Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Photos from Zulu 2: Coast to Coast

Tuesday, 1 December 2009

Photos from Zulu 2: Coast to Coast

17 comments:

Anonymous2 December 2009 at 07:23
Dani Cordero, Zulu 2:
Mi amor, te veo muy sonriente en la foto que apareció hoy en el blog!!! Ojalá te dure el resto del viaje. JA!!! Por la casa todo y todos bien, ya el gordilio se comió el tapete de Navidad de la puerta. Definitivamente son como el amo...
Te amamamos mucho. Todos los tuyos.
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Anonymous2 December 2009 at 12:10
Dani (Coast to Coast)

Vamos Dani!!! mucha fuerza y energía positiva!!!
Seguimos revisando el blog para saber como está. Desde acá le mandamos muchos animos, sabemos que esperaba está fase así que disfrutela mucho, no olvide por favor siempre cuidarse mucho los pies.
Muchos abrazos con mucho más cariño Dani, je je je un chineito a la distancia.

Maryann Ex-HCV
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Anonymous2 December 2009 at 12:13
Betty y Patrick

Vamos chicos!! muchos animos, que disfruten mucho la caminata y que practique mucho español.

Abrazos

Maryann Ex-HCV
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Michelle2 December 2009 at 15:37
Hi Catherine (Spence)
You will be glad to know that I am back working with my normal group again and last night left before 12am! I have been given a day off this week because of the number of hours I have worked and am looking forward to that.
Andrew and I went out for dinner last night as it was our 3 year anniversary since we first met. I can not believe it is only 3 years and that I am now happily married with a house in the country-how life has changed. It was lovely to spend time with him after such a busy month.
I miss you so much and seem to cry every time we get an email from you. Everyone is missing you so much and are following your every move.
Andrew and I both have Christmas Eve off now so will be coming to Colchester a day earlier than we thought.We have bought your Christmas present now and think you are going to love it.
Looking forward to seeing you soon. Keep working hard and enjoy every minute of it. We are so proud of you and hope you keep having an amazing time,
lots of love
Michelle xxx
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Gabriel (gabo)2 December 2009 at 15:40
Hola ¡¡¡Gabriel ...espero que estes muy bien ...por aca todo anda bien¡¡¡ la casita va poco a poco pero algo a caminado, es fin vamos a chorrear el piso,la tuberia ya esta la de las aguas de salida y entrada, para este fin de año no estara pero para el proximo estaremos sentados en nuestra nueva sala acordandonos de el gran trabajo que hemos hecho y tu en especial con las asoleadas pegando blocks y todos los fines de semana con amigos y familia voluntarios...pero mi cielo gracias por tu esfuerzo por lo que trabajaste aqui, se que lo estaras haciendo donde estas¡¡¡¡Ah...y con lo de FIESTASCONBARRO s.a todo va bien cada vez mejor esuvimos en una actividad con 36 profesores y estaban super contentos ..muchos nunca habian tocado la arcilla....y la pasaron super divertido ...bueno mi cielo te estamos esperando con los brazos abiertos...todos preguntan por ti y que cuando vienes... tus hermanitas y tu papá te mandan besos y abrazos a montones....ya terminaron las clases Naty se eximio,Ari no pero paso de lo mas bien, Valeria esta estudiando ingles porque no la paso y tiene que presentar pero en todo lo demas muy bien...y siempre bien portada... hasta pronto y recuerda que te amo un monton.... att. tu mamita
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Anonymous3 December 2009 at 04:03
Message for Patrick Z 2

Hey Paddy
your uni results are not here yet i´ll send them to you once I receive them (I didn´t forget it).I hope you´re having a good time and your feet are not too sore, you look a bit tired on the pics. I am enjoying myself at my parents but also looking forward to go back to london!15 mal noch schlafen jippii
take care & love u
ena
ps hoffentlich hast du noch zeit deine stinkefuesse zu waschen bevor du zurueckfliegst ;)
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corrine3 December 2009 at 04:55
tara power i carnt put down in words how proud i am of you it is a pivillage to call you my sister, you looking tanned now im jealous lol. we carnt wait to see you it will fly by now only 2 and bit weeks to go. im putting me christmas tree up at the weekend carnt wait to see what lola thinks to it im getting excited now love you lots big hugs ya big sis corrinexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Anil Sabharwal3 December 2009 at 12:57
To Benita (zulu 2)

Whats up sis! Just checked out the photos. Looking good, hope u r not working too hard over there. I'm in England for a while on holiday and i'm back to Cape Town Sunday night.

Have to hear all the stories when u come and visit me.

Miss you lot,

love Big Bro!
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Bigmummashouse3 December 2009 at 18:01
To Benita (Zulu 2)

Just to say hi - have seen the latest photos of you. I feel for you, walking day after day, but I really admire your endurance.

It is not long anymore now before you come home. I am very much looking forward to that.

As you know Anil is here at the moment. It is nice to have him home again. Just a pitty that you have missed him this time.

Enjoy the rest of your walk. Hope to hear from you when you return to base. My last letter to you is in the post.

love you lots - big hug from
Mum and Dad
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Anonymous4 December 2009 at 04:21
Message for Andrew Needler (Zulu 4 )
Hello xx hope you are keeping well , things seem really busy at the moment at home , work getting things ready for xmas think i get more excited than the kids !!! ha ha
Well i have put the tree up already it did have chocolates on but miss alice has decided to help her self then hiding the wrappers under the tree ha ha .
Got her photographs from nursery they are so good she looks really cute blessxxx.
well not long now till you are home its seems to be passing really quick which is a good thing as we all cant wait to see you xx.
Off work today (Friday ) as ethan hasnt been well the last couple of days been off school so its just been days on the settee for us both ha ha .
Well hopefully i will talk to you soon and counting the days till you are home ,you are always in our thoughts and i am so proud of you andrew lots of love stacey ethan and alice xxxxxxxxx
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jess bland4 December 2009 at 10:46
helllooo tara powerrrr! i cant belive how brown u are!!! i definatley need to be toppin up the fake tan haha u look really good babe .. i cant wait for you to come home not long at all now :o) im really proud of u hun u have done some amazing things.. and u should be proud of urself :) anyways when u get bak we can celebrate christmasssssssssssssss wooooppp btw crouch is actin like the grinch these days he moans 24/7 about christmas haha lol i bet u have missed winding him up lol love you lotss jess xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Lesley5 December 2009 at 07:37
Hi Catherine (Spence) Zulu 4
Everyone here is busy preparing for Christmas, lots of shopping, ordering the turkey, thinking about menus ( would you like to keep with the rice and beans theme??), end of term, Christmas meals, planning visits etc. Seems rather bizarre thought to you all.
Stephen comes home from uni next weekend although does not seem to be in a rush to do so. He has had a very good first term although I was told he 'was done with work' for this term !! Rather worrying since he has two and half years left.
So excited about seeing you, under two weeks now. Everyone here is well and looking forward to hearing about all your adventures.
lots of love
Mum and Dad xxxx
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Anonymous5 December 2009 at 09:15
Wow Betty!
Your backpack is huge!
I remembered you telling me about the backpack that you would bring to Costa Rica, and how big that was. But this one is even bigger!
Looks like there could be a tough journey, but hopefully it's full of good experience and hopefully you are enjoying it, and enjoying the view.
Take care!
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Anonymous5 December 2009 at 13:30
Message to Vicky Walden, Zulu 2:
Hi Vicks,
Your trek looks amazing - I don't know how you are walking so far with all that kit on your back. You're be the fittest person in the family this Xmas.
You should all be very proud of yourselves. Hope the weather is being kind.
Keep safe and be happy.
Lots of love Mum and Dad and Abi. xxx
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Dad6 December 2009 at 05:33
Hi Patrick, i tried to send you a message before but it didn't work. Verena was over and told me how to do it properly, hopefully it works this time. We have received two letters from you. Judging by them and also the photos on the blog you seem to be enjoying yourself. Hope you got our letter as well.
Enjoy the rest of your hike - maybe you'll come with us next year on the hike to Spain no??? :-)
Looking forward to seeing you at Christmas and hearing all about your adventure.
Schmoozes - D, M, & J
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Azz9 December 2009 at 06:40
hey tazza, sory i aint wrote 4 a lil, had a week off and was just chillin, an shopin ha, got ma suit 4 the xmas party, wow is all i cn say for ur tan shame its guna go afta bwt a week of bein bk home lol. so proud of ya, good girl for sticking through it, eceryone loves ya loads. c ya very soon. love azza xxxx
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Danielle Wood10 December 2009 at 14:23
benita! Hope you are well on the trek, loving the photos hehe. It looks amazing and bet you have lots of stories to tell. Not long till you come back now, hope you have an amazing last week in Costa Rica. Good luck with the rest of the trek.
Dani 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?”