The permanent shelter, which became my base camp for survival and camping experiences in a almost pristine jungle in Surinam. Camping in my opinion improves your health. You are very active.

Hello friends,
As I told you, we build the camp with the help of my father and the next week with my 2 friends.
These guys had a great time, but refused to come with me the next week.

During the day everything was ok, but at night they were scared.

We did a lot of fishing and a little hunting.
We also explored the area in a wider range.
I taught my friends many skills and tricks I had learned from my father and my own experience.
We caught so much fish, it was too much for us.
I set up a smoking table and smoked most of it which we took back home for our parents.
Smoked or dried fish is widely used in the Surinam kitchen an can be stored for a long time..

We followed the creek upstream and discovered a trail the animals used to get to the creek to drink which was about 2 miles from our camp. There were many pecarries, (localy called pakiras) a small wild hog about 60 lbs. in weight in this area.

We set a trap with wires (motorbike braking cables) and a log that would kill the animal on impact and the very next day we had a medium sized pakira.
Needles to say we had a great bbq that afternoon.
The rest of the pakira was smoked and taken home.

I taught my friends a little how to survive in the tropical jungle and how to make weapons during these days.
There was no rubbing sticks together for fire.
We just used a lighter and some petroleum.
We also did a lot of relaxing and swimming in the creek.

The water in the creek was good for drinking but we preferred to boil it first.
Before boiling the water was filtered.
We had 4 small towels with layers of white sand between the towels and then hung them on the 4 corners like a hommock.
We poured the water slowly into this filter and the water would drip through the bottom free from any particles.
After 10 days itwas time to go back to civilization

On our way back home we cleared the path to the camp a little more and at a certain point we changed the direction a little so we would reach the road at another point.
Almost everything was left in the camp, except from our machetes, the 2 extra saws and my friends their personal belongings.
My hammock and mosquito net always returned home to avoid mold.
Items which could rust were first coated with some oil and packed in oiled fabric.

It was still the dry season and we still had summer vacation so I was anxious to go back and stay there for another week or so before school started.

About 10 days later I went back to my camp.
This time I was all alone. I left on Thursday and on Sunday my father would come to see what we had accomplished.
It was also to check up on me to see if everything was ok (remember, I was 15 years old).
I asked him to bring extra petroleum and a large cast iron pot (pretty heavy) we did not use anymore .
In my next post I will explain to you what the pot was for except cooking.

Back home I had constructed some explosive spearheads with 16 gauge cartridges. This was for protection during the night, should a jaguar or the smaller Ocelot decide to come over and pay me a visit or worse.

Fortunately it never happened.
I also made several smaller explosive tips for my arrows with a .30 M-1 cardridges intended for hunting but were never used..
I just did not need firearms.
Although these items were forbidden by the law (ammo without a licence) my father allowed me to keep them. The penalty would be just a small fine if the police would catch me so far from civilization.
I think I gave him some piece of mind.

Being alone I started to gather bamboo to build a small platform in the creek for easy access and where I could sit and fish.
I also constructed a table and 2 chairs for in the hut.
With no one to talk to, building these things would keep me occupied.
In the hut I made some racks (and of course I used bamboo) to store everything that would stay in the camp off the ground.

I always had 3 things on my neck.
1, a knife, 2, a compass and 3, a scouts whistle.
When leaving the camp I always wore an old military uniform, rubber boots that would reach my knees and a cap with an attached neck flap.
This gave me some protection against snakbites because snakes mostly go for the legs and the uniform had enough pockets to carry lots of stuf.
I also always had with me my military belt with a canteen and stainless steel mug, an emergency kit with medical supplies, a survival kit, a large hunting knife and about 15 feet of cordage.
In my right hand I always carried a machete and in my left hand, mostly a spear with an explosive head. In my pockets I carried a slingshot and a few steel balls (from large ball bearings) for shooting small game and birds.
I made it a rule, never to leave without these items even if it was a few hundred meters from the camp.

My rule is that the best survival items are the ones you have on you.

Ok friends, I like to tell you much more, but I will do so in my next post.

Keep in touch

Paul