Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Zulu Three: Coast to Coast in Pictures

Saturday, 3 April 2010

Zulu Three: Coast to Coast in Pictures

Coast to Coast reach the high point of the trek at 2800m

Loooks like they're heading in the right direction!

Call that a river crossing!

Don't forget your sponges or you'll get sore shoulders!

A well earned rest!

The legendary Raleigh rations.

Simon proudly displays the best sandwich he has made on Raleigh!

It's all in the preparation!

PM's Ruth and Vanessa, shiny happy people!

Keeping field base updated with the daly sitrep.

One at a time please!

Keeping in touch with the outside world through the blog messages!

Who needs an aluminium treking pole!

Bonita!

12 comments:

Jenny Bhata3 April 2010 at 13:42
For Ally Bhatia Zulu Three
Hi Ally
It was sooooo good to see the latest blog of your group with photos of you at the highest point on the trek. It's all downhill from now on though probably a few hills in between. You're looking good babe and I'm sure that you are encouraging each other to succeed together. Omar's opening was last night and he won two awards with small amount of money but lots of kudos. We are certainly proud of you both. I am still following your progress on the satellite map. Keep on trucking!! You'll have a letter from me on your return. I will be at Nona's next weekend so I'll email you from there. She is doing really well. I think about you a lot and send my love. So keep safe and keep going! Love Mum xxxxoooo
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Anonymous3 April 2010 at 15:31
Hannah johns Zulu 3
Fantastic pics, hannah, and great to see you all still smiling! Not far to the ocean now. we are all sending you our love and hugs and wishing you a happy Easter - choc eggs waiting your return home. Keep safe. Love Grandma , Grandpa, Stephen, Jen, Louisa and Seb xxxx
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Ed Kesterton4 April 2010 at 05:05
Hi Jenny!!
Wasn't sure whether these actually got to you but it looked like it did in one of the pictures so here goes (time for some embarrasment I think! Haha)!! WOW! it all looks amazing and you look like you're having an amazing time. I'm sure it must be very tiring but keep drinking tea!! Haha anyway lots of us are missing you back home, me and gay especially! I saw her last week and she says hi!! (I feel kind of bad for her cos without you here she's getting the full brunt of my drunk essays now! Whoops ;p) But yeah good luck with the rest of your trek. Costa Rica looks beautiful and I am very jealous sitting here in rainy old England!! also try and find a 'cinchona' tree (I think?!) because it has quinine in it and if you chew on the bark it makes your head go all tingly!! (certainly helps if you've got tons of walking to do! Hehe) haha sorry slightly random I know but I read about it and immediately thought of you! Ha
lots of love and hugs!! Miss you :)
Ed and everyone back here in England
xxxxxxx
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Anonymous4 April 2010 at 05:16
Caroline Bixner zulu 5

Hé Muis, hoe was je BLT? De volgorde van jouw projecten was gewoon perfect, eerst survival, dan bouwen en nu lekker lui met de schildpadden en beetje Robinson Cruso spelen....Vandaag is het Pasen en natuurlijk weer een pietenweer van de bovenste plank. Ons eerste Pasen zonder kinderen, want Laurence was bij Coen. Met mij gaat het ook weer goed en zie ik er weer "fris" uit.Dinsdag met de makelaar op stap en woensdag ook weer. Morgen komen Elmar en Ulrike Amsterdam onveilig maken. Gelukkig komen ze niet met alle 5 kinderen.
Muisje geniet nog maar met volle teugen van de laatste dagen Raleigh. Het is omgevlogen! Liefs, mama. Wij kijken uit naar je thuiskomst!!!
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Nath Fuller4 April 2010 at 06:41
To Bethany Bowers (Zulu 5)
Heya, just a little update on my life, I have eaten for the first time in 7 days today because I have been pretty ill. Good times haha. Went to Billy's birthday last night twas nice seeing everyone. And I am going to be a god father to George :D so excited. So please can you come with me, I dunno when it is yet. I miss you so much ya know, everything about you. Aww soppy. Not long till your home though, 9 days (not that I am counting). Can't wait to see you. You want to watch a film when you get back, Without a paddle maybe. Love you so much darling. See ya soon Love Nath
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Anonymous4 April 2010 at 09:19
Ruth Zulu 3
Hi Ruth, Lovely to see the blog pics and great smile for the camera. It all looks amazing, as does the size of your rucksack. Hope the walking boots are doing their stuff and that Raleigh food continues to inspire.
Here we are on countdown to getting M and trailer off to France tomorrow (Easter Monday). Fully loaded now and gathering what's left outside into increasingly smaller piles for disposal. Still a lot in the house to take with us - next vehicle trip isn't til end of May and then it is the BIG one. Just hope it all goes in! Not all work and cobwebs. Found a lovely new restaurant last night for Doreen's birthday. We missed your generation though - Kate and Nick couldn't make it either as they have succumbed to bugs.
Hedges at last beginning to show touches of green and daffodils exuberant so maybe this is at last Spring. So glad for you that you have been able to do trek as well as all the other interesting stuff beforehand. I think we'll leave you to sleep for a week when you get back! Much love, Mum
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Floor/Wil/Bel/Lies4 April 2010 at 10:21
Emma van Selms zulu 3
EMMINGGGG!!!! Jij aan het kaartlezen (?!) zien we op de foto's, wat goed!!
Hoe gaat het met je rug en blaar?
Missen je heel erg..
Alles gaat hier goed! Pap en Mam in Frankrijk..
Wij met z'n 4en thuis pasen aan het vieren/ eten eten eten
Hoe staat het met de oreo's en de sandwichijsjes?
Zo veel zin om naar je toe te komen em!
Heel benieuwd naar al je verhalen
we missen je..
LOVE YOU XXXXXXXX je 3 zusjes en lies
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Anonymous4 April 2010 at 13:06
Hannah Johns - Zulu 3
Hey Han!
GUESS WHAT - i passed my trumpet with merit! wooo:)
also, we went up to Ickford with Anj and Jack to surprise G&G, was quite funny! i photoshopped you into the family picture:p pretty good effort i think! :p
hope the trek is FUN (as fun as trek's can be!)
i had chocolate for the first time in 3 months today, it was a very special occasion! :p
there is LOADS of chocolate here for when you get back!
enjoy your last week or so!
lots of loveee
BECKY :) XXXX
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Jenn5 April 2010 at 02:12
Ally Bhatia:

Ally, finally found my way to the Raligh blog. The trek looks outstanding. What an opportunity, hope your feet are holding up :). J and I are heading to Scotland to see Omar's show, sorry we'll miss you there. Hopefully you can come visit us in Barca on your return and we can practice our Spanish together.

Keep safe and enjoy the ride.

Jenn
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Christina Campbell-Delgado5 April 2010 at 11:11
ALLY BHATIA Zulu 3

BABY!!!! omg i'm so sorry i've not left a post on your blog!! actually killed me to see this picture where it says "Keeping in touch with the outside world through the blog messages!" and you the only person in the picture above without shizzle in your hand!!! i'm so sorry Glasgow has been tres mental past few weeks and now that i'm on holiday i'm starting to miss you more and more!!! still looks like your having an awsome time and i hope this final trek doesn't wear you out too much. porque quieres horar un poco de energia para cundo vuelves.
te amo Ally divino me hases demaciado falta. y tengo tanta emocion para hablar contigo de nuevo!!
ta amo contoda mi corazon no lo olvides.
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Anonymous7 April 2010 at 04:54
FROM: KATIE AYLARD

hello my poochy poo!!! just thought id write you a little note to see how you are!! WE MIS YOU SO MUCH!! me and ed have our dayly WE MISS JEN TEXTS and kris and i have taken to taking him out once a week to the cinema and for dins dins to keep him sane from all the revision hes been doing, hes working really hard, very impressive! he misses you alot (but me more!!) i got an email from imo the other day which was very cute, shes mising you too!....basically EVERYONES MISSING YOU!!!!! the pictures look amazing, although slightly reminiscent of the 50 mile walk....ew! but you freakatoid enjoyed that so i guess you must be loving it!!!! its only 2 weeks till i leave now so i hope you get back into email contact before i leave cos it would be amazing to hear from you, if not ill see you in july.... EWWWWW!!!!! I MISS MY BEST FRIEND.... im suffering from a severe lack of scotch eggs too, its just not the same eating them without you. HA love youuuuu love kates x
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Anonymous11 April 2010 at 13:12
FOR EVERYONE AND ESPECIALLY VANESSA. well done to you all. You did it and can be very proud of yourselves. Love to Vanessa from her Mum, Dad, brother and Mav xxxxx
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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?”