Project Site Already Making An Impact

Just 2 days after our volunteers left Elijio Panti for trek, we had news that the project site was to be used by a group of teenagers who were flying over from America on a school trip!

This is great news for the park who are fighting to keep National Park status and also fantastic for Trekforce. To hear that our projects are having an impact reinforces the importance of the hard work carried out by our volunteers.

The group will have access to the whole of the completed project site which reads something like an impressive estate agents advert.......!

Wash Site/Mayan spring converted into shower area- small palapa complete with twin shower and wild cherry wood flooring, screen divisions, towel rail, accessories rack and steps dug to the washsite.

Visitor Palapa: Thatched using 2000 bay palm leaves and suitable to hang hammocks for many an eager eco-tourist.

Long drop: with corregated tin roof and toilet roll holder!

Fire shelter: Modest palapa thatched with bay palm, complete with a fire stand and stocked with plenty of wood for future visitors!

The group far exceeded everyones expectations and should be very proud of what they achieved. The work that the volunteers have carried out this summer means that Elijio has national park status for another 5 years, and long may it continue...

AN ADVENTUROUS TREK LIKE NO OTHER

They made it ! At 1916 GMT we received another sat. phone call from Matt (the Trekforce Leader) confirming that the team had found the sinkhole. This is fantatsic. The team had achieved their objective of trekking to the edge of one of the largest sink holes in the jungles of the western hemisphere. Very few people have achieved this and in the true challenging spirit that is becoming a unique part of every Trekforce expedition, they made it.

Matt reported that they had follwed a compass bearing for a few days and alongside their amazing local guide had found the sinkhole deep in the jungle; he then turned the phone to the team who let out a great cheer ! Serious tingles down the back of the neck feeling as we know how great the trekkers must have felt when the jungle suddenly opened up to reveal the awesome sight.

We are so proud of the Trekforce leader, Belizean guide and the team. This is the first Trekforce trek in 10 years to find the sinkhole and just proves what can be achieved when a team really pulls together. This is a trek that no-one will forget. The area is very special and they know how priviliged they are to have reached their objective - very few people in this day and age can say they have been to such a place, deep in the rainforest of Central America............

Pictures to follow when they are back in civilisation around the 09th or 10th August. They will enjoy the awesome sight for 24hrs, then carry on with trek, reaching Caracol (one of the largest Maya ruins in Central America) on the 08th. At that point they can part company with their machete, iodine and basha, have a well deserved final party and soak their tired limbs in the Caribbean sea!

Good skills team, what a challenge!

UPDATE FROM THE HEART OF THE CENTRAL AMERICAN JUNGLE

We have just received the sat. phone update from the Leader that all is really well, 2 days into their 7 day trek through unchartered Belizean jungle of the Chiquibul Forest. The group are all doing fine and enjoying the fact they have their rucksacks and supplies on their back again and are trekking through some amazing forest, seeing some incredible rainforest sites. Living and breathing the jungle again. A typical Trekforce experience, like no other !

They have reached the cave that is the largest in the wetsern hemisphere and they are en route and on track to a site that very few have seen. Location secret, photo below.........our Belizean guides are amazing and the team are really looking forward to pioneering a new route through the jungle.

They are on target to reach Caracol on the 08th when they will receive a well deserved slap up meal and a few cold Belikins...........

The project itself was an amazing success, the dedicated Trekforce Worldwide team completed all the Palapas and other projects asked of them to make Elijio Panti National Park and its archealogical heritage a great example of managed and protected biodiversity.

Latest from the Leader Matt on the Sat. Phone

Just got off the sat. phone from Matt deep in the jungles of Belize with an update on the project at Elijio Panti..............the Mandy (washing) facility is complete (!) and they have tapped a freshwater spring which has already filled the 400 gallon water container they hauled in. The 2 Palapas are almost complete - all the trekkers have learnt how to thatch locally with Cahoun Palm, and they have cleared the Helicopter Landing Site for future use in an emergency.

To cap the experience all off so far they had a Maya blessing ceremony by the niece of Don Elijio Panti, the famous Mayan herbalist. Wonderful ! Spirits are high and they are really enjoying the project. They have achieved so much already and the community of San Antonio and elsewhere are really pleased and grateful.

And on to the project!

Here's a little bit straight from our Belize Country Manager today as the group head out to their project site. Enjoy...

"It rained a lot during JT prep, torrential on the day they [the trekkers] arrived, but it was dry since then (lucky for them) but it then rained again cats and dogs in the 2 hours deploying on project. Cloudy since then and not too hot. A chance of rain later in the week again. By the end of today the structure of the pallapa will be complete, the spring gutted and a 200 gallon container installed.Tomorrow is baypalm cutting, finishing the steps at the wash site, constructing a mini pallapa for the shower, and later on making a long drop"

Keeping them pretty busy then?!

Jungle training done and dusted!

Jungle training is over and the trekkers have progressed from wide eyed new arrivals into fully fledged jungle survivors!

Their training started at Douglas Da Silva camp, a former forestry camp in the Mountain Pine Ridge area of Belize. Here the trekkers formed buddy pairs (who they will become joined at the hip to) and learnt first aid, stretcher carrying, communications and how to cook for a big group of people with jungle rations.

Two and half days after their arrival, they plunged into the jungle to head for ‘Scorpion Camp’ (it’s just a name!). Along the way, the group learnt about the various flora and fauna they passed, until 3 hours later they arrived in camp, sweatier and dirtier.

Everyone feverishly set about clearing the camp, erecting a tarp covered area and finding two adequate trees to put up their bashas. Everyone also successfully made their first fires and enjoyed a cool wash in the river. That night, a ‘wahhh’ *thud* meant that Clare D became the first person to fall out her hammock!

Another day was spent learning how to navigate through the thick undergrowth, how to build shelters from jungle materials and collecting water in a survival situation. All essential skills for their final task, as the group were lead thinking they would be leaving the jungle, but sat down and told they would be spending the next 24 hours by themselves alone!

Matt, our leader, placed everyone in pre-determined spots out of sight of the next person and armed them with rations for that night. Everyone jumped at the experience and embraced the opportunity, (especially Julie, who made modesty screens for her cat hole, and Laura M who made a whole separate kitchen area!) to have some alone time and practise the skills they had learnt, Josh going all out and constructing the biggest shelter!

The next morning, starting at 4am saw the group walking down a river and through Rio Frio Cave, a 100 metre high and 300m long cave. A good test for waterproofing their kit! On their cold and wet exit, their final surprise saw them having to search and rescue Sean, the Country Director, diagnose and treat the injury (in this case a snake bite drawn in pen!) and stretcher him a mile before loading into a Land Rover!

The group pulled together extremely well with all they had learnt and demonstrated an efficient CASEVAC operation, should they ever need to do it again for real.

All were able to unwind that night with a few beers and watching a magnificent sunset over the jungle from a lookout tower, lead by Bruce singing Breakfast at Tiffany’s. A night time nature walk distracted them enough to bring the surprise of a candle lit dinner under the pallapa at Rio Frio Cave, arrayed with rum punch and the Belizean cuisine of chicken, rice and beans. The drinks flowed and everyone relaxed into the party until late into the night, Clare S showing her dancing skills and Harriet teaching everyone to dance like Shakira!

On Saturday 21st July, the group deployed on project in the back of a Belizean Defence Force truck, before walking 8km in the first torrential rain we’ve seen this week. The wet season is finally arriving!

At their project site, the two main tasks for the coming week are to create a system to collect water from a spring and starting work on the main pallapa.

Watch this space for more updates and photos shortly!

New trekkers arrive in Belize

They did it! After all their effort, Ant, Sam and Joe met their target so big round of applause for that.

Just as all of the teaching placement volunteers have said goodbye to their schools and host families, we have waved hello to another intrepid group heading out to Belize to carry out their own 1 month project expedition. They have arrived safe and sound, if a little exhausted after all of the inevitable irritations of airports, etc! Since arriving at their Jungle Training site they have had a nice early night, started their medical training, and been drenched by bucket loads of water (no doubt a nice refreshing cool down in the heat!).

We'll get some pics up for you to have a look at as soon as they send some over to us.