Our camp is located on a rise of an escarpment in northern Belize. There are several buildings with electricity: a main building with kitchen, dining and living areas, a separate bathroom building with 2 each of women’s and men’s showers, toilets and sinks. There are three outside shower stalls as well. No hot water. There is also a separate lab building where artifacts are sorted, cleaned, examined and stored, logs are updated and sketches are drawn. The rest of the camp is comprised of sleeping cabins, mostly 8’ by 12′? metal structures with four windows for ventilation, two beds, two chairs, some shelves and no electricity. My first thought when I find my assigned cabana is why are the men closer to the bathrooms then the women. I wasn’t looking forward to middle of the night treks to the toilet.
For first timers, we spend the first full day in orientation and a three-hour site tour of previously excavated Blue Creek. The orientation includes an abbreviated history of the program, the ongoing association with the local community and Belize‘s National Institute of Culture and History, protocol, preservation of artifacts, security, safety and health issues to name a few.
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