hint: it's the ITCZ

My morning consisted of sitting in the bed of the pickup truck with Alex and an ejidotario and driving around some of Noh-Bec's better roads in search of bracken. We found and mapped some, but Alex and I also had a good talk about trees and climatology. (If you didn't already know what a huge nerd I am, I guess I just blew it.) I saw a 400 year old Pich tree! And yet, the tree of the day is going to be the Chicle tree, easily spotted due to the diamond shaped slashes in the bark for the purpose of harvesting the sap for chewing gum.

I'm sitting on the roof, watching a pretty awesome lightning storm in the distance. Don't worry, it's so far you can't even hear thunder yet, and there are lots of things around me that are taller than I am... and it's really pretty! As mentioned, in addition to being a tree nerd, I am admittedly a climate nerd. I can tell you all about why the rainy season is about to start in this region... but I'll spare you unless you want to have this conversation. It was pouring when we woke up this morning and it seems like it will rain again tonight. This should make fieldwork more interesting in the next few weeks.

We've finalized our plans for the next few days, so in case you're my parents who just got back from an internet-free weekend in D.C. and you wonder where your daughter is: she'll be in internet-free central Quintana Roo. On Sunday, we're travelling north to visit Maya ruins and the beach at Tulum before settling into the house we're renting for a few days in Laguna Kana. It's got two rooms. I'll be sleeping in a hammock and not posting here. I may have some things to say tomorrow, otherwise, catch you Wednesday or Thursday!