Base Camp

It was nice to get out of the steamy mess of the city. We met up at the comparatively fancy Gran Hotel Sula, had our little intro to the program, then boarded a converted school bus reminiscent of my Guatemala visit, and headed out of town.

The initial bus ride was relatively short and ended at the small village of Cofradia. Still uncomfortably hot, the little community was a typical one with unpaved streets and various animals running around. In a short, chaotic span of fifteen minutes, we helped load our bags into the bed of a pickup truck and hopped into the other empty ones.

To say the least, the road heading to Base Camp was a bumpy one. Wide enough for barely more than a car in spots, with no guardrails between us and the numerous steep hillsides, the “road” wound up and up through the jungle and increasingly further from civilization. We crossed small streams that trickled over the road, and did our best to get comfortable, a task that proved difficult with the many large bumps and a steep upgrade that made all bodies gradually slide to the back of the truck bed, readjust, and repeat for the duration of the two-hour climb.

I try not to have expectations about these sorts of things, so my first glimpse of Base Camp was a relatively neutral one. The camp was laid out neatly with dozens of tents protected by tarps, a main office, and a building containing the computer and genetics labs. We were given a brief tour, which included directions to the urinal, a.k.a. a PVC tube sticking into the ground; the showers, whose water temperature is identical to that of the groundwater; and two types of toilets. One of these was a set of regular toilets that, although not connected to actual plumbing, still “flush” the water that you bring in from a bucket, but I have yet to figure out the process. That said, when it comes time to drop the Cosby kids off at the pool, I opt for the simpler “Long Drop”, which is essentially a standard outhouse containing a PVC vent pipe.

As spartan as my summer existence may sound, I am living in a veritable palace compared to the other camps scattered throughout Cusuco National Park. Here we have internet (weather permitting), showers, and entertainment such as movies at night. The other camps have none of these things, nor tents for that matter, just hammocks enveloped by mosquito nets. So, it is difficult to complain about conditions here and, overall, I am content with the level of luxury we have at Base Camp.

The little discomforts associated with this place, such as cold showers and often monotonous food, are the easiest to deal with. It is the more persistent annoyances that pose greater challenges. One of the main examples of these, to me, is the humidity. It is not hot here, in fact often somewhat chilly, but the dampness is penetrating and constant. Being over a thousand meters above sea level, we are literally in the clouds at times, so the moisture gets everywhere- on computer screens and benches, tent floors, towels, and, of course, clothes. We may not be hot or cold but, to be sure, we are damp.

In addition to the humidity, boredom is a nagging concern. The camp operators do their best to keep us entertained but, this being a dry camp (technically a dry park), the lack of alcohol makes for some dull evenings. Initially we found little things to keep us occupied, such as gathering around the blueness of the bug light, as drawn to the glow as the insects themselves, watching the huge variety of strange creatures fluttering about. The light, which was our equivalent of a fire to stand around, hasn’t been on in awhile, so we end up just listening to music and occasionally playing cards to pass the time.

Our little routines make the evenings go by decently enough, but since the majority of camp tenants are young people, we would jump at any opportunity to go out and party once in awhile. We have already examined, albeit somewhat jokingly, the possibility of drinking some of the ethanol used to preserve specimens, but concluded that, since the additional additives of the liquid were designed to prevent bored individuals such as ourselves from reaching our goals, we should probably hold out for some less toxic beverages.

I have considered smuggling in some beer from the nearby village of Buenos Aires, but since I am part of the staff here, and since it is still early in the season, I am reluctant to pursue such a risky endeavor at this point. Another week of lackluster evenings, however, and we’ll see what sort of chances I’ll be willing to take.

In the meantime, enjoy your warm, dry houses, your freedom to drink and eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and keep on reading!