Blink and you'd have missed it

So another Raleigh phase has gone by quicker than a meteor flashing over the Cheviots; here’s a run through of the endeavours of those fine Raleigh guys and gals’

Our trek groups have routed their respective routes. X Ray 1 delved through the heart of Costa Rica, almost coast to coast. Beginning in Barbilla National Park they have breached the continental divide and are celebrating their success at Punta Judas. Whilst Turrisantos may sound like a beach resort, apparently its completely the opposite. And you need to like peanuts. and tang. and getting slightly lost. but mainly peanits.

X Ray 2 conquered the Corcovado, tackling the eponymous national park and La Amistad in the hot and humid southwest of Costa Rica. They finished with three days striding the sands at Playas Madrigal, Carate and Piro.

X Ray 3, up in Nicaragua, mastered the Miratombo trek, with their final days in the Maribios Volcano chain, enjoying stunning views of Volcan Momotombo and Lake Managua. They visited many communities along the way, were treated to food by smiling hosts, slept on volcanoes, traversed deserts and rivers, all celebrating in style at Lake Asoscosas.

X Ray 4 have completed their work on the ‘Quebrada Bonita’ trail in Carara National Park, enjoying a day trip to Playa Hermosa, and celebrating several birthdays throughout the phase. The traditional celebratory energy bomb cake was pimped with addition of oreos. Must have been some huge sugar crashes down in Carara after that...

X Ray 5 in La Amistad have also been productive on the ‘Gigantes del Bosque’ trail (Giants of the Forest’. They have enjoyed various outings to the swimming pool in Altimira, a local farmers market, and to the Valley of Silence Ranger station where Raleigh undertook a project a few years ago.

X Ray 6, after 18 days of pouring rain, finally had a day of sun! They have been working at Volcan Tenorio, undertaking an overhaul of the path to the waterfall on the aquamarine Rio Celeste.

X Ray 7 have continued the work of Alpha 7 on the adobe brick houses in La Naranjita, mixing mud and ‘old man’s beard’ to create a ‘cement’ between the bricks, alongside trips to Esteli and visits to X Ray 8...

...who have completed the community centre in San Jose! This was celebrated with a fiesta yesterday afternoon, featuring all the classics - pass the parcel and some rather competitive musical chairs. They too undertook trips to Esteli, visiting the cigar factory and there was a barely a dry eye when they said good bye on Tuesday morning.

Finally, X Ray 9 in Dorbata. In their one phase, they whipped up a school building faster than a Groundforce montage and have enjoyed the good life in the beautiful surrounds of Chirripo Indigenous Territory. The school is already in use and the group enjoyed a game of football with the locals, the torrential downpour during the fixture making the Brits feel truly at home.

They’ll all be back at HQ tomorrow for all the fun and games of changeover so stayed tuned for the latest goings on at Raleigh Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

The X-Rays are off

After yesterday’s hectic preparations, the X-Rays teams hit the road this morning for their project destinations. For X-Rays 3,4,5 &, heading to various project sites that they will call home for the next 19 days, and for X-Rays 1 & 2, the start point of what is sure to be another awe-inspiring trek.

All the groups have got where they need to be this evening. Tomorrow sees the national elections in Nicaragua but X-Rays 5&6 have safely arrived in Jinotepe where they will spend tonight before heading up to their respective project sites tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile two groups have got off to a flier compared to their predecessors, with X-Ray 2 crossing the river that foiled Alpha 2 in Phase 1; and X-Ray 4 proving that radio communications can be clear as a bell from Playa Hermosa where Alpha 4 had struggled somewhat!!

The first road trip goes out tomorrow with Country Director Julian, Comms Officer ‘Me’, and Logs Manager Reg heading up to Nicaragua. We will be taking blog messages with us so please try and post any comments for X-Rays 5&6 before 8am Costa Rica time.

Phase 2 is go and it’s going to be another winner! Pura Vida!

X-Ray 1: bring it on Turrisantos!!

X-Ray 2: one river down only 70-odd to go!!

X-Ray 3: In the jungle, the mighty jungle

X-Ray 4: Hello Zero hearing you loud and clear! Radio experts

X-Ray 5: Achuapa here we come

X-Ray 6: raring to go!

These groups have the X-Ray factor!

No sooner has one awesome phase finished that another one looms. As I type, the X-Ray teams are being announced, groups being formed, PMs being met and ice-breaking games played.

The rest of the day will be filled with feverish preparations before deployment at 6am tomorrow morning.

For this phase, when leaving comments on the blog, please include the full name and X-Ray group of the recipient.

So, without further ado, here are the project groups for phase 2.

X-Ray 1: tackling the Turrisantos Trek with Vic, Duncan and Barney...

Alice Hall

Arnaud Laurencin

David Sequeria Cascante

Emma Jacob

Erick Monge Castillo

Friso Tigchelaar

Millie Pierce

Molly Sandquest

Serena Glynn

Jon Ward

X-Ray 2: hitting the Guanacaste Trek with Owen and Rachel...

Clare Jones

Delun Jones

Jeanette Reeves

Jesús Jiménez Valverde

Jonathan Morales Munoz

Marette de Vos

Moritz Steinbeck

Reinier van Doorn

Stijn Rutgerrs

Thomas Coombs

X-Ray 3: heading into the jungle at La Cangreja with Will and Richard

Ana Gabriela Herrera Corrales

Floris Muller

Jasper Jongeneel

Josue Gomez Rojas

Katie Wilson

Laura Smith

Lisa Rijsenbrij

Robert Farmer

Sarah Church

Sarah Bartram

X-Ray 4: protecting the turtles in Playa Hermosa with Kelly, Kunmi, Lucy and Ken

Anne Sleurink

Flor Mendieta Noguera

Imogen J Wetzell Ramsey

Issac Colom Viquez

Jayne Deegan

Jonathan Littlewood

Monisha Sodha

Oscar Crol

Sascha Tubbeh

Ying Bik Konica Kwok

X-Ray 5: continuing the work on the gravity water feed system in Achuapa with Matt, Nadia and Julie

Afsaneh Mahloudji

Anna Karyna Vallecillo Zeledón

Brian Lam

Chelsie Eccles

Eleonore Vollebregt

Geoffrey Kirby

Harneel Cheesma

Hilmar Heijmans

Jahari Lisseth Biandón Jarquin

Ally Cheung

Millie Kenney

Ross Skinner

James Holland

X-Ray 6: building a youth centre in Miraflor with Bruce, Gemma and James

Alex Shaw

Cristiany Alonso Torrez

Daisy Know-Murphy

Dinora Flores Talavera

George Biasio

Huzy Mahrom

Julie Göllner

Lidia Belén Mendoza Acuña

Poppy Bluman

Tim Sawrey

Tyla Koen

Back for the last time!

Wejepaaaa! Hola todo el mundo y beinvenidos a los dias ultimos de la expedicion 11G - wooooo! After what has been, personally, a crazy fun and hectic phase with seven days out on the road and the rest spent trekking in Nicaragua, I (Dawn) am back where I truly belong and have finally been reunited with my beloved blog to bring you all the latest news for our final days here at fieldbase.

Ladies and gents, friends, family and all other blog followers…. The Raleigh 11G&H expedition is officially complete! Our walking sticks have been put to rest, our boots kicked off for the very last time, the sticky plaster residue from our zinc tape has been scrubbed off our toes, our shovels and maddox’s have been returned back to the Bodega and our hair has finally been conditioned after 10 solid weeks of living 'Raleigh'. But alas don’t shed a tear just yet for we have so much going on here at fieldbase over the next couple of days that there is really too much celebrating to be done before we can all start slowly but surely falling into the 'end of Raleigh’ depression. Stay strong folks.

The groups returned back to base yesterday afternoon and spent last night recuperating and filling up their well worked physiques with a BBQ, followed by an evenings entertainment of skit performances and a relaxing film. Today our venturers are regrouping with their phase one Alpha groups for a chance to review and reflect over their Raleigh experience, and tonight we’ll all be gathered round a great, big, enormous bonfire with marshmallows in hand for an open mike night, with some live performances, music, poetry or anything that anyone would like to bring to the table for us all to enjoy.

So it’s been another successful phase for our venturers and PMs. Let’s get the round up from the groups for the very last time.

X-ray 1 The Turrimacho Trek, Joanna
With 214k before us, dropped off by the side of the road,
from Cimarrones to Cimarrones Arriba,
we were not used to trekking, it showed.

The next day we walked to Barbilla,
Past cattle and country lane,
We stayed in a school and were happy,
No need for the tents once again.

Day 3s jungle slopes were tricky,
Although we did not have far to go,
We slipped, slid and got caught in the rain,
Whilst following the ‘son of Ernesto’.

Then to Valle Esconcho on day 4,
Through jungle clearing and stream.
We spent the night in a pink and blue house,
In the middle of nowhere it seemed.

On day 5 towards Bajo Pacuare,
We had many rivers to cross,
Each time the sandal/boot dilemma,
And the foot drying, talc powder fuss!

Day 6 to Rio Pejibaje was long,
Just like the route card had said,
We did not make it all the way there,
We slept in a church instead.

On the 7th day we trekked to Selvas,
Past volcanoes and corn fields we went,
It rained when we got to the farmhouse
And whilst setting up our tent.

On day 8 I left for fieldbase,
Due to a foot injury,
The group made it to Purisil,
and had a great leaving party for Brie.

Day 9 I hear was a bit of a climb,
And reaching Tupanti was tough.
That night they camped under Pylons
There was a storm and the sleeping was rough.

Day 10 started without porridge,
But they manages to get by,
reaching their 2800m high.

On day 11 the venturers awoke
To find Ruth and Chava had gone.
So they made their way to Cedral,
20km in the sun.

When I returned on day 12,
everyone was trekking with more ease.
We stayed that night in a pretty house,
And dined on guacamole and chickpeas.

And although you could drive this in 6 hours,
that would not be the point.
We would not have seen the sights we saw,
Or felt the hills with our every joint.

X-ray 2 – The Miratombo Trek, Abi
X-ray 2 have finally completed the Miratombo trek and it has been an amazing experience; especially considering our initial reluctance (to put it mildly). I doubt that in the history of Raleigh there had been more of a turnaround in groups’ expectations and attitudes; we would now go so far as to say that their trek has been collectively voted as a favorite phase. The ever changing cast of our group meant that we were sometimes trekking with as few as nine of us, however, we were not to be fazed and improved in efficiency and stamina day by day. The best way to provide an insight into the sixteen days is to give you a rundown of our best moments, so here goes…
At number five; this is slightly cheating because it is not so much a moment as a theme throughout the trek, we’d like to give a huge shout out to all the communities that we passed through and stayed with, their hospitality was unparalleled and I can not even remember the amount of times we collapsed at a pulperia’s begging for water and sweet bread! On one occasion we were even given oxtail soup and tortillas, which made the afternoon’s walk that much easier. The people of Nicaragua have been phenomenal and we were sad to leave them and their beautiful country. (The joy of not having to walk anymore has soothed the sadness considerable). At number four, when we arrived at the town of La Tajera, super early on day seven, after a couple of ridiculously long days, to be greeted with a restaurant and the promise of a cheese factory and a gift shop in the neighboring town, everyone has a defining ‘I love trek’ moment! only made better by a passerby’s comment of “you guys look pretty good for having not showered for a few days.” Oh yeah. At number three, first and foremost in terms of the breathtaking views, has to be the day we walked up through the pine forest and emerged above the clouds, surrounded by green on all sides and a crystal clear, cloudless sky. As a group of predominantly city dwellers, it is so rare to be in the middle of such a spectacular landscape, and w decided to be very vocal about our appreciation with a screaming contest. The competition for the number one spot is fierce and in a last minute reshuffle, arriving at the laguna is at number two. The sense of relief was enormous as it slowly dawned on us that there would be no more walking, no more waking up at 3.30am and no more pork and beans! The fact that we could see the great height from which we had walked earlier in the day made the sense of accomplishment even stronger. Ok, so drum roll please, the number one spot goes to… arriving at the base of Cerro Negro and feeling as though we had teleported to another planet. The vast expanse of black sand with the towering volcano in the background provided ample photo opportunities, including, of course, some planking shots. Climbing the volcano the following morning at sunrise was well worth the reward at the top, despite lengthy discussions over whether his excursion was optional or not (it wasn’t). As the clouds cleared and we could almost see as far as Miraflor (ironically where we began some fifteen day earlier) our sense of it all being worth it was reaffirmed fully. We then ran to the bottom of the volcano, screaming all the way, a feeling best described as a phrase I heard from an American friend of mine, “we were rolling balls!”

X-ray 3, Volcan Turrialba and Braullio, Alfie
X-ray 3 are now pretty confident that we are the best group, because again it seems we’ve done too much work. We finished the path we were gravelling for day early! This is not to say it wasn’t hard work; we were loading up gravel into our rucksacks and walking 100 steps or so. As monotonous as that work was we all felt we were getting fitter by the day. We still kept our cooking challenge, but Kay and Cam were declared outright winner with their kickass chicken curry. One of the best aspects of the second part of this phase is that we were just a short walk away from a waterfall which is where we spent most of our afternoons. We celebrated two birthdays this phase, which included everything from cross-dressing themes to salsa dancing! Even the off truth or dare game. There was never a dull moment and it was a perfect end to a great Raleigh experience. Thank you!

X-ray 4, La Cangreja and Playa Hermosa, Justin
X-ray 4 have returned! To Playa Hermosa we gave a fond farewell to the sand and the turtles. On the last few days we earned some time to ourselves and headed down to the surfers stretch of the beach for a splash in the sea, and just a chill out before returning to the ranger’s station for a nice dinner cooked by Jonnie the ranger. X-ray 4 are so happy to have been involved in such worthwhile work; releasing almost 1000 baby turtles into the sea. With pride, X-ray 4 will be returning home soon with 10 weeks of achievements and new friends with them. So here’s to the days we’ve had on Raleigh and the amazing days yet to come.

X-ray 5, Yeluca, Ryan
X-ray 5 are back at fieldbase having downed tools for the last time and travelled by us for two days across Nicaragua. As our time in Yeluca drew to a close we made a concerted effort to leave as little work remaining on the construction of the community centre as possible so that it can be completed very soon. This community centre will serve as a shared space for everyone living in Yeluca to utilize and we hope it will unite them even further than the tight bonds which already exist among the families which live there. Our last evening was spent in the company of all our new friends and families as we looked back on our two weeks here and gave some short speeches for our experiences. It was also a local girl called Xiomara’s birthday so we made her a piñata which all the kids loved as the sweets rained down on them. As promised we managed to settle on a name for the new baby girl in Ryan and Cindy’s family; Florencia Gabriela Blandin. We all have had an amazing time in Yeluca and whilst for many it was absolutely a case of ‘hasta luego’ rather than ‘adios’, it was clear to see how emotionally attached we had all become to our new families as we bid farewell on Sunday morning. None of us will ever forget the time we spent there and I’m sure we can all take a little of the love and compassion which was given to us to wherever we are next headed in life.

X-ray 6, Elliot
Our last few days were spent with our families helping with daily tasks. These varied from Corrie, Esther, Sarah and Yandry who milked cows and Alfonso was given to the opportunity to work in the fields with his surrogate father. The other activities included tortilla making, and for some, killing the chickens for dinner. With heavy hearts and a few tears we have said goodbye and are on our way back to fieldbase. The project was a success and now all the houses in Las llanitos have access to a tap close to their homes. On our final day we had a celebratory dinner and were subject to a very moving speech thanking us for our efforts. The experience on the community phase was so far removed from other experiences on Raleigh. Members of X-Ray 6 felt a strong bond to both the people and the country. As we walked towards our pick up point the conversations revolved around unanimous determination to return to Nicaragua and reunite with our adoptive parents.

So there you have it, the last round up to the last phase of 11G. Some pretty awesome experiences have been had for sure. I’m off to help prep for the party ahead but I’ll be back blogging before you can say ‘tortilla!’ For now I’ll leave you entertained for the next three minutes (at least) with a few shots of yesterday’s return and the skit performances.

Pura vida!

Stories via the Comms Room...

Hello everyone! 

This is Kat here -  the lovely Dawn is currently in Nicaragua with Bravo 1 (Phil, Abi and Emily) visiting all our groups up there so the rest of the team at fieldbase will be keeping you updated for a while!

Last night was my turn to sleep in the Comms Room. I’m not sure if this has been explained before so I will attempt to describe what it entails... so every night one member of the fieldbase team spends the night in the Comms room- this is where the radio and phones live. This is so that the teams can contact us at any time should they need to. It is interesting trying to get to sleep with the whirring of the radio in the background! The best bit about it is you get to wake up at 6am and speak to the groups who go through what we call a SITREP (situation rep) or a Message Check. It’s great to hear from them and find out what they achieved yesterday, where they are (especially useful for the trek groups!), what they intend to be doing throughout the day ahead and so on... There are always some funny stories and requests and of course now that football season has started the boys (PM Tom in particular!) want to be kept informed about who is beating who!

So, this is what I learnt this morning:

X-ray 1 are all in great spirits and are doing really well. Bravo 3 (Sarah (aka Wellard), Laura, Amy and Cathy) went to visit them yesterday to drop off some food and camp with them. The weather has been being kind to them too which was good to hear!

X-ray 2 were already making great progress on the day’s trek when I spoke to them at 06.45 this morning! I think they had quite a short days walk today as well so they would have reached their destination pretty early and had a nice relaxing afternoon!

X-ray 3 visited a deserted village on the other side of the volcano yesterday... it sounded really interesting (and a bit creepy!) and today they were continuing their work building and painting the fences on the trail. Bravo 3 are off to stay with them tonight in their cute little cottage on the side of the volcano. I think they will also be receiving some bread pudding lovingly made by Pedro here at fieldbase. Apparently X-ray 1 wolfed it down last night!

X-Ray 3's volcano view lodgings

X-ray 4 were working on the plant nurseries yesterday and today were going on a trip to the river Rio Negro to a waterfall/natural Jacuzzi apparently! (I’m rather jealous to say the least!)

X-ray 5 are doing a really good job up in Miraflor. I visited the community they are staying with on the last phase, they were so incredibly hospitable and the food was incredible! I'm sure X-ray 5 will all have a turn at milking the cows too... and if they are lucky get to try a very fresh chocolate milkshake like we did!

The locals will show them how it is done!

X-ray 6 are being visited by Bravo 1 today and some of the team had walked out to meet the car... Bravo 1 are in for a treat as the houses the team are sleeping in are amazing. Last phase the family I stayed with gave Wellard and I their bedroom and in the morning we were woken up to freshly cooked eggs, rice, cheese and beans! Yum! The group are making great progress on getting the water pipes to some of the more remote houses.

Emily enjoying the Nicaraguan countryside

Victor 1 (this is what Carwyn, Jon and HCV Daniel decided they wanted to be called?!) have successfully completed their recce for a new section of the Miratombo trek for the next expedition which is exciting! They crossed the border back into Costa Rica today so I will be seeing them shortly no doubt.

Sorry that I haven't been able to provide you with photos of the venturers today - I'm doing my stint at fieldbase so haven't been to visit the groups. As and when the roadtrips return we will have dozens for you I'm sure!

Well, that is all for now. Hopefully Bravo 3 will come back with a venturer blog tomorrow and I can send that your way!

Pura Vida!

Kat 

Blog and photos by Kat Mammone

It's off to work we go...

Our X-ray groups 2, 5 and 6 have all arrived safely at their Nicaraguan destinations - hoorah! X-ray 2 (the group that I’ll be joining soon!) started trekking yesterday afternoon and already on day 2 are going strong – you can do it X-ray 2! (Not that I’m biased or anything). X-ray 5 have settled in well with their new host families in the community of Yeluca and today they continue work on the rest of the community centre that was started by our previous Raleigh group, Romeo 5. X-ray 6 has are also settled over in Quebrada Honda and the team is already working to finish off the gravity-fed water project, before moving onto project number two.

As for our Costa Rica based groups - X-ray 1 spent last night at the ranger’s station and today are trek-trekkety-trekking out of the jungle to Rio Dante, where they will spend the night camping at Ernesto’s house; an old, disused house with incredible views, plenty of water and most importantly clean sanitary facilities! X-ray 3 are settled and feeling quite at home at top of Volcan Turrialba. They are already cracking on with work on the trails. X-ray 4 will be staying at the rangers station for their time at La Cangreja and last night they enjoyed dinner overlooking the beautiful view, sitting on the stairs just outside the ranger’s station - stunning.

La Cangreja

Our road trip teams are off on for their own phase three adventure tomorrow morning so we’ll be collecting news and gossip for you guys then, and updating as often as possible... In the meantime, pura vida everyone!

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

X-Ray Groups' Departure

Expediton 10L brings you the newly formed X-Ray groups!

Joining X-Ray 1 for the Maribios Trek in Nicaragua are:
PM's: Euan Naismith, Rachael Armitage and Tony Taylor
Amy Kirkup, Caroline Wevers, Emma Lewis, Fiona Mabin, Kate Gunning, Yoseling Larios Torres, Ben Saxby, Garry Pearson, Graham Smith, Lee Watson, Shu Kwan Yeung (Kenneth) and Wuilkid Perez Davila.

X-Ray 2 will enjoy the amazing Costa Rican landscape in what is still called 'The New Trek'
PM's : Piers Tufnell, Louise Olverson and Laura Woodward
Holly Williamson, Nicola Younger, Rosie Schumacher, Sarah Kendall, Wai Sum Kwan (Sum), Yaliam Gonzalez Calero, Adrian Edwards, Andrew Davies, Felix le Hodey, Pablo Yglesias Vicente, Pui Lun Chan (Terry) and William Pawsey.

To La Cangreja natural park we sent X-Ray 3, who will be finishing a mirador and planting trees. They are:
PM's: Annie Glennie, Cat Bisset and Giles Mason
Amy Perkins, Anna Keen, Erika Perez Alfaro, Simrath Bhandal, Sophie Gatward, Veronica Apaloo, Arthur Vos, Benjamin Green, Calvagh McManus, Jimmy Arias Arrieta, Joseph Jeffreys and Ryan O'Sullivan.

X-Ray 4 will split their time between Irazu Volcano & San Lucas Island
PM's: Polly Mason, Vicks Harrison and Emma Green
Adriana Rodriguez Salas, Carla Gottlieb, Julia Morrongiello, Persia Castellani, Sophie ten Bosch, Victoria Golding, Antonio Jimenez Alvarado, Boris van Toor, Eamonn McGuone, Joshua Wilkes, Martin Fallon and Oliver Grayer.

X-Ray 5 will go to the remote Talamanca Indigenous Reserve for their community project.
PM's: Andy Meredith, Alice Dixon and Alex Coulton
Anna Woollett, Ellie McCarthy, Jessica Vargas Naranjo, Jezreel Belleza, Natalia Graczyk, Raisa Arroyo Arguello, Ashley Fletcher, Adam Tickner, Charles Legge, Charlie Bodwen, Jack Harrington and Stephen Holmes.

X-Ray 6 is finishing the water project that began in phase 1 Las Tablas, Achuapa
PM's: Philip Tibbs, Sarah Ellard, Adrian Hughes
Amy Cooper, Ana Massiel Medina Ramos, Ariana Ubeda Herrera, Enma Moreno Gutierrez, Naz Taner, Rebecca Slater, Rebecca Turner, Darren Mitchell, Hiten Mistry, Jayome Hutchinson, Maxim Seynaeve, Michael Michael, Thomas Campion and Jennifer Loweth.

And last but not least, X-Ray 7 is going to Nicaragua to finish the social centre of Miraflor, El Rodeo
PM's: Esteban Castillo, Sarah Bond and Elena Ourris
Adriana Reyes Flores, Cecilia Ruiz Galo, Corinne Davey, Delia Baker, Lydia Barge, Morrin O'Shea, Alex Jerrard, Adam Goldsworthy, Benjamin Walters, Charlie Gledhill-Flynn, Jan van Arkel and Timothy Power.

Our Communication's Team are also out there getting a taste of Raleigh in two community projects. Maryann will spend a few days at El Rodeo in Miraflor, and David will enjoy some digging at Las Tablas. But don't worry, here in fieldbase we'll keep you thoroughly updated.
Happy Phase 2!