Update from Nepal

After 3 weeks in Nepal, I think all of the group are shocked at how quickly our time here is going. We have nearly finished our time in Rampur and soon the group will be splitting. half of the group are trekking to Annapurna base camp whilst the rest are heading for Everest Base Camp.

It seems like a long time ago that we were all meeting up for the first time in Kathmandu. A couple of us arrived a day early, whilst half of the group arrived a day late after very nearly landing in Kathmandu (the pilot missed the landing and they were forced to turn back to Delhi). They made it to Kalanki in the end though and dived straight into their Nepali lessons with Keshos enthusiastic chanting - we were woken up every morning with Shuva Bihani, Shuva Bihani. We spent the first week in Kathmandu, learning Nepali in the mornings, and sight seeing in the afternoon. highlights included exploring Thamel (and counting how many times we were offered tiger balm and hashish) visiting Patan and going to see the monkey temple. The group also spent the night in Lamater: Colin skived off with man flu so it was up to the rest of us to show off our dance moves after being treated to a show of Nepali traditional dancing. The next morning, we went hill walking which was hardwork but good practise for our upcoming treks. Worryingly Harriet seemed to be showing signs of altitude sickness....after 15 minutes of walking. Luckily she made a good recovery and was able to join us for noodles when we got to the top.

We spent one more night in Kathmandu staying in the Yeti Guest House in Thamel. That was the night of Nicks 21st and the group showed you can still organise a good party in just one afternoon in Kathmandu. Everyone had a really good evening, eating far too much food (mainly different variations on the Roadhouse special Pizza!) But everyone still managed to have room for birthday cake as well (the group was stocking up due to the impending dhaal Bhaat overload that was inevitable during our week long home stay). The evening ended by surprising Nick with a very special 21st birthday gift.....walking poles!! At least we know that it is something that he can use.

The next day we travelled to Chitwan, our drive was broken up by a three hour rafting trip. Some of us spent more time in the water than in the boat, thanks to our over- enthusiastic guide. We all did our best to stay in the boats during the rapids. Tim, impressively managed to hold on despite being swept overboard, but Jenny was less fortunate and ended up taking a swim. It was good fun though, and by the end Rob and Andy had given up on the boats and abadoned ship during the final rapids.

The group enjoyed the next few days in Sauraja whilst sharing ensuite bathrooms was the main highlight for many. We also had fun watching the sunset over the river, stalking the great jungle chicken, spotting Rhinos whilst riding our elephants and visiting the first baby twin elephants in Nepal. We were also treated to some Kama Sutra lessons from a pair of frisky teenage elephants.

All too soon we had to leave the comfort of our lodges in Chitwan and make our way to Rampur to meet our host families. It was a nerve racking time as we were led off in pairs to the houses that would be our homes during the stay. But having lived with our host families for a week now we all settled in and will be very sad to leave. We have all stuggled to make conversations with our limited Nepali attempted (and failed) to decling 2nd helping of Dhaal Bhaat, and made many trips into Rampur to supplement the Dhaal Bhaat diet with double butterscotch cones. We have also had great fun volunteering; whether is was causing chaos in the orphanage, trying to control the chaos in the classrooms or trying to recover with some theraputic digging in the nursery. So although there have been difficulties (dealing the sweltering heat, the intermittent power and the endless supply of dhaal Bhaat) we will be taking away with us many priceless memories. For some of us taking 23 children to Rampur for ice creams tops the list and for others the sports day we organised.

So even though we are sad to be leaving the kids in Rampur we are looking forward to starting our treks. We all know it is going to be tough but heopefully we will be able to distract each other with conversation which will revolve, as it has done for the past 3 weeks, around food, bowel movements and the thickness of our mattresses.

09B2 Blog #2 - Project work at Xunantunich by Caroline

With bleary eyes after a wild night at fieldbase, we headed out to Xunantunich (Mayan for ‘Stone Lady’), an ancient Mayan temple complex. Our mission at Xunantunich was to clear the boundary of the 56 acre site, in order to help prevent wildfires damaging the site and to enable the Belizean Defence Force (BDF) to protect the temples and surrounding jungle from hunters, loggers and other ‘baddies’. We set up camp, clearing areas for bashas and communal areas with our machetes - a small taster of the days to come. The camp was situated next to the BDF residence where they strolled the perimeter by day and played dominoes late into the night.

After a night of paranoia and suspicion from the usual suspect (Luke) we ventured out to walk the park boundary under the guidance of Marcus (a park warden) and 3 armed BDF soldiers. This escort seemed excessive to begin with, but turned out to be a vital part of our troupe when we came across a couple of men on horseback, who were initially feared to be Guatemalan banditos! Luckily they turned out to be Belizean hunters, who were given a stern ticking off for hunting so close to the park boundary. Further along we encountered a swarm of bees that weren’t pleased with our presence and started to attack - after much confusion and scrambling over a barbed wire only Marcus was stung.

The next morning (after our daily fix of porridge) was the first day at work - we knew what we had to do but had no idea how utterly exhausting it would be. Hacking a 10 foot wide path into almost untouched jungle, cutting the trees to ground level, and then raking back all the leaves and vines in the hot Belizean sun was almost as much of a mental struggle as a physical one. Knowing there would be a packet of biscuits smiling up at you after a few hours made all the difference.

After the stress relieving aggression of a day slashing down the jungle, once the park was closed and Mike had ferried the last of the park wardens across the river on the winched raft we climbed to the top of the temple to watch the sunset and even practiced yoga in zen-like calm to stretch away the pains of the day. As the sun burst though the clouds above the jungle it was easy to see why the temple held such religious importance in Mayan times.

During the night when we were all nestled in our hammocks we were visited by what was presumed to be banditos but could have possibly been a tapir, and woken at 3:40am by Howler Monkeys roaring across the canopy.

The next day we were given a ‘guided’ tour by a man who was the real life version of Cleeveland from Family Guy. The tour comprised of us looking around the visitor’s centre and then being shown the different areas of Xunantunich on a model, even though if you looked out of the door you could see the ruins themselves. One of his more memorable quotes was “people often ask me where the reservoir is… it is now under the car park”.

To wash away the ridiculous amount of sweat (a sweat equivalent of a snow angel was even made), we went down to the river to wash with the iguanas and the fish that nibbled at our freckles and moles, whilst the passing traffic and villagers watched from the other side. The only downside was the mile walk back to camp.

For our final day in Xunantunich Boo and I got up to the top of the temple to watch the sunrise and got to watch a thunder storm with lightning striking the waking jungle.

We finished the boundary and celebrated with the ancient Mayan reward of rum and coke, followed by a ‘meat flavoured’ sauce and a trip into town, getting a lift across the river from some local lads in a sinking canoe.

Zinc oxide tape - £2.99
Machete - $40
Belize, sunset on top of Xunantunich - priceless

Belize - April Update

Jungle Training

After being met at the airport by Al, the Expedition Leader, we headed out to Elijio Panti National Park visitor centre for the first leg of our jungle training. We were met by Boo, Oz, Cat and Antonio, the park ranger and rainforest encyclopaedia. If there is a tree plant or animal in existence in the forest, Antonio knows what it is. After the initial introductions had been made and a surprisingly civilised cup of tea drunk, we cracked on with jungle training. Our first course was Personal Hygiene and Heat Related Illnesses led by the team medic, Cat. In the lesson our complete lack of heat related illness knowledge was shown up but by the end we had become experts.

The next lesson was on the contents of the belt kit. The belt kit is the belt we have to wear at all times containing the things we use regularly and an emergency kit in case we get lost.

And so we spent our first night in our hammocks which passed uneventfully except for me falling out and ripping my mosquito net from its hangings and having to try to fix it in the pitch dark.

After 2 days we moved onto another part of the park and Boo took us through fire lighting which everyone excelled at bar Tom and I, who took so long to light a fire that Antonio had to build it for us.

The following day, Al, Our great leader took us through river crossings at the top of a huge cascading waterfall, at the bottom of which was possibly the most beautiful wash point ever! River crossings were very exciting even if it did feel slightly strange walking into a river in your full clothes and belt kit.

At 4am the next morning an emergency casevac practice drill was sprung on us and we had to Boo's (our snakebite victim) leg, simulate a radio call for a helicopter and carry him on a stretcher to the HLS (Helicopter Landing Site). All of which according to the instructors went very well.

Tino, our Jungle Warfare Instructor an the hardest man alive, showed us how to survive in the jungle with just our machete, including chicken slaughter and preparation (very grim), fire lighting, trap building and how to build a five star hotel room with nothing but a machete and some Kuhune leaves. As if the morning hadn't been stressful enough it was sprung on us that our last evening of jungle training would be spent alone building our own basha sites and cooking our own food.

To say the night passed eventfully is an understatement. Tino shot a 7 foot Fur-de-Lance, I thought I had got poison wood on me, but that turned out to be a false alarm, Tom continued where he left off and took half an hour to light his fire, but regardless of all of this, we survived and were very proud the next morning.

And so, despites Caroline's determination to cut herself on every surface, Tom's worrying obsession with his machete, my all encompassing paranoia of everything in the jungle, Oz's epic snoring, Lucy's relentless enthusiasm for nature regardless of it's ability to harm her. We passed jungle training.

Papua New Guinea - 1st 2009 Update

The Team arrived in Port Moresby to a celebrity style receptions with a number of journalsts and photographers wanting to find out more about this group of crazy Brits who were coming over to live in the Jungle for up to 4 months!

The group then took a spectacular flight across the central highlands to LAE airport where theywere met by Trekforce staff and transported to Jungle training in the remote village of Gabensis. The team were really thrown in the deep end and their first night in the Jungle will be one that many of them will never forget. The next two days involved both lectures and practical sessions from Adam and Alex in Jungle Survival. The team then trekked deeper into the Jungle with local Jungle Guru Sam where they established a camp to begin phase 2.

Sam was a real encyclopedia of knowledge and taught everybody alot about Jungle plants and wildlife and their practical uses. There were many encounters of the creepy crawly king including Stick insects a multitude of spiders, Catapillers and the ever annoying mosquitos. One trekker also had a close encounter with a wild pig whilst trying out the new jungle toilet!

With Jungle training completed the team have really bonded, we are now all heading by boat to the tropical paradise of Salamaua before trekking to our project site on friday.

Next update due in approx 3 weeks so watch this space!

Adam

Expedition Leader Training - Month 1!

The Welsh adventure of the expedition leadership course has been completed and we are about to depart to the polar opposite of extreme heat, humidity and all the hygienic unpleasaentries that ensue in such weather. It was somewhat surreal doing our Summer Mountain Leadership Training in 60-70 mph bitterly cold winds and the blizzards that have wreaked havoc upon on the rest of the country. We were not deterred by such trivialities and all successfully completed the intense one week course in the spectacular Snowdonia National Park. A variety of skills were leant, developed and put into practice over the week from macro/micro navigation, camp craft and rope work skills.

Our first 2 weeks prior to the training had been spent with the course instructor, Colin, or White Fang as he has been so endearingly been called. Colin ensured that we were up to scratch with our base skills by taking us into the mountains and doing his utter best to get us to pay attention long enough in a classroom environment. There has been a lot to learn and the realisation of the enormity of the responsibilities of an expedition leader encompasses has sunk in. One of the classes on the legalities of becoming a leader asked "is it worth it?" and the although the answer isn't a simplistic yes, it is certainly a resolute one and the enthusiasm that has been continually displayed by us all highlights our determination to become what we have set out to do.

A strong bond has developed between us all and I think we all shared some pre-training anxiety about those we would be spending an intimate amount of time with for the next 6 months. Luckily they were quickly dispelled with the first hand of cards in which abuse and banter was freely hurled around. Emma,the solo female in the group has coped very well in what is often a juvenile male environment and has bought radox and candles to compensate. Pictionary has become a new found favourite game though am still slightly bemused my Rob's and Henry's response to my picture of a tiger, Sri Lanka and men holding guns which they conjured up the answer of "Sri-Lankan tiger hunters"... the covert operations of the Tamil Tigers can be rest assured in their anominimity from the pair of them. But it has been a laugh a minute throughout the three weeks, but we have been suprisingly focused when the moment has required it... not sure Colin would entirely agree though... not that he hasn't joined in from time to time either!

So off we go to Belize. Crutch rot cream, bug spray and every other toiletry that will help with our comfort has been packed away. We're all excited about the next chapter of this course and what lays ahead, the new skills that will develop and I'm sure what will amount to an unforgettable experience.

Quick December Update - Belize

Today is the last day before 2 of the group leave us tomorrow and the rest of the group head on to Guatemala. It's been a fantastic project and very successful. In all we found 9 caves with evidence of Mayan use and some very interesting Mayan pottery. One piece in particular, a ceremonial vase is of extreme interest to the Institute of Archaeology and the Director Dr Jaime Awe has send the vase to the top experts on Mayan artifacts in Mexico to be fully restored and translated. It will then take pride of place in the museum in Belmopan... when it is built!! :) It is also from around 200AD, much earlier than all other artifacts found in the area we were surveying so it has changed ideas about the period that the Mayans were active in the area.

Belize - November Update!!

Jungle training

Jungle training began at Gracie Rock with learning essential survival skills such as Basha building, first aid and casevac training, dangerous flora and fauna, jungle navigation, belt kit packing and use, machete issue, use and sharpening. Team building exercises and jungle night walks also helped us acclimatise to jungle conditions and develop into a solid team.

We then trekked into deeper jungle to set up our jungle training camp. Here, Al, Adam and Javier (our ex-Belize Defence Force jungle warfare instructor / laughing jungle ghost cat) led us through a wide range advanced bush craft skills including planning and building jungle camps (with all the mod cons of a long drop, fire and slops pit, water collection and washing points), shelter, fire and trap building, cooking (including chicken killing and skinning). Training culminated in ‘solo night’ - an opportunity for each team member to individually put their skills to the test by each being given an isolated spot and surviving for an afternoon and night alone.

Everyone survived the night and we celebrated the completion of training with a night of apparent luxury (and debauchery) at our very own ‘Jungle Jim’s’ bar at Gracie Rock.

Project

With training complete, we headed to San Ignacio for our project briefing from Dr Jamie Awe - Director of the Archaeological Research Institute of Belize. Dr Awe galvanised the group with his explanation and images of Mayan history, spirituality, geological characteristics of Belize, past and current archaeological projects and the nature of caves and Mayan artefacts often found within. We were set the challenge of surveying the Peccary Hills area of Belize for any possible limestone caves - an area that is currently unexplored.

We immediately headed to the Peccary Hills, trekked into the project area and began of week of building one of the best jungle camps ever made. Once all basha’s, Pallapa’s, trails and camp mod cons had been built we began our project in earnest. This essentially involved selecting areas to investigate, trekking into those area’s and hunting for any possible cave entrances.

Within the first week we had discovered three separate and enormous cave systems. These have since been GPS marked, entered, explored, mapped and documented. These caves typically have small entrances requiring crawling on our stomachs through tight tunnels before they open out into huge cavernous linked cave systems. It seems the Peccary Hills are so riddled with caves they are almost completely hollow. Full documentation of the nature, geomorphology, characteristics of the caves and possible indications of Mayan inhabitation was made each night and has so far included a numerous animal bones, a possible Mayan cooking area parts of a possible Mayan necklace.

The group now has one more week on project to find any further caves in the area before setting off on Trek.

More news soon!