Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: X-ray Three Update

Friday, 5 March 2010

X-ray Three Update

The Coast to Coasters departed the Caribbean Sea on the 28th Feb to cross the continent. Communications Officer Dan Willis fills us in on their latest news...

Dan, top left, relaxing after a hard day on the trail...

“Your altitude is determined by your attitude.” With this in mind we set off on a trek far superior to that of the ‘not so Macho taxi trekkers!’ Our Day Leaders so far have included: Action Dan’s military style regime; Hugh and his attempt to rescue Tara from quicksand with a twig; Joe whose day couldn’t go far wrong as it was 15km in a straight line and Bryony, our resident soul singing diva!

Day Five, 6am: X-ray Three ready to depart from an overnight stop at Barbilla ranger station

In the last three days we have slept in a garage, a farmer’s house and the luggage compartment of a bus - no tents as of yet! We have seen every emotion from tears when our blisters are bursting to utter elation at receiving free bags of ice on a hot day. As we soldier on, sometimes carrying up to 40kg or two rucksacks, we remind ourselves that no one has ever been hurt by pain alone!!!

Brave words indeed! Here are some shots of the trekkers, taken when Bravo One dropped in at Barbilla ranger station, their overnight stop on Day Four:

Bravo One delivers their Raleigh rations for the next four days

Girl power - the ladies make light work of sorting out the food drop

From left to right: Bryony, Daisy and Paulien

PMs Richard and Tara head back to the ranger station after meeting the guide for tomorrow's jungle trek

Teak boutique - the overnight accommodation

Sam and Lai Yin (Alfie) worked up quite an appetit

Twilight in the forest - the end of another amazing day on the X-ray Three trek

Next time: we catch up with the Guanacaste Trek up in northern Costa Rica

14 comments:

Anonymous6 March 2010 at 04:31
To Xray 3
Don't know any of you but, my goodness, we are all raising a cheer for you!
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Lotte6 March 2010 at 07:33
adam smith x-ray 8,

hiya!!!
how are you? hope your xray group is going as well as your alpha group did!! im sure it is!!
the weather has FINALLY got nice in plymouth and started being sooo sunny! its lovely! maybe i can get a bit of sun and catch up with you??...not gonna happen really is it haha
your dad has got the burnley tickets for you:) bet your getting exited!!!
nothing that interesting has been going on!! just been working and drinking wehayy...talking about drinking i bet you could do with a beer!!
cannot wait to see you in 17 days :D and aghhhaaa it's nearly your birthday!! 9 days and youll be 19!! how exiting!! you will have such a good birthday there!! what an amazing place to have it!!
love you loads!!
lotte
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Anonymous6 March 2010 at 07:55
To Hannah Johns - x ray 4...
Hey Han, hope all is going well out there, no aggressive chickens or head torch issues!! I'm back homeee and it's so strange, hasn't changed at all, ate my choc fudge cake and still settling back into things! Say hi to everyone for me...Remember, if it's a laugh or cry situation, just laugh! Love Charley xxxx ps can't wait for the apple cake reunion!
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Jan Karel Mak7 March 2010 at 03:37
Ha Marijne,
Van Sebastians verslag krijgen we een idee van de geweldige tocht die jullie maken, maar het blijft moeilijk voorstelbaar: rivieren, vulkaaneruptie, honger en natte laarzen, warme zon en koude regen... Wel wat andere gebeurtenissen dan hier met vallende regeringen, raadsverkiezingen waar idioten worden gekozen enzovoorts. (Op 9 juni kan jij ook stemmen!) Op de foto zie je er goed uit, hou dat vast! Hier is alles OK, Anne heeft gisteravond met 6 buren en overburen in de stad gegeten. Ik werk hard: probeer in Milaan en in Parijs een kantoor van de grond te krijgen... Kijk uit voor de slangen en doe je best!!! X
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Anonymous8 March 2010 at 05:51
to Samuel, X Ray three

Lieve Sam, terug uit Istanbul, een bijzondere ervaring, een stad met 12-15 miljoen inwoners, ik voelde me "lost". Wat een mooie tocht maken jullie en wat ben je al lang weg. Je ziet er stralend uit. Met opa gaat het niet goed, door de bestralingen zijn zijn voorhersenen aangetast, waardoor hij niet meer zichzelf is. Het is zo triest allemaal, voor hem, voor oma, voor ons. Als je weer terug op fieldbase bent kan ik je alles vertellen, en horen wat jij allemaal hebt meegemaakt. Dikke kus, mam
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mum8 March 2010 at 06:09
To Phoebe Whitehouse......X-ray 3

Hi Pheebs,
Lovely photos of the group. Looks wet!!!!Hope you are having a wonderful time and all is going well and your feet are surviving in those great boots.Cornwall is blue skies and freezing. Love you loads.
MumXXXXX
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barbara koppius8 March 2010 at 08:12
ha Pienie, wow, wat een stoere foto's en wat een natuur!! Blaren?? Heemstede is nu wel heel ver van je bed he! Hier alles ok. Emilie tentamen gehaald, Aleid bijna verkassen in NY en heeft haar nieuwe camera, Daddy druk in ziekenhuis, ik druk met Spaans. Moraira gaat goed. Deze week spannend ivm vergunning.Mimi super wintersport met Beets gehad.Denken veel aan je. kaart Costa Rica in tuinkamer op tafel en volgen je route.Hou je taai, geniet van alles! love you en miss you. xxx Mama
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Anonymous9 March 2010 at 19:41
Bryony, X-ray 3.
Hey brydog, hope the trek is going well, am currently sat in hostel waiting for flight to bermuda in early hours of the morning. look after yourself and send my love to everyone in the group, i will hopefully rejoin you very soon. x
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Anonymous9 March 2010 at 19:48
X-ray 3.
I miss you all loads, wish i was back with you guys and girls, hopefully it wont be long until i rejoin you.hope the trekking is going to plan, there may be a treat upon my return...who knows!
Tara & Bryony...i am waiting with bated breath for more input on my personal life,your challenge is my command!x
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Paul Koppius13 March 2010 at 14:49
Hi lieverd (=Pien)-X-ray 3
Ben zoooo nieuwsgierig, benieuwd naar alle avonturen! Denk veel aan je, zou er graag even bij willen zijn.Hier alles veel minder spannend. Amma en Kop, die nauwelijks weten wat een computer doet, hebben gisteren Aleid (New York) gezien en gesproken.Aparte ervaring. Ook jij zal wel een heel ander leven hebben.Straks hopelijk heerlijk chillen aan het strand, na die lange tochten. Al veel beesten/ vogels gezien? Lieverdje,je blijft mijn kanjer. Miss you, love you . Papa/daddy
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Anonymous14 March 2010 at 05:44
Hi blogmistress/master!
Can we have a new X-Ray Three update please?It'll be nearly 10 days since we last heard!
Best wishes,
Philip Carr-Gomm
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lisa talboys14 March 2010 at 13:30
To Joe Talboys X Ray 3.

Hi Joe, have read the latest up date, and hear a lot of you have had a trekking bug,. Hope everyone is Ok now. It says you had hot chocolate and marshmallows and everyone is feeling more positive now. Hope you are OK.
I can't work out if you have 4 more days to trek or a week and 4 days.Look forward to maybe speaking to you when you get back to base.
Its been a lovely day here, sunny and spring like. Been with Grannie and Grandad out for lunch with Carla and Billy and the girls as it is mothers day today. Harry rang and wished me Happy Christmas, I said Happy Easter back.Time warp. He did another gig this week, which didn;t go quite as well as last weeks. Not such a good sound system. Everyone is fine here.Hope you are still enjoying it. All our love, Mum Dad, Harry and George. xxxx
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Unknown14 March 2010 at 17:17
For Daisy Wright

Hello Tissy wissy woo woo! Its your bro (the better one) photos look great and you look like your having a fantastic time, julia and I are very jealous, she says hi by the way! Whos the punk you've got your arms round in the photo? have you done a CRB check? I will. I'm joking obviously. but seriously, have you? I tried to write on here the other day but it hasn't come up because i think i may have been inappropriate, fingers crossed this one gets through! I have good news, I got the exec job! wahoo! my first job, whoda thunk it? I get my own office and a secretary! Dad doesn't even have a secretary anymore, haha! loser. Any way Dais I'll fill you in more when you have changeover! Good luck, I'm thinking of you and know you'll do me proud sis. Love your big brother, George xxxxxxxxxxxx
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hein15 March 2010 at 10:31
Samual Becht x ray 3

Ha die Sam,

Op basis van de foto's ziet het er allemaal erg prettig uit. Geniet ervan en maak vrienden. Toen ik zo oud was als jij had ik een fantastische tijd in Amerika, maar vergat namen en adressen op te schrijven om kontakt te onderhouden met aardige en bijzondere mensen die ik had ontmoet.Doodzonde. Over een paar dagen ben je jarig. Zorg ervoor dat je je 19'verjaardag nooit meer vergeet (zal wel niet veel moeite kosten).
Ik feliciteer je nu vast namens Opa en Nettie, die natuurlijk steeds naar je vragen. Hoop dat het lukt je dagboek een beetje bij te houden, want we willen natuurlijk alles van je weten.
Ik ga nu, eindelijk, eens op de kaart kijken wat "coast to coast" betekent in kilometers.
Kreeg trouwens nog de tip: als je eenmaal zuid amerika intrekt zijn kloosters blijkbaar ideale overblijfplaatsen; goed eten, veilig, aardige mensen, etc. Hou daar in je plannen rekening mee, dan heb je wat meer mogelijkheden onderweg.Lijkt me het proberen waard.Trouwens, over chillen gesproken, Emir meldde gisteren dat hij graag met een vriend wilde gaan chillen. Dat verzoek is ingewilligd door te gaan bowlen. Gevaarlijke sport dat chillen: zware bal boven je hoofd tillen en dan zo hard mogelijk op de baan laten vallen. Maar hij heeft natuurlijk wel gewonnen.
Tot zover weer even lieve vriend. Miss/Love you.
Pap.
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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?”