La Naran-three-ta

With 5 Nicaraguan families settled into their new homes and a school room freshly painted, Zulu 7 are returning to Costa Rica triumphant.

It’s been a tear-jerking end to fantastic phase and with our host families left behind in La Naranjita, we return with a humbled outlook and renewed sense of the agricultural, non-materialistic way of life so dominant in this area with Sav’s video blog and a multitude of journals at our disposal, the memories had by all on this phase are precious and unforgettable.

Perhaps most importantly the opening ceremony of the houses was a moment that summed up the entire phase. The honest gratitude expressed by the community for our work was extremely touching. Having worked for 3 whole phases with them, special recognition was rightfully geared towards PM Fiona, who is eveidently an honorary member of the La Naranjita establishment, assisted by her near perfect Spanish.

Fiona’s connections aided us immensely in our adventures outside the community which became apparent when we found ourselves bound for Esteli on the once-daily chicken bus. A couple of hours later, having been thoroughly battered around by the dusty, bumpy roads we arrived. A trip to a museum and a quick look around the shops allowed for an enjoyable day. Massive shame about the torrential downpour...

A quick bot-fly update; Lulu is pleased as punch with the results from her scalp – so much so that she’s successfully used her own traumatic experience to remove not one, but three of the pests from Mark’s sun-kissed pins! She may not be able to use a hammock, or walk down a hill with any sort of gradient without falling, but when it comes to medicine she knows her stuff!

In other news we’ve been lucky enough to celebrate 2 Raleigh birthdays. Both Diana and Sam reached the ripe age of 19 which gave La Naranjita the chance to show us how to party and really celebrate in style. With matching pineapple cakes, an enormous bonfire and local DJ Terry on the decks (cd player), Zulu 7 have enjoyed 2 fantastic evenings with the entire community. We even got a talented performance on the guitar from Tim – he kept that quiet!

Stay safe, we’ll see you soon xx

X Ray 7 La Naranjita

As we’re swiftly approaching our last few days at La Naranjita – admiring our (nearly) finished house – which we energetically constructed with a ‘little’ help from Alpha 7 on phase one. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by. We’re also incredibly impressed by the resident cockerel –that rather amusingly is government protected (it was a gift) and has terrorised victims relentlessly; including Fiona who received a vicious peck to the ankle.

The work has been hard, but we’ve taken it in our stride and there’s never been a dull moment, especially with mud around. It has done wonders for our skin, and some would say it’s like being on an extended spa weekend, minus the relaxation element, with a hardcore workout substituted in. Unsurprisingly, the boys have been trying to outdo each other by carrying the most bricks – current record holder is Johnny, who managed 3 on his shoulders.

We’ve all taken to life in La Naranjita and really settled down with our families, although this took longer for J our village ‘Goldilocks’, as he was determined to find a bed that was just right. A few of us have even woken at the crack of dawn to milk the cows; Istvan and Emma collecting an impressive 5ml of milk between them, which is more impressive thatn A-Bomb’s feeble attempts – and Eika who got lost and never showed! Luckily we had an expert in our midst, so we were all able to enjoy a fresh glass of hot milk with sugar and cinnamon – delicious!

On Saturday afternoon we had a visit to a picturesque waterfall around 30 minutes from the village, enjoyable despite the shockingly cold temperature of the water. Harvey aka Harvinator, stole the crown for best swim-wear. His pizza hut delivery boy chic, sourced from Ropa Americana, for the equivalent of £2. The trip was for many, the first real shower, and in Amanda’s case, her only shower – as hers has 3 sides and a clear view to the rest of the village.
On Sunday we had the opportunity to visit Uriel’s home town Sontule – 2 hours walk away (actually 4), but it was well worth it, even if it did mean having to run 7km mainly uphill to return in time for Raleigh Radio!

I speak on everyone’s behalf when I say that we will truly miss our families and reminisce fondly of our time in La Naranjita. We can’t wait to get home, dig up our own back gardens with our newly acquired expertise, and build our own adobe brick houses. Now where to find some old man’s beard...

Alpha 7 - La Naranjita

Mercedes with lists some observations regarding life on project in La Naranjita:

• Construction well underway on 5 houses of adobe bricks, and the entrance steps to the school.
• Discotheque Naranjita! Wild!
• Banana Pineapple Cake birthday surprises for Sonia and Phoebe.
• Waterfalls!
• Black widow spiders and a few dangerous snakes (thankfully dead).
• Rice & beans breakfast, lunch and dinner still going strong!
• Playing mafia has become second-nature at night.
• English lessons are going strong.
• Slowly all becoming obese by eating our body weight in peanut brittle - “croquante”
• Finally, the tea brought by Raleigh road trip has been heavenly; the perfect way to end a hard day’s labour.

The Return of Bravo 2

Bravo 2 have returned from their, and it would be fully justified to say here, epic road trip to northern Nicaragua, where they have visited our community phase groups up in Miraflor and Achuapa. Starting with a couple of days collecting rocks and teaching English in San Jose with Alpha 8, they also had the opportunity to visit Los Apantes where Claire and Dave had assisted in the construction of a Community Centre in Expedition 11G/H - the whole village turning out with refreshing drinks and papas fritas for all.

A whirlwind 20 hours with Alpha 7 in La Naranjita followed, with a dip at a local waterfall before literally mucking in with the construction of adobe bricks; former city slicker Tim Salt described it as the most laborious morning's work he had ever undertaken in his life... Their final stop was with Alpha 6 in El Portillo where they (sheepishly) took a share of the praise lauded on A6 by the community for their hard work during the phase, although they made up for it through their vocal backing during the national anthem and The Beatles' - Twist and Shout at the evening’s fiesta, where speeches, singing and salsa were in abundance, along with the customary piñata.

One blip on an otherwise magnificent trip occurred on the final morning as Bravo Two were left feeling utterly dejected that their Nicaragua - Costa Rica border crossing took 44 minutes, some 17 minutes slower than Ross Mckenzie's notorious 27 minute scintillating slalom through the mayhem of international border bureaucracy back in the balmy summer of 2009.

At this point I wish to inform you, dear readers that your blogger is back (cue sobs of relief/three cheers as you see appropriate). Sadly low numbers at base, tied in with a bug that left many members bed-bound, subsequently left you under informed. This will be rectified asap. I personally wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused, and hope our updates in the coming days serve to slake your thirst for all things Raleigh in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Pura Vida!

Alpha 7: La Naranjita

The second of our Alpha updates comes from Alpha 7's Mercedes, up in La Naranjita, Miraflor:

After a lengthy, but interesting journey up through Costa Rica and Nicaragua including several bus changes it was pleasing to have all our tools, bags and group members intact as we disembarked in La Naranjita, Miraflor. Immediately we were impressed by the look of the preparatory work put in by the community, and the warm welcome we were given upon our arrival. Pleasing too is the spirit and camaraderie within the group, no word were truer spoken than the old adage, “a good team is a happy team”.

Progress has been fantastic thus far on our project, assisting with an emergency housing project – thus far we have completed one base and hope to have two more completed in the coming days. PM Matt is living up to his macho image, getting stuck in with the shovels, and Elliot has finally learned that the appropriate label for ‘small cows’ is ‘calves’. The weather has been kind so far, evident by the number of pink shoulders ande legs wandering around the community!

The hospitality and welcome extended by the community of La Naranjita is truly special. It’s incredibly humbling to live in such a simple, but happy and successful community and such a profound experience has shown us so much already about life outside ‘the bubble’ of our everyday lives.

Alpha Update

The Alpha groups are now settled in at their respective projects and over the coming weeks we’ll be bringing you comprehensive reports from their Project Comms Officers with all the new and views from life on phase. In the meantime, here’s a quick through of the Alpha’s progress to date, hot off the press from this morning’s Sitreps:

Alpha One are making good progress through the Barbilla Indigenous Territory and tomorrow will emerge from the jungle at San Joaquin where they will be joined by Fieldbase’s Holly, for a taste of trek.

Alpha Two are also in fine spirits and yesterday had the bizarre experience of walking several kilometres straddling the Costa Rican and Panamanian border. Today they too delve into the jungle.

Alpha Three’s bamboo has arrived and will spend the day constructing a jungle camp which will be their home for the phase.

Alpha Four have made a challenge for 'Alpha' status as they have thrown down the gauntlet to the other groups and almost finished work on an irrigation system in proximity to the path they will be constructing.

Alpha Five are sorting their accommodation at the ranger station and are enjoying a ‘fresh’ morning up on Volcan Barva.

Alpha Six arrived at their community of El Portillo yesterday afternoon and have commenced work this morning on their site

Alpha Seven are spending their day planning their work during the phase with the local maestro, before attending the opening of a local pre-school this afternoon.

Alpha Eight have also settled in San Jose, and are beginning work in the sunshine.

Tomorrow the southern leg of Fieldbase’s roadtrip begins as they embark on a journey visiting Alpha’s One, Two, Three, Four AND Five. On the 20^th February the northern team departs to visit the Nicaraguan groups up in Achuapa and Miraflor.

Those of you with your eye on the Tico Times may have spotted that there was an earthquake just before dawn off the coast of south west Costa Rica! Despite measuring 5.7 on the Richter Scale, some of Fieldbase slept through the whole event and we can report no damage was done to any of the groups.

We have liftoff

Phase One has been deployed and Fieldbase is now a ghost town, as the buses rumbled out of Turrialba at the crack of dawn. We'll be seeing them at various points on road trips around Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but for the folks at home, here's what the Alphas will be up to:

Alpha One – Turrisantos Trek

Beginning with a challenging ascent through dense jungle in Barbilla National Park, Alpha One will then skirt to the east of Turrialba before passing Guayabo National Monument, Costa Rica’s largest archaeological site, and estimated to be around 3000 years old. They then enter Tapantí National Park for more wet and muddy jungle adventures before a final week tackling the ridges of the Fila de Bustamente towards Cerro Dragon, before bearing for the Pacific and the delights of Playa Matapalo.

Alpha Two – Corcovado Trek

Commencing in La Amistad National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Central America’s largest reserve, trekkers can admire the region’s dazzling biodiversity, tumbling cascades and hot springs. From here it is onwards through the agricultural plains of the Coto Brus valley before launching an assault cross-country over the Fila Costena mountain range. The best is arguably saved until last. The groups then descend to Corcovado National Park, the best preserved tropical rainforest on the Central American isthmus, before trekking their final three days along the serene coastline of Playas Madrigal, Carate and Piro, enjoying the waters of the Golfo Dulce at the finish.

Alpha Three – Carara National Park

Carara was established in 1978 as a biological reserve, but due to growing popularity it was subsequently given national park status in 1998; it is now the fourth most visited in the country. The park lies around 30 miles from the capital, San Jose and includes one of the largest remaining populations of wild scarlet macaw in the country - the dense tree growth of its primary rainforest providing the perfect home for other avian species including  orange-chinned parakeets, jacamars and the black throated trogon.

This is Raleigh’s first project in the park since 2007, and Alpha Three will be working on an access trail to Lago Meandrico, alongside general maintenance work in the park. It is hoped that through the development of such facilities, there will be subsequent benefits to the local community in terms of income procured through increased visitor numbers.

Alpha Four – La Amistad National Park

A UNESCO world heritage site, and one of the remotest parts of Costa Rica, this is the first Raleigh project in La Amistad since 2006, continuing their partnership with SINAC (National System of Conservation Areas).

Parque International La Amistad is shared equally between Costa Rica and Nicaragua and is an important biological corridor protecting tropical habitats, ranging from cloudforest to paramo, alongside a wealth of biological resources, some unique to the area. In 2011, a landslide destroyed one of the main trails up to the Valle de Silencio, an important research area for scientists, and the difficulty of the park’s terrain generally, means that it is relatively unexplored.

During phase, Raleigh venturers will be working on a new trail to Casa Coca to improve access to the ranger station at Valle de Silencio.

Alpha Five – Volcan Barva Sector, Braulio Carrillio National Park

This project builds on Raleigh’s strong partnership developed over the past 7 years with ACCVC – Area Conservacion Cordillera Volcanica Central. Located in Costa Rica’s central valley, this stunning area of primary cloud forest plays host to a vast array of biodiversity, with habitats covered from nearly 3000m down to the calms of the Caribbean coast. It’s proximity to San Jose makes it a popular trip for international tourists, but the lure of the more popular Poás and Manuel Antonio National Parks means it is relatively undeveloped.

Living and working in the park, Alpha Five will be assisting rangers in the construction of a water system for their station, which will aid them in their aim of controlling and managing this important protected area.

Alpha Six – El Portillo, Achuapa, Nicaragua

Based in the communities of Las Tablas and El Portillo, Alpha Six will be supporting the community in an eco-latrine project that will not only provide sanitation to the 35 families in the villages – critical for the health of the community for generations to come, but can also be used to produce compost for fertilising crops and fruiting trees. Living with local families, they will be assisting with day-to-day chores and gaining a fascinating insight into a society different to their own.

Alpha Seven – La Naranjita, Miraflor, Nicaragua

Miraflor – ‘Paradise in the clouds’, was declared a natural reserve in 1990 at the request of its local people, such is the beauty of its resources. Within the reserve, communities have relatively few resources and lack access to basic services such as education and healthcare. They live by predominantly subsistence means, but supplement this through small tourism initiatives and coffee growing.

La Naranjita was just one of the communities affected by hurricanes at the latter end of 2011, and Alpha Seven will be working on a disaster relief project, rebuilding houses and assisting their host families with day-to-day chores.

Alpha Eight – San Jose, Miraflor Nicaragua

Another Miraflor based project sees the return of Raleigh, represented by Alpha Eight, to San Jose, where they will be building a multi-purpose building which will be used for adult education services and community meetings. Raleigh’s previous trip on Expedition 05J assisted the community in constructing a pre-school for children in the village, and this is a great opportunity to renew ties with some of the most welcoming, and hospitable people in the world.

We’ll be receiving updates from the groups in the coming days as they settle into life on phase, so check back soon.

More PPV business

With just five days until our venturers arrive from all corners of the United States of Eurasia, it’s time to check in with the final Alpha groups who have become very familiar with the Trans-Nica bus service as they return from community sites in Nicaragua. Luckily they were given redemption from more public transport-induced-torture with a lift from San Jose (Costa Rica) in the gleaming new Bravos (they’re absolute beauties).

Alpha 6

A6’s Fran Hodge and DoJo Donovan visited their community of El Portillo, Achuapa located in the north west of Nicaragua. In phase one the group will be living with local families whilst undertaking an eco-latrine project, which in the long run, will create compost suitable for fertilising their crops. During their visit, Fran and DoJo visited the Co-operative Juan Francisco Paz Silva, which works with local farmers in the farming of sesame seed and cattle, whilst providing members with health, veterinary and financial services.  A jamming session with Don Brigedo and various culinary treats including a delicious crab soup, were samples of what will be a fantastic project.

Alpha 7

Fiona Arakelian, Matthew Jewers and Amanda Payne-Danson of A7 visited their community of La Naranjita, Miraflor, where they will be undertaking an emergency housing project. A spate of bad weather at the tail end of 2011 inflicted major damage on homes in the area and Raleigh will be assisting the community in constructing new buildings from traditional adobe bricks. This project is in conjunction with El Foro, an NGO responsible for the co-management of the Miraflor Nature Reserve, with whom Raleigh have worked on numerous projects in the area.

Alpha 8

Victoria Brennan, Danielle Percival and Clare Wright made the long trip to San Jose, Nicaragua where A8 will be building a community centre. After 4 days on various buses, the common consensus was that Danni would be an unnatural selection as a companion on future public transport trips, as she showed minimal resistance to fatigue and slept her way to Managua. Possibly the most surreal moment of the trip came on the ‘chicken bus’ to San Jose, as the bus driver stuck on the 80s/90s classics, with Europe’s Final Countdown being well received by locals and A8 alike. This is not Raleigh’s first project in San Jose as several years ago they built a school in the village and expedition 12B will be contributing in a similar vein, working with El Foro to construct an adult education centre/pre-school in the village.

And not forgetting......Alpha 2! (Wouldn’t want a small scale uprising on my hands)

A2’s Daniel Walsh and Lucinda Ryan enjoyed a sampler of Costa Rica’s Corcovado Trek as a warm up for phase one. Just like A1, they too tackled dense jungle but were thankfully in capable hands, Raleigh vet and MK Ultra’s, Oscar Saborio, elder brother of 12B’s very own Daniel, pulling on the boots for a hike in the hills. After a dip in some ‘aguas calientes’ (hot springs) they bedded down in a local bullring before driving with Raleigh stalwarts Dave and Tim to the Laguna Vueltas for another spot of swimming. Who says trekking can’t be fun. From here they teamed up with local guide, Elvin, to take on the Cerro Pelon, before descending to Venecia for the bus back to base.

Readers, I belong to you. Whilst I’m in the perhaps unenviable position of editing my own work, at times a guiding light can be a steadying influence, so enclose your undisclosed desires in the comments section below. Such cross-pollination between your ideas and mine could be quite the overture.