In early February 2020 we pitched one tent under the trees and called it base camp. There was no building, no power line and no running water. A bicycle leaned against the tree next to the tent.

Over the next two weeks the camp grew a little at a time. A tarp went up over a table. More tents went in among the thin trees.

A dome tent under a green tarp, with a small table, a white bucket, a blue bucket and a green chair in front
A campsite under a tarp, 11 February 2020.
A blue and yellow tent among young trees, with clothes hanging to dry
The tent area.

One shaded corner became the kitchen and dining area: a long table, water bottles, flasks and a few plastic chairs.

A long table under trees with water bottles, flasks and cups, and a red chair beside it
Kitchen and dining area.

Power came from two small solar panels set on the dry grass. They ran one 120-volt outlet, two USB ports and six 12-volt plugs. That was enough for phones, a laptop and lights.

Two small solar panels standing on dry grass, with the flat-topped hill behind
The solar setup, 15 February 2020.

A neighbour brought us an axe blade, six handles, two bunches of bananas and a big papaya. He also offered to make handles for our other pick-axe heads.

Shovels and pick-axes with long new wooden handles, standing against a tree
Tools with new handles.

By the middle of the month the kitchen had a gas burner, a kettle and storage boxes. One table with a laptop, next to a hammock, became the office.

A gas burner with a kettle, a red chair and food containers on a small table, behind a blue tarp
The kitchen, 15 February 2020.
A laptop, a mouse and a pencil case on a table, with a hammock and trees behind
The office, 21 February 2020.

Photos by Charles DiBella, our mentor, first posted on his Telegram channel t.me/tour2020: base camp, campsite, tent area, kitchen and dining area, solar, tools, kitchen, office.