Carla and X-Ray 4's frost and thaw

By Carla Gottlieb

I think the words “Oh how we have hit the jackpot” have been uttered in some shape or form by every member of X-Ray 4.

On the 6^th of November a new acquainted group of twelve venturers and three PMs hopped on a bus unsure what to expect from our environmental phase.

By this time I think we had all realized that knowing what to expect is exactly what Raleigh is all about. I certainly wasn’t expecting a mattress nor hot cups of chocolate by an open fire. Above all I was not expecting a gleaming porcelain toilet. Coming from a tin-can long-drop used by 20 working Nicaraguans in the previous community phase, I experienced a full first-class upgrade on the lavatory front… Did I mention the hot shower? Uncertainty, we found, led to a very pleasant surprise.

For some, Volcan Irazu at times felt like a piece of home. Undoubtedly a stunning place to live and work, Sophie and Boris, our resident Peter-Pan-land friends, likened it to parts of Holland. During the day we worked at an altitude of 2500m making tourist trails in the national park.  The high altitude made physical exertion much harder and the mere 1km walk to work every morning took a good 20 minutes.

The work itself was hugely rewarding; whilst the girls turned into a mass of Charlie Dimmocks (plus bras), the boys jumped at the opportunity to hone their manhood by shifting large tree logs and sacks of gravel. Fronted by our ranger, Horacio, we completed two trails – feng-shuied to perfection.

Although Horacio liked to “crack the whip” at work, in the evening he turned into much a father-figure and for some, a potential boyfriend/lover/husband – I never expected to find love on Raleigh. In spite of being over 50 and unknowingly taking “November” to the extreme, this man can cook! Cake, pizza and a stereo with a full heavy metal music collection made one of the most surreal evenings of our Raleigh experience. Food itself has been a huge focus of this project. It’s amazing how by adding a carrot or onion here and there to Raleigh rations, one can create Michelin star cuisine.  There have been a few classics – four hour risotto for Martin’s birthday and pancakes, to mention a couple. The greatest obsession of all was reserved for condensed milk. I for one never thought I’d touch something condensed in a can (don’t get me started on my pre-judgments of powdered milk) but I did find myself jumping head first into the ravenous crowd when the pen-knife started cutting into the lid. All food snobs out there, trust me – it’s amazing.

After an indulgent 10 days wearing excessive layers to keep warm and hide the pounds we had put on, we headed for the beach. Not just any beach, a beach on a deserted prison island. Fulfilling every boy’s childhood dream, we arrived at San Lucas Island on the 15^th of November for a further 10 days building trails and soaking up the sun. 

“Oh now we had hit the jackpot!” Ten days raking up on the beach to the sunrise, plentiful condensed milk and muchos fun and frolics to be had by all. By day we continued our newly established forte of building trails followed by long afternoons swimming and sunbathing. The evenings were filled with crab-dodging, neon-lit beach walks and girl group trips to the long-drop – some things never change.

It’s hard to contemplate all the torture, deaths and horrific happenings that once took place on the island given the happy and relaxing time we spent here. It’s even harder to contemplate that it’s nearly December and I’m wearing flip-flops whilst no doubt it’s raining cats and dogs in England.

Twenty-fourth November and goodbye San Lucas… two projects down, one to go. Sadly, nearly time for a wooly hat.