Diecinueve días aprendiendo

por Wuilkild Perez

El treck en Maribios fue un asomboro camino para descubrir...
Hemos descubierto el valor necesario para enfrentar los retos que viviremos cada uno de nuestros días, describimos impresionantes paisajes de la hermosa Nicaragua, descubrimos los valores de amistad y unidad. Cada segundo vivido en este trek quedarà guardado en nuestras mentes para mantener presente que vivimos un reto y que muy pocos tienen el valor para vivirlo como lo hemos hecho nosotros. Con el trek aprendimos a valorar cada momento y a disfrutarlo como si fuera el ultimo momento de nuestra vidas. El treck en Maribios nos nuestra como ver la vida de cada uno de nosotros como si fuera eso, un Treck!!!

A volcanic medley

By Amy Perkins

When my name was announced as one of the Maribios trekkers in Alpha 1, I couldn’t help grinning. I was so excited but really nervous too. How were we going to manage 280km over just 15 days?

We had to take a two-day bus journey to Nicaragua and although it was a long time, the atmosphere was totally buzzing. On the second day we boarded the “disco bus” where the driver played constant full-blast tunes we all happily sang along to.

All the members of Alpha 1 instantly got on like a house on fire and I’m sure we all made some life-long friends. As the trek went on, we all grew closer and we were looking out for each other. As expected, trekking involved some major highs and lows, and it was amazing to go through the process as such a strong team.

Right from the first day of trekking, we were all thrown into cultures and environments completely alien to all of us. We walked through settlements that normal tours would never lead us to. Sleeping in schools, churches and even some people’s houses directed us into a completely different and undoubtedly harder way of living. We visited some places where the water was either so polluted that it had to be filtered through a sock, or so scarce that it was only available for 25 minutes each day. It sounds clichéd but this has really made us appreciate everything so much more. We all craved fresh fruit and veg.

One of my personal highs was reaching the summit of Volcan Cosiguina. We watched both the sunset and the sunrise there and I have never seen such spectacular views in my life. I’m sure none of us have. It made all the hard work worth it, and really put into perspective the colossal distance we covered as we could see right to the horizon which was only half the distance of our trek.

I was surprised to find that the trek was a mental challenge just as much as a physical one, Sometimes the heat was unbearable, sometimes our bags were ridiculously heavy and sometimes we thought we might not make it to that incredible beach. However, we all did. I don’t think any of us will ever forget we finally made it. Some of us even cried with happiness. The Maribios trek has been one of the biggest challenges of our lives and we have all absolutely loved it J

Expedition 10L presents.... The Alpha Teams

Venturers sleep in tents with their Hotel groups but work and play in their Alpha groups. This morning, fieldbase was a cracking den as the PMs of the seven Alpha groups took turns presenting their skits to announce project allocations for venturers.

Joining Alpha 1 for the Maribios Trek are: Adam Tickner, Amy Perkins, Anna Keen, Ashley Fletcher, Boris van Toor, Ellie McCarthy, Jimmy Arias Arrieta, Julia Morongiello, Raisa Arroyo Arguello, Rebecca Slater, Ryan O'Sullivan, and Stephen Holmes.

The Rapping Volcans

Alpha 2 for the yet-to-be-named trek: Adam Goldsworthy, Amy Cooper, Ana Massiel Medina Ramos, Benjamin Green, Calvagh McManus, Cecilia Ruiz Galo, Corrine Davey, Jan van Arkel, Joshua Wilkes,
Sophie ten Bosch, Thomas Campion,  and Veronica Apaloo.

You've lost that trekking feelin'.... You've lost that trekking feelin'

Apha 3, which head off to the jungle to build a lookout tower at La Cangreja national park are: Adrian Reyes Flores, Andrew DAvies, Anna Woolett, Ben Saxby, Darren Mitchell, Emma Lewis, Jack Harrington, Jessica Vargas Naranjo, Louis Jonesco, Maxim Seynaeve, Morrin O'Shea, Wai Sum Kwan, and Wuilkild Perez Davila.

Jungle fever

Alpha 4 will work on improving visitor infrastructure on San Lucas island which which is now a designated wildlife reserve and historical site ofthe notorious San Lucas Island prison. They are: Adrian Edwards, ALex Jerrard, Ariana Ubeda Herrera, Benjamin Walters, Charlie Bowden, Delia Baker, Jayome Hutchinson, Kate Gunning, Lydia Barge, Pui Lun Chan, Rebecca Turner and Yoseling Larios Torres.

Rocking to the jailhouse rock

On Alpha 5 to work on the wildlife reserve and especially turtle conservation are:

Caroline Wevers Charles Legge Charlie Gledhill-Flynn Enma Moreno Gutierrez Hiten Mistry Jennifer Loweth Lee Watson Natalia Graczyk Naz Taner Nicola Younger Pablo Yglesias Vicente Timothy Power


Alpha 6, the group that will help complete a water project in Achuapa for Las Tablas community include:
Adriana Rodriguez Salas, Eamonn McGuone, Graham Smith, Harry Cousens, Holly Williamson, Joseph Jeffreys, Martin Fallon, Rosie Schumacher, Shu Kwan Yeung, Sophie Gatward, Victoria Golding, and Yaliam González Calero

Alpha 6 PMs 

Alpha 7 which will build a community centre in Miraflor, Nicaragua have recruited:

Antonio Jiménez Alvarado, Arthur Vos, Carla Gottlieb, Erika Perez Alfaro, Felix le Hodey, Fiona Mabin, Garry Pearson, Oliver Grayer, Persia Castellani, Sarah Kendall, Simrath Bhandal, and William Pawsey.

Batting for Miraflor 

The adventures of Alpha and Bravo One

How many people does it take to get a Landie out of some really nasty mud? An entire Nicaraguan village, it seems.

The Alpha teams are back at Fieldbase with some fantastic stories of their project planning visits. Drinking salty orange juice with members of the local community, and bats flying into your face during a midnight loo-visit, were among the wacky ones.

Team Alpha 1 who went north to Nicaragua to check out the Maribios trek, returned with a particularly muddy tale to tell. Joined by Raleigh drivers, David and Maryann (day jobs at Raleigh: Photographer and Comms Officer, respectively), the team had set off in Bravo 1, a  tough and menacing Land Rover Defender;  the very same make of 4X4s deployed by the British Army in Operation Desert Storm.

Bravo 1... Eat my dust, Humvee!

Nicaraguan immigration at Penas Blancas

With confidence and caution, thanks to hours of Raleigh driver training, crossing the border was smooth in spite of aggressive motorists and sometimes confusing road signs. We spent the second night at Ciudad Dario, a town in the Matalgapa province. We then planned to get to El Sauce (el sa-oo-say) by mid-morning although fieldbase had forewarned that parts of the major road were closed due to landslides.  

Ciudad Dario, Matalgapa.

Day three, turned out to be a chaotic day for Nicaraguan roads. We found our detour route to El Sauce, bottle-necked by a queue of trucks and trailers with an unlucky few getting stuck

We turned around and took a smaller bumpier road to El Sauce, finally getting there at about midday. Alpha 1 dropped into Marcello’s, the local Raleigh liaison who provides updates and advice on trail and river conditions. 

El Sauce

The next task was to assess one of the major river crossings. This was where the adventure really began. The roads were basically sand, gravel, rocks and mud most of the way, although with differential locking it wasn't anything goold 'ole Bravo 1 couldn't handle. Until...

We knew it was time to get dirty. Thanks to hours of Raleigh driver training, there was no need for panic.

Digging mud and rocks from beneath was hard work, but made easier with help from the amused villagers.

Finally freed and with few new friends, we back tracked. Unfortunately, we found ourselves back in the mud after about a kilometre. By sunset we knew we’d be stuck for the rest of the night. Even if we did get Bravo 1 out, Raleigh safety standards prohibit night driving.

So it was tents up by the road, feasting on pork and beans, and some stargazing while we mused about the tragicomical state we were in.
Out in the bucolic countryside of Nicaragua, there’s always a good Samaritan around the bend. We met one that night who offered to haul Bravo 1 with his tugging apparatus

Muddy water is better than no water

Nothing beats local knowledge

Finally getting some real work done

Making energy bombs with oats, condensed milk and trail mix

The moral of the story:

1. It’s not pretty getting a Landie stuck in mud

2. It’s worth checking the road by stepping on the ground you are about to cross. Look for firm surfaces on which you can drive over.

He offered us spiced meat

3. Go slowly but don’t hesitate or stop midway. You’ll need the momentum to take you across

4. If you must get stuck, make sure it’s in the Nicaraguan countryside with friendly and helpful folks willing to help with the digging and lend some muscle.



5. Always keep your spirits up. Laughter helps ease the frustration. You may be stuck but you will get out eventually!



Alice



Sunrise at San Jorge, Rivas by Lago de Nicaragua





Romeo 1: Making it every step of the way together

Rosalind Bown reflects on Romeo 1's experiences on the Maribios trek:

With three weeks left of Raleigh, Romeo 1 set off for Nicaragua for our final phase. Last but not least: the Maribios Trek.

Having all done our community phase in Nicaragua, we were pros at the border crossing and in no time were being dropped off for our first day of trek. We walked 6 kilometres in 3 and a half hours through muddy, boulder strewn terrain. A few river crossings got us in practice at switching from boots to sandals quickly. Spirits were high and it was great to find that we all walked at roughly the same pace, with the person at the front rotating constantly.

The next morning we started our daily routine of stretches, led by Edith, and a massage circle in the pre-dawn light. A guide led us up over mountains through ever-changing, lush, green scenery. Once over the mountains, we reached the road and soldiered on to reach Achuapa before the heat of the day.

Our lovely PMs, Vanessa and Matt, sprang our solo day on us the next day, leaving a note and the map by the door. It was our first 20km day as well as the hottest day of trek, but we powered through. Nursing hilarious waddles caused by chafing and our first blisters, we reached El Sauce and Matt rewarded us with cold Cokes.

Over the next few days we entered into a routine: wake up at 3am and attempt to drag Andrey out of bed, walk through beautiful countryside and dive into refreshing streams fully clothed for showers whenever possible. There was a lot of singing in time to our footsteps, and you end up having the most open, funny and heartfelt conversations as you walk.

We were thankful everyday for Nicaraguan hospitality. People opened their schools, churches and homes to us. Our water also never ran out as the use of wells and pumps was offered generously. We were welcomed into a Nicaraguan military base for two nights when a rain-swelled river forced us to turn back. The soldiers were very friendly and helpful with planning our new route.

We had the privilege of having Bravo 2, our Raleigh blogger, with us for a week of our trek. Being joined by Fieldbase staff, Sarah and Kala, to climb both volcanoes Casita and Cosiguina also made them extra special. When we climbed Casita we were granted fantastic views of the neighbouring San Cristobal as well as miles and miles of the surrounding country.

On our final day, we crawled out of our tents pitched on Cosiguina at 4.30am to climb cautiously up to the crater's lip in the dark. Watching in silence as the constellations faded into blue sky, we saw the sun burst through the clouds. It was amazing to be able to see the route we had followed for the last five days.

After a quick group photo, we said our sad goodbyes to the Fieldbase crew and then were off on the final 28km push to the beach. We reached the church we were staying at that night in the dark. Everyone was exhausted, but Toño spurred us along the final kilometre. We walked right into the waves of the Pacific then went absolutely hyper. Completing 250km is an incredible feeling. We felt so proud that, despite injuries, we had made it every step of the way together, and relief that we could spend the next day sleeping on the sand.

To steal one of Raj's favorite phrases, we started out 19 days ago as a group of individuals but arrived on that beach as a team. We have supported and relied on one another, and as a thank you to my team I would like to present the Romeo 1 Trekker Awards:

• To Edith, the Natural Born Trekker. Perfectly organized, always first ready and able to create gourmet food out of Raleigh rations.
• To Azam, Best Trek Photographer, Most Determined Walker and Radio Trekker, for carrying the large radio for at least 200 kilometres.
• To Tony, the Most Smiley Trekker. Always there to crack a joke when you were having a tough day, and with an infectious smile.
• To Nikki, for the Loudest Burps in the history of Trek. You kept us all laughing.
• To Toño, Trek Chef for fantastic fish cooking over hand-made ovens twice, and for the The Best Trekker Hat, it was our lucky charm.
• To Raj, the Princess Trekker and our Most Entertaining Day Leader. We love your diva style and constant OMGs, and your motivational speeches are legendary
• To Andrey, the Pulperia (shop) Magnet and Most Logical Trekker for being the champion of Deal.
• To Roz, the D + V Queen, the only person to manage to get both diarrhea and vomiting during trek.
• To James, the Iron Man. Always prepared to take on extra weight, barely a scratch to show for trek, plus his super-human sheen whenever he puts suncream on.
• To Cachelle, the Most Glamourous Trekker and Most Amazing Laugh. Always ready for anything and looking the part.
• To Tina, the Warrior Trekker. Taking extreme pain in her stride and going every step of the way usually with a smile on her face.
• To Bravo, our Best Day Leader. For making the 25km feel easy and buying us smoothies.
• To Matt, Most Immature Sense of Humour and the Trek Joker
• To Vanessa, the Selfless and Uncomplaining Trekker for extraordinary medical expertise and always helping others first regardless of how much pain she was in herself.

Thank you Raleigh for the experience of a lifetime. We did it!

Romeo 1 photo album

We've collected stacks of photos from the Romeo 1 Venturers and PMs - here are some of the best: