Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Jungle camp and sweet salsa music

Thursday, 4 February 2010

Jungle camp and sweet salsa music

After 24-hours of intensive training we sent half the expedition out for a night in the jungle to put those camp craft skills into practise...

Gathering bamboo for the basher beds

The legendary 'three-bowl' system

HOW TO BUILD A BASHER BED...

Bind together three poles with some old binder twine, or perhaps a bootlace...

then open it out into a nice stable tripod

Chuck some bamboo into the handy sleeves in the canvas hammocks...

And HEY PRESTO - you've got a lovely, comfy jungle bed. Nightnight!

When practising the CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation) proceedure at 6am, plump for the smallest member of your group to get the 'injury' or suffer the consequences...

Meanwhile, back at fieldbase the rest of us put on our dancing shoes and brushed up our salsa skills...

Nacho and Tara lead the way with a salsa demonstration

Freestylin'

Next time: find out the latest fashion craze to hit Fieldbase...

7 comments:

Nigel Havens5 February 2010 at 02:36
Hi Veronie Havens, Good to get your email, coast to coast trip sounds great. Which alpha group are you in and are Daisy or Emma in same one, did you manage to get a sim card for your phone, if so what is number? Take care,have a great time all our love Ma and Pa
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Pamela and Eric Stephenson5 February 2010 at 15:01
Hello Kit! Everyone looks as tho they are really enjoying themselves and partying most of the time. Henley is much quieter with you away and the bar-takings have gone down drastically. Have a great time, lots of love from Mum and Dad.
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Laura Boyes5 February 2010 at 16:25
For Jessica Gerry Alpha Four Group.
Ha ha just seen a picture of you!!!!!!!! Ah cant beleive you're there, I spoke to mummy this morning and she said you were sleeping in a tent, the poor people having to share with you I bet you are moaning like hell ha ha ha! What is the food like? Is there creepy crawlies? We all miss you loads & want to see more pics! Did you do the salsa dancing? I will do some Topshop shopping for you. Have fun. Tappy says hi, love you lots!!!! Love Lol Lol xxxxxxxxxxx
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davyejones@aol.com5 February 2010 at 16:38
To: James Wilderspin (expedition coast to coast)
hi James,got your welcome email this morning.Glad youre settling in and seem to be having a good time,5 star acommodation and food and those fabulous showers! The expedition should prove exciting and testing, since not all spiders are poisonous.lol You must take a photo of the shaved head, but keep your cap on!Visited G.Dot at the Hospital this afternoon and pleased to say she's making good progress, she was delighted to learn of your news and sends her love as we all do.Enjoy expediition and drop us a line when you can.Love Pappy & G Jean
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karin6 February 2010 at 03:19
Lieve Mark (alpha 8)
At first my compliments to Raleigh for the expedition blog, so we can follow all the adventures at home. I check it every day to find out if there is some news.
Nu Markie, je gaat naar MIraflor, hetzelfde als Marieke twee jaar geleden. Ga enorm genieten, het is een enorme ervaring. Laat weer wat horen als je weer op fieldbase bent! Liefs van ons allen, Karin
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Anonymous6 February 2010 at 07:53
From Livvy & Catherine...looks like Fun! All you need is your face painting (AGAIN) to match the roar! Enjoy x
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trishturton@hotmail.co.uk7 February 2010 at 14:09
Michaela Turton (apha 5)

Looks like you are having a good time, dan is extremely envious of you. After 2 days your bedroom is now environmentally friendly i.e all your belongings and bed are now at the tip lol.
Hope you are enjoying your poridge and not gagging to much on your beans!!!!
Just had a really nice roast dinner but at least you are getting out of the washing up!
Stay safe and keep having fun

All our love mum, dad, carl, dan and andy xxxx
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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?”