Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Catching up with Coast to Coast

Monday, 22 February 2010

Catching up with Coast to Coast - Alpha Three

On the final leg of our roadtrip, Bravo Three tootled down the road to the base of Cerro Dragon to find the intrepid Coast to Coast trekkers. Fresh from their summit climb of the Dragon Mountain, Alpha Three still had enough energy to get creative with the camera - check out the continent-crossing crew below as they go all Big Brother in this audio-visual extravaganza:

Next up: Coast to Coast trekker Roxi pens a poem about the greatest trek of all...

7 comments:

Nigel Havens23 February 2010 at 02:24
To Veronie Havens and all the Team of Alpha 3. Great to see the video, shame that Veronie could not be with you on that day, hopefully she is back with you now.Helen and I would just like to thank you all and especially Joey, Adri and the base camp team for supporting her in her hour of need.The professionalism and the highly organised medivac is a credit to you all - amazing what lengths Veronie will go to to get a comfy hospital bed and a shower! Her minor op. hopefully has done the trick and she will be bouncy once again, certainly sounded like it on Sunday.
From what we hear it has been an amazing trek and the team work has got you through the challenge and experience that most people do not encounter in a lifetime. Enjoy your reward of the beach at the end and let's hope that Veronie will be there to share it with you.
Nigel and Helen Havens
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Amy23 February 2010 at 09:20
Christopher Woodfield - Alpha Three

Loving the video! Looks like you've got a bit of stubble - I think you should grow a full on beard!
The letter you sent arrived the other day. It's very colourful. Really nice to hear from you.
It's very cold and rainy here. There's meant to be snow on the moors, but I have nobody to up there with! I've been watching the winter olympics. We should definitely add snowboarding to our list.
I hope you're getting on alright - you're nearly there now. :) And I hope to hear from you soon.

I love you. Amy x
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Pappy24 February 2010 at 02:52
To Sir James Wilderspin
Just watched the video and forwarded the utube link to the family.You all look so well and seem to be enjoying things so much.Loved the shot of you playing chess.continuing to keep the grey matter active!.also the shot of the person leaving the "long drop"(great name hahah) with paper and shovel!.When you read this you will be enjoying the relaxed delights of the Pacific coast , beach and possibly hotshowers etc.Good luck to all the team on your next project which we shall follow with the same eagreness as this one.Love G Jean & Pappy
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Amelia Vyvyan24 February 2010 at 12:54
To Izzy Vyvyan Alpha 3
Hope I'm not embarrassing you sending lots of messages - but we are just missing you back home! Anyway - we loved seeing your video - where was the geordie big brother accent? You'll be better at it after a year at Newcastle! Dad didnt quite get it - having never watched big brother and was worried that everyone was ignoring you!lol! I cant believe you've walked so far - like doing the rugger ramble day after day after day! Well done to you and everyone - just amazing - you should all be justifiably proud of yourselves and no doubt will have dinner party stories for ever more.
Cant wait to hear what your next project is - everyone at home is asking me all the time! (typical Grassington!) Lots of love as always, Mum and Dad xxx
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Gill Denne24 February 2010 at 16:02
to Nathan Denne Alpha3

Sooo cool to see you on video! Glad to see you are still alive after the mammoth trek...the gigantic toad sounds umm...fascinating and "reflective practice??!" I'm intrigued!
Alex just left Agra, finding the Taj Mahal at dawn "very big"! i'm off to Bristol to see Luke at some point and then off to Holland just before you get back - not quite Costa Rica, but it's a start!

Life goes on as usual here - wet, grey, cold interspersed with work, oh and an excursion to the Prince tomorrow to use your other voucher - would hate to see it go to waste! ;-)Oh and off the the cinema at the weekend to see either Hurt Locker or Precious...might have to go for those VIP seats again!

My food bills have diminished dramatically and the house stays so clean and tidy you would not believe it!

take care, miss you, have fun!

mum xx
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Will25 February 2010 at 17:13
Rachel Stanley Alpha 3.

"U Rachel Stanley, U are the trekker of the day". And u look mostt gangster, it is brave of u to show your colours so publicly but i wouldnt expect anything else.

Its been a whole week of Swine flu and then woohoo food poisoning mixed up with a bit of Gym. Yes I said Gym, managed to mess that up quite badly as well tho. Pushed to heavy weights on my chest and this morning I literally couldnt dress myself for client interview. Went in half dressed explained predicament o supervisor and she helped me get properly dressed, bit embarassing. Interview didnt go so well with onset of wild tummy pains followed by P. Vomit...lovely. Feel a world better now especially after seeing actual footage of your Beautiful self.

Everyone says hi same as always. Be safe stay strong, theres some tings on the way, but i have resorted to typing your lettersw now{for ur benefit, my handwriting resembles a six year olds.}

Love to you.

Wilbur.
xxxxxxxxx
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Dad and Mum27 February 2010 at 13:22
Mum and Dad to;
Urmi Mistry Alpha 3

It was great to hear from you yesterday, Mum stress level came down after hearing your voice and I am sorry that missed your call. We are delighted that you and the team are enjoying your journey and experience in Costa Rica.

Jitubahi and Purviben came over last night and Bhupendra Kaka came this morning and they were asking about you. I think everyone are proud of you and wishing they were with you.

Your gym buddies were asking me this morning how you are doing and couping with the 'bugs'.

What is Alpha 3's next project? let us know. Weather here is cold and scotland had about 1 feet of snow.

Thats all for now.

Love - Mum and Dad
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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?”