All work and no play...12L have a day off

Since the VMs arrived things have been pretty busy with lots of project planning and preparation, so it was definitely time for a well deserved day off.  That's not to say that too many of the group were in the mood for a snooze or a good book - no this lot preferred to go off white water rafting.

LHS - Barney, Natalie, Katie, RHS - Joss, Tracy, David

A bus journey through spectacular countryside led to Rio Pacuare, listed by the National Geographic as one of the top 5 rafting rivers on the planet.  Suitably attired our intrepid rafters hit the waves and succeeded in staying afloat. Apart from the time that they deliberately jumped ship to float down river, at one with nature, looking up at the rain forest canopy overhead.

LHS - Florian, Karen, Martina RHS - Phil, Clare, Tracey

At one point there was a gridlock incident between two of the rafts, very literally stuck between a rock and a hard place.  But thankfully raft number three came along and shunted everyone free.  That's teamwork!

LHS - Sarah, Pauline, Charlie RHS - David, Vic, Jim

After all that effort and adrenalin there was a chance to dry off and get some well deserved lunch.

Pauline and Martina enjoying a scoobie snack

Recce news from Nicaragua

The parties arrived back from their recce visits in Nicaragua yesterday.  Today they've had a chance to tell us about the things they've seen and the people that they met.

Alpha 2 were in Nicaragua to prepare for the Miratombo Trek, which includes the slopes of the volcano Cerro Negro.

Taking in the vapours - David and Claudia, Alpha 2

This amazing landscape makes the climb up pretty special, but the summit is no less spectacular with great views from the top.

On top of Cerro Negro - David and Claudia, Alpha 2

Of course what goes up must come down, and the descent brings challenges of its own.

David making his way back down Cerro Negro, a little quicker than the route up

Alpha 5 headed up to Nicaragua to visit the community of Los Loros, where they will be living and working.  The guys met with Omar, the community leader, and his family.  After a long journey north they were happy to be welcomed into Omar's home as his guest.

Florian and Vic, Alpha 5, making plans with Omar

The project will involve bringing fresh water down from the source to supply the local community.  So the first task is to find the water source.  Here Vic and Florian follow one of the village residents; x marks the spot.

Vic locating the water source

As always Raleigh are happy to be working closely with the local co-operative in Achuapa who co-ordinate the projects.  Alpha 5 met up with Nacho, the Secretary, at the co-operative headquarters and saw the work that they do including sesame seed processing and the production of oil, wine and honey.

Nacho welcomes Vic and Sarah to the community co-operative

Bienvenido – the 12L project managers have arrived

Our numbers at Fieldbase have increased as the project managers all landed safely in San Jose last night.  They managed to get some brief but well earned sleep before taking the 2 hour bus journey to arrive here this morning.

They were welcomed by a traditional Costa Rican breakfast of Gallo Pinto cooked by Araceli, our cook and new best friend.  The queue for the shower is going to be a little longer, and the cooking pots are a good deal larger but the buzz about the place is the most noticeable difference. 

Everyone is catching up with the familiar faces that they met many moons ago on that training weekend in August (can't believe it was only a month ago!).

This week will be spent with various inductions, training and briefing sessions.  We kicked off with the swimming assessment, to understand each person's level and make sure that no-one gets out of their depth.

Some training sessions are mostly chalk and talk, 

and some will mean getting out there and learning things for ourselves.  

There is a lot to take in and learn but the adventure starts here.

Marching to the Jungle Beat

You’ll be pleased to know dear readers, that after 2 days trampling the terrain around Turrialba, the VMs have returned safe and sound to fieldbase. Hip Hip Hooray etc.

Rewind to Wednesday morning. Four groups were allocated and designated a Mountain Leader, who kindly gave a refresher of that timeless recreational activity – map reading. Following a few hours getting to grips with the finer points of (compass) needle-work, the Whiskey Groups were on their way. One factor which became apparent after only a few minutes trekking was the heat – Central America is a far cry from the Cairngorms, and a water bottle, sunhat, sun-cream combo was essential under the afternoon sun. 

After a ‘refreshing’ nights sleep camping on various football fields in the Tucurrique region it was a 3.30am rise in order to make the next scheduled meet point – for river crossing training! Two techniques can be adopted for this. First of all, there is the huddle – a 3-4 man effort which shuffles sideways like a corral rotating on the ebb/a planet of the apes’ style ritual. The second approach is the Gandalf conga – the lead person wielding a staff in the face of the flow (for balance) as the fellow team mates hold on in a column behind as they side-step across in unison. Both beautifully effective, dryness however cannot be guaranteed.

Thankfully it was yet another sun drenched day and clothes dried quickly in preparation for the biggie – Jungle Camp. After some impressive demonstrations in basha bed and hammock construction, it was the groups turn to set up for their camp for the night and the VMs didn’t disappoint with some truly enterprising camp craft – Whiskey One’s DoJo (Joseph Donovan) taking the plaudits for best bathroom; his concealed, and tastefully decorated design, gaining admirers throughout the VM’s. Maybe he’s in the wrong profession....

 The unique experience of a night’s stay in the jungle was perhaps disturbed by the incessant rain on the covering tarps through the night, but it was yet another early start in time for tool training before the march back to base in time for lunch. If only it were so simple. In a spate of ‘accidents’, all medics were struck down with an array of ‘injuries’. I would like to reassure you all, it was just a drill, enabling the groups to practise their medical skills, with all groups making it back to base safely. 

Just as you thought it couldn’t get any better, it does. It’s Project Allocation time! Check back soon for info regarding first phase projects, and which VMs will be undertaking them.

Until then

Pura Vida!