Nicaraguan road (off road) trip

We are now on day 7, and over half way through, our epic Nicaraguan road trip.  A small but happy band of intrepid VMs, we loaded up our Land rover with salami, toilet paper, refried beans and other essentials and set off in search of trekkers, community projects and adventure.  We found all three.

We had a smooth ride along the InterAmerican highway to make our way to Nicaragua.

We had a much bumpier ride to find the Trekkers, having to rebuild some of the road as we went.

And we had to leave the trusty Landy behind altogether and proceed on foot to find the community projects.

First was a visit to Alpha 2 , the Miratombo Trekkers, who we on fine form having made good time that day to be bang on schedule.  We were able to cook them supper and pass on messages from home which lifted their spirits even further.

Next we spent some time with 2 ICS projects near Achuapa, this is a different scheme to the core Raleigh programme but they do similar projects with local communities to provide running water, coffee drying beds, and supporting youth and women's groups.

Today we are providing another food drop for Alpha 2 who have requested fresh fruit, which will be a pleasure to provide.  We'll stay with them for the night then it's off to Alpha 5 for two nights.

Alpha 5 have requested tea bags, biscuits and candles - they intend hosting a British tea party for their community.  I'm not sure if the candles are out of necessity or just for ambiance; it's all very Downton Abbey.

So for those of you keenly anticipating news of your venturers I should have a lot more to tell you in the next couple of days.  Watch this space...

We're going on a Road Trip!

Natalie, Karen, Nicole and Phil 'the bear'

Occasionally the Field Base team are given the opportunity to escape and venture further afield by going on a   'Road Trip'. The purpose of the road trip is to check on the venturers and their progress and  deliver or replace much needed equipment such as lost boots or broken rucksacks or tape for those inevitable blisters! It is also when the much welcomed food drop is made and the venturers receive more of their  favourite meals of rice and beans and the 'stick to your ribs' porridge. Occasionally if the field base team are feeling generous they may cook them a cake to take along, as was our communication manager "Ruth" when she recently visited Alpha 3, who are at Playa Hermosa currently protecting the turtles.

Alpha 3, Jim,Clare, Andrea, Angel, Callum, Eveline, Henry, Laura, Lillian, Lydia, Marco, Matt, Max and Raheem at  Playa Hermosa receiving a much welcomed visit from Field Base!

The road trip is also a chance for stories and gossip to be exchanged and any messages posted on the blog to be delivered to the venturers when they can receive news and good wishes from home which can lift the spirits if they are feeling a tad "home sick"!

Occasionally on the road trips we have to collect and return volunteer managers back to field base such as our intrepid photographer "Joss" who is much missed at Fieldbase for his skills as a Spanish teacher and his incredible general knowledge (sometimes not useful or relevant but nevertheless entertaining)............ who needs Google when we have Joss? Hopefully soon he will be returned with some wonderful pictures of all the venturers having the time of their lives.

 J

This is zero, this is zero... over

When everyone is out on their projects there is always a core team here at Fieldbase.  Each Alpha group has various means of staying in touch (a radio, a mobile phone and a satellite phone) so they are never cut off from advice, support or a friendly word.

There are two official communications from each group at a set time each day.  One is just to check in and the other ones is a more detailed SITREP (situation report).  This is a structured conversation that includes where the group are, what they've been doing, what they are going to do and allows information to be shared both ways.  One person is responsible for manning the Comms Room at Fieldbase each day to take the calls morning and night.  Our call sign here is zero.

Charlie and Martina manning the radio - this is zero, this is zero...

The news from our Alpha groups over the past couple of days is:-
                           
Alpha 1 - Yesterday they walked 18km to San Miguel and ate some fantastic salami.

Alpha 2 - They have walked from Miraflor Ranger Station to La Naranjita.

Alpha 3 - Arrived at Playa Hermosa and have succeeded in building basha beds to keep dry.  They have gone straight into Turtle patrols and working with the rangers.

Alpha 4 - At Carara National Park the jungle camp site is waterlogged so they are living in a ranger house - and it has the bonus of electricity.  They've started work on the trail.

Alpha 5 - Arrived at Achuapa, they are having a tour of the community and the water source today.

12L – get to know your Fieldbase team #3, everyone else

Karen "Bugsy" Malone

Karen Malone - 5 things that you might not know about Karen, our Administrator

1. She is the most petite of our VMs at 4’11’’ 
2. She has lived in Koh Samui, Thailand
3. She is a trained beauty therapist – less useful on trek than some of her other skills but good to know
4. She has a daughter, Zoe and two sons, Jason and Ryan - who all encouraged her to do Raleigh
5. She was the first of our number to celebrate a birthday whilst on expedition

The Josster

Joss Samuelson - 5 things that you might not know about Joss, our photographer

1. He speaks very good Spanish – he studied it at University and has spent a year in both Argentina and Seville
2. He’s qualified to teach English as a foreign language
3. He dances like a whirling dervish - but only freestyle, don't ask him to follow direction during a ceilidh
4. He hails from Hastings; 1066 and all that
5. It was hard to find a picture of him - the photographer tending to be behind the camera - so here he is in black and white

Martina "Fishy" Fisherova

Martina Fischerova - 5 things that you might not know about Martina, our Accountant

1. She is from Slovakia – but has worked in UK for 4 years, living in London now
2. She has a frog phobia – when she met one in the staff room Martina jumped higher than the frog
3. She has a Canadian permanent residency and lived there for a year
4. She has a love of Salsa dancing and can give our K-dawg a run for his money
5. Her past experience as an accountant saw her work at Wembley Stadium

Ruth "the club singer" Carr

Ruth Carr - 5 things that you might not know about Ruth, our Comms officer

1. She studied archaeology at University, digging in Orkney
2. She is a Formula 1 petrol head, supporting McLaren – go Jenson!
3. She previously volunteered for a short term placement with VSO in India
4. She has an uncanny skill for knowing the right answer during the club singer round of Shooting Stars
5. Born and bred a Geordie she now lives in Uckfield in East Sussex, literally the end of the line

12L – get to know your Fieldbase team #2, it's logistics

Katie "the Vass"

Katie Vass - 5 things that might not know about Katie, our Logs Manager
1.    She is heading over to check out Brazil when she leaves Costa Rica
2.    Just before she left the UK she had a temporary job with an MP
3.    Born in Canada and spent the first 10 years of her life there
4.    She loves bananas – so that’s handy in Costa Rica where they are plentiful
5.    She combines a love of travel and photography -  a snappy traveller

Tracey "Moggers"

Tracey Moggeridge - 5 things that might not know about Tracey, our Logs support
1.    She appeared in a video with 80s pop icons “Big Country”
2.    She worked in Beijing during the Olympics there
3.    She has an addiction to marzipan, “mazapan” in Spanish, she’s looked it up and is already on the hunt
4.    She has an irrational phobia of daddy long legs, even more so than spiders
5.    She has completed a marathon, and is still running here at Fieldbase

"Grizzly" Phil

Phil Wilson - 5 things that might not know about Phil, our Logs support
1.    He has visited over 74 countries, and counting...
2.    He is left handed
3.    He hails from New Zealand – where apparently there is a Marmite shortage “marmageddon” (perhaps one of the reasons he’s never there...)
4.    He has a phobia of really tall people
5.    He has an ambition to be "King of Pong", referring to table tennis rather than unwashed t-shirts or long-drop toilets

Baby you can drive my Land Rover - 12L driver training

Anyone who signs up for driving duty here has to get to grips with more than just driving.  When we're out and about it's not going to be much good to rely on the AA or RAC to get us out of trouble.

Every driver needs to be able to perform a vehicle check before setting off to make sure that each of the Land Rovers (Bravos 1, 2, 3 and, wait for it, 4) is in good working order.  But if the unexpected does happen we need to be able to change tyres, jump start the engine and generally get unstuck.  And of course it's useful to have some driving tips to try and avoid getting stuck in the first place.

 The other important thing is to make sure you know where you're going - I know it sounds obvious but you'd be surprised.  There's a lot to think about, right hand drive, road signs in Spanish, sometimes we won't be on road at all.  So preparation is king and map reading skills and route planning essential.

After several days of fairly intense learning, practising and assessment the drivers are all ready and raring to go.

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.

Get to know your 12L Fieldbase team #1

Pedro aka P-rod

Pedro Rodriguez – 5 things that you might not know about Pedro, our Country Programme Manager
1.    If someone was going to play him in a film it would be Ben Kingsley (or Gandhi).
2.    He believes that his jokes stand repetition (we’ve heard the pun about intense/in tents several times already...today)
3.    He has been here in Costa Rica working with Raleigh for 4 years in a variety of guises as a volunteer, freelancer and now permanent employee
4.    He used to have long hair – all the way down to his waist
5.    He used to work in PR for the NHS and in that role he met a member of the royal family

Barney "Barnstormer" Harker

Barney Harker - 5 things that you might not know about Barney, our Deputy Programme Manager
1.    He scored a goal in front of a crowd of three thousand football fans – but unfortunately went on to lose the match
2.    Before Raleigh he has worked in youth and community services back in the UK for 10 years
3.    Previously he was a Trek Leader with Raleigh in India
4.    He loves his music and is a DJ in his spare time - his eclectic tastes run all the way from hip hop to heavy metal
5.    He is an avid supporter of Manchester City – so prefers his t-shirts to be pale blue rather than red

Keiner aka K-dawg

Keiner Jimenez - 5 things that you might not know about Keiner, our HCV Co-ordinator
1.    He’s studying computer science at the University of Costa Rica in San Jose
2.    He started as a volunteer with Raleigh in 2009
3.    Over the years he has slept in every room in Fieldbase
4.    Before volunteering with Raleigh he didn’t speak any English – and now he’s fluent
5.    He loves salsa dancing and is our resident, snake-hipped dance teacher

It's off to work we go...12L advance party

As well as settling down into the Raleigh way of life we've also been getting things ready for the start of the expedition.  Everyone has their own job to do but of course there is much to be said for mucking in and just getting on with it.

The start of an expedition is the chance to take stock, both metaphorically and in this case quite literally. We have a small shop at Fieldbase where Venturers can buy essential items and little treats.  We have things like chocolate bars, batteries, some toiletries and of course the fashion statement of the season - The Raleigh T-shirt in a variety of styles and colours.

The other important stock take is in the Bodega - which holds all of our expedition equipment and food stocks.  So when it comes to shovels and the like, we count them all in and we count them all out again.

Each project that we are running will need to have the right information to hand when out in the field, things like policies and procedures, insurance documentation and must-have Spanish phrases (for example "Where do we put the pipes?" or "It is hard work but I like it").  We need to make sure that the details for each Venturer are all present and correct, so we know who you are, when you're coming and any information that will be necessary to keep you safe and well whilst you're here.


Venturers will be camping when they come to Fieldbase, our hammering and sawing is going to make sure that the tents, and by extension the Venturers themselves, are watertight.










This should mean that by the time everyone arrives and goes off on expedition everything will go smoothly and the projects will safe, successful and the best fun ever.

New kids on the block - 12L

The 12L Costa Rica and Nicaragua advance party has rocked up at Fieldbase to kick things off and get everything spick and span for everyone who’ll be joining us shortly.

A small but happy band, the new arrivals are...
Barney who comes here as Deputy Programme Manager.  The medical team are Sarah, Natalie and David, in charge of pills, potions and paraphernalia.
 

Tracey, Phil and Katie are sorting out the logistics, making sure that all the kit and caboodle is in good working order ready for expedition. Martina is keeping hold of the purse strings and Karen is administrating across an extensive range of spreadsheets.  Joss is getting all David Bailey on us and Ruth is writing the words.

We join our Country Programme Manager Pedro, Keiner (a.k.a. K-dawg) who will be looking after the Host Country Venturers (from Costa Rica and Nicaragua) and all supported by our go-to guy, Don Martin.

The plan is that each of the Project Managers will arrive at the weekend, and then all of our lovely Venturers the week after – and 12L will be up to full complement and raring to go.  We can’t wait to meet everyone and get started.  We’ll get the kettle on...Pura Vida!

Nica Chicas on Tour!

I have just returned from an epic girlie roadtrip to Nicaragua (epic in both distance and awesomeness) with my two Fieldbase chums, Amy and Becky, and our trusty Land Rover, Bravo 3. The Nica groups lucky enough for us to pay a visit were Romeos 2, 5 and 6 (12G) and Charlie 1 and 2 (ICS). Here’s the story of our little jaunt northwards...

Our journey began at first light on Thursday 2^nd August. After a quick vehicle check (and the necessary handbag check, obviously) were carried out, we were off, away from the Turrialba rain and towards the somewhat hotter country of Nicaragua.

The drive went well, made endlessly more exciting with Pedro’s dubious music collection (just kidding Ped, thanks for the CD!) and some lovely chat with my fellow roadtrippers.

After a nightmare border crossing and short overnight stay in San Juan Del Sur, we finally arrived in El Pajarito on Friday at 3pm, to a prompt promised welcome from Romeo 5. We waited for a bit. And then a bit longer. At 5pm, the group finally arrived to our stern looks, which were quickly softened by big hugs, exchanges of news and a music festival in the nearby village of Lagartillo.

The next day we all arose to strong sugary coffee and an amazing gallo pinto breakfast cooked by Andy’s (one of the PM’s) mum, giving us the fuel to continue the hard work on the gravity water feed system. We helped to dig trenches and cover pipes with soil and then alas, our whistlestop trip had to come to an end – we had to get to the Romeo 2 trekkers for their food drop.

We drove a couple of hours to a nearby school, and as we turned the corner we were greeted by screeches and cheers and a brilliant welcome (we later learned to our disdain that this was for the food and not us)! The group were in fantastic spirits after having completed their days’ trekking in just 6-and-a-bit hours and were cleaner and fresher than we were! We stayed the night with them and had a dinner of pasta rations and Neil’s stash of Nutella on a spoon for dessert. 

After cruelly following the group down the road in the Bravo to take some pics, we headed off again the next morning to Charlie 1 in San Nicholas. Charlies 1 and 2 are the groups Raleigh have on 2 projects in Nicaragua as part of the International Citizen Service. You can read more about this on their blog here! http://raleighnicaics.blogspot.com/

Here we ate even more rice, beans and tortillas (plus cake this time!) and stayed with the group’s families. Romeo 5 were just down the road, so as it was a rest day from work, Charlie 1 and Romeo 5 hooked up by a waterfall and we all relaxed together in the sunshine. A lovely day.

The next day we excitedly packed up the car again and headed the longer journey to Miraflor to see Romeo 6 and the school they have been working on. The progress they have made is just amazing, and when we arrived they were ready to put the roof on and lay the floor. We believe that since our visit they have done both, and painted the outside and are now painting a mural! Everyone was really well and settled in with their families and the work, and the group had also been teaching English lessons for even more community interaction.

 

Our stay here was unfortunately only one night and a few hours in the morning, after which we headed on the long journey home. On our way, we quickly climbed up Cerro Negro after a 2nd food drop to the trekkers there and ran back down - an exhilarating experience!

Now, being back and reflecting on our trip, it was amazing to see all those different groups in their communities. A well as the groups themselves getting on so well, and the amazing progress being made on the projects, the thing that impressed us the most was how much these projects seem to matter to the communities in which they’re happening. The welcome we received by all of the locals everywhere we went was absolutely incredible, and we all felt immensely touched. It just shows how important it is for Raleigh to keep running these expeditions, to benefit both the communities and also the participants - both tangibly in the form of a school or water system, and also and in terms of the relationships and memories formed and the positive impacts on the futures of everyone involved. 

These roadtrips are also crucial for us guys at Fieldbase to really understand what goes on and properly interact with the Venturers and VMs, and also bond at the same time! It was great to get out and have these fantastic experiences with 2 of my favourite ladies. Can’t wait for Phase 3!

Fieldbase Recap in Slideshow

At the end of the training for the Fieldbase team we put together a slideshow to remind ourselves just how much we had done...

PM Dawn...

Hola from Fieldbase,

This is Andy, Project Manager, here at Fieldbase a week early; trying to help out when needed (call me ‘The Floater’) and generally keeping a low profile whilst the Advance Team bond (and as a result featuring as first guest blogger).  And I’d best explain why I’m here early. It’s because Becky, Logistics Co-ordinator, and I are married……to each other (two fantastic years as of yesterday!), so we travelled out together; I needed someone’s hand to hold on the plane because I’m a nervous flyer!

As you’ll have seen from the first post, we arrived early Friday (8^th June) morning. Since that point it’s been a case of getting settled in and getting set up for the other Volunteer Managers to arrive and the Venturers thereafter. Amongst other things, we’ve taken a tour of the site, been given instructions on how to wash up/use the toilet, undertaken a swimming assessment, which we all passed with flying (maybe that should be butterflying) colours, got ourselves semi acquainted with the local town Turrialba (more on that to follow), learnt the rules of Racing Demons, stopped to admire a mesmerising Costa Rican sunset (see the previous post), and organised the bodega. As i write this, some of the advance team are learning off road driving skills.

In terms of our environs, we are (field) based just outside the aforementioned Turrialba in a cluster of buildings including the office, bodega, and Volunteer Manager & Venturer accommodation. It has all mods cons such as electricity and running water (sometimes cold, but that’s often welcome!). A very friendly and playful dog called Splatches also greets us warmly when she’s around.

To get into the local town, Turrialba, it’s about a 25mins walk, or a 5mins drive. Turriabla is where you’ll find everything from numerous butchers, a toy shop, restaurants, the post office and classical guitar playing in the plaza. It has a population of around 40,000 and the feel of a buzzing market town. If I’ve time, I’ll try to learn some basic Spanish there at a language school. That would be muchos……good.

Further afield there is the local pool around 20mins walk away, accessed via a gravel lane, which is flanked by fields of sugar cane; the workers were toiling said fields in the searing midday sun as we walked by, so massive respect to them! The view from the pool is one of lush green vegetation on all sides. As you might expect from such an environment, there is an abundance of wildlife. Small black birds (around the size of a wren) dart around, what look like birds of prey (maybe condors but in reality I think they are vultures) drift around on thermals, humming birds flit between flowers sipping nectar and last night I caught a glimpse of a frog about the size of my hand; quite some sights for this city dweller.  

 The whole area is managed by CATIE, an educational institution concerned with reducing poverty via promoting competitive/sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. 

Don’t let the above give you an overly rosy view of the place though. The hard work of setting up has only just started, and in the heat, even the most basic tasks can be quite draining, leaving clothes and bodies sweat-covered. Accommodation, although comfortable, is pretty basic and it rained all day yesterday. This, of course, is all part of the challenge of which there’ll be many more besides over the next few weeks, and then some when we get to project sites/trek phases. Bring it on!

Andy (The Floater) Youl

And relaaaaaax...

After a hard day's graft, we need something to keep us occupied and help us to wind down in the evenings here at Fieldbase, so the other night we rolled out the sound system and listened to some Dutch hip-hop (courtesy of Roeland) and played a few games - Ross and Nick were our gamesmasters for the evening, the latter introducing us to Perudo...

Heralding from down the road (!) in Peru, and also called Liar's Dice (honest), Perudo is a game of skill and bluffing...some were better than others at both sides of the game!

Colourful too...

Meet the Squadron

20 degrees on the thermometer and a 3 minute walk to the office – Kirsty Allsopp and Phil Spencer would have their work cut out trying to find a better location. But it’s not all plain sailing for the sterling group of men and women who comprise Team Fieldbase. The past days have seen them busier than banana salesmen at a monkey convention as they continue their preparations for 12B. Time to meet the squadron:

The ‘veteran’ of the team, Julian is our Country Director and started working for Raleigh in 2001. Aside from providing Stephen Fry-esque tidbits of knowledge, he will be liaising with our project partners, focusing on our external relationships, project planning, funding and business development.

No-nonsense Country Programme Manager Ross has worked his way up through the ranks since 2006, previously working as Logistics Manager, Expeditions Leader and Accounts.  His main responsibility lies in the delivery of the expedition programmes and management of our volunteer managers; running and organizing all expeditions.

All action man and Country Expedition Manager Pedro Rodriguez/Peter Rogers is responsible for the day-to-day running of all expeditions, and ensures that everything here at HQ runs smoothly. He spends his days making sure that all project managers are fully trained, knowing exactly where to go and what to do at what time.

The unsung heroes, and lifeline of the team are the logistics cohort; the tireless workers who ensure the venturers have all the necessary kit, are properly fed, and take care of the vehicle maintenance to enable the delivery of supplies mid-phase. Grafting away behind the scenes for all hours, they perhaps don’t get the credit they deserve, but the simple fact is that Raleigh couldn’t function without them. They are Claire, Dave, Tim, and Kelly – workhorses and decent folk to boot, everyone one of 'em.

Jayshree is our administrator overseeing a whole range of nitty gritty details ranging from passports to insurance, and making sure all our documents are up to date and the Project Managers are suitably organized. 

Holly is our Accountant, managing the budget and ‘keeping our house in order’. From preparing project budgets, to auditing expenses, Holly also runs the Raleigh shop – stocked full of home-comforts ready for changeover between phases – and currency exchange. 

Charged with bring Raleigh to life is our photographer Ale. She will be ensuring that everyone leaves with unforgettable memories, as well as making sure that you lot back home can get a glimpse into life at Fieldbase, and out on project. 

Working closely alongside Ally is the Communications Officer, yours truly dear readers, I go by the name of David. I’ll be attempting to find words to describe the multitude of magnificent work our venturers will be undertaking on Expedition 12B, keeping you at home updated via the blog.

Finally there is Splatches the dog, unofficial Raleigh Costa Rica/Nicaragua mascot who enjoys the enviable balance of no work and all play. I’m considering applying for her role next time….

(Team photo to follow imminently - Ally is away in San Jose) 

Splatches

Sport of Kings

Tim seeing to the Bravos

Bravos

After-dinner Anecdotes

Business Time

Logs Team