Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Alpha 4 in Playa El Rey

Friday, 28 August 2009

Alpha 4 in Playa El Rey

Thanks to Ben and Oli for doing a great job looking after the blog in my absence. Guy and I have just returned in Bravo 4 having visited all four Alpha groups on their final phase 3 projects and we're pleased to report they are all in good spirits and making the most of their final phase.

Guy and I on route to the Alpha groups

Guy and Bravo 4

Some friendly crocodiles we passed on the way!

First up was Alpha 4 in Playa El Rey. They are living in a ranger station on the beach waking up every morning with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. They begin work early in the morning to avoid the midday sun, clearing the beach of coconuts and fallen palms to make way for planting of trees. In the afternoon its time to relax and enjoy being at the beach as it gets too hot to work and in the evenings it time for turtle patrol.

Alpha 4 arriving at the ranger station

The classic human pyramid

Harry and Guy competing to see who gets the best shot of the sunset!

Guy taking a break from photography to help out the group by sharpening a machete

Sarah, Guy and Gemma raking up Playa El Rey

Harry after a hard morning raking up palms and coconuts

Coming soon - more news and pictures from Alpha 1, 2 and 3!

15 comments:

Ann Butterworth28 August 2009 at 13:54
Hi Gemma,

Looks like you are having a great time. Enjoy the last few weeks honey and see you soon.
Love Mum xx
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Anonymous28 August 2009 at 16:12
Hello Shaney Boy,

Heading to Croke Park on Sunday - Meath playing against Kerry, should be good. Need a photo and update to see that you are alive. All good here.
Will email with results and news from home next week. Love you lots.

Mam
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Tracy29 August 2009 at 02:31
Hi Ross!
We all liked the human pyramid picture - am sure the turtles are enjoying the human entertainment!
Hope you are still having a great time - missing you!
Cant believe you will be back in a few weeks, looking forward to hearing all about your adventures!
Lots of love from
Mum, Paul, Lucie xxx
P.S Lucie didnt pass her driving test(again)
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David & Sadie Hughes29 August 2009 at 11:34
Hi Harry (Hughes), Good to see you working hard !! on the beach !!, with your hair you only need a few grey highlights and it will be just like mine..LOL.. your room is coming on just fine and will be ready for your return.. Great to see you and looking forward to the 12th, all fine here and its sunny (today)!! Love Dad & Mom, at Colin & Rosemary's
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Anonymous30 August 2009 at 10:36
Hello Harry C , glad to see you are looking so well and in a fabulous part of the world. It is 1 September tomorrow and hard to believe that you only have a couple of weeks before you'll be back in old Blighty! It looks as though you have had an amazing time and we cant wait to hear all your stories! Love Mum
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About Me30 August 2009 at 14:55
Hey Matt (Usherwood)

Not long to go! I hope the turtle project is going well, Pips was relaying all of what you told her on fb! I'm off on me holi holi holidays at 3am tonight. Dad's being lovely and is dropping me and Doug at the airport! I can't wait to catch some rays and relax, I hope that you have a wonderful last few weeks and a very safe journey home. I can't wait to see you when I get back. Lots and lots and lots of love, Clarey xxxx
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Anonymous31 August 2009 at 05:16
Hi Jimbo

How are you me ol fuitee!! Having a rudely good time I can see!! I'm very pleased you are doing good things with turtles, what a priveledge! Just had a one night camp near Symonds Yat with Simon and Rich Saturday night - good to be in the countryside and wake up in the fresh air even if that air is rather damp, as it was yesrerday!! Simon decided to sleep in the porch bit of my big (very dirty!) tent and suffered a soaking from the condensation in the night, quite amusing! He absorbed it very well.
Chelsea are doing well as you may already know, top of the tree on GD! We are going to have to sort out a match or two Jimbo.
Looking forward to having you back soon and hearing all your stories. We all miss you and love you lots, bye for now Dad xx
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caroline carr-locke1 September 2009 at 01:06
hi alexander C-L i have just written you a letter hoope you receive it i am not sure if I shall go to Spain or not now keep changing my mind I hope all is well have not seen many photos of you etc end of festival now have been to lots of music etc miss you and so looking forward to having you home love me
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Anonymous1 September 2009 at 03:18
Hi Ross
Wow what a place to stay!
It even looks like you have a sun tan(wonders will never cease!)
Enjoy the rest of your stay

See you at the airport on your return.

Take care

Love Dad
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sadie hughes1 September 2009 at 05:53
Hi harry,
Look at your hair !!!!! Half the family didn't reconize you, i did of course. You look really well and I hope you are having the time of your life, only two weeks left. The pictures are great.
I had a good chat with Becky and we are both really looking forward to seeing you and counting the days down to your return. Your room is looking nice and the floor should be finished by the weekend.
We went to Devon for the weekend, the weather was grim but still enjoyed ourselves.
Looking forward to seeing you , Loads of Love Mom xxxx Writing this at work !!!
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Anonymous1 September 2009 at 11:34
Hı there Ado. Wonderıng how thıngs are goıng. We are seeıng some wonderful sunsets over the Med from SW Turkey. The resort ıs on the seasıde. Ben ıs wıth Jean and beıng the perfect guest.
Hope all goıng well.
Love as always.
Mum and Dad.
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Anonymous2 September 2009 at 02:49
Hey Rob (alpha 2 phase 3)
I keep posting here and they haven't appeared, so apologies if you keep getting similar! Great to see you on photos, thanks to Phil for the diary blog update, you look great (in spite of the hairstyle!) and I'm sure you don't want this trip to end. Enjoy it all, thinking of you, as always (and sitting at your desk!) lol Mum xxx
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Anonymous2 September 2009 at 12:01
My goodness Ross, is that a muscle or two I see before me?! Enjoy your last week and see you soon!! Love Ging xx
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Anonymous2 September 2009 at 15:32
Hi Carl,
It's strange to be looking for news of you in Alpha 4,after all these weeks of looking at Alpha 2.We hope the final project is a great success & thoroughly enjoyed by the whole group.
Love Mum & Dad XX
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Anonymous3 September 2009 at 23:00
hi claire wilson
not wrote you a wee message in a while . hope things are going well out there . like the pyramid photos (a few spare tyres there )lol . ash lost the baby lucy is a wee head banger as per .everyone cant wait to see you expecially me still waiting on my scan but you should hopfully be home before then .mum was up the other week bet you didnt expect that lol . love loads xxxxx
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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?”