Well almost everything that happens. To truly experience the fullness of this journey, you will have to take the plunge yourself. This will be a written account of the many fun adventures one can experience in Mexican Ecology. It will take on a journey through the desert, mountains, and coastal regions. Hours upon hours of adventures all within a few pages. This account will impact hopefully your course of study and your life. It will start at the beginning. A place called, the Prairie Chicken…….

Day 1

It’s Friday, and I think I have everything I need for this long journey. 8:45pm and it’s time to go. Bruce, Matt, and Mark were meeting the Ardmore gang at the restaurant. I arrived shortly before the others. About five minutes later Bruce arrived, and Emporia State was already eating. We had a few introductions and began eating our last American meal for a while. Upon finishing, we loaded up and headed for Laredo, TX where we would meet the rest of colleagues from Mississippi State. We would then take the plunge into Old Mexico.

Day 2

After meeting our new friends in Laredo, we exchanged our money and proceeded across the border. We drove to Bustamante where we camped for the evening. It was a quaint, clean town and it had a beautiful park set in the mountains with hot spring pools.

Day 3

Time to make the long trek to San Blas. A day of driving did not seem so bad at 11am, but by 12 pm, it had taken its toll. I learned more than I ever wanted about my companions on this particular ride. We explored a lot of countryside this day. It held quite a few scenic and breathtaking views, as well as a trip across the Tropic of Cancer.

(group picture at the Tropic of Cancer)

Day 4

We finally arrived at our campsite. Large palm and coconut trees on the beach surrounded by the mountains would be the scenery we were accustomed to by the end of the week. Sounds horrible I know. It really was a beautiful place as soon as you got past the mosquitoes. Later in the day, we split into groups for the weeks work. Our group started with mammology. We sat traps for small mammals and learned how to set mist nets to catch bats that night. It was an exciting day.

Day 5

Early this morning we checked our traps (we caught two mammals, a rat and a mouse) and learned how to identify animals by their tracks. The most fun was the peeling and stuffing of the mouse. We enjoyed the afternoon on the beach. That evening we spent the first half of our herpetology time searching for amphibians. We captured several species of frogs and a few turtles. It was a long, hot day but an enjoyable one.

Day 6

This would be our long trek through the mountains searching for reptiles. I could not believe how fast Mexican lizards were. It took a group of ten hours to catch one lizard. However, the countryside was beautiful and enjoyable. We spotted a few iguanas, but were not quick enough to catch them. This was the hardest day from all the terrain we encountered. Coming back to camp to our cold showers felt extremely good.

Day 7

This was our great day in the water. The one hundred foot sane in the ocean. Our group did very well at this task. We were the only group to catch a ray. After the ocean, we learned more about stream/river ecology and learned how to take measurements and samples in the different areas they contain. It was the most fun, but pulling the sane was the hardest work of the week.

(picture of me and the bat ray. You took this picture)

Day 8

It was the last day of work and ornithology was our assignment. We went once more to the mountains and learned how to identify birds by sight, sound, and capture. Handling and identifying the birds was quite fun and the instructors had a great sense of humor. It was a lot of fun. That evening we took a trip into San Blas and were fortunate enough to see a parade with children honoring Benito Juarez, an important historical Mexican figure. More importantly was the chance to eat a big, juicy steak (not really more important). Upon returning to camp, we built a large bonfire on the beach and danced/socialized with all of our new found friends for it was our last evening together.

Day 9

We took a ride through the mangrove swamps and enjoyed all the scenery. The highlight of this excursion was seeing human beings walk on water when a twelve-foot crocodile came swimming up were they were swimming. I never laughed so hard. After this, we broke down camp, took many pictures, exchanged e-mails, and said good-bye. For us, it meant off to Real de Catorce, while our Mexican friends went back home.

Day 10

Early, and I mean early, we arrived in Real. We napped in the van until the hotel opened up. We ate breakfast, had a hot shower (first in a week), and had a great day of shopping and socializing. We met Humberto Fernandez, the owner of the hotel and movie star, and his daughter. They were remarkable people. Humberto appeared in the movie The Mexican.

(picture of me and Humberto)

Day 11

One more hot shower and then we can leave Real de Catorce. Time to make a mad dash to the border. We would drive like crazy to make it back home. Around 10pm, we had crossed the border, said good-bye to MSU students, and were headed back home.

Day 12

7am and we are pulling back in to the Prairie Chicken. We said our sad good-byes to the Emporia students and went home for much needed rest.

The experience of a lifetime. Being a part of the Mexican culture, even for a week, is an exposure that will not be forgotten. The Mexican people are a kind-hearted, hard working people that struggle, in many respects, with the same things we do. However, they are a closer-knit group of people. It was fascinating to be apart of this trip. To get in on all the secrets not written hereto in requires your own voyage and passage through Mexican Ecology and Culture.