 |
Trip, Tour & Travel Reviews
return to the www.dalisllama.com Adventure Page
go to the www.dalisllama.com Main Page
|
Belize, Please
Blue Creek Archaeological Dig, in Belize, 2001
|
This Reviewer:
Name: Denis Larsen
Citizen: US citizen
Age: 61 years old
Background/Education: Industrial Designer/Graphic Artist with no background in archaeology,
First time on a dig, second time in Belize.
Review Written: July 2001
|
|
|
 |
Hayley, Sarah & Bob
in the pit |
 |
Our huts
in the morning mist |
 |
| Hut interior. |
 |
| Me (Denis) in my pit |
 |
Bob and Sarah
with attitude! |
 |
Ricky finds
some ceramic sherds |
 |
Sifting set-up
(before) |
 |
Sifting set-up
(after 24 hours) |
 |
Local Mennonites
often travel
by horse and carriage |
 |
Field trip to Lamanai
in the back of a pickup |
 |
| Pyramid at Lamanai |
 |
Jan and Willat the
"Bedrock Central" site |
 |
Lab day
with Bob and Ben |
 |
Washing and sorting
ceramics and lithics |
 |
Our palapa
after-hours hangout |
 |
Jim didn't shave for a
few days and started
looking a little scruffy |
|
Blue Creek Maya Research Program
July 2001
Blue Creek, Orange Walk District,
Belize, Central America
Summary: Possibly the most physically demanding two weeks of my life for an unforgettable experience. And I'd do it again!.
Cost: $1250 plus air from Newark, NJ, USA to Belize City, Belize
Duration: 2 weeks
Extensions Available: Complete Season was four 2-week sessions. Additional sessions are less expensive after the first one. I attended the last session of the season.
Activity: Active participation in an archaeological dig on ancient Maya sites. Fieldwork involves strenuous physical activity at sites either in the jungle (lots of insects, little sun, hot and humid) or at exposed sites on hilltops and in open fields (fewer insects, lots of sun, little or no shade, hot and a little less humid). Transportation to work sites via the back of an open pickup truck over rough roads and trails followed in some cases by an uphill walk to the actual site. Lab work is physically less challenging and jobs can be found to accommodate most physical limitations. However, there are no provisions for the handicapped.
Accommodations: Narrow bunks with bare foam rubber pads as mattresses. Two bunks to a cabana. No electricity. No closet or furniture of any kind except the beds in the cabanas. Some nails in the exposed 2” x 4” framing to hang some clothing. Bathroom and showers about 150 foot walk, uphill from the cabanas (in the dark). Cold water showers. Flush toilets. Screens on windows.
Food: Breakfast and Supper were good, hearty farmers meals cooked by local Mennonite women. Meals were served cafeteria style. Ample food for even the healthiest appetites. Lunch was much less satisfactory as it was almost always a do-it-yourself deal and required packing lunch makings into the field with you.
Transportation:
Air transportation was not included. The MRP recommended travel agent, John Carmichael of Viajes Al Sur, (800) 807-2500, was fast and efficient in getting my tickets and travel plans arranged.
All ground transportation was well organized. Bus transportation was in old school buses. Local transportation was in the back of a pickup. Neither bus or pickup had air-conditioning.
What was included:
Transportation to and from the airport.
Accommodations
Food & water
Transportation to and from work sites
Necessary tools for “digging” including foam knee rests.
Evening lectures.
Transportation (on our day off) to and from the Maya ruin at Laminai
What was NOT included:
International air transportation
Sheets, pillows, washcloths and towels.
Snacks
Electricity (lights) in the cabanas.
Soda, beer or bottled water (available for sale 24 hours a day in the main building)
Laundry service (available for a modest fee usually with one-day service). Sunscreen and bug dope.
Air-conditioning
Work gloves
Return to top
Participants:
An extreme range of ages (17 to 71), educational backgrounds (high school student to Ph.D.’s), vocations and interests. Participants from North America, Asia and Europe. Many were anthropology/archaeology students satisfying fieldwork requirements. Some were working on advanced degrees. Others were, like me, just interested in archaeology and/or the Maya and wanted to get a taste of fieldwork. Still others had been volunteers at Blue Creek for many years.
Staff:
Very efficient, worked in the background to the extent that you did not even notice they were doing their jobs. Very responsive to questions and needs. Sometimes difficult to determine who was staff and who was a volunteer.
Best thing(s) about the experience:
The people I met. The excitement of finding my first sherd (broken piece of ceramic). Seeing the space shuttle coming in for landing. Learning how a “dig” is accomplished.
Worst thing(s) about the experience:
The bed and lack of sleep the first few nights.
The heat and humidity while working in the field.
The itchy insect bites.
Most memorable incidents:
The sound of the troops of howler monkeys surrounding our work site in the jungle everyday we were there. But we only saw spider monkeys.
Jan (my digging partner) finding a live and very active 5-inch scorpion in the bucket she was carrying. Ricky took care of the scorpion.
When Jan and I had finished mapping and back-filling our trench, we were sent out to help map and back-fill at a site that had no shade at all! It was a very hot day and I was sitting with my head between my knees to keep from passing out, watching the sweat fall from the bandana I had tied around my head to keep the sweat out of my eyes… drop by drop, on to my right boot. By the time the third drop of sweat hit, the first one had already evaporated…that meant that the humidity was down!
Thank you, God!
Watching the space shuttle slice open the black velvet sky and slowly and deliberately expose a white line across the entire sky from horizon to horizon. Awe-inspiring is not a big enough word to describe it!
Return to top
Typical Day:
5:00AM
Wake up to the birds about 5:00AM. Walk up to the shower house to shave and brush my teeth. Sit by the palapa and have coffee while watching the sun come up. Chat with the other early raisers. Walk back to my cabana to change into work clothes and return to the main buildings for breakfast about 6:45 AM. Take care of my assigned chores after breakfast (mine was emptying the garbage cans and taking the full bags down the other side of the hill where they would be burned later in the day).
7:30AM
Help load our pickup for 7:30 departure. After a few miles on gravel roads, we must open the wire gates to allow us to pass through into fields. The gate at each field must be opened and then closed as we pass through…the fields alternate between corn fields and cattle fields…can’t let them cows into the corn! There is no road…only deeply rutted tracks from previous visits of the pickup…the driver tries to avoid the ruts as much as possible, especially after a rain. Up a small hill to drop off the group that is working with Colleen, Alex and Robert…that group includes some volunteers as well as some hired laborers from San Felipe. Then we continue around the cornfield to the trailhead to our site. Bob (our crew chief with a Masters Degree in Archaeology) and Ricardo (from San Felipe) hold open the strands of barbed wire fence for each other and then for us to pass through. Then Bob and Ricardo along with Hayley, Sarah, Jan and myself load up our equipment and supplies and follow Ricardo (Ricky) along a narrow path cut out of the jungle by machete at the first of the season…the jungle is already trying to fill in the path…green shoots visibly enlarge, day by day. We watch our footing as we step up and over fallen tree trunks (you never know what might be hiding on the other side) and we make a lot of noise as we advance. Ricky carries his machete and a 5-gallon water container. Finally we make it to camp…a blue plastic tarp suspended between the trees to give us a dry spot to leave our lunch and our packs. Our tools are still there from the previous day so we gather them and walk just a couple of feet to our trench. Jan and I are partners in one trench while Sarah and Hayley are partners in the other. Both trenches (each one meter by 2 meters) had already been started by a previous volunteer group. Each day we deepened the trench until we hit bedrock or hit a plaster floor (Bob was looking for architectural features of the residential groups of structures we were working on). Bob and Ricky would alternate between the trenches, guiding us as we dug with hand-held mason’s hammers, small trowels and whiskbrooms. Every bucket of dirt and rock that we removed from the hole had to be run through a quarter inch screen to separate out the larger pieces that we then examined for ceramics (sherds), for lithics (stone tools or fragments broken off he tools in their making) and for fauna (bone or teeth). The second bucket we ran through the screen turned up a small piece of a broken ceramic container. Eureka! Almost every subsequent bucket resulted in at least one ceramic piece and sometimes as many as a dozen…some pieces as large as the palm of my hand. We took a short break at 10:00 AM and rested under the tarp.
Noon:
Then back to work until noon when we took one half hour for lunch. Every other day, we paid Ricky to bring lunch for us. His wife cooked and packed beans, chicken and tortillas in plastic containers and Ricky brought them to the site. We would have liked to have Ricky do this every day but finally figured out that Ricky’s wife had only a limited amount of plastic containers and another crew got lunch from Ricky on the days that we didn’t get any. On those days we made peanut butter (runny from the heat) and jelly (homemade but runny because not enough pectin used) sandwiches (the sandwiches dripped the entire time your were holding them!) or tuna sandwiches (not too bad when hot peppers were added to the sandwich) or just have salsa and chips. A quick break at 2:00.
3:30PM
Back to work until 3:30 (with ) when we walked back out of the jungle to the pickup truck. I was usually whipped by this time! We then drove to the next site where Colleen H., Alex and Robert were digging and picked up them and their crews. Then the slow, bumpy ride back to the road and to camp. I grabbed a quick soda as soon as we got back to camp and then slowly made my way to my cabana to get my shower stuff together. The air-temperature shower felt wonderful and I felt much better after I cooled down.
5:45PM
Usually sat around and talked until the dinner bell sounded about 5:45. I always ate in the screened dining area, but some opted to eat al fresco under the palapa. Returned the plates and tableware to the kitchen and just chilled until the lecture or presentation.
7:00PM
Most nights at 7:00 we had a lecture, usually illustrated with slides or overheads. Almost everyone of the specialists gave a talk. Subject matter included ceramics, surveying & mapping, Maya agriculture & plant use, history of the project, critical thinking,, future plans for the program, dating and identifying organic remains and conceptual views of the Blue Creek group.
8:05PM
Most nights, I headed to my cabana right after the lecture where I read by flashlight for about 1/2 hour before I fell asleep. After the first night, I never walked back up the hill to the bathroom once I was in my cabana. It was so dark, I just watered the bushes standing in the doorway of my cabana. As I lay in the dark, trying to get to sleep, I could hear people walking up and down the hill to the main buildings. At night, they all seemed to clomp when they walked. I finally realized this was purposeful noise making to scare away any critters that might be on or near the path. Sleep was accomplished most nights with the aid of two Benadryl antihistamine tablets…they helped knock me out as well as stopping most of the itching from my insect bites. One night while reading in bed, I heard a small noise followed by a slight pressure near my feet. Looking down I say a pop-eyed tree frog with suction cup fingers. I tried to grab him to put him out, but he was too fast for me and jumped up the wall faster than I could follow.
Return to top
|
|
Value for the Money:
Very Good: My cost, including round-trip air from Newark was about $130 per day, all inclusive.
|
|
Recommendation:
Not for the traveler who demands creature comforts! A sense of adventure, a sense of humor, and good bug dope are necessary requirements! And maybe a good sleeping pad and battery powered reading light as well.
However, it was an eye-opening experience for me and one that I will never forget. If you have interest in the Maya and/or archaeology, this is for you!
|
|
Would I go again?
Yes. I’d pack a little differently. But, yes, I think that I will go again next year! (If they let me after reading this review)
|
|
You can review/rate this trip.
Send me your review of this trip so that our readers can compare how people of different ages, abilities, interests, etc. differ in their experiences and observations.
Write me at drlarsen@aol.com and I'll add your review of this trip
Return to top
|
|
|
Who were the participants at the forth and final session?
|
|
Photo
|
Name and Bio
|
E-Mail
|
|
|
Abela, Deva
21, Tucson, AZ
Harkrider Scholar. Student of Anthropology at University of Arizona. First season at Blue Creek
|
devasa@aol.com
|
|
|
Barrett, Jason
31, College Station, TX
Working on Ph.D. in Anthropology at Texas A&M. Worked on cultural resources management (CRM) in the US. Hacienda Tabi survey in the Yucatan. Cayecoco in northern Belize in 1998 & 99. Specializes in lithics research. Second season at Blue Creek
|
belizemaya@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Bedford, Will
22, Fort Worth, TX
Senior at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX studying anthropology. At Blue Creek for the entire session. "Relax! It's sooner than you think"
Return to top
|
no current email address
|
|
|
Bond, Shane
26, Prince George, BC Canada
Graduate University of Victoria, BC in Anthropology. Archaeological consultant. Anticipates a graduate degree and his own business.
|
sdbond11@home.com
|
|
|
Borchardt, Jean
71, Wakefield, RI
Volunteer Lab Rat. Eight seasons volunteer at archaeological sites in the Caribean. First season at Blue Creek
|
maudesplace@aol.com
|
|
|
Bowman, Bill
69, Pensacola, FL
Volunteer Project Illustrator. Studied at University of Wisconsin, Madison; Chicago Art Institute, Art Students League, NYC, and Ueno School of Art, Tokyo. Interest in the arts since childhood. Sixth year at Blue Creek
Return to top
|
no email address. Period.
|
|
|
Bozarth, Steve
49, Lawrence, KS
Ph.D. Adjunct Research Professor of Geography at University of Kansas. Specializing in pollen and phytolith analysis. Fourth season at Blue Creek. "Don't wash the pots!"
|
sbozarth@ukans.edu
|
|
|
Clayton, Sarah
26, Tempe, AZ
Graduate student at Arizona State University working on her Masters degree in Archaeology. Third year at Blue Creek.
|
no current email address
|
|
|
Collins, Bill
71, Long Beach & June Lake, CA
Volunteer Project Photographer. Board of Directors of MRP. Ninth season at Blue Creek
Return to top
|
ibecollins@aol.com
|
|
|
Cramer, Denise
44, Portland, OR
President of the Oregon Archaeological Society www.oregonarchaeological.org First time in Belize, first Maya dig, first time at Blue Creek. "See them all"
|
denimari@wans.net
|
|
|
Cunningham, Dave
23, Reno, NV
Undergraduate student of Anthroology at the University of Nevada, Reno. First season at Blue Creek
|
macunnin@aol.com
|
|
|
DuPuis, Ellena
55, somewhere in the Texas Panhandle.
Career changed at 51 from Banking and Accounting to a B.A. in Arts and Classics from Austin College, Sherman, TX followed by a Masters from West Texas A&M, Canyon, TX in Art History
Return to top
|
requests her
email address
not be published
|
|
|
Edgar, Jim
65, Pittsburgh, PA
Retired Colonel, US Army.
Sent here by wife to live out a boyhood fantasy. First time at Blue Creek and first dig.
|
jsvedgar@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Faidley, Aaron
22, Victoria, TX
Student at Victoria College studying Anthropology. First season at Blue Creek
|
arron_faidley@yahoo.com
|
|
|
Feldhaus, Ed
62, Diamond Bar, CA
Retired teacher with interests in travel, photography and archaeology. First season at Blue Creek
Return to top
|
efeldjr@cs.com
|
|
|
Gardella, Kristen
25, Voluntown, CT
Professional Archaeologist with Masters from the University of Chicago. Specializes in surveying and mapping Maya and South American archaeological sites including La Milpa, Holmul and Blue Creek. Field supervisor for several CRM firms. First season at Blue Creek
|
krgardel@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Giacometti, Antoine
23, Dublin, Ireland; Grenoble & Paris, France.
Employed as archaeologist in Ireland. Fourth year at Blue Creek as a volunteer for fun. Will take a year off work to publish his findings and hopes to get his Masters degree.
|
antoine_giacometti@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Gloor, Melinda
21, Denver, CO
Anthropology student at Colorado State University at Fort Collins. First season at Blue Creek
Return to top
|
mgloor@holly.colostate.edu
|
|
|
Guderjan, Tom
47, Fort Worth, TX
Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth and Executive Director of the Maya Research Program. Retiring as Project Director of MRP after 10 years.
|
guderjan@tcu.edu
|
|
|
Hall, Richard
65, South Pasadena, CA
Retired from non-profit management. Started in Certificate Program in Archaeology from U.C.L.A. in preperation for retirement five years ago. Has volunteered at digs in Peru, Mexico and Belize. First time at Blue Creek.
|
halldick@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Hanratty, Colleen
25 Fort Worth, TX
Doctoral candidate at Southern Methodist University in Anthropology, specializing in Archaeology. Fifth year at Blue Creek.
Return to top
|
colleenhanratty@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Houghton, Ellie
23, Brighton, England
B.A. in History of Decorative Art and Architecture from the University of Brighton. Ellie's plans are uncertain.
|
themissellie@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Huober, Ben
17, Syracuse, NY
Senior at Manlius Pebble Hill School, DeWitt, NY. Looking at a variety of colleges including: Brandeis, Harvard, U. of Chicago, Yale & Princeton to study Biology and Anthropology
|
mrbig7159@aol.com
|
|
|
Knape, Hayley
20, Austin, TX
Student at Baylor University in Waco, TX studying Anthropology. First dig and first time at Blue Creek.
Return to top
|
hayley_kanipe@baylor.edu
|
|
|
Kosakowsky, Laura
45, Tucson, AZ
Ph.D. Ceramicist and Maya archaeologist. B.A. from Stanford; M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Has worked in Guatemala and Belize for over 20 years.
|
ljk@u.arizona.edu
|
|
|
Krasnevich, Carrie
22, Pittsburgh, PA
Graduate student in Anthropology at the University of Pitsburgh. Second season at Blue Creek
|
carriek138@yahoo.com
|
|
|
LaLonde, Dane
31, Saskaton, Saskatchewan, Canada
Staff Digger with Authority!
Return to top
|
no current email address
|
|
|
Larkin, Doug
34, San Francisco, CA
Support engineer. This is his first time at Blue Creek and his first dig.
|
dlarkin@sirius.com
|
|
|
Larsen, Denis
61, Old Tappan. NJ
Retired. Writes websites for non-profits and volunteers on construction projects in the Yucatan and northern Mexico. First dig and first season at Blue Creek
|
drlarsen@aol.com
|
|
|
Lichtenstein, Bob
38, Cape Cod area, MA
Masters in Archaeology from Boston University. Nine seasons at Blue Creek
Return to top
|
boblichten@aol.com
|
|
|
Locastro, Wendy
25, San Antonia, TX
Camp Administrator. Graduate of St. Mary's, San Antonio. Has moved to Seattle. Second season at Blue Creek
|
wlocastro@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Lohse. Jon
32, Austin, TX
Ph.D. Currently Associate Project Director, MRP. Next season will be the Project Director. Second year at Blue Creek. Twelveth year in Belize. Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Texas Archaeological Lab at the University of Texas in Austin.
|
jlohse@mail.utexas.edu
|
|
|
Lonsdale, Candida
33, England
B.S.C in Landscape Design and Plant Science from Sheffield University. B.A. in Fine Art and Painting from the City and Guilds of London. Two years working at the Bristish Museum. Three season at La Milpa, Belize. First season at Blue Creek
Return to top
|
clons96084@aol.com
|
|
|
Magania, Ricardo (Ricky)
33, San Filipe, Belize
Ten seasons working at Blue Creek with the MRP. Works for Alex Pastrana when not digging at Blue Creek
|
no email address
|
|
|
Matson, Ryan
21, Albuquerque, NM
Student at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque studying Biological Anthropology. This is her first season at Blue Creek.
|
rdmatson00@yahoo.com
|
|
|
McDaniels, Jan
54, Emmett, ID
School councilor and house builder. Had interest in doing something different. Big interest in grandson, Justin (3) as well as in son (Jon) and daughter-in-law (Heather). Widow. First dig and first time at Blue Creek.
Return to top
|
mcdaniel.jan@worldnet.att.net
|
|
|
Mongelluzzo, Ryan
25, Albany, NY
Graduate student about to receive his Masters Degree in Anthropology with a focus on Maya Archaeology from SUNY-Albany. Has worked at La Milpa, Cuello and Holmul. First season at Blue Creek
|
rymong@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Muno, Sarah
22, San Francisco, CA
Studying Archaeology at San Francisco State University. This is her first time at Blue Creek and her first dig.
|
iamwonderfly@hotmail.com
|
|
|
O'Connor, Colleen
21, Cocoa, FL
Community college student. This is her first time at Blue Creek and her first dig.
Return to top
|
no current email address
|
|
|
Pastrana, Dale
66, El Paso, TX
Involved with the Maya Research Program since the beginning. Has worked on projects as a volunteer in the American South-West as well as in Tunisia.
|
dvpast@aol.com
|
|
|
Pastrana. Alex
44 Blue Creek, Belize
Degree in Archaeology from University of Arizona. Building Eco-Lodge near Lamini, Belize. Honorary P.H.D. (Professional Hole Digger). Tenth year at Blue Creek with the MRP
|
no current email address
|
|
|
Peacock, Keith
61, Columbia, MD
Ph.D. Physicist with the Applied Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins in Laurel, MD. This is his third year at Blue Creek.
Return to top
|
k.peacock@worldnet.att.net
|
|
|
Preston, Tim
35, San Francisco Bay area, CA
Computer consultant, currently between careers. At Blue Creek for the entire session.
|
tdp92097@earthlink.net
|
|
|
Ramirez, Robert
30, San Diego, CA
Completed Graduate work at San Diego State University. On staff at Blue Creek. Third season at Blue Creek. A.K.A "The Dictator". Works for a Cultural Research Company.
|
rsramirez@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Reed, Jerry
60, Seattle, WA
Retired. Working on the surveying crew this year. Board member of MRP. Forth season at Blue Creek
Return to top
|
jreed11@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Shiratori, Yuko
25, Nigata, Japan
Non-degree student at Arizona State University. B.A from Rissho University, Tokyo in Liberal Arts. A.K.A. "Doris".
First season at Blue Creek
|
yutang99@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Skinner, Sarah
21, San Jose, CA
Just graduated from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA. Anthropology degree with an emphasis in archaeology. Second season at Blue Creek.
|
sarah_skinner@yahoo.com
|
|
|
Spinney, Brian
22, Burlington, VT
Student of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Return to top
|
no current email address
|
|
|
Szabo, Beth
20, Vacaville, CA
Student of Anthropology at California State University in Sacremento. She's a dancer and loves Thomas Paine. First season at Blue Creek.
|
Isle212@aol.com
|
|
|
Telepak, Justin
28, Phoenix, AZ
Camp Manager. Luthier by profession (guitar maker and restorer). Seventh season at Blue Creek
|
sidhandivine@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Terry, Austin
22, Austin, TX
Student at the University of Texas studying Geography. Fourth season at Blue Creek. "The destination means less than the time spent getting there"
Return to top
|
fizzyks@hotmail.com
|
|
|
Tripplett, Kirsten
38, Berkeley, CA
Ph.D. Archaeo-botanist at the University of California, Berkeley with an intense interest in Maya ritual and culture.
|
kirstentripplett@yahoo.com
|
|
|
Wolf, Mark
30, Boston Suburbs, MA
Professional archaeologist specializing in surveying Maya Architecture. Also does computer graphics (GIS) for the Project (Arcview). Masters Degree from Boston University. Field Director for a Contract Archaeological firm in NYC. Fifteen years experience in surveying including work at Calakmul, Cuello, La Milpa, Copan and Holmul. First season at Blue Creek
Return to top
|
gwe@mindspring.com
|
|
| © 2001-2006 OKIDD! All rights reserved |
|
|
|
|
|