Highlights of Romeos, Costa Rica!

Romeo 1 Coast to Coast Trek
18 days of trekking culminated in an emotional moment when we caught our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean and ran straight for it! In total, we have walked over 250km across Costa Rica. In the process we have battled torrential rain, mudslides and way too many mosquitoes.

On day 12, we climbed 1000m and reached our highest point of 2800m. The route we took was a steep climb during which the group used trees and vines to help us with the ascent. It was incredible, everything was covered in moss and the trees were so high that they blocked out most of the sunlight. As we crossed a whole mountain range the views were incredible.

Our accommodation on trek consisted mainly of community centres with varying degrees of modernity; some had showers and some had a wooden long drop, covered in cobwebs, lurking at the back of the garden. We also camped a few times and have collectively decided that anything is better than being in a tent (though this is probably because every time we camped we had torrential rain!).

Day 18 was the most amazing day; we managed to reach our end point at the beach by noon and then had the rest of the day, as well as day 19, to relax and bask in the sunshine! We went swimming, watched the sunset and awoke to fresh coconuts in the morning which Simon and Cat knocked down from a tree in our campsite. Overall Coast to Coast has been an amazing experience which has pushed us to our limits and surpassed our expectations. 

We made it! Pacific Coast

Romeo 3 Playa Hermosa/Carara National Park
Phase 2 has proven that the Raleigh experience just gets better and better. From living in the beach at Playa Hermosa to living deep in the jungle at Carara National Park, our environmental phase has been amazing.

Working very closely with turtles at Hermosa proved to be an unforgettable experience for the group. During our night patrols we saw both Ridley and Green turtles, collected and buried their eggs in the hatchery, and released newly hatched turtles back into the ocean.

The group also enjoyed living by the beach, especially our post-work paddles in the ocean and collecting coconuts from nearby trees.

Before we knew it was time to say goodbye to the beach and make our short journey to the jungle.  Despite a leaky group tarp, relentless rain showers and constant humidity, jungle living proved to be a fantastic experience unlike any we have ever had before. The famous Romeo 3 refried beans recipe kept our spirits high and our efforts at trench digging were rewarded when whole areas of path remained free from flooding.

We saw lots of wildlife around camp include Capuchin and Howler monkeys. The group were also lucky enough to see crocodiles at a nearby river and even a baby crocodile on one jungle walk. There were also a wide species of birds around camp including the famous Scarlet Macaws.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the phase for many was meeting the rangers whom were very welcoming and helped us at any opportunity, even cooking dinner for us at the beach.

Altogether Romeo 3 bonded fantastically and worked exceptionally well as a team.
 
Romeo 4 Carara National Park/Playa Hermosa
Our project was a two part adventure divided into digging trenches in the jungle of Carara National Park and saving turtles at Playa Hermosa! From living in the jungle to sleeping next to the beach, this project had everything.

In Carara National Park we dug trenches to drain flood water that engulfs the walking trail during rainy season. Maintaining the trail enables the park to generate income which is used for essential preservation work.

After nine days of living under the canopy of the trees we moved to the sunny, sandy beach of Playa Hermosa to help with the conservation of turtles. We built wooden dams and dug trenches to protect the turtle hatchery from sea flooding.

At night, we patrolled the beach looking for turtle nests and would rebury the eggs in the safety of the hatchery. On three occasions we assisted with releasing baby turtles back into the sea and this was truly a special and unique experience for us all.

Every few days during the project our PMs ran sessions on sustainable development. We realised how useful this information was when one of our fellow venturers, Che, entered into a conversation with a tourist about the project, why we were doing it, and what Raleigh is all about. The depth of Che’s knowledge not only impressed the tourist but also impressed his fellow venturers who thought he’d been sleeping during the information sessions! The tourist was so inspired by the information he received, the next day he and his partner very generously came to the project site bringing gifts of food, snacks and soda! The whole group was extremely grateful and also delighted to know that the importance of our work is appreciated.

12G Phase 2 Photo Extravaganza!

On Wednesday, the new groups, X-Ray 1-5, left fieldbase to embrace the exciting challenges awaiting them in phase 3. Before we share news of their adventures, let's take a fond look back on their amazing time spent as Romeos 1-6!

Romeos' Got Talent

As an eerie calm descends once again over fieldbase, we wave goodbye to, the now X-Ray, groups as they head into part three of their adventures in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Some of the seven-weekers have left so we now have five groups dotted around the Raleigh-sphere but before we tell you who's doing what, a few words about the events of the past few days.

Changeover was a festival of talent; on the first night back, the groups presented their phase two skits as the rest of the expedition were treated to a visual representation of what their friends had been up to for the previous three weeks. As usual competition was fierce, but the stars of the show, were Romeo 6 with their opus entitled: “personal development”.

However, the real highlight of changeover was the Romeo’s Got Talent competition held the following evening – the concept is akin to the more widely know “Britain's Got Talent” but we called it Romeo's Got Talent on account of this phase being a 'Romeo' phase - I hope this clears up any confusion!!

The fieldbase team transformed the Terrace into the aptly titled theatre of dreams and we were treated to a range of acts including Lu Ying’s mixed martial arts demonstration; Ta-Shanae’s contortionist display; Richard, Isabel & Sofia’s angry Salsa show and Trae and Michele’s band the November 49ers. Even expedition leaders got in on the act with what can only be described as an ‘eccentric’ cover of Oasis’ Wonderwall.

 

 A hint of authenticity was added with the inclusion of a live camera feed projecting off-stage interviews with the candidates moments before their act.

The standard was incredibly high but the standout deserving winner – of two, yes two, tubs of ice-cream – with a stunning display of linguistic dexterity was Zichari and Trae’s rap/rock spectacular. Ably backed by Trae’s rock riffing, Zichari launched into what can only be described as a lyrical extravaganza that enthralled the watching audience before being met with a thunder of applause.

Hosted to perfection by HCV Coordinator Keiner, with help from ex-HCV Nacho on interview duty, the evening was a triumph and highlighted the number of talented young people we have here in the expedition. Congratulations to all involved.

The venturers are now on phase 3, so here are the groups in full:

X-Ray 1 – Coast to Coast
Alex Goodchild, Arun Sharma, Lizzie German, Greg Parnell, Ivan Coueslant, Jack Stone, Kat Twigg, Leyla Zelaya, Luis Andrés Mora, Michelle Wong, Rebecca Atkinson, Saskia Proffitt, Che Durham, Chris Hempseed and Oskar Plapperer-Lüthgarth

X-Ray 2 – Miratombo Trek
Dan Cherrie, Zichari Young, Alannah Howie, Endgoes Mak, Juliana Franco, Laura Lynas, Mayerling Pineda, Reuben McGowan, Robin Mackintosh, Suzzie Kidd, Teydí García, Tom Wright, Tom Harrison and Tyler Otite

X-Ray 3 – Playa Hermosa/Carara
Henry Seal, Isabel Matamoros, Jed Pattie, Josué Tuz, Sarah O'Mahony, Soheba Mughal, Tom Breakwell, Raymond Mak and Ysavier Darrell

X-Ray 4 – Carara/Playa Hermosa
Georgia Rattigan, Grant Harrison, Jawonday Smith, Richard Chavarría, Sean Mcgarry, Sophie Scholl, Ta-Shanae Pitcher Trott and William Pavón

X-Ray 5 – Achuapa
Adam Farley, Ben Woodhouse, Caitlin McGlynn, Catherine Inch, Christian Raimondo, Chung Wing Yuen, Cole Durham, Elizabeth Samuel-Bryan, Emanuele Pini, Gema Valdivia, Lu Ying Yap, Moy Mckayle, Sofía Quirós Otárola, Tomas Bassi and Trae Legay Cannonier

Romeo Groups Round Up...

So, the trekkers reach their final destinations today, the Nica groups get on the bus back to Fieldbase and the Environmental guys enjoy their last couple of days in the jungle and on the beach. Here's a quick summary...

Romeo 1 Coast to Coast trekkers should reach the Pacific Coast in approximately 2 hours! Their ETA is 1pm where they will be greeted by the Bravo 2 road trip with some fresh fruit and veg, probably pushed to one side while the group run into the sea...last push guys, and enjoy your day on the beach tomorrow!

Romeo 2 will meet the bus back at 12.30pm from their final point on their trek, Laguna Asososca. Bet that water will be a welcome sight! Good luck for your last hours R2!

Romeo 3 are digging their final trench at Carara National Park and meeting with the rangers later on...keep up the good work!

Romeo 4 found 24 nests last night - a record for this expedition! They worked very hard, with the night shift peeps on the go from 10pm until 6am this morning. Some amazing conservation work there guys...

Romeo 5 have had a couple of problems with their radio but we believe they've made it pretty far with their gravity water feed project, laying many of the pipes, we'll have an update for you when they're on the road...

Romeo 6 have finished their school, painted a mural and had the opening ceremony, can't wait to see the pics!

The Nica groups arrive back tomorrow evening and the Costa Rica groups the following day, ready to start practicing for Raleigh's Got Talent. Exciting times!

Fighting the good fight for the turtles at Playa Hermosa

After the end of phase one, things changed a bit within Raleigh. The previous groups were all mixed up and changed from being called Alpha's to being called Romeo's. It was a great chance to meet new people and make new friends.

Before we knew it, the newly formed group of R3 had arrived at the turtle conservation beach named Playa Hermosa.

The conservation zone ( situated along the Costa Rican coastline facing out to the Pacific Ocean ) sees hundreds of turtles and thousands of eggs each year.

The main type of turtle seen here are Olive Ridley, green and even sometimes leatherback turtles. In the photo on the left, you can see the hatchery that Raleigh built - where we bury and guard the turtle eggs until they hatch.

Our main work here is to patrol the beaches and protect the turtles and their eggs from poachers and predators. The patrols are at night and lit by moonlight only as we cannot use torches for fear of frightening the turtles or advertising our location to poachers - it has been great to see the beach with no artifical lights in this way. If any eggs or nests are found, our job is to move the eggs into the hatchery as quickly as possible.

We were all lucky enough to spot at least 4 turtles. Overall phase 2 so far has been an unforgettable experience and none of us can wait to see what is next.

12G Phase 2 Begins!

At 3.30am this morning, the peace and quiet of the post-Superheroes-party slumber was quite tremendously broken by everyones' alarms going off to signal the start of Phase 2!

Half an hour later and the bleary-eyed but excited Romeos were up and ready to start packing up the buses for the off.

Here are the Phase 2 allocations...

Romeo 1 - The Coast to Coast Trek (Adventure):
Isabel Adriana Matamores Torres, Richard Chavarria Varela, Sean McGarry, Ta-Shanae Pitcher-Trott, Tyler Otite, Raymond Mak, Ysavier Darrell, Cat Mills, Nicole Izurieta, Ramandeep Bassi and Simon Allan.

Romeo 2 - Miratombo Trek (Adventure):
Grant Harrison, Sarah E O'Mahony, Christian Raimondo, Chung Wing Yuen, Cole Durham, Gema Valdivia, Matthew McKenzie, Moy McKale, Tomas Bassi, Sofia Quiros Otarola, Luis King, William Milne.

Romeo 3 - Carara, swapping to Playa Hermosa in the second half (Environmental):
Alannah Howie, Chi Ho Mak, Juliana Franco, Reuben McGowan, Thomas Wright, Adam Farley, Elizabeth Samuel-Bryan, Emanuele Pini, Catherine Inch, Craig Thomas, Ruari Thomson, Jessie Li.

Romeo 4 - Playa Hermosa, swapping to Carara in the second half (Environmental):
Teydi Mariem Garcia Ampie, Che Durham, Christopher Hempseed, Laura Lynas, Mayerling Pienda Motenegro, Robin Mackintosh, Ben Woodhouse, Caitlin McGlynn, Lu Ying Yap, tray Legay Cannonier, Michele Calliari.

Romeo 5 - El Pajarito - Gravity Water Feed System (Community)
Saskia Profitt, Leyla Hernandez, Alexander Goodchild, Daniel Cherrie, Elizabeth German, Greg Parnell, Rebecca Atkinson, Tom Harrison, Soheba Mughal, Jed Pattie, Georgia Rattigan, Jawonday Smith, Josue David Tuz Villalobos, Corlo Davide Marescotti, Craig Henry.

Romeo 6 - Miraflor - School Build (Community)
Kat Twigg, Arun Sharma, Ivan Coueslant, Jack Stone, Luis Andres Mora Munoz, Michelle Ka Wai Wong, Suzzanah Kidd, Zichari Young, Oskar Plapperer-Luthgarth, Henry Seal, Sophie Scholl, Thomas Breakwell, Wiliam Pavon Espinoza, Richard Voaden, Sonia Taylor.

Good luck guys, can't wait to hear how you get on.

Fieldbase road trips yet to be announced, we'll keep you posted!

The Romeos Return

Once again our venturers have returned to fieldbase; tired, excited and full to the brim with a second batch of adventure stories. After three weeks out on phase they have taken down their jungle camps, put their trekking poles to rest and made their way back to fieldbase in one piece – welcome back Romeos! On the schedule for the next couple of days: catching up with old buddies, comparing stories, tan lines and enjoying some well earned down time before round three. We will also be saying goodbye to our seven weekers, but not without a succession of parties and celebrations to send them off. This evening the 11G Massive will be donning the braces and spectacles for our 'Freaks and Geeks' party, and tomorrow night is Vegas night! But for now let's round up phase two with a few final words from our Romeos.

Romeo 1 by Tricia
5.8.11
Ok goodie! We have finally made it past the half way mark and yes it’s true we could not be more proud at the strength of our bodies. The most amazing thing about trekking is that we have discovered that your bruises and blisters on your feet do heel despite constant walking. The most challenging part of today was being faced with steep hills both up and down, but it was a pleasure for Romeo 1 to finally camp for the first time as the Turrimacho and Romeo 1 gang.
Highlights from Cam...
Angelina says “Cam what is the temperature tonight?”
Cam says “Tonight! Oh yeah tonight is cold!”

6.8.11
Day ten was a day of some serious mental challenges, this walk tested our mental strength as we faced walks of uphill challenges, however as always with any challenge you are always rewarded with views that are incredibly unique and that will stay with you forever. Viewing Turrialba Volcano from heights that are difficult to reach and enjoying a coffee with the local ranger is enough to cheer any painful trek away.

7.8.11
The day of ‘Dear John’! Today we were ditched by the PMs and had to make it alone to our location. After reflecting on our very amusing letter we all went off marching in single file down the Pan American highway, with one of the venturers playing team medic. There was also plenty of discussion and debate as to whether we continue our trek onwards or stop off at a community centre for the night. As Romeo 1 should be renamed ‘Team Strong’ as we carried on to the Laguna and were greeted by A-class views , our fugitive PMs and the lovely fieldbase team.

8.8.11
The pre dragon day! Here we go again, this time accompanied by a friend called ‘rain!’ This walk was an interesting mix of terrain, hills and farmland. This walk eventually led us to a height where we could literally reach into the clouds. This misty location allowed us all to view a different weather climate to the sunny Costa Rica we had known.

9.8.11
Dragon day! Bring it on. Today we climbed well over 2080 feet. This allowed Romeo 1 to gain access to a sneak preview of the beach we are all heading for. This day was very challenging as we decided to ditch the route card and climb with instinct. Challenge? Most certainly. Views? Like no other ever seen. What made this day extra special was catching a brief glimpse of a beautiful brown jaguar.

10.8.11
The trek continued through the clouds, spiralling down hills and finding ourselves located in a small eerie town that allowed us to gain access to one of Costa Rica’s beautiful churches. From this village we moved towards a village that has been massively hit by landslides.

11.8.11
Out of the clouds we headed down, pointing our noses towards the beach, fighting steep hills and uniquely building bridges. Arriving at a very spacious community centre with a local Costa Rican Mama offering to throw all our wet clothes in a dryer. ‘We love you Ticas!’

12.8.11
Off to the beach we go! Singing, dancing, jumping! 28km later we arrived at Playa Palo Seco. What better way to say hello to the Palo Seco waves than screaming our native Kiwi lingo....”kome te kome te, kuri kuri!” (the hakka!)

Romeo 2 by Justin
Good morning from Romeo 2! We have completed the Guanacaste trek and are chilling out on the beach awaiting a delicious BBQ! Since we last left you, Romeo 2 have trekked through the jungle to Rincon de la Vieja National Park where we met up with our buddies from Romeo 3. In our two days here we have made our way over to the stunning waterfalls and have chilled out in the Rio Blanco Pools. Our next journey took us far into the hills to a town called Las Lilas, where Romeo 2 had the delight of being cooked for by the community. “The King of food” proclaimed Isaac when we tucked into our delicious pork and beans with coffee and ‘queso’. As a thank you, Romeo 2 played football with the kids; and Justin found a guitar and strummed out ‘Yellow Submarine’ for everyone. For our next two days the group head back to the mountains to Cacao station, with beautiful sunsets and stunning views of the Pacific. With big thanks to Ryan, Jen was able to enjoy a birthday cake on the big day- although the cake didn’t last very long after the hungry group set in. In addition, Reggie, Justin, Ryan and Rich scaled another mountain up a long forgotten path in an enjoyable mini-hike. Justin and Rich also showed that there childhood wasn’t wasted by recounting all 150 Pokemon characters from memory. Our final days here are on the beach. After a tough 30km final day Romeo 2 achieved their goal of 3111km and landed on beautiful Playa Junquillal.
So that’s pretty much it from Romeo 2. We’re all so proud of our achievements this phase and look forward to our next challenges, seeing old friends, putting our feet up and relaxing.

Romeo 3 by Elliot

Our phase is over. On our last day we took down our jungle camp, dismantled our kitchen and solemnly displaced our sacred Toucan. Camping out under the ranger station the emotion of the group was fluctuating; satisfaction from a job well done and being a significant help to the National Park was counterbalanced by the lack of our jungle home and the upcoming separation of our group. Not to be defeated by the somber mood, Romeo 3 celebrated the end of our environmental project in style - with sought after fizzy drinks and delicious marshmallows a late night farewell party was had; a further celebration to the night before where to our surprise the Rangers at Rincon De La Vieja cooked us a chicken dinner. The culmination of the party came as our PMs: Carwyn, Amy and Kiki granted the titles of King and Queen of the jungle to Elliot and Corrie for their efforts and attitude during the phase. Some of Romeo 3 are heading home, their Raleigh experience brought to an end, but whether in the next few weeks we find ourselves in Nicaragua, England or Costa Rica we all share the unforgettable experience working with incredibly passionate rangers and in the most stunning environment, safe in the knowledge that our work has helped safeguard its beauty.

Romeo 4 by Christina
Romeo 4 is now safely back at fieldbase after a fantastic phase in La Cangreja National Park and Playa Hermosa. We had a great time at the beach and seeing the turtles was a highlight for everyone. Here are a few words from Romeo 4:

Kelly: The best part was seeing a dolphin and collecting eggs for the first time ever. My life on Raleigh has changed so much and I respect so much what Raleigh has given me.

Jordan and Tim: The beach was frikkin’ awesome. We love the beach. And the crocodiles. And the baby turtles. And sleeping in hammocks is frikkin’ awesome! “Open up Ollie & Tyrone!”... We ride together; we die together, bad boys for life. T & J

Joss: I really enjoyed seeing the monkeys, crocodiles and turtles. I enjoyed making a difference to the environment in the jungle and on the beach.

Saren: Playa Hermosa is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It would be perfect if it wasn’t for the ants.

Cat: We’ve has a fantastic group and some incredible experiences. A highlight for me was releasing the baby turtles on the beach and making some good friends that I’ll never forget.

Kulbir: I really have enjoyed this phase, especially with its two very unique parts. The varied wildlife and the plant species in the jungle, coupled with the turtle conservation in Playa Hermosa.

Imi: I really enjoyed the two parts of this phase. I’m really pleased I got to see white faced capuchin monkeys and turtles.

Jonny: Really enjoyed this phase with two parts. Both parts were unique and picturesque. I met some great people, made some good friends and saw some amazing animals.

Christina: I have had a really wonderful time on this phase. I feel very lucky to have seen turtles on the beach and released baby ones back into the ocean. Living in the rainforest was an amazing experience, being surrounded by trees that seem to touch the clouds and unique wildlife.

Pinki: I really enjoy walking on the beach. I have seen the turtles, the sunset, a dolphin, and I used my hand to catch the turtles eggs. They are all amazing experiences!

Joyce: This phase is an unforgettable experience to me because it is incredible for me to have a chance to have seen the sea turtles laying eggs, build a nest for them and see the turtles wander back into the ocean. I am very happy!

Tom: Cowabunga - what a second phase! The first half of the phase in La Cangreja and the second half at one of Costa Rica's most beautiful beaches. I couldn't have asked for more. Playa Hermosa was a very special experience for me. Catching the turtle eggs as she laid them into my palm was truly magical and a moment that will stay with me forever.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed keeping up with Romeo 4s adventures. Those of us on the ten week expedition are very excited for our third and final phase. Those of us heading home in a few days look forward to seeing you all soon! With love, Christina x

Romeo 5 by Darran

It was a stressful day on our thirteenth day of work but Romeo 5 was determind to reach their target of building the community centre to head height. The pressure was on and unfortunately (although we tried so hard) we only reached shoulder height, but hey, we were still ferociously proud of the work we had done. The fifteen coffee-packed days had caused Romeo 5 to totally become attached to their families by the hips, if not by the mouth from their daily ritual of providing delicious food. It served only to make the farewell all the more difficult and tearful. However, Romeo 5 left with a sense of satisfaction. We had done two ‘how to’ sessions with the communities and had learnt to make biscuits and atol. Being able to cook tortillas and other traditional dishes, many of us became novices in the field of Nicaraguan cooking. It also made us well up with pride to see how rapidly the children at school were picking up English from our daily lessons at school. If only we could have learnt Spanish as fast. Events such as sports day (with some over competitive participants (...Chava)), a birthday/church opening, and two parties further spiced up life with the community. Romeo 5 are incredibly sad to be leaving Yaluca and are envious of the next lucky group that will be fortunate enough to go and experience life there.

Romeo 6 by Catherine
Romeo 6 has had an unforgettable experience in the community of Los Apantes. We successfully completed the community centre and opened it on the final Saturday with a big fiesta! The experience went further than that though as we were immersed in a totally different culture, seeing things that we had never experienced by passing through or reading books. Living with the families, we saw and learnt about every day aspects of life with no modern amenities - although I think we all appreciate modern amenities such as washing machines much more, we also appreciate the simple lifestyle they lead, such as the delights they take in playing games and family. We were all also amazed at the wide variety of dishes that can be made from the same few ingredients. The setting of Los Apantes was fantastic too, at 1500m with panoramic views of the mountains and breathtaking sunsets, no wonder it’s such a happy place. It’s nice to think that we have made appositive impact on their lives by providing the whole community with somewhere to meet, and that by simply being in their lives for two weeks we have successfully opened the youngsters eyes to the wider world so that they might go on to be more involved with it in the future, maybe even by doing Raleigh themselves.

Romeo 7 by Jack Smylie Wild
As is the case with most entities, Romeo 7s demise and disintegration is imminent – soon to be recycled into fresh groups for new thrills and purposes. And in many ways this is sad – it really has consisted of thirteen wonderful people, all with so many wonderful qualities, skills and strengths. We’ve been an equal group, a close group and a fun-loving one too. And the PMs have really acted as an impetus and a catalyst for these traits to manifest among us venturers. Well done Jenny, Waheeda and Margarita!
It’s been a few days now since we left our hill top hide-away and entered back into a more familiar but also a more hectic world. We’ve been back at fieldbase for two hours – handing over muddy clothes for washing, catching up with old friends from other groups, organising our equipment, some have been rehearing our ‘skits' (theatrical, musical performances depicting our projects), some guys are playing scrabble next to me and the BBQ is underway. Tonight is movie night. Tomorrow we do our skits and then dress as ‘freaks and geeks’ for the party and have a damn good boogie. Wednesday means the assignments for the final phase, and we’re all excited to see which treks and environmental projects we get and with which people we’ll be doing them. Sadly, the time has nearly come to say a fond farewell to the seven weekers. Our good friend Vejuna will be sorely missed by all in Romeo 7 – happy travels!
We’re all proud of the hard work we did in Quebrada Honda and touched by the simple lives which are played out there, in the remote hills which seem a million miles from anything we knew before. There’s not doubt we’ve all learnt lessons from our time there. What struck me personally was the quiet and gentle tenacity of people who work the land to stay alive and the smiles and generosity they still share with so much ease. Hopefully with instant access to good water more time can be spent educating the brilliant young minds of the children, and will also mean some respite to the elders. Better hygiene and irrigation are also significant benefits as well as many more. What an experience it was! We are all inspired to put our energy into positive change for those who lead difficult lives - a ‘pura vida’ for all!

So that's it for phase two - done and dusted. We're off to get ready for tonight's events but we'll be back soon with some cheeky snapshots of fieldbase fun and frolics, as well as our brand spanking new phase three project groups! Make way for... the X-Rays! Ooh.

Pura vida!

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

Nearing the end...

We have more news from our teams! Here’s some news from Romeo 5 all the way from Yaluca, Nicaragua! Abi reports back…

On Friday we woke up at 5.30 am to another absolute scorcher of a day. And someone told me that Miraflor would be cold. It was a lot of fun to see the fieldbase road trip at work and they didn’t waste any time in grabbing pickaxes and helping us to dig yet a more trenches… and holes… and trenches. After leaving work with deep fatigue (a genuine illness that I may have invented) we got ready for a fiesta being held in our honour by the community at a local house. After several rounds of the limbo, the girls showed us a traditional Nicaraguan dance which we obviously tounted with the hokey kokey which left them a little confused. It was a lovely evening, topped off with good food as well.
Saturday morning rolled around all too soon for our liking and it was back to digging trenches - our spirits raised as we saw the rapid progress we were making. We did a sad farewell to the road trip wishing they could stay for longer, but safe in the knowledge that we were their favorite group.
Sunday was a free day which we spent with a morning visit to Yale, the local town, and an afternoon ‘stroll’ to a lake, past incredible views and culminating a pretty successful fishing trip. We were invited for coffee and cake to the lake owner’s house and once again we were reminded of the ridiculous hospitality offered to us in Yaluca.
The next few days flew by as we worked away in the blazing sun. After finally finishing the foundations, being able to make a start on the brick work was really satisfying. After work on Wednesday, we held a patelote (kite) making session in preparation for Friday’s sports day, and competitiveness was definitely brewing in the air. On Wednesday we also enjoyed learning how to make Atol, one of the many many dishes here that maize manages to find its way in to. I’m pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say that Thursday was the best day here; a combination of Darren’s birthday, a church opening (not two events I’d normally put together but it works), cake, fruit and a drink only referred to as ‘diabetes juice’ meant that we were all sufficiently full of E-numbers, and happy. The effort the local people put into the birthday was very touching and we will be sad to leave such a genuine and kind community.

The Romeo 6 team also has some news for us - Catherine reports...

Today Saturday 13th august will be the opening ceremony of the Los Apantes community centre! Romeo 6 has worked long and hard, digging, cementing, plastering, painting and more digging! The result has been a success though – a bright turquoise community centre complete with a roof, although at one point we wondered if we’d ever finish! It hasn’t all been hard work though. Romeo 6 has had a visit to a baseball game, a waterfall (where those of us with no shower took the opportunity to wash our hair!) and to a cigar factory in Esteli. We’ve also had visits to other Raleigh community projects to see how they have benefitted those communities’ lives and had family days where we had the opportunity to see the daily lives of our host families; to get to know their customs and values, and learn valuable skills like making tortillas, hand washing clothes and clearing fields for planting crops. The highlight of the phase has probably been the Raleigh races sports day which Romeo 6 organized for some numerous, very energetic children of the community. With races like the three-legged race, the dizzy spade race, a parent’s balloon race and the obstacle race which included Romeo members as obstacles at great personal risk. The day finished with the Romeo team breaking the rope in a tug of war and a presentation ceremony with certificates made by Romeo 6. A nine hour party is planned for after the opening ceremony tonight, and then Romeo 6 will be back on the road for the two day coach journey back to Costa Rica.

Mini updates from our other groups are as follows…
Romeo 1's mammoth Turrimacho trek finally came to an end yesterday as they reached their goal and arrived at the beautiful sands of Palo Seco on the Pacific coast. The group are now spending the next couple of days relaxing, recuperating and enjoying some well deserved down time on the beach before they head back to fieldbase. Well done trekkers!
Romeo 2 have got their stomp on this morning as they storm ahead to the finish line at the truly beautiful Junquillal beach. This morning they had already trekked 12km by 6.30am… they certainly have their minds set on the prize. You can do it Romeo 2 – trek… trek!
Romeo 3 have finished filling in holes along the path that were proving a risk to tourists, and continue to work on other ad hoc jobs with the ranger. All are well, happy, healthy and by the sounds of it working hard on those guns ‘n’ buns.
Romeo 4 were left to fend for themselves yesterday as PM’s Tom and Helena left the group for a ‘Dear John’ day (where the Project Managers leave the group for the day without warning and the team has to organize and direct themselves without any instructions from the PM’s). The day was a huge success and the group spent the day clearing the beach of debris, and continued work on the wall they have been building for the last week. The team experienced another very special turtle patrol last night as they came across thirteen different turtle nests where they were able to collect the eggs and take them back to the safety of the hatchery. Something to do with the full moon we think!
Romeo 7 are at the music festival! They have been practicing their big performance and are all ready and raring to take on the Nicaraguan music charts by storm.


Blog written by Dawn Tennant unless otherwise stated.

Romeo 3 and Romeo 7

We have more news from some of our Romeo's who called in to update us with their latest antics this morning. Let's catch up first with news from Comm's Officer Elliot in Romeo 3...

Due to the hard work and cooperation between the venturers of Romeo 3 and the rangers at Rincon de la Viejo we completed the tourist path on day 14. We still have other odd jobs to do, however everyone is feeling great satisfaction that our primary goal has been completed. The weather has been beautiful and for that we have begun to thank our local deity; the fearsome looking toucan totem pole erected one day by Corrie and Ester. When not at work we have taken advantage of the good weather and make excursions around the park. Firstly to a magnificent waterfall in which we bathed and then to some sulphur springs when we had a lazy lunch. We are now on the final stretch and everyone in Romeo 3 has had a incredible experience on our environmental phase and consider ourselves very fortunate in our location.

And all the way from Achuapa, Nicaragua we have some gossip from Jack and the rest of the Romeo 7 gang...

Just a quick one I’m afraid via telephone. So we've come down from the hills today, after two weeks of hard work in Achuapa for two days for the International Music Festival and we're due to perform 'Help' by the Beatles at 5pm tomorrow in front of one thousand people! The group as a whole seems reflective and slightly stunned to be back in civilization, but also very cheerful and excited. Many tears were shed this morning as we said or farewells to our families and friends. We nearly finished the main water pipe and managed to turn on a tap! It's been decided that there will be another project to begin there next week to tie up loose ends. We've done all the hard work! Off to a restaurant now for our first break from rice and beans in a fortnight! All’s well. We're looking forward to telling you all about it soon, as we get back on the net in Turrialba. Bye for now, Romeo 7.

News on the Charlie groups - our bespoke venturers have enjoyed a fun and relaxing day at mystery location, San Lucas island, where they enjoyed a spot of raft building and some extreme survival skills that involved cooking fresh fish and camping out for the night! The teams leave today to spend one last night in San Jose before heading back to reality.

Just a quick note and reminder for you folks back home - in order to obtain the latest news and goings on with our venturers it is important that we take the time to go and visit the projects which are spread all throughout Costa Rica and Nicaragua (i.e the road trips). This does unfortunately mean that there may be occasions where we can't update the blog on a daily bases as many, if not all of these projects are in extremely remote locations, from the depths of the Costa Rican jungle to the very peak of a volcano in Nicaragua. We do however update as often as we can, so please bear with us. On the up side, the venturers will be back at fieldbase on Tuesday so there will lots of exciting news and gossip to update you with then! Until then, our project groups are keeping us updated as often as they can whenever they get the chance to radio in, so more news from them soon.

Pura vida amigos!

Blog written by Dawn Tennant and photo's by Kat Mammone unless otherwise stated

The latest from Romeo 2, 3, 5 and 7!

We have more updates from our Romeo troops! The Bravo 1 road trippers have been busy driving around Costa Rica and Nicaragua visiting our project groups and have reported back with blogs from our hard working venturers - news, hooray! Let's hear what they have to say for themselves.

Romeo 2 left Zapote this morning and are spending the day making their way over to Finca Armenia. Written by Justin…
From a community center in Guanacaste, Romeo 2 are trekking happily 300km to the Pacific Ocean! On our first day we walked through a forest and narrowly missed the rain. On the second day we were climbing hills and Alfonso managed to score us some amazing (free!) oranges in San Antonio. Day three was spent trekking in the mountains and wild camping in the pouring rain. Day four we marched down to the lake and had a nice splash about before enjoying freshly cut coconut , thanks to Isaak, with dinner. Day five was spent walking into nice little towns and enjoying stunning views of the lake. So that's pretty much it! Hope everyone at home is enjoying their summer! Romeo 2 is missing everyone loads and looking forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks time. Tomorrow we head into the jungle - wish us luck!

Romeo 3, written by Elliot…
We all arrived safely and set up our jungle camp and a neighborhood of hammocks sprang to life. Soon after the local ranger, Christian, gave us a whistle-stop tour of the local area. His passion rubbed off and we have all avidly been looking out for wildlife. Work has started well and the path we are making has made significant progress due to an extremely enthusiastic and hard working team. The weather has been cruel, holding out until all the work is done, preventing any afternoon excursions to a nearby waterfall and plunge pools. However, on our day off we braved the weather and spent 7 hours on a mini-trek to the Rincon de la Vieja, the active water (?). The weather was tricky once again, however we did gain satisfying glimpses of the water. Back to work soon, however, Romeo 3 is invigorated and energized to get the path done, despite inquisitive tourists and the fractious weather.

Romeo 5, written by Darren…
It was a devastatingly long and rocky journey that started on a chaotic morning on Thursday. We were packed into what seemed to be a slightly luxurious coach, all dizzy and doozy, so that the next four hours was a battle for many of us to repay our sleep debt. A screening of 'hangover' and the 'Bounty Hunter’ injected some entertainment and energy on the journey. After a pit stop and a long-awaited glorious treat of being able to go to the toilet, we reached the Nicaraguan border to find fantastically cheap food and sorrow as we had to say goodbye to Pinki and Joyce. Romeo 5 sends best wishes to Pinki in her new project in La Cangreja and we all miss you! We eventually reached a small school in Nicaragua for a nights rest before each group made their final respective journey to their new homes with the novelty of travelling to it in an old American school bus. As the last remaining, Romeo 5 was greeted as the bus approached its destination by the whole community waving and cheering, aka our new families. We waved and smiled as we got off the bus but then we were clueless of how to entertain the eagerly awaiting family so we decided to walk around with our widest smile plastered on our faces, asking for names and ages of the timid children hiding around the parents, only to forget them again moments later! A glorious meal (the first of many) later and after meeting our new families, we were introduced to important members of the community. The following day, we started clearing our worksite and were wowed into silence several times from seeing locals climbing trees and machete-ing whole branches off. Obviously, don't try this at home. On Sunday we got our first day off, so we organised a trip to Yali to watch a basketball game and have lunch there. After what seemed like a long trek we reached town to be treated to confectionary and fizzy drinks. Only when reaching the pitch did we realise we were to watch a local football game and not baseball. Most of us took this opportunity to get some rest, but Chava, enthusiast as always, claimed that near the end of the game a fight broke out and mysteriously a man in a motorcycle carrying a machete rode across the pitch. Whether hearsay evidence from Chava is reliable is left upon the wisdom of the readers. After 5 days of hard work Romeo 5 are constructing a community centre in Yeluca with progress slowly but surely improving. The group have stepped up a gear each day becoming more efficient, aided by daily evening reviews that added new roles such as a ‘group motivator’ and new ideas such as ‘dance master’ and a radio to the worksite. By day five Romeo 5 had cleared the worksite, evened out the surface and created eight 80cm holes where the outposts of the building will go. On Thursday evening Romeo 5 got together with the community to bake biscuits in the traditional Nicaraguan way. As each member of the group got involved in a different part of the cooking process we learned how corn flour hard cheese and sugar were mixed and ground together to make the biscuits which were then baked in a huge wood oven outside the house. It goes without saying those biscuits were delicious.

Romeo 7, written by Jack...
Friends, family and fans, Romeo 7 here (the expedition group - not one of the Beckhams' offspring) with the first of three updates from the sparse cluster of houses known as (together with the densly-packed hills which encompass them) Quebrada Honda. For those of you who don't know, that means you''ll find us on the map in Northwest Nicaragua, not far from Achuapa - a dusty, dirt-track, too-hot, rural conglomeration of wood, clay and many horses. We arrived here in the hills on Friday, July 29th after a 2 hour walk up muddy, vegetation-infested tracks! I think that everyone would agree that we've entered an entirely different world and on the first night (especially for those without any Spanish) that was slightly overwhelming and perhaps a little daunting. A good job then that the people here are so welcoming, warm-hearted and accepting. Our experiences in our various houses (we're staying in pairs) have no doubt been disparate - but there's a definite consensus that these people who - by our standards at least - have so little, are by nature the most generous: with their smiles, laughter, food, time, space and lives.

It's Monday 1st of August now and we're all settling in and adjusting to our new routine well. We've had, however, a few minor hiccups and incidents worth mentioning before I describe in greater detail, our day-to-day life and the important gravity-fed water system we are helping to complete.

Caught out in torrential rain yesterday, we took shelter in a shed containing sheaths of beans and a few chickens After a few minutes a local from the house beside us brought us a dead armadillo and a rather macabre impromptu photo-shoot ensued. Mitchell is slightly concerned that the photo I took of him holding the poor thing by the tail and laughing hysterically might prove detrimental to his prospects of a career in law. If I discover that he's working for a reputable firm in the future I may have to send them a picture with a note attached, saying "Do you trust this man? I used to." Maybe you have to know Mitch to find that funny - he's a very funny guy.

So today we were attacked by a swarm of giant black wasps on the way to work. I think we had about six casualties - none too serious but all painful enough. I remember realizing what was happening, and just shouting "Run for your lives!" Jenny screamed for help but Waheedah was too busy searching for the beast which had trespassed down her top. The latter suffered a sting to the breast; the former, one on the head. They mostly missiled toward the hair, leading Bert to ask ‘Are they trying to steal our earwax?!'

Anyway, more about the people, place and project. The trench we are digging in which to lay down the tough, plastic pipe is coming on well. I think most of us would agree that it's the hardest, most backbreaking work that we've undertaken - especially when we hit a rocky stretch, the sun beating down, and the slope is steep. Today we had all three, and everyone did well (we're losing so much water through perspiration that we're drinking as often as possible).

The trench, which was begun by the previous group at a natural underground spring where a water-catchment tank was built underground with cement and large stones, now runs about 600m or 700m from the high spring, down the mountainside, at an average depth and width of say, slightly less than two by one foot respectively. The remaining days will be spent digging roughly another 1400m of ditch, laying all the pipe (3 inch diameter), covering it all back over, laying a line of big stones above it, and finally, turning on all the taps in the 12 or so houses. - providing them with clean, unlimited water - both being new, and essential properties.

The locals are happy with the work we are doing; it will obviously change their lives for the better. I also believe they are happy to have us staying with them. We are strange creatures from an unknown land, capable of peculiar feats and prone to bizarre habits. In short, we are very amusing to them! Whether we're beat-boxing, singing, juggling, dancing, washing our clothes, trying to use a machete, drawing, trying to speak Spanish or to make their maize tortillas - we are a source of so much laughter. And that's a good feeling. We've been making ourselves laugh as well though - especially today when Jodie got a bit tongue-tied and uttered a perfect spoonerism. A snake had been found, and because I was far away she tried to shout, presumably "Jack, there's a snake!" What she actually said was, "Jake, there's a snack!" At least I believe it was an accident, although there is a chance that she thinks my name is Jake, and that, like Bear Grylls himself, I snack on serpents. Over.

*Blog written by Dawn Tennant unless stated otherwise.

Romeos, Charlies and a sad farewell

Here to keep you occupied and in the loop are a few mini updates from the Romeo groups...

Last night Romeo one arrived at destination Rio Pejibayo and managed to strike gold with some luxury accommodation. The owner of a beautiful wooden house with incredible views over some of Costa Rica's magnificent landscape generously offered the group a home for the night. They graciously accepted. Unfortunately for the team the swimming pool had just been emptied that morning…it’s a hard life. Romeo two enjoyed a nice relaxing lunch with ranger Don Luz yesterday, and spent the night at the ranger’s station in El Jilguero. Today they will be making their first steps into the jungle! Romeo three over in Los Pailas are working those muscles hard by busily moving bags of gravel and rocks over to their new trail. On Monday they climbed to the peak of Las Pailas. Unfortunately for the group as they reached the top they were met by the rain, yet this didn’t dampen any spirits (excuse the punn). Happy to say that everyone is on great form and the team are enjoying the hard work and unpredictable weather. Romeo four are busy building their park trails and enjoying life in the jungle. At the end of the week they will move out of La Cangreja to breathe in some of that salty sea air as they begin part two of the phase at Playa Hermosa, volunteering at the turtle conservation. All is well with Romeo five. They are working hard on their community centre, soaking up the culture and settling well into their host families. Romeo six are making great progress with their own community centre. They are currently working on building up the walls and flattening out the area. They are looking to make a start on the roof in the next few days. Romeo seven finished the roof to the water system yesterday. They are now spending their time digging more trenches and taking in the Nicaraguan culture. Romeo six and seven will be joining forces this weekend and heading over the International Music Festival in Achuapa for some cultural music. The groups have big plans to put their own musical talents into good practice by forming a band and performing a little something of their own - chart toppers watch this space!

Our Charlies are also cracking on well with their projects...

Yesterday Charlie One left Alto Parma and headed to Piedra Vieja where they spent the night in a local school. Plans for today include a trip up to Caite where they will climb Barres and head back down to stay at Galan for the evening. Charlie two are working hard on their kindergarten. They have finished plastering up the walls and roof and today will be making a keen start on the floor. Charlie three are putting the work in on their biogas unit. They have already dug out the pits and are now laying down the brickwork for the pig pens. Everyone is well and enjoying project life!

Charlie three!

A little of the latest from sunny fieldbase... Bravo one (Wellard, Kat, Cathy and Emily) are currently making their merry way around many of the Romeo groups at the moment. They are currently driving through Nicaragua and checking out the projects there. The Bravo four road trip team (Sabrina, Phil, Abi and myself) will be heading out tomorrow to visit some groups of our own; saying hello to all the guys, bringing them the delights of 'the shop', such as the over subscribed Zinc Oxide tape and baby wipes, and of course collecting the latest news and gossip for you back home.

From elation to sadness to relief and even a little confusion, emotions are flying high here at fieldbase as our 11H volunteer managers come to the end of their Raleigh road and we prepare to say goodbye. Volunteer managers Andy, Megan, Wendy, Sarah, Siew, Nick and Hayley are leaving us after five incredible and invaluable weeks on expedition. Tonight we will be celebrating will a gourmet meal and some good old Raleigh-oke to sing them farewell! What better way to end. Guys, it’s been a pleasure - pura vida! 

*Blog by Dawn Tennant, photo by Pedro Rodriguez

Zulus, Romeos, Rain and More

Updates from the venturers! Everyone is doing well. Romeo 1 are doing what they’re meant to be doing – trekking hard, walking strong and going for gold in the Turrimacho trek! Today they will be staying at Barbilla Rangers staion and tomorrow they will head over to take on some of Cost Rica’s deepest jungle! Romeo 2 are on track, on time and going strong. Today they are on their way to Alto Cebadilla. Romeo 3 over at Las Pailas are also cracking on nicely. All is going well and yesterday they began building their jungle camp so they now have a nice comfortable roof/tarpaulin over their heads to keep them safe and dry. Romeo 4 over in La Cangreja spent their first night at La Fundación Ecotropica rangers station. Today they head over to the Santa Rosa ranger station where they will be sleeping for the rest of the project. Romeo 5, Romeo 6 and Romeo 7 arrived in Nicaragua yesterday where they all stayed the school for the night, before going their separate ways to their project sites today.

Zulu groups 1, 2, 3 and 4are all on their last day of trekking today. They will meet tonight at La Fundacion Ecotropica ranger station where they will spend the night catching up and sharing stories. They will make their way over to mystery location first thing tomorrow morning! Bearing in mind that none our Zulu venturers know what part two of the adventure challenge holds, it’s all pretty exciting in Zulu world at the moment. Some of our field base crew have departed today to set up for the next few days in situ. A few more of us will be joining them tomorrow morning with lots more up our sleeves to make the next few days of expedition 11H one to remember.

Everything with Charlie one, two and three is running smoothly. Everyone is well, happy and enjoying the torrential downpour of rain that has decided to hit Costa Rica and Nicaragua recently.

Speaking of rain, time for a weather update! For those of you jealous folk back home who are longing for some of our Costa Rican sunshine, be jealous no more. Sweeping its way across Costa Rica in the next few days is rain, rain, rain! But it wouldn’t be Raleigh without a little bit of damp. So with our anoraks’ zipped, umbrella’s up and tarpaulin tightly fastened, we’re just about ready to take on the world (or Central America at least). Saying that, the last few weeks have provided us with a whole lot of sunshine so we won’t complain. Let it rain!

Please note that Pinki Tse from Romeo 5 and Joyce Hiu Tung Law from Romeo 7 are moving to join the Romeo 4 team in La Cangreja.

In other, more cultural news, Cartago is getting ready for one of Costa Rica's biggest Religious festivals – Virgen de los Angeles Day is a Costa Rican holiday celebrating Costa Rica's patron saint, the Virgen de los Angeles (la Negrita). It is celebrated on August 2nd with religious pilgrimages from San José to the Nuestra Señora de los Angeles Basilica in Cartago. Locals and tourists make their way over to the monument of Virgen de los Angeles to pray. They bring with them small objects and things of signifcance that represent what they wish to come true in the future. In the next few days Cartago will be filled with over two million people celebrating this special day!

Updates from the phase one moustache competition... drum roll... In third place, we decided that everyone’s a winner here at Raleigh (apart from the actual winner, who actually won) so there is no third place. But we do have a second place… Keiner! Well done Kei. A unique design, neatly shaped and a decent amount of volume. Solid. But taking the lead with the majority vote we have… more drum rolls…. with an absolute howler – Cameron! Well done Cam.

Well done to all participants, a great effort from you all. It’s the taking part that counts. You can shave now.  

It’s Sabrina’s (Deputy Manager) birthday today – happy birthday Brie! To celebrate the field base team have decided to replace walking around the office with dancing! It’s the simple things in life. Pura vida.

Photo by Dawn Tennant

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

Out with the Alphas and in with the Romeos!

Our project allocations for phase two have been announced! As of 9am this morning the Alpha groups were officially no more. Expired. Finito. Gone. It’s now time to make way for… the Romeos! So without any further ado let’s meet the teams.

Romeo 1 - The Turrimacho trek, Costa Rica
PM's Ronnie and Cam
Bibi Bartstra
Alfie Carapiet
Chris Tullo
Chris Vos
Francesca Payne
Kay Chow
Noe Corrales
Tricia Ofuono
Sacha Lapins
Sara Wilkes
Angelina Cheung
Yasim Begum

Romeo 2 - The Guanacaste trek, Costa Rica
PM's Reggie, CC and Niall
Emma Sheehy
Grace Minns
Hugh Packer
Isaac Hassard
Jen Clements
Justin Shenolikar
Lucy Xu
Alfonso Ureña
Rich Johnson
Ryan Baker
Sarah Canty

Romeo 3 - Environmental project in Las Pailas - Rincon de la Vieja National Park - building  and working on the park trails and living in a jungle camp.
PM's Carwyn and Amy
Corrie Moxon
Daniel Renshaw
Elliot Bartholomew
Esther Lusty
Harvey Ka Hung Tse
Jasmine Furbert
Jennifer Miller
Lydia Woodward
Maricruz Esquivel Lopez
Otto Mena Kikat
Ryan Austin
Cindy Fung



Romeo 4 - Environmental in La Cangreja National Park - building and working on the park trails and living in a jungle camp.
PM's Tom and Helena
Catherine Chatfield-Ball
Christina Clare
Imi Morgan
Joss Tringham
Jonathan White
Jordan Carter
Kelly Robinson
Cebolla Gamboa
Kulbir Rai
Saran Kular
Tim Hales
Yandry Benavides



Romeo 5 - Community project in Yeluca in Miraflor, Nicaragua - building a community centre and living with the Nicaraguan families
PM's Jon, Carmena and Chava
Abi Ramanan
Charlie Page
Pinki Tse
Francis Zeledron Lanuza
Joanna Bartlett
Katie Neal
Keith Lau Sui Pang
Luke Smalley
Maykol Meneses
Daran Sarma

Romeo 6 - Community project in Apantes in Miraflor, Nicaragua - building a community centre and living with the Nicaraguan families.
PM's Claire and Connor
Alex Newman
Catherine White
Catriona McIntosh
Claire Barnsley
Claire Syme
Daniel O'Brien
Dave Winterflood
Hannah Bottomley
Fernando Castillo
Lloyd Thomas
Yisbel Centeno

Romeo 7 - Community project in Quebrada Honda in Achuapa, Nicaragua - working on a gravity-fed water project.
PM's Jenny, Marga and Waheeda (King Tut)
Caesar Schinas
Bert Dunphy
Emma Black
Evelyn Calderon
Joyce Hiu Tung Law
Jack Smylie Wild
Jodie Hastie
Karen Rocha
Mitch Tulloch
Vejuna Zalalyte
Werner Calderon

From now on if you could put the name of the person you are messaging followed by their new Romeo groups for any blog messages you are leaving that would be great. The same goes for the Zulu’s (previously the Delta’s). Muchisimas gracias amigos.

Last night the Alphas now Romeos celebrated their return with a superhero party here at fieldbase. Costumes were a plenty; varied, colourful, sparkly, tight, and generally quite ridiculous. Everyone spent the evening flying around and saving the world from evil villains and monsters. Not really. Health and safety wouldn’t allow it. But it was great fun and there was lots of dancing and jumping around to some major beats courtesy of DJ Turrialba. Check out some pictures of the groups in action and their skit performances.

Right ok folks I think that’s enough silliness on the blog for one day. Let’s move on to more important matters – the phase one Moustache competition.

The PMs have been working hard on their designs over the last three weeks. Each has come back with their own individual style, unique to their personalities and their project experiences. Here are the candidates. Dads, lock up your daughters.

Reggie - looking shady

Niall - full marks for gingerness



Jon - Grizzly



Phil - the John Cleese look

Connor - representing Ireland

Kiwi Cam - an outrageous set of handlebars



Chava - The T Bar



Tom - 70's Texan style

Kei - The Fonz, in Mexico.

Don Martin - what a real beard looks like 

Nick - the 'I can't really grow a 'tashe' 'tashe.



Andy - Hmm, I wonder...

Mario and Luigi... What?

We welcome all comments and criticism so please feel free to leave yours. The winner will be announced later tonight so we’ll keep you posted.

From superheroes to superstars - on the entertainment menu for tonight at fieldbase, Raleigh-oke! We'll be filling you in with some updates on that soon i'm sure. I'll finish off with a few snaps of the Alpha's returning from phase one - pura vida!

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