Expedition 08D&E Blog 7: Weekly Round-up

Buenos dias! Warm salutations from a sunny Costa Rica and a decidedly rainy Nicaragua. This week’s Blog brings you the usual round up of the state of play on the current Expedition 08D&E. However, as a special treat we feature a world exclusive, behind the scenes, ‘warts and all’ report on one of our community projects deep in the Chiripo Indigenous Reserve in the jungles of Costa Rica.

There are presently over 150 venturers all over Costa Rica and Nicaragua. They are trekking, building, painting and digging. Some of them are dry, most are not. A handful smell nice, the rest do not. Updates from the different projects have been flying through the airwaves to Field Base where they’ve been gobbled up and digested by the Field Base staff. This week Raleigh delivered a baby!! But more of that later…………..

ALPHA 1
Alpha 1 are still busy exploring the Guanacaste region. They have covered over 173km since departing a week ago, but it has not been ‘all work and no play’ for our intrepid Alpha 1s. This week they have encountered snarling dogs! They crowned themselves the new 100 metre champions! They have been crossing rivers left right and centre, and one of their Project Managers even managed enough time to do a passable Tarzan impression during one such crossing. We don’t have the full details but we understand there was a broken branch and a bruised ego. Hard work has been interrupted by swimming in hot springs and crystal clear waterfalls. We are all pretty jealous!

ALPHA 2
Alpha 2 are well passed half way in their bid to walk across Costa Rica, ‘Coast-to-Coast’. They are now entering the final straight, heading for a date with the Pacific Ocean at Playa El Rey. Here they are going to have a couple of days well earned rest and recuperation before heading back to Field Base for the next phase. Let us hope that they spend it washing in the sea to get rid of the trek smell!

ALPHA 3
The big news from alpha 3 was that they finally got their radio to work. It turned out to be a simple matter of left and right getting confused! Work on the visitor centre continues at breakneck pace. Well on course for completion they are mixing the hard work with more football and BBQs.

ALPHA 4
The whole of Alpha 4 have been initiated into the ‘Windsor Massive’ courtesy of Meriel. This week they have continued painting every building they have come across. On Thursday they got up extra specially early to take a trip to a local viewpoint to watch the sun rising over the volcanic mountains. The group were very grateful to Project Managers Dennis and particularly to Aleks for giving them the opportunity to see the twin peaks.

ALPHA 5
Alpha 5 are the stars of the week. Feeling that digging ditches and installing a water system was a little too easy they thought they would branch out into midwifery. On the 15th, Carolyn the group medic, assisted by some venturers, delivered a baby! Reports are that it was a textbook delivery from a steady hand and two cool headed venturer assistants. What a fantastic experience for all involved. We hear that mother and child are doing well. Steps are already underway to convince the family to call the child ‘Raleigh’. A massive congratulations to Carolyn and all of Alpha 5 for a job well done.

ALPHA 6
Nicaragua has been hit with a little rain this week! This has meant work has slowed down a bit. However, spirits remain high. The heavy rains have done nothing to dampen Alpha 6’s constant enthusiasm and they remain in awe of the beauty of the Miraflor Park. Less time for work means more time for banter, and their messages to Field Base and other groups remain a constant source of amusement.

ALPHA 7
With a fantastic camp up and running, Alpha 7 have settled well into their routine. They must have one of the best spots for a camp. Not many people get to wake up right in the middle of the jungle every day! Work progresses well on the paths and wheelchair accessible routes. Coordinated by their two Project Managers they even managed to organise a mock casualty evacuation. The group worked really well together, and the Field Base team were amazed they managed to make it so realistic for everyone involved.

DELTA 1
Trench digging experts Delta 1 are making unbelievable progress. They have dug a lot of trenches and erected two water towers. They definitely win the prize for most cramped living conditions, being stuck together in one room. They report they have enjoyed sampling the local cooking, sharing meals with local families. Frequent trips to Buenos Aires have kept the group occupied and the high point of the week was a trip to the world famous Del Monte pineapple plantation. Delta1, they say ‘Yes’.

DELTA 2
Delta 2 have been working like maniacs and are verging on finishing their brand new Comedor for the Quetzal community. They have even managed to get the roof on, despite some pretty heavy rain. They have also celebrated Paul’s birthday this week with homemade cards and games. One of the highlights this week was a talk by Don Oldemar, President of the Chirripo Indigenous Reserve Community Development Committee. Venturers were able to quiz El Presidente about the local community and Cabecar culture and history. The week reached a memorable climax with a party in the newly completed community meeting hut. There was no small amount of food and dancing and those that know parties tell me it was ‘off the wall’.

DELTA 3
This weeks featured project - read at the end.

DELTA 4
Hit by the rain more than some of the other groups, Delta 4 are now well used to evacuating their camp at short notice. In amongst helping out other Raleigh groups in need and being almost washed away, the members of Delta 4 have taken up a new hobby. Fishing is what Delta 4 is all about at the moment. Dave the medic came within an inch of the biggest catch of the day but it apparently escaped leaving him with only stories of the one that got away.

DELTA 5
Delta 5 are winning the prize for most improved forearms having almost completed the sanding of a complete ranger station. Just like the film Karate Kid they now move onto painting it to work the deltoids! Kate and Barney had a chance encounter with a crocodile which must have been amazing. We hear one of them screamed and the other tried to wrestle it (but we don’t know who did what). They have also begun work on the turtle nursery. Parties must be the theme of the week as D5 finished off the week with a ‘Pirate’ themed fiesta in the ranger station. Just as long as somebody is watching Rod, it’s all good.

DELTA 3
Delta 3 are deep in the Chirripo reserve. This area is home to one of the largest collection of indigenous peoples in Costa Rica. Most of the people living in this area are Cabecar. Lucky enough to be part of the team based in the village of Simirinak where Delta 3 are working, I bring you the untold story!

The project started with a bus drop a little further from the village than expected due to poor roads. Delta 3 packed up their kit and building materials and trekked in the 7km to the village. The sight of being met by the whole community to help us carry the equipment for the new comedor we are building together was truly unforgettable. Although we had been warned that initially people would be quite shy, this was not the case and it was immediately obvious that the community were right behind the project and really happy about us being there. Some face was lost when a venturer noticed a 6 year old local girl carrying the bag he had been forced to put down! But we have since learned that the Cabecar people are immensely tough and strong.

With hardly a chance to gather our thoughts we were straight into the building. Delta 3 are a fantastic group with a wide variety of skills but we really could have done with a geologist as we spent the first 3 days collecting rocks from the river! Some comparisons were made to working on a chain gang, but Delta 3 rose to the challenge and worked hard to get an unpleasant job done. Next was collecting wood from the jungle. This involved a 2 hour trek along jungle paths to where the wood had been cut. Some of the more competitive amongst us were showing off about carrying three planks, until we saw the locals carrying seven! The hard work done, the last couple of days found delta 3 working side by side with the local builders putting up the comedor and much fun has been had.

Don’t believe it is all work on a Raleigh project. Delta 3 pride ourselves on being the most socially active group and together with our hosts have made Simirinak the place to be when the work is done for the day. We found time to have a couple of ‘Fogata’ fire parties, roasting marshmallows and enjoying the banter with the locals. We also organised a ‘Salsa’ night where Dr James stole the show with an interpretation of salsa previously unseen! Each Sunday we have joined forces with our hosts to compete in the local inter-community football, with Spanish soccer sensation and Raleigh team member Alex proving both a superstar on the pitch and a hit with the girls!
Some real characters have emerged. Allister has managed to keep all our spirits up with his constant singing and cheery attitude. Maritza has educated us in Yoga, Salsa and Spanish. Daisy P has taken us all to the cleaners around the card table. Kaiser has been working on his guns and was by far the most organised day leader. Rose was queen of the jungle on her birthday. Sarah and Sophie were big players in the ‘Cluedo’ game, and Sophie excelled in the football, scoring 4 goals! Safia and Alex tore it up on the dance floor at the salsa night. Luis Francisco has been our resident space cadet, and as for Tommy T, what a set of guns!