Reporting from the ground

Extra Extra read all about it…. All Alpha groups have made contact with field base!

Here at Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua we keep in contact with our project groups via satellite phone, mobile phone and most importantly the High Frequency radio. More details on our communication will follow in a few days time so keep an eye out for that.

But the news I am sure you are all waiting for....

Alpha 1: After a nice long bus trip yesterday, they were up before dawn break and have had their first day walking; lucky for them it has been nice and sunny. They are enjoying their rations for dinner - I wonder if the VM's offered to cook??

Alpha 2: Started walking yesterday, they are a little wet as they have been though the only part of the country (other than field base) that has been subjected to out of season rain. But tonight they celebrate VM Lisa’s birthday, let’s hope it will be one to remember!

Alpha 4: Spent the night at the Ranger Station in La Cangreja and have been clearing their camp site and collecting materials to build jungle camp. The sun has shone all day today and tonight they are having a jungle style birthday party complete with a rations dinner for VM Adri! (perhaps a mix vege suprise will be their meal?)

Alpha 5: Arrived safe and sound and enjoying the warm weather. They have meet the rangers, looked around the part of the park where they will be spending the next 19 days and are setting up their jungle camp – I wonder whose camp site will be the best??

Alpha 7: Report that it is hot and dry in Nicaragua so are glad to have finished their two day bus trip. I am sure they enjoyed visiting to the Cooperativa Juan Francisco Paz Silva in Achuapa, meeting its chairman Brigido and learning more about this fantastic organisation.

Alpha 8: As above they are also glad to be off the bus! The San Ramon community has welcomed the group with open arms and dinner to fill their hungry stomachs, most likely it will consist of rice, beans and tortilla (something like what you see below)

Alpha 9: Weather = Hot and Sunny. The group enjoyed a swim last night and their sleep in this morning before trekking along the beach into La Carona. Luckily for the group their rucksacks were being carried by horses.

As you can see the weather appears to be great across the country however here at field base it has been raining constantly for the last 2 days, I am a little like bambi on ice skates with my crutchers in the wet! But to make myself feel better about this I helped myself to my suppy of popcorn...

Huge thanks for all the messages that you have been posting on here. Please keep writing as Team Field base will be relaying them out over the radio to the groups – they will all love hearing from home.