Romeo 3: Fun and sun on Playa Camaronal

Ryan Buchanan reports on life with the turtles at Camaronal: 

We set off on our final phase of Expedition 10F as Romeo 3 and headed for Playa Camaronal. Our work here was to be turtle patrolling, extending the hatchery and building a path at the ranger’s station.

From the first day it was clear to us that we were going to have an awesome final three weeks. On the bus journey to Camaronal we were all laughing and singing and the group bonded quickly.

Over the next few days the singing continued as we set up our jungle camp, were flooded out and then set up our second camp. The adventure that this event provided brought the group even closer together and we were all proud of the place we called our home for the next two and a half weeks.

We soon began work extending the hatchery during the day and patrolling the beach at night. We all worked hard in temperatures above 30 degrees and we were immensely happy with the final result.

The night shifts on the beach were truly amazing. We were given a unique opportunity to work closely with the endangered sea turtles. We collected and re-located thousands of eggs, helped trapped turtles return to the sea and attempted to deter poachers. Although great fun the 2-4 hour patrols did take their toll on our sleep. However, luckily for us the basher beds were comfy and the food tasted great.

There are many talented cooks in Romeo 3 and most of us were even able to make Pork & Beans delicious.
In our free time we spent afternoons swimming in the sea, playing beach football and volleyball, chilling out, chatting and once again singing.

On the second Sunday we visited the nearby town of Punta Islita were we swam in the pool and the sea at a  five star hotel (yes, Raleigh volunteers can enjoy a slice of luxury now and again). Later that night we returned to Playa Camaronal and celebrated two of the group members' birthdays with a cultural dance exchange. The rangers taught us salsa and we taught them some Scottish Celidh dancing and the New Zealand Haka. In addition to this fun-filled day out, we had a solo day treasure hunt which our amazing PMs organised.

As our time drew to a close at Camaronal, we completed the construction of a path and patrolled the beach for the last time. The group spirit and team working skills were best conveyed on the last day when we de-assembled our camp and practiced our skit.

The bus journey back to Fieldbase was as good as the journey to Camaronal. The group members laughed, talked, slept and sang through our skit till the drivers ears went numb.

So now our environmental phase is over and Raleigh 10F will soon come to an end, and although we are all saddened by this thought, we can all return home having had the experience of a lifetime and the pleasure of working with the magnificent seas turtles.

Thanks to everyone on Raleigh 10F for making these last ten weeks so enjoyable!