Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Alpha 2 - Macho Macho Trek, I want to be on the macho trek......

Tuesday, 2 December 2008

Alpha 2 - Macho Macho Trek, I want to be on the macho trek......

The weather has not been kind to our intrepid trekkers who have been faced with day after day of fairly heavy rain. Nevertheless spirits are incredibly high in the group, not a single person has complained or even contemplated giving up. Noud and Christophe and Scarlett are all carrying some serious weight, as are Steve and Stu, I really don't know how they manage it! Asher is determined to finish the trek and has been incredibly strong and very supportive of everyone. Kelvin is his cheery self, Nic is continuing on while Chris has come back to fieldbase, and Lyan has joined the group after some dental treatment. Jo and Shona are also in great spirits - there has been a lot of singing!. It is clear that the challenges they are facing has really brought these guys together. Alpha 2 we are as always incredibly proud of you!

The group is hoping to reach the Dragon (their first peak today) and summit tomorrow.

We shall keep you posted.

11 comments:

Anonymous2 December 2008 at 17:35
In one word: WOW!
This looks really impressive... You all earn respect and proudness of your NOK!

Keep on going, Alpha 2 machos and 'machas'!
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Anonymous3 December 2008 at 03:33
I'll second the WOW! Glad to hear the rain isn't dampening your spirits. Hope there is a rainbow round the corner.
Well done everyone and lots of love to Joanne from Mum
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Anonymous3 December 2008 at 05:36
Hello Joanne, and a message from me too...first thanx to base camp for the photos of the trek. Keep up the good work Jo! I'm really looking forward to seeing you...not that long now! Felicity xxx
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Unknown3 December 2008 at 09:53
Scarlett's Mum says: that is some serious weight you have there Scarlett. You look well and I happy though! Take care,
lots love Mum
XXX
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Anonymous3 December 2008 at 17:38
wow, just stumbled upon this - what a blog! you guys and girls sure are up to some crazy adventures
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MartyMc4 December 2008 at 02:34
Hello Shona!
good to see you and the rest of the guys looking so well despite the harsh terrain and unforgiving weather and to hear you're singing so loudly!Keep the spirits up, a fantastic achievement, we're all really proud of you and looking forward to seeing you soon. And there was something else about this Saturday...emmm. Oh Yes HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SHOOONAAAAA... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
TTYS
love Martin
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Anonymous4 December 2008 at 02:50
Hi Christophe

Good luck and well done to all of you. Hope you haven't got too many blisters. Make the most of the warm weather as its freezing here.
Lots of love. Maman
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Anonymous5 December 2008 at 08:56
Tribute to Noud and friends at Alpha 2

This year’s Sinterklaas isn’t quite the same
Your very own parents are to blame
For agreeing you to travel to a country so remote
That is way too far for my old and ramshackle boat

It is nice to see you wrestling in the muddy rain
But tomorrow I rather prefer going back to Spain
So I am afraid I won’t make it all the way to meet you guys
But rest assured: your efforts deserve the highest Nobel Prize

The end is near, so keep on going
Your own beds and hot showers wait for you, nice for knowing
We wish you all the luck and sunny spells
See you around at Christmas bells!

The Sint
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Anonymous5 December 2008 at 10:49
hiya ross,
i know you are not in alpha 2 but there is not an update yet for one so i am putting my wee message on this page (hope thats ok Anna)!
See your last phase is 51% complete, not be long til your home, if i was alpha 1 i would be staying on ur lovely beach, its baltic here fers, we have snow, fog and lots of slippery ice - yeeha i luv it.
Been working hard as usual and everyone says HI!! going to visit auntie cindy tonight cause she has the flu, shes a wee poppit.
Dying to get a wee update to see what ur up to, think anna has went into hibernation lol.
Ur website is just the bizz.
Hope u are fab and are catching all the rays you can get.
Missing u more and more.
luv u loads honey
Mum and Charlie.
p.s. take ur t-shirt of u have brown arms and neck and a milk bottle 4 pack.
x x x x x x x x x
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Anonymous7 December 2008 at 14:37
Hello Joanne, it's me again with a quick hello. I hope you're enjoying the trek, you sure look tired in the photos! Looks like you've all been trekking very hard! No more snow these past few days. Chen Jing's English is getting really good now. You can talk to her when you get back! Loads and loads and loads of love, Felicity
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Anonymous8 December 2008 at 11:05
Dear Joanne, Alpha 2 and Field-base team,

Many thanks for posting these photos. I very much admire how you're all doing and supporting each other throughout the trek. When you return, Joanne, a bit of Aberdeen rain will seem like nothing much. Some of the Christmas performances with my schools have been and gone. There'll be more during this week and next. I'm thinking of you everyday. Here are some of the words to a song that I'll be working on with some of my pupils and that you might like:

'When I look up to the stars,
There's a burning deep inside me,
And I feel a power growing in my soul.

There is something I can sense,
Deep within a dream to guide me,
And I know that I am reaching for my goal.

I can do anything at all.
I can climb the highest mountain.
I can feel the ocean calling wild and free.

I can be anything I want,
With this hope to drive me onward,
If I can just believe in me.

When the skies are dark and grey,
We still know the sun is shining;
Though it's out of sight, its light is glowing still.

And as long as I believe,
There is nothing I can't wish for;
Not a dream that I'm unable to fulfill.

I can do anything at all.
I can climb the highest mountain.
I can feel the ocean calling wild and free.

I can be anything I want,
With this hope to drive me onward,
If I can just believe in me.'

These are words from the song called 'Believe' by a fantastic composer called Lin Marsh.

Keep on believing.

Lots and lots and lots of love from Sandy xxx xxx xxx
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Raleigh Lingo

Copy that?

Sometimes our Raleigh technical terms can be a tad confusing so we've put together a glossary for you blog followers. This will appear as a quick-reference section on the right-hand column so you can translate our Tico-terms into something a bit more palatable. And for those keen to brush up their Central American Spanish, we've included some handy translations. Here's a few to get you started...

Alpha, X-Ray and Zulu groups
(Grupos Alfa, X-Ray y Zulu)
The official name for project groups during the phases of CR&N 13A. Alpha will be out on project from 3rd to 23rd February, X-Ray from 24th February to 15th March and Zulu from 17th March to 5th April. Project groups are allocated during induction

Basha
Jungle ‘bed’: consists of a tarpaulin for shelter, a hammock and mosquito net. A basha is hung up between two trees and supported by rope, bamboo and canvas straps

Bodega
A Spanish word meaning store or warehouse

Bravo
A term of endearment for our hard-working Land Rovers. The four vehicles are officially, and imaginatively named Bravo One, Two, Three and Four

C.A.T.I.E.
The agricultural and development research institute on whose campus Fieldbase is situated. Find out more at http://www.catie.ac.cr/

Changeover (Cambio de Fase)
Two day period where all staff and Venturers return from their project sites for some respite before they are all reallocated and sent off to do it all over again...

Chicas, Chicos
Spanish term meaning girls (chicas) or guys (chicos) or both (chicos aswell). As in “Vamonos chicos!” or “Let’s go guys!”

Craic
A way to gauge how people are feeling, usually measured from 0 to 90. If your ‘craic’ is high, you’re pretty happy. If you announce a low craic, people will probably fix you up with an energy bomb and a nice big hug

CR&N 13A
Costa Rica and Nicaragua expeditions 13A

Day Leader (DL) (Líder del día)
Every day on project, one of the Team is designated DL – they are in charge of the day, including organising the day’s briefing, keeping group morale up, dealing with any problems, sticking to schedule and de-briefing at the end of the day. The DL role rotates round the whole group so everyone takes a turn

Energizer (Actividad Levanta Muertos)
An activity to gather the group together and raise energy levels. Can be used at the beginning of the day, or whenever a quick pick-me-up is required

Energy bombs (Explosión de azucar)
A trekking treat – mix together oats, raisins, condensed milk and chocolate powder and roll into little balls of gooey goodness to power you through the day

Fieldbase (FB) (Campo Base)
Refers to the Raleigh ‘office residence’ which is where the Fieldbase staff eat, sleep and work, whilst organising the expedition, manning the radios round the clock, supporting the projects, planning transport and logistics, keeping tabs on the finances and much, much more

Field Base Volunteer Managers (Equipo Logístico Voluntario del Campo Base)
Volunteer support staff for the expedition. The team looks after the ‘behind the scenes’ of the expedition and ensures everything runs smoothly. This consists of three permanent staff members - the Country Director, Country Project Manager and Country Expedition Manager - plus a team of volunteer staff including the, Medic, Photographer, Administrator, Finance Officer, three Logistics (logs) team members and the Communications Officer

Gallo Pinto
A traditional Costa Rican dish of rice and beans (yum!)

Icebreaker (Rompe Hielos)
A getting-to-know-you game

Longdrop (Letrina)
The camp loo. Literally a deep hole in the ground, it is one of the first tasks to complete when setting up jungle camp for obvious reasons! Short drops are similar, normally used for overnight stops when a shallower trench will suffice

Longs (Pantalones)
From 6pm onwards, we all don long trousers and sleeves to discourage the bugs that aren’t deterred by DEET

Maxis
Short for Maxi Pali, the stock-everything shop about a kilometer from Fieldbase where you can buy all those things you forgot/ran out of/lost

Nicas
An affectionate term referring to the native population of Nicaragua

Ninja
A popular game/energizer used by venturers and Project managers alike. Everyone stands in a circle and tries to hit the team members either side of them on the hand via a single ninja movements. Sound effects welcome

POPS
Legendary milkshake and ice-cream parlour chain found all over Costa Rica – perfect for a sweet splurge

Pork and beans (Frijoles con cerdo)
Another staple foodstuff for trekkers: tinned beans with a slightly sausage twang, served cold for lunch. Usually accompanied by dry cracker dust, sprinkled liberally on to the top. If you’re in a hurry, this can be consumed without cutlery straight from the can

Project Managers (PMs) (Guías)
Project staff for the expedition. Each of the groups has at least two PMs who work with the Venturers to develop skills, lead projects and challenge themselves

PURA VIDA!
A very special Costa Rican phrase that means hello, goodbye, I’m great, it’s good, pure life, basically any positive, feel-good thing can be Pura vida!

Radio check (Chequeo de Radio)
As well as a daily SITREP, all Alpha projects are required to complete a second radio call-in each day to check in, receive messages and report any developments

Review (Revisión)
A round-up that assesses how everyone feels, what went well and what needs work. This is sometimes an ‘activity’, sometimes a chat around the campfire, or sometimes just a bit of time to reflect. It’s an important part of everyone’s personal development so we make sure it happens every day

Roadtrip (Paseo Volando Rueda)
The logistics team and some of the Field Base team drive the Bravos on a loop round to each of the accessible project sites once per phase. They deliver kit, supplies, site visitors, messages from the blog and of course the all important post

Ropa Americana
Purveyors of the finest second hand American threads. Perfect for fancy dress/obtaining that long coveted college sports jersey

SITREP (Reporte de la Situación)
Literally Situation Report. A special radio message sent from the satellite project sites back to fieldbase once a day. It follows a certain format and includes all sort of handy information like where they are, what they’ve been up to, what they need and what they’re planning to do next

Tang
A fruity powder that is used to make squash. Jolly useful for taking away the chlorine taste of purified water

Ticos
An affectionate term referring to the native population of Costa Rica

Trangia (Mini Cocina)
A portable cooking stove. Used primarily for trekking, a trangia’s compact design makes it perfect for easy transportation. Literal translation in spanish - mini kitchen. Makes sense

Turrialba
The location of Fieldbase

Venturers (Aventureros)
Participants in the Raleigh expedition. Aged 17 to 24, they come in three varieties: Host Country Venturers (from Costa Rica and Nicaragua), Partnership Venturers (positive young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK who participate in Raleigh expeditions as part of a longer term development programme) and UK and International Fundraising Participants (who work hard to raise money to contribute towards the charities work and expenses in order to take part in the expedition)

Wash up (Revisión Final)
The last few days of expedition, spent debriefing, returning equipment, performing skits, and most importantly enjoying the farewell party (tears alert)

Zero (Cero)
A radio term that identifies the radio controller at Fieldbase. Fieldbase monitors the radios 24-7, listening out on three frequencies for calls from our satellite project sites. When the radio alarm sounds, we might answer something like this: “Hello unknown call sign, hello unknown call sign, this is Zero, this is zero, do you copy, OVER?”