Let the games begin

(Above: Alpha 2 PM Joey leads a group on trek training around the base of Chamundi hill. From left: Annabel, Sarah, Ricardo, Seb, Zoe, Frankie and Tom. All pictures by Ann T unless otherwise specified. Click on images to see a larger version)

Hello hopefully-avid blog followers!

Welcome to the latest update on your friends and family who are out on expedition with Raleigh 09C. And the expedition has started in earnest the last bus left fieldbase at 10am yesterday (Monday) and we have heard from all the Alpha groups who have reported that they are safe and sound right on schedule.

So let's start with the latest news first! The sorting hat has spoken - rather literally - and our venturer group has been re-arranged and despatched in their new Alpha groups.


(pictured: Frankie finds out she's joining the Alpha 1 trekking group during the Raleigh Potter sorting ceremony. The three wicked witches of Amanda, Julia and Peta lead the sorting ceremony... funny hats all-round)









They are as follows:

Alpha 1 Misappuli Mala trek group with Liz, Peter and Andrew the medic: Alexandra, Edmund M, Fiona, Frankie, Hamish, James W, Ella D, Joanna D, Mubarak, Parthi, Rebecca, Roo Glatman, Sarah K, Shenola, Sophia, Tjebbe and Larry. The trek group is larger than the other Alpha group as all Venturers are scheduled to participate in the trek. The trek travels through some of the most scenic and remote parts of southern India and includes two days of rafting. The trekkers left before sun-up yesterday. Expect some good pix in the next few blogs as our photographer Ann has joined the first four days of the trek.

Alpha 2 Kalainhnahalla eco-sanitation project with Joey and Caroline Savage: Chris, Claire, Esmee, Hannah, Joanna M, Leanne, Lucy, Murgesh, Nadine, Ricardo, Sumith, and Tom D. Kalainhnahalla is a remote village on the banks of a huge expanse of still fresh river. It is probably one of most picturesque projects and the venturers will be sleeping in the local school. (pictured: Chris, Jo M and Lucy I board the bus to Kalainhnahalla. Ricardo and Leanne gear up for their first expedition with Raleigh India 09C)












Alpha 3 Kapikadu tribal housing project with Caz, Matt and Lucy: Annabel, Edward K, Eveline, Felicity, Guna, Tilly Wallis, Petrina, Sebastian, Sreejith, William and Zoe. Alpha 3 is a new project for Raleigh India 09C and will take the Venturer group to some of the most remote and remarkable communtiy villages in India. (pictured: Tilly, Zoe, Seb, William and Guna board the bus)



Alpha 4 Anaikatti elephant-proof fencing project with Neil, Ivan and Jenny: Akhil, Angel, Charlie, Edmee, Emily J, Emily W, Emma, Hobby, Holly, Mani, Remi, Rosanna and Tom M. The gang heading to Anaikatti will be sleeping in basha beds and spent much of their preparation time yesterday loading and unloading bamboo. Last night they slept in the Anaikatti community centre and today will build the campsite that will be home for the next three weeks while they repair 5km of elephant-proof solar-powered fencing. (pictured: PMs Neil, Jenny and Ivan in front of the bus with their Alpha group. The gang loads a proverbial tonne of bamboo to build their campsite








So that's the latest news but we know you're probably keen to hear about everything else...

First up: The expedition cook-off was won by the culinary genius of Alpha 3 lead by Murgesh and his exceptional hat (see, told you it was all about funny hats at field base) who came up with a stunning mushroom risotto, trifle with creme brulee -style crackle and tuna pasta. The whole thing was cooked on a trangia stove using ingredients dished out of the logistics store which the groups have taken to their project sites. (pictured: Murgesh in his hat, Julie and DPM Dani in the logistics storeroom sorting three weeks of food for almost 70 Raleigh 09C expedition members)



Logistics food guru and cook-off judge, Julia (who has two Phds and is quite sure it takes both of them to calculate the food required for Raleigh India!), said the main aim of the cook-off was to encourage the groups to get excited about their food and not fall into the trap of two-minute noodles every night.

"It's really amazing what you can cook with not much, and the quality of food in India is actually pretty good," she said.

It was also Valentine's Day on the weekend and Saturday night Fieldbase was decorated up in paperchains and hearts for a party. Hobby, James, Sreejith, Petrina and PM Neil carved up the dancefloor to the cheers of everyone.

Venturers were invited to write notes of appreciation to their newfound friends on expedition, which were distributed on their return from trek training. The game gave a very tired, hot and dusty group of venturers a much-needed emotional lift.

And then there was trek-training on Friday and Saturday..

After their first day of trek, Mysore's famous Snake Sham brought six snakes - including two cobras - to the campsite to show the group and many had a go at holding some of the non-venemous snakes. Sham told the group snakes were crucial to keeping rodent numbers under control in India and said he was called out almost every day by residents in the area to retrieve snakes which had slithered indoors to escape India's scorching heat.

Pictured: Emily J and Tom D, at campsite, One of the trek groups takes a break en route to the summit of Chamundi hill, and (from left) Guna, PM Caz, Hannah, Holly, Jo D and Streejith walk through the village at the top of Chamundi hill .




And that's the latest news.

And finally, here's the answer to a few more Blog FAQs:

Reader Q: In some blogs, when I click the picture, it doesn't go big which makes it hard to see my friends. What's going on?

Editor A: Sorry, that was my bad. I made some of the photographs smaller as my laptop was struggling a bit working with the large images sizes. The pictures on this blog are bigger than last time, so when you click on them, they will enlarge so you can see everyone.

Reader Q: Can my friends/family respond to blog comments I've posted?

Editor A: Yes they can, and some already have responded to comments! The Venturers can read the blog comments, as they get printed out and put on a pinboard near the dining room. During changeover (so in three weeks) everyone can then write their response message in a book, which will then get posted to the blog by the editor.

So most of the blog comments from "Raleigh India", come from a Venturer. It should be pretty clear who has responded to what.

Reader Q: My comment hasn't appeared, what's going on?

Editor A: Yesterday we had a power failure of epic proportions and about 20 or so blog comments (to the editor's absolute horror) disappeared into the abyss of cyberspace. If your blog comments haven't appeared... please comment again and accept my apologies. I have learnt my lesson and will work to minimise the impact of India's fluctuating power supply on the blog. Anything comments posted on or after February 16 will probably need to be sent again.

And from the editor... To everyone who has posted to a blog for the first time: Congratulations! There are quite a few of you!

Dealing with the blog comments is the most rewarding part of my job as PRO, seeing the faces on the Venturers when they read a comment addressed to them is just brilliant and their responses have been heartfelt. Please keep it up!

Next blog is scheduled for about Friday. We will have the next batch of pictures from the static sites and the trek early next week, as the photographer and PRO will be visiting the Venturers from Thursday until Sunday.

Stay tuned!