Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Charlotte Parker´s X-ray 2 blog update

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Charlotte Parker´s X-ray 2 blog update

As I sit here writing this, there is a definate sense of achievement within X-ray 2 as we have just reached our highest point of the trek, climbing approximately 2800m. A lot has happened since the last blog entry when we emerged from the jungle. Although the jungle was tough, we soon found out there were more challenges ahead, starting with a 21k day up various hills and in considerable heat, eventually arriving at our destination at about 6pm. Tanne has taken on the role of translator and has used her newly aqcuired Spanish skills to find us a roof to stay under for the night. Following our long day to Atirra, we had a relatively short days walk to Taus- a milestone in itself as we had reached our halfway point. We celebreated this occasion by adding some fresh vegetables to our usual pasta and donning our best black tie attire-black bin bags! Even the epic night spent camping in three leaky tents under an electricity pylon after a day of walking uphill in the rain wasn´t enough to dampen our spirits (although our ever positive pms Guido and Clint were not too happy to be cooking dinner)! So with only 5 days left of trekking, X-ray 2 are going strong, still falling over (sammy B had a particualrly epic fall into a river this morning!) still wet (long gone are the days of dry clothes) but still smiling and still kicking the ass of the last coast to coast group!!

Charlotte crossing an Indiano Jones style bridge

X-ray 2 posing infront of the beautiful view

8 comments:

Anonymous17 November 2009 at 16:14
Nou Tanne, dat ziet er allemaal wel heeeel erg dramatisch en heftig uit!! Wat moet dat afzien zijn. Ik heb diep respect, dame!!!
Wat zul jij een stoere verhalen kunnen vertellen en wat zul je straks blij zijn als je de blauwe oceaan ziet liggen: ik zal je één tip geven: rugzak af en gewoon doorlopen!!
Dikke kus,
Gurt
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Kei17 November 2009 at 16:43
Hola Tanne!!! Es muy bueno verte en las fotos! justo como lo dijiste la ropa terminó muy sucia!! hahaha Tengo otra frase para ti! :) It´s inpirational phrase!

"Tengo miedo, Pero lo quiero hacer y lo voy a hacer" Tanne Jans

Eres genial! sigue asi!! ;) xxKei
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Anonymous18 November 2009 at 05:11
hey lieve Tanne,
Jeetje, wat ziet dat er zwaar uit! Schijnt de zon ook nog weleens in Costa Rica? LOL! Ik ben nu bij mama en hebben net weer even al je foto's bekeken, zo gaaf en stoer je te zien! Van modder ben je in ieder geval niet meer vies! Ben heel benieuwd naar je ervaringen van deze tracking, bizar denk ik maar ook zo mooi!
Hier waait de wind weer hard door de bomen, terwijl de sint ons gadeslaat! Het is weer die tijd, de truffelpepernoten zul je wel missen, dus ik eet ze voor twee zodat jij stiekem een beetje mee geniet!
Lieverd, zet hem op daar! Ben trots op je!
Hele dikke kussen Anna
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Sue18 November 2009 at 05:42
Message for Craig X-ray 2

keep those legs going. it's great to be able to see photos of you and your group but what you are doing and seeing must be even better. I can't really imagine it so will be expecting more photos and lots of stories when you get home - you should be really proud of yourself and what you are acheiving. Well done - take care.
Love Auntie Sue, Andy & Heather
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Anonymous18 November 2009 at 08:48
Treklustige Tanne,

Ja, ik kan niets anders zeggen dan dat ik de informatie en foto's overweldigend vind. Voor het eerst denk ik dat je echt iets moet overwinnen om dit te volharden!! Tanne wat zul je fysiek(en geestelijk natuurlijk ook)steeds over een grens heen moeten om dagelijks op de plek te eindigen. Knap hoor schat.
Ik heb net je laatste brieven gelezen en weet hoe goed het met je gaat. Geweldig!!!

Een ding: je rood-witte shirt, nou ja rood-bruin eigenlijk, geeft aan hoe jullie je moeten voelen tijdens deze trek. Ik moest wel lachen toen ik jou in hompen gehuld op de foto zag staan. Waar is dat modebewuste meisje....??
Je ogen staan goed en spreken boekdelen. Zoals je in je brief schrijft: 'de tijd van mijn leven'.

Ik was ook blij te lezen dat je geen blaren hebt. Dan kom je er met -vies en ranzig- nog goed vanaf!!Je gaat alweer je laatste week in en ik weet nog dat ik schreef, misschien gaat de tijd voor jou te snel. Wat ontzettend fijn dat je het op deze manier beleeft en dat was natuurlijk ook je wens en de bedoeling. Verder heb ik begrepen dat je je Spaans aardig blijft oefenen door onderdak voor jullie te regelen!!

Tanne het is goed voor ons thuis te zien, lezen dat het je goed afgaat.
Dat kleine meisje, lachend voor op de brug flikt het weer!!!

Lieve schat, ik schrijf weer snel en ik zou zeggen:'geniet met volle teugen van de mensen om je heen en de natuur'!!
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The Parkers19 November 2009 at 01:12
message for Charlotte X-ray 2
It was really good to see the update and know that your group are making such good progress on you trek and having such a fantastic and interesting adventure.
You are nearly at the end of the trek, so keep going you have all done so well, it will be an amazing achievement when you reach the ocean.
Really looking forward to hearing from you next week, can't believe the time is passing so quickly.
Missing you and thinking of you always
Mum xxxxx
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Anonymous19 November 2009 at 14:35
Charlotte,
Still no news on how many times u have fallen over! I`m writing this from the beach at Camaronal. You`d laugh at me having to get on my hands and knees and scoop warm turtle eggs out the ground! That said, there are so many places here where u could fall so epicly that I keep laughing to myself :p
Keep on goin girl, you´re nearly done. See u at field base!
Claire
xx
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Anonymous20 November 2009 at 12:26
Message for Ashley Riby ( x-ray 2)
Hi Ash, just been looking at the video, you look thin but happy.How are all the beans affecting you? Everybody well here and looking forward to seeing you again. Sending lots of love and kisses Nanna and John
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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?”