaden our horizons

Schedule:

March 13-15ð 30 hour drive to San Blas

March 16-21ð Series of ecological studies in San Blas, Nayarit

Day 1: Make camp on the beach; meet students from Mexican universities

Day 2: Morning session in ornithology; mammalogy in evening

Day 3: Finished session of mammalogy

Day 4: Ichthyology- morning and evening session of seining; snorkeling at crocodile farm

Day 5: Herpetology- Field study involved the intense pursuit of lizards and snakes

Day 6: Group river boat ride; evening in San Blas

March 22ð Departure, good-byes, and the MSC group heads onward to Real de Catorce

March 22-23ð Real de Catorce, Huichol Indian ceremonial site

March 23-25ð Journey back to Oklahoma

The following paragraphs are journal entries that describe some of the key events of my trip to Mexico. I began the journey to San Blas with no expectations. This was an opportunity to explore Mexico, make new friends, and to participate in a series of ecological studies including ornithology, mammalogy, ichthyology, and herpetology. Not only would I be expanding my knowledge of science, but my image of Mexico would change dramatically.

Journal Entries

Let the journey begin...

The idea of traveling over 2000 miles to a destination near San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, never seemed to phase the members of our group. Most of us embarked on this journey as strangers, willing to accept the uncertainty of whether or not we could stand one another. Of course there were small groups of friends, but as we began the first leg of the trip, I think we all looked around at the other passengers in the van and contemplated the intriguing outcome of the whole destination. Our conversations were in-depth discussions of every imaginable topic, and as we drove through Texas and approached the border, a sense of unity spread throughout the group. These were the people we would be spending the next week-and-a-half with. Each person had their own expectations, reasons for embarking on the journey, but overall, I think we visualized the opportunity as a chance to escape the normal everyday, stressful activities of living in our society and attending college.

Mexico’s Mystic National Park

After a night and day of traveling and the tiresome process of obtaining our visas, we followed our fearless leader into the night and arrived in a National Park to camp. Since darkness blanketed the surrounding landscape, we were content to leave exploration until morning. We set up tents and unloaded gear, anticipating a dip in the pools of water.

At 7:00 a.m. I quickly dressed, shoved my contacts in my eyes, and quietly stepped out of my tent so I would not wake LeeAnn. Stepping no more than 5 yards away, the view literally took my breath away. The mountains were blanketed in mist, and I felt as though I had awaken into my own private paradise. The scene seemed almost too perfect as I gazed at the bathing pools at the base of the mountains. I remember gazing at the little fish that swam throughout the crystal water and then my eyes shifted towards the tremendous abundance of vegetation surrounding us. The greenery was amazing and I secretly wished that we could stay here for awhile. There are rare moments in life when you come across such beauty and tranquility, but I discovered a treasured landscape that morning that will linger in my thoughts forever. I had the opportunity to think only of myself, concentrate on the magnificent sight before me, and take pictures of the mystical land before the morning mist fell away and everyone was awake. It is definitely one of my favored images of Mexico.

Night Passage Over the Sierra Madres

Our thirty hour drive consisted of the van’s passengers sleeping in a communal fashion with little to disturb our peaceful slumber. However, as we made the journey across the steep, winding roads of the Sierra Madres, we were jostled awake. Although it was two or three in the morning, the silhouettes of mountains and the lights below us peaked our senses. As I peered down the mountain sides at burning lights, I wondered if people ever missed a turn on the road and found out just how far below the beaconing lights were. No, I was not concerned about Garth’s driving, but as other cars and trucks passed us, the believed immortality of man seemed like such a fragile prospect. Man survives by living with an arrogance that they will never succumb to death, but life’s fragility was illustrated several times throughout our trip.

Arrival in San Blas

MSC students and the students from the Mexican Universities begin work...

The students were divided up into groups, and Scott and I were stationed together. The first day we departed at 6:00 a.m. and began a session of ornithology along the river near Aticama. We spent the morning observing tropical and native birds of Nayarit, Mexico, and as Francisco ( one of the male members of my group) translated what the professor was saying, I was able to communicate through him. Every 100 meters, we stopped and recorded the various bird species, counted the population, and recorded the behavior of the birds stipulating whether they were breeding or catching insects for example. There were two specific instances where the birds were breeding and we observed and took pictures. We stayed in the field until 11:30, and then returned to camp for a break. I enjoyed ornithology and following is a list of just a few birds observed by our group.

Birds of San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico

American white pelican green kingfisher

brown pelican grey-crowned woodpecker

great blue heron purple martin

great egret mangrove swallow

green heron red-tailed hawk

king rail hermit thrush

spotted rail water pipit

Mammalogy/ Mastozoology

The same day our group participated in ornithology, we were scheduled to spend the afternoon concentrating on mammalogy. Each student was given three Sherman traps and one wire cage live trap. Bait consisted of whole bananas mixed with vanilla extract, or we were able to use oats mixed with water and vanilla. We hiked up a hillside on a road towards a garbage dump, and set a line of traps with each trap being about five meters apart. The traps were checked the next day at 6:00 a.m. and out of 50 traps, we only caught three field mice. Our 6% success rate was not exceptionally good, but since most of the group consisted of amateur trappers, the results were acceptable. I myself did not catch any of the specimens, but Scott was able to catch one in his Sherman trap.

The day we set the traps, we also set up nets to catch bats and we checked them twice during the night. At 8:00 p.m., we left to check on our nets and we caught and untangled two leaf-nosed bats from the nets. We observed three or four other bats flying around and when we checked the nets at 9:45, we caught four more bats. We took down the nets because we had already collected enough specimens, and of the six, we only kept three to practice taxidermic skills on.

The day the specimens were collected from the live traps, our group divided up into sections of 2-3, and we removed the carcass and proceeded to stuff of body of each sample. Dwight, Scott and I worked together, but Dwight primarily prepared the leaf-nosed bat. We mounted it, tagged it, and then worked on the most significant result of our efforts. The female bat had been pregnant and we removed the fetus and preserved it in a specimen jar. The minute bat was so fragile, yet so beautiful. Observing and recording this particular specimen was the most exciting part.

Ichthyology

I thoroughly enjoyed our session of Ichthyology, and my favorite part was probably seining in the ocean with the net. Although it was hard at times to carry the net and fight the waves, we seined three times that morning. There was one time when a wave forced me under and I almost got wrapped in the net, but I didn’t panic and resurfaced after a short while. I chose to stay near Scott and Bruce because I figured if anything happened to me they would probably notice and help me. I wasn’t worried, but sometimes it is best to take precautionary measures. We caught several interesting specimen, and we identified them using special keys. Later that day we drove to a river and Bruce showed us various techniques to test water for its level of oxygen, pH-level and other characteristics. We also used small net to catch the aquatic life in the river, and I enjoyed the group participation immensely.

We visited a crocodile farm and walked around the reptiles that were locked in cages. They are majestic creatures, and when you consider the fact that they have been around for eons, I find myself in admiration of their beauty and resilience. I photographed them and hoped the pictures would capture some of their majesty. We then put on our mask and snorkel and went into the water to observe the fish in their environment. Accepting that there were crocodiles nearby, we stayed behind a marked point and swam throughout the area. We then tried to space ourselves about 3 meters apart and maintain a stationary position and count the number of fish for a period of five minutes, but our study was disturbed by a boat. Our group and the professors then returned to camp. Overall, I enjoyed snorkeling and wished we would have had more time to practice, but after a long day, we were all ready to leave.

That night around 7:00 p.m., the last session of Ichthyology took place. We seined at night approximately three times and our greatest find was a blowfish. I preferred seining at night because I finally wore my spandex wetsuit which protected my legs from the net. The water was warmer and the ocean waves were fairly calm. It was exciting to be out there, but I was glad to finally take a shower, rest and talk to all the other students.

Herpetology

Our last session included an intense field session of Herpetology, and our group set off around 9:00 a.m. and for about four hours we walked out in the vegetation near the river and road looking for lizards and snakes. We found several lizards and chased them down, took their temperatures, and identified them. We covered many miles, and we stopped along the river by a swimming hole and Francisco dove for frogs, but we never caught them. We headed back to camp and that night we were scheduled to search for frogs that night, but I fell asleep in my tent and missed it. It was this same night that LeeAnn, Cindy, and Ray almost drowned and they all had a very emotional recount of the evening. I think about how they must have felt, and the helplessness that tried to overtake them would have been very traumatic and frightening, but they had one another and the rest of the group to help themselves deal with the situation

Last Day of Activities

All the students participating in the ecological and cultural trip to Mexico loaded into the bus and we arrived at a dock and climbed into river boats. We traveled for about 10-15 minutes on the water and stopped at an area where we could snorkel or simply sit at tables and talk to one another. Most of us chose to sit and enjoy the beautiful morning while enjoying a Coca-cola, but Garth ventured out into the water and snorkeled. We then rode the boats back to the dock and spent the afternoon at camp resting for out trip into San Blas.

In San Blas, we had an opportunity to shop and Tanya and I bought jewelry and she helped me to bargain with the people selling the art work, jewelry, and other items made in San Blas. We were there for a few hours and I enjoyed having the opportunity to sit on the steps of the town square’s gazebo and absorb the rich atmosphere. People were talking with one another, couples walked down the streets holding hands, and children ran and played throughout the area. It was such a harmonic setting, and as we left it behind, I knew my last image of San Blas would stay with me forever.

Real de Catorce

After a day of driving, we reached the tunnel that would take us to a secluded silver mining town hidden behind the mountain. The tunnel was amazing and the streets were equally impressive with their cobblestone and steep inclines. We stayed in the most beautiful hotel: the rooms were separated by stairwells, each decorated in a southwestern style, and the authenticity was breathtaking. It was also the first opportunity that we were able to take a warm shower, and we savored this small luxury. That night after cleaning up, many of us stood on the roof and looked out across the desolate town. The serene beauty and lack of activity made it seem like we were the only ones present in this magnificent world. I felt this amazing peace and contentment within myself, a feeling that had been present throughout my stay in San Blas, but now there was a degree of melancholy shadowing my emotions. Our journey was coming to an end, and although we would be home in a few short days, I think the whole experience in Mexico had broadened our horizons significantly.

Final day in Mexico...

After shopping a little, most of the members in our group decided to make the long, somewhat difficult hike up a mountain to the Huichol Indian ceremonial site near Real de Catorce. It was probably a 5-6 mile hike all together, but I made it. When we first set off, I doubted my ability to finish. It was difficult to climb at the high altitude, but once we made it to the top, the view made the hours of climbing worth it. Some of the offerings were beautiful, and those of us who made it cut off pieces of our hair, braided them together and tied them to a bush. We left a piece of ourselves behind, but I think we all gained immense spiritual well-being by spending time focusing on our future, finding peace within us, and by taking a moment to meditate. Eventually we walked back down to the city, but I hope to return one day to walk upon the ceremonial site once more.

We left for home that night and drove straight through. Back to our homes in Oklahoma, our luxurious way of life, and behind us our journey to Mexico. However, Mexico will live on in our minds, and I believe we shall all return one day on yet another adventure.

As you can probably gather from my journal entries, the trip was absolutely amazing. The members of our group that traveled together will always be bound by our memories, and I hope after you read about our experiences, you will be encouraged to embark on a journey of your own. I know that I will forever remember my first trip to Mexico, but I hope to travel various parts of the world throughout my life.

That is me on the right in the photograph above. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at:

www.kimberlyu@hotmail.com