12L venturers...arrived safe and sound

Happy to report that the venturers all arrived safe and sound in San Jose yesterday, (there are 6 who are still making there way over and will be with us today).  They were picked up at the airport and greeted by the big smiles of the welcome party.  Last night they stayed  in San Jose before getting up bright and early and making there way here to Fieldbase in Turrialba.

First things first.  Mess tins at the ready we served up gallo pinto, scrambled eggs, fried plantains, cheese and bread - a veritable Costa Rican breakfast feast.

Next some introductions in English and Spanish and everyone got divided into smaller sleeping groups - named Hotel 1 to Hotel 9 (with only a little irony!). The rest of the day will be full of activity - tours of Fieldbase, administration, money exchange, id photo and swimming assessments.  We should all sleep well in our "Hotels" tonight.

Meet the Squadron

20 degrees on the thermometer and a 3 minute walk to the office – Kirsty Allsopp and Phil Spencer would have their work cut out trying to find a better location. But it’s not all plain sailing for the sterling group of men and women who comprise Team Fieldbase. The past days have seen them busier than banana salesmen at a monkey convention as they continue their preparations for 12B. Time to meet the squadron:

The ‘veteran’ of the team, Julian is our Country Director and started working for Raleigh in 2001. Aside from providing Stephen Fry-esque tidbits of knowledge, he will be liaising with our project partners, focusing on our external relationships, project planning, funding and business development.

No-nonsense Country Programme Manager Ross has worked his way up through the ranks since 2006, previously working as Logistics Manager, Expeditions Leader and Accounts.  His main responsibility lies in the delivery of the expedition programmes and management of our volunteer managers; running and organizing all expeditions.

All action man and Country Expedition Manager Pedro Rodriguez/Peter Rogers is responsible for the day-to-day running of all expeditions, and ensures that everything here at HQ runs smoothly. He spends his days making sure that all project managers are fully trained, knowing exactly where to go and what to do at what time.

The unsung heroes, and lifeline of the team are the logistics cohort; the tireless workers who ensure the venturers have all the necessary kit, are properly fed, and take care of the vehicle maintenance to enable the delivery of supplies mid-phase. Grafting away behind the scenes for all hours, they perhaps don’t get the credit they deserve, but the simple fact is that Raleigh couldn’t function without them. They are Claire, Dave, Tim, and Kelly – workhorses and decent folk to boot, everyone one of 'em.

Jayshree is our administrator overseeing a whole range of nitty gritty details ranging from passports to insurance, and making sure all our documents are up to date and the Project Managers are suitably organized. 

Holly is our Accountant, managing the budget and ‘keeping our house in order’. From preparing project budgets, to auditing expenses, Holly also runs the Raleigh shop – stocked full of home-comforts ready for changeover between phases – and currency exchange. 

Charged with bring Raleigh to life is our photographer Ale. She will be ensuring that everyone leaves with unforgettable memories, as well as making sure that you lot back home can get a glimpse into life at Fieldbase, and out on project. 

Working closely alongside Ally is the Communications Officer, yours truly dear readers, I go by the name of David. I’ll be attempting to find words to describe the multitude of magnificent work our venturers will be undertaking on Expedition 12B, keeping you at home updated via the blog.

Finally there is Splatches the dog, unofficial Raleigh Costa Rica/Nicaragua mascot who enjoys the enviable balance of no work and all play. I’m considering applying for her role next time….

(Team photo to follow imminently - Ally is away in San Jose) 

Splatches

Sport of Kings

Tim seeing to the Bravos

Bravos

After-dinner Anecdotes

Business Time

Logs Team

Full House!

Finally – a full house, huzzaah! After much anticipation and a whole load of prep, the 11G&H Project Managers have arrived. Despite a few lost bags and a touch of jet lag, Raleigh HQ and its volunteers are well and truly full of life today! The PM’s landed at fieldbase this morning to be greeted with Sandrita’s (our wonderful, amazing, diamond in the kitchen fieldbase cook) traditional Tico breakfast of Gallo Pinto (rice, beans, vegetables, fried plantain and other goodies) and an endless supply of Costa Rica’s finest coffee – the best way to start any morning.  With fieldbase buzzing with new faces, it didn’t take long before the excited chitter chatter of things to come began to fill the air. The morning was spent getting to know one another, signing up for all sorts of events (including white water rafting), and of course, some obligatory mess tin decorating. 

Over the next two weeks the Raleigh team will be training, training and training before the venturers arrive. Radio, first aid, jungle camp and some good old fashioned ‘Ray Mears’ style survival tips will be keeping us busy and entertained. For now though, I’ll leave you with some recent snaps of the team getting their first taste of Raleigh life.

Bring on expedition 11G&H!



The new arrivals!









Sandra our lovely cook, and Julian - Sandra doing what she does best (apart from cooking), giving hugs.



*Blog written by Dawn Tennant and photos by Kat Mammone, unless otherwise stated.

All in a day's work!

To celebrate Medic Sheila’s birthday and to give ourselves a little treat, yesterday the team took an early morning trip together to visit Volcan Irazu in Cordillera Central, close to the city of Cartago. At 7.30am sharp the sprightly team of thirteen piled onto the obligatory ‘party bus’, whooped and cheered and thus we were off on our merry way.

After an hour and a half long journey we reached our destination, and after 45 minutes spent haggling with the irritable man at the entrance gate to let us in, we finally managed it. Raleigh 1, man at gate 0 (Yesss!).

So we eventually arrived, parked up and wow what a sight! We spent the morning meandering casually along the beautiful aqua crater lake and all across the organic spread of volcanic dust and ash on this active volcano (a first for many of us). After a while however the clouds began to move in at quite a pace and it seemed we had got there just in time to catch the stunning views. Despite the hazey weather we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves - always good to get some fresh air into your lungs!

Speaking of fresh air, after some time wandering around a few members of the group began to question their level of fitness as they started to huff and puff. Surely we are not this unfit?! Thankfully we soon twigged that at 3432m above sea level, Volcan Irazu is fairly high up, hence the shortness of breath (due to the thin air). Phew! Thank goodness for that.

As the day progressed, so did the party. Later on that evening we all prepared ourselves (mentally and physically) to shake what our mammas gave us and wiggle that booty to the rhythm of the beat… Salsa!!

We started our lesson with a lengthy and very sweaty warm up to get the blood pumping. Luckily for everyone there was no shame to be had; everyone clearly had their carefree hats on that night as we all got well and truly stuck in, including the boys! However, as a consequence of this we then had to take the class outside because we were getting too hot… what was that I was saying about fitness?!

After an hour and half of dropping like its hot and cutting some serious salsa shapes (as above) including a cheeky bit of zumba and even some reggaeton we were ready to eat… Pizza!

But alas the night does not end there. A few days earlier Ross (our Country Programme Manager) who takes his role very serious at Raleigh, challenged Sabrina and Dawn (unfortunately that’s me) to an onion eating challenge. Time limit: 5 minutes, Onion: the biggest in the shop (bigger than a cricket ball might I just add), the reward: pride!! So we took on the challenge.


Ready, steady...go! Ross on time, not letting any second pass unnoticed.



There were tears, laughter and some very speedy chewing but to cut a long story short, we won - hooray! Sabrina and I would just like to thank all of the Raleigh team for supporting and encouraging us throughout the event. Without you it may not have been possible. All in all it was demanding challenge, but a satisfying win. Worth it.



Champions! Congratulations and hugs all round.

Today we’re off to collect all the project managers as they arrive at San Jose airport this evening –
finally, a full team! We’ll be back again soon with more new and events…and hopefully less talk of onions and a few more faces to introduce!


*Blog written by Dawn Tennant and photo’s by Kat Mammone, unless otherwise stated.

Just a little taster of what's to come...

For all of you venturers-to-be out there who might be wondering (anticipating/worrying!) about what you’ll be doing and where you’ll be heading in the next few months, here is just a little introduction to some of the adventures you’ll be setting off on…

11G Adventure: Miratombo Volcanoes Trek

In the far north of Nicaragua, close to the border with Honduras, this Raleigh group will walk along a mountain ridge through the pine forests above Esteli. From here you will head along a ridge that passes by the Estanzuela waterfall and protected area going through remote communities. This route has never been attempted before on a Raleigh expedition. The trek heads towards the Momotombo Volcano from which the trek takes its name before climbing up Volcan El Hoyo with fabulous views over Lake Managua. The trek finishes at the crater lake of Asososca – a beautiful crystal clear lake that was once a volcanic crater. This trek as well as others that will be running throughout expedition is truly an incredible experience; challenging you physically and mentally, taking you to places that you never thought you go and showing you sights that you never thought you would see. Combine this with new cultures, new friends and a whole lot of fun and you will bursting with stunning memories that really will last a lifetime.

11G Community: Potosi, Volcan Cosiguina, Nicaragua

Around the Cosiguina Volcano there are a number of communities living in extreme poverty. At present, the local communities have few amenities and one of the biggest challenges facing them is access to clean water and safe sanitation. The Raleigh group will be working together with the local population to build a gravity-fed water project for the communities of Potosi and El Capulin. As well as benefiting hundreds of families, the benefits of improved sanitation services will be felt by many generations to come. The venturers will be living in the village alongside the families and will help out with their day to day tasks. This is an experience that you really will never forget. You will be taken well out of your comfort zone but these compassionate locals will do all they can to welcome you into their homes and take you under their wing. You will be living with local families, cooking with them, working alongside them and most of all you will be shown how to celebrate life (and party) like the locals do! A truly unique and humbling experience.

11H Environmental: Camaronal – Tree planting and turtle conservation
Camaronal is a stunning protected area famous for its nesting turtles that lay eggs on the beach all through the year. In 2008 they reported over 5,000 turtle nests during the period of June to November on this 3km long beach found in the Nicoya Peninsula. Raleigh has been invited to help with the turtle egg collection and hatchery, construct a trail that runs behind the beach and plant trees to reforest the area behind the beach. Living on this stunning beach and interacting with these stunning creatures will be a once in a lifetime experience.

Excited yet? You should be. But like I said this just a taster. Our expedition operations are fully up and running and there are many more exciting projects planned for you guys, you’ll just have to wait a little longer to find out more. Hasta luego!

*Blog written by Dawn Tennant, unless otherwise stated.