The End.

Well I’ll be darned, it’s only the final blog!? How quickly time flies when you’re having too much fun. After ten eye-opening, testing and beautiful weeks of Raleigh, expedition 11G&H has now officially come to a close. There were tears as we said goodbye to our venturers this morning. It really was a very moving goodbye. We've spent ten weeks getting to know these guys and I think it’s fair to say, on behalf of all the VMs from 11G, the venturers have been brilliant to work with. Over the ten week period they have achieved some incredible goals for which they should be extremely proud of. It takes a lot for a person to come on Raleigh, taking themselves away from the familiarities and comforts of home, friends and family, but it takes even more for them to push and challenge themselves in the way that our venturers have; achieving objectives and testing oneself in ways that you may not have deemed yourself capable of.

Over the course of this Raleigh expedition we have ran seven trekking voyages in Guanacaste, Turrimacho and Miratombo. With each one averaging a distance of approximately 250km each, all in all our trekkers have hiked an outstanding total of 1750km. According to some tip-top, highly specialized Google research, this is the distance between London and Warsaw. Pretty impressive. The treks have taken our teams out through some seriously tough terrain; through the darkest depths of the rich and vibrant Costa Rican jungle, up and down some of the steepest hills with mud so thick and deep you quite literally lose your boots (this actually happened), over volcanoes and mountains with the most stunning views that take you to the end of the earth, and through the most mesmerizing waterfalls, rivers and Laguna’s. We have run community projects in Nicaragua’s Los Apantes, Yeluca and Achuapa and in Costa Ricas Bajo Chirripo and Tsirbakla, Chirripo. Altogether we have managed to build a school (in one single phase), two community centre’s and two separate gravity-fed water systems that have provided twenty-one different homes and families with fresh water straight from a tap for the very first time in their lives. We have spent time out on two separate turtle conservations, Camaronal Wildlife Refuge and Playa Hermosa Wildlife Refuge, where we have saved well over two thousand turtles eggs and released hundreds of baby turtles back into the sea, preserving this impressive species for years to come. We have helped to preserve the most beautiful National Parks in all of Central America, including rebuilding the trails for tourists to climb at Volcan Turrialba National Park, and maintaining the trails in La Cangreja National park, Rincon de la Vieja and Braulio Carillo National Park in order to make these areas more accessible for visitors, and to maintain and share the true beauty of these parks with the rest of the world.

Our venturers have put their blood, sweat and tears into these projects. They have overcome personal, emotional, social, physical and mental challenges. They have immersed themselves in new cultures, languages and communities and pushed themselves to their limits, testing their stamina, leadership and self-motivation. They have enriched and influenced so many lives in Raleigh, as well as being a true inspiration to both us VMs and each other. We hope that they have left with an open mind and a new and enthused zest for adventure and life, but most of all we hope that they have had the most wonderful time, because we certainly did. Venturers, we salute you. Fantastic job.

As for me, guys, it’s been emotional. It’s been a truly wonderful experience to be able to keep up to date with and visit all the projects that have been running during the expedition, and it’s been even better getting to know everyone on Raleigh. What amazing people. I’ve loved my work here and feel privileged that it was me who got to dish the dirt and enlighten you with all the goings on back home. I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog as much as I have.

I’m now off to help clear up and finish off jobs for the expedition and then, I won't lie, we’re all going to have a great big, massive party to close in 11G properly. I suggest you do the same. For now though, I’ll leave you all with some photos from changeover alongside a poem written by Host Country Venturer, Karen, that I think we could all take a little something from. Enjoy folks.

Always and forever, Pura vida!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I learnt in Raleigh

To get ahead and achieve what you want it is not necessary to take big steps. Take small steps but don’t stop, you have to have confidence in yourself.

I learnt that when you find your path you can’t be afraid. What’s more, I learnt that you have to have courage to make wrong steps, to be disappointed, to be defeated, to be demotivated. They are all tools that appear to show us our path and show us how to fight.

I learnt not to take things lightly. With a little patience I’ll be rewarded.

On Raleigh I learnt that life is a trek – every day is a different walk, good days and bad days, but at the end of the day I am happy with myself for what I have done.

I learnt that there is something that will never come back and that’s time. That’s why I enjoy every minute that passes; above all, getting wet in the rain, watching the sun set and not being sad when night comes because night is no more than the past of the day.

On Raleigh I learnt that the best day of the year is today, because today is the start of a new day, one in which I won’t get bothered by yesterday, nor worry about tomorrow – today is today.

I learnt that the most bitter phrase is “I can’t” if you’ve never even tried, or to say “it’s impossible”. Only people who don’t like to fight say that word. What is possible you do and what is impossible you try to do. At least I’m then left with the satisfaction that I tried to achieve everything I wanted to.

On Raleigh I learnt that you don’t need to have everything in life to be happy, that it doesn’t matter if I feel alone – there are many people around me that are with me that maybe my eyes just haven’t seen.

On Raleigh I learnt that if we put the good things and the bad things on some scales, the good things will surely weigh the most because there is no need to see the dark side of life.

I learnt that to my left and to my right I’ll always have someone to support me and that working as a team is essential. Neither culture nor nationality matter – the important thing is that if someone asks me for a hand, I’ll offer two, because there are many people who give unconditional help without thinking twice.

On Raleigh I learnt to know my friends better, old friends and new - to enjoy even the simplest things together and to laugh at our own silliness.

On Raleigh I learnt that it’s good to have some time away from family for a while to discover my other side, and what I discovered was that I am a strong and decisive woman. By finding myself in such a beautiful place as the beach I feel like I have everything, that I can touch the sky with my hands and feel the water touch my feet. That makes me feel unique and special.

On Raleigh I learnt that you don’t just cry because you’re sad but also because you’re happy and because you’ve discovered new things. I learnt that the more time you spend with people you’ve only just met, the quicker you become very fond of them and it’s difficult to say goodbye. But take care because on Raleigh I learnt that saying goodbye is not forever and I’ve now learnt to say “see you later” because I know that one day we’ll see each other again. If not, well, the memories will stay in my head and in my heart.

On Raleigh I learnt, most importantly, that life is up and down but the view is great. I learnt so much more than this but I’d take more than a sheet of paper to write what I learnt on Raleigh. It was the best experience of my whole life, and I’ll never forget it.

I thank God for my family and all the people who made it possible for me to be on Raleigh because without them I wouldn’t be here today telling you everything that I’ve learnt.

Our open-mike bonfire night!

Conga conga conga!

Toasting the marshmallows (new technique - get down low to protect yourself from the heat!)

Bruce and Welly

Jasmin and Yasmin

Sacha in the spotlight

Karen performing her beautiful reading

The Golden Mess Tin Awards!

Kelly - the Most Innappropriate Sayings/Least Amount of Clothes award



Elliot - the Most Amount of Useless Information Award



Sarah - the Hard Core Trekker Award



Now the VMs take the spotlight - Julian and Brie say a few words about us all



Mr Lover Man... Chava!



The HCVs doing their thing

So much time preparing skits and award ceremonies - good times!

Kat and Amy

Saying goodbye - the tunnel of hugs.

The PMs looking a little lost after the venturers leave...

Blog written by Dawn Tennant and photos by Kat Mammone

In the jungle, the mighty jungle...

Buenas dias!! Having spent 5 days out on the bumpy road, taking in some of the stunning sights of Costa Rica, Juliet Bravo 3 are now back at fieldbase and ready to fill you in on the goings on of Xray 4! Arriving mid morning at La Cangreja to a muddy, yet extremely chirpy Xray 4, we successfully interrupted their hard work for a cheeky cup of tea and a catch up about what they’ve all been up to for the past 10 days. Without further ado, let’s hear from Xray 4’s blogger Justin……..

‘In the jungle, the mighty jungle of La Cangreja National Park, greetings from the intrepid Xray 4! In our short time here we have been very busy: to talk you through an average day, Xray 4 would wake, spring out of bed into an energy busting game of ninja, then hit the project site, where follows a day of levelling ground, shovelling mud, and working on the greenhouses where tropical trees are grown ready to be shipped worldwide.

The greenhouse the group have been working on

The evenings are spent well, with Claire and Catriona making lovely bracelets for the group, as well as a rousing game (or two!) of Mafia (it’s always jenny!). When it rains in La Cangreja, it doesn’t just rain – it pours! Justin takes the opportunity to dive straight in and use the rain as a shower – it really works!

Xray 4 have also learnt the art of foraging – Lloyd found us an orange tree whilst Isaak and Luke cooked up some plantain. The rangers were also nice enough to give us some fresh piña (pineapple!) The constructive spirit also caught Xray 4 when Maykol fashioned a makeshift shower from basha tarps and a hose pipe. Luke added a roof, remarking that we wouldn’t want to get wet in the shower… (?!)

Even the strongest need their days off, and we found ours when visiting the beautiful Rio Negro, where naturally formed jacuzzis helped the group relax after a hard days work. 

Finally, Xray 4 would like everyone to join us for the celebration of our very own Karen’s 20^th birthday! We celebrated with cake and games such as pass the parcel and musical chairs. Raleigh is not for the faint hearted!

The intrepid Xray 4’s next steps are to the amazing Playa Hermosa, where we will be going out on turtle patrols to rescue eggs and set free baby turtles into the sea. Wish us luck as we stride boldly onto the beach!’

Xray 4 taking some time out from work with a game of cards

Cerro Cangreja - the torrential rain looming in the distance!

Blog written by Justin Shenolikar. Photos by Cathy Titterton.

So that’s the low down on what Xray 4 have been up to for the last 10 days! All in all the group are on top form and looking forward to spending the second half of their phase on turtle patrol at the beautiful Playa Hermosa. Juliet Bravo 3 are now back at fieldbase eagerly awaiting more blogs to come through on the radio from all the project groups so we can get them up for all of you to read, so keep checking! Pura Vida!!

Blog written by Wellard. Photos by Cathy Titterton. 

volcanoes and trekking

Hi to all the parents, family and friends.  The road trips have been off visiting the projects and you will be delighted to hear they have returned with some blog entries written by your loved ones.  Juliette 3 (as Laura, Amy, Wellard and Cathy have decided to be named) met with X-ray 1 who were on good form and collected these words from Joanna Bartlett:

 It was hot, sunny, dry and approaching midday when we, x-ray 1 took our first step of the 250km Turimacho trek across Costa Rica.  From Cimarrones Arriba we glanced at the Caribbean coast a few kilometres in the distance and then headed towards the pacific.  Kelly reminded us frequently that we would be at the beach soon!  While this reward was on all our minds we also took in the waterfalls, stunning views, nature and people we saw on the way.

 The first few days we trekked alongside countryside paths.  Day 2 also brought with it the mystery of the missing salami, which meant a disappointing lunch for the next day, but also amusing jokes regarding the salamis whereabouts.

 We have tackled the muddy slopes in the jungle.  The climb was tough and in some places the mud was so persistent that it sucked our boots into it; claiming Darens boots on numerous occasions.

 Still spirits remained high and we sang and danced our way through the jungle, yelling ‘pompi’ (in Cantonese) when anybody slipped in the mud, which was quite often.

 Our 14 year old jungle guide Juan Louis was very patient with our trudging pace.  We parted with him on day 5.  This was our longest day of trekking yet, taking us 10 hours to reach our destination, San Joaquin.  This was also the day with the best hilltop views and we passed a pulperia (small shop) for the first time, good news for us and the shop keeper!

 Tomorrow, day 6 we have a 21km hike ahead of us, fortunately we have some energy bombs(an oats, chocolate and syrup mix) to start the day!

Written by Joanna Bartlett.  Photos by Cathy Titterton.

Juliette 3, not lost!  Just checking the route....

a rare sighting of the Deputy programme manager Brie out on phase with X-ray 1

some venturers still manage to look glamorous, even on trek!

off they go for a day of trekking 21km!!!

Juliette 3 (Laura, Amy, Wellard and Cathy) then spent last night with x-ray 3 and can confirm the report below from Alfie of an evening of charades with a lively and fun group.

Alfie writes...........

We have been working on Volcan Turrialba (a volcano) and I can speak for the whole group when I say it has been the most enjoyable phase.  The working day is made easier by the rangers who are pretty damn funny.

I would say that the best part of the day is in the afternoon when we return to what must from the outside look like student digs.  This is the part of the day when we chill out and this period of time has been filled with conversations about what everyone is doing when they go home or are travelling on.  This makes it very obvious that it is the last phase.

Also at night we have our daily game of ‘Come dine with me’.  This is where there is stiff competition in what is made for dinner.  Some so far have seen:

Spicy noodles – Francis

Mac & cheese – Hugh

Curry – Kay

Better than normal pasta sauce – Cam

Cheesy mash – Alfie

Guacamole – Cam

Egg fried rice – Kay

But please don’t get the impression we are living luxuriously!

 On our day off we visited a town that had been evacuated due to acid rain and saw a house which had no roof as it had been totally eaten away by acid rain.  Although we are loving working at the volcano that day made us realise the destructive power it has.

In the evenings we have had a fair few games of charades and Mafia...... it has started to get a little competitive!

All in all we are enjoying every moment of this phase.  There always seems to be laughter from when we wake until we go to bed.  There are many different personalities in our group but this helps to bring us together and widen our conversations.  I feel as if x-ray 3 has become a type of family!

 PS.  Keep the blog messages coming, we really appreciate them.

Blog written by Alfie Carapiet.  Photos by Cathy Titterton.

Volcan Turrialba

The Rangers use quad bikes to get the heavy materials up the volcano.

Kiwi Cam building the paths.

The road trips are still out there collecting blog entries from the venturers in the other x-ray groups so check back over the next few days for more updates.

Blog written by Laura Salmon.  Photos by Cathy Titterton.

Stories via the Comms Room...

Hello everyone! 

This is Kat here -  the lovely Dawn is currently in Nicaragua with Bravo 1 (Phil, Abi and Emily) visiting all our groups up there so the rest of the team at fieldbase will be keeping you updated for a while!

Last night was my turn to sleep in the Comms Room. I’m not sure if this has been explained before so I will attempt to describe what it entails... so every night one member of the fieldbase team spends the night in the Comms room- this is where the radio and phones live. This is so that the teams can contact us at any time should they need to. It is interesting trying to get to sleep with the whirring of the radio in the background! The best bit about it is you get to wake up at 6am and speak to the groups who go through what we call a SITREP (situation rep) or a Message Check. It’s great to hear from them and find out what they achieved yesterday, where they are (especially useful for the trek groups!), what they intend to be doing throughout the day ahead and so on... There are always some funny stories and requests and of course now that football season has started the boys (PM Tom in particular!) want to be kept informed about who is beating who!

So, this is what I learnt this morning:

X-ray 1 are all in great spirits and are doing really well. Bravo 3 (Sarah (aka Wellard), Laura, Amy and Cathy) went to visit them yesterday to drop off some food and camp with them. The weather has been being kind to them too which was good to hear!

X-ray 2 were already making great progress on the day’s trek when I spoke to them at 06.45 this morning! I think they had quite a short days walk today as well so they would have reached their destination pretty early and had a nice relaxing afternoon!

X-ray 3 visited a deserted village on the other side of the volcano yesterday... it sounded really interesting (and a bit creepy!) and today they were continuing their work building and painting the fences on the trail. Bravo 3 are off to stay with them tonight in their cute little cottage on the side of the volcano. I think they will also be receiving some bread pudding lovingly made by Pedro here at fieldbase. Apparently X-ray 1 wolfed it down last night!

X-Ray 3's volcano view lodgings

X-ray 4 were working on the plant nurseries yesterday and today were going on a trip to the river Rio Negro to a waterfall/natural Jacuzzi apparently! (I’m rather jealous to say the least!)

X-ray 5 are doing a really good job up in Miraflor. I visited the community they are staying with on the last phase, they were so incredibly hospitable and the food was incredible! I'm sure X-ray 5 will all have a turn at milking the cows too... and if they are lucky get to try a very fresh chocolate milkshake like we did!

The locals will show them how it is done!

X-ray 6 are being visited by Bravo 1 today and some of the team had walked out to meet the car... Bravo 1 are in for a treat as the houses the team are sleeping in are amazing. Last phase the family I stayed with gave Wellard and I their bedroom and in the morning we were woken up to freshly cooked eggs, rice, cheese and beans! Yum! The group are making great progress on getting the water pipes to some of the more remote houses.

Emily enjoying the Nicaraguan countryside

Victor 1 (this is what Carwyn, Jon and HCV Daniel decided they wanted to be called?!) have successfully completed their recce for a new section of the Miratombo trek for the next expedition which is exciting! They crossed the border back into Costa Rica today so I will be seeing them shortly no doubt.

Sorry that I haven't been able to provide you with photos of the venturers today - I'm doing my stint at fieldbase so haven't been to visit the groups. As and when the roadtrips return we will have dozens for you I'm sure!

Well, that is all for now. Hopefully Bravo 3 will come back with a venturer blog tomorrow and I can send that your way!

Pura Vida!

Kat 

Blog and photos by Kat Mammone