Mosquito Bites, Leech Bites or Delhi Belly. The Choice is Yours!

Project Managers arrive tomorrow! Everyone is pretty calm and Tom our logistics manager has to be fair done a cracking job at sorting out all the equipment and chivvying us all along to get the jobs done in preparation of their arrival. Over the next two weeks we have a hardcore training schedule that will ensure that we will be the most knowledgeable beings possible before we are deployed to the projects. I am excited even mentioning getting out there!

I am going to do a feature on the blog every day introducing a new project manager so you will get to know the whole team. So look out for your loved ones. I will be shaming them by asking them all the same three questions:-

1. What is the most luxurious item you brought with you?

2. Which famous person would you most like to trek with (alive or dead)?

3. If you have to have one of these whilst you are on expedition which would you choose?

a) 5 mosquito bites on your face

b) 50 leech bites on your stomach

c) ‘delhi belly’ whilst you are trekking

I thought it only fair to ask the questions of our field base team here first.

Right first up

Helen (Medic)

1. Most luxurious item was her cuddly toy, a rabbit inspirationally named “Rabbit”

2. The famous person that she would like to trek with bizarrely would be Alan Titchmarsh. Apparently he is her hero and she once queued for an hour and half to meet him at Gardeners World but when she finally met him she was so star struck she couldn’t speak. That little anecdote is still making me laugh even as I put it on the blog. Alan Titchmarsh?? Anyway enough already!

3. She went for the leeches.

Sophie (Finance Wizard)

1. Most luxurious item is her ‘kindle’. The kindle is an e book which you can download all your favourite books onto saving much needed space in the ruck sack. It is brilliant.

2. Her famous person was David Attenborough as she would learn lots from him along the way and also any beastie that is potentially fatal would be brought to her attention sharpish. Again a good choice Soph!

3. Controversially she chose mosquitoes on the face.


Amanda (Administrator) (Back)

1. Fleecy blanket purchased in New Zealand and accompanies here everywhere on her travels

2. Bear Grylls

3. Delhi Belly as she is pretty used to it now




Mark (Country Director)

1. His instant reaction to his most luxurious item was his girlfriend. Aggh. Although if the boys are reading he said pillow!

2. Penelope Cruz as he said he would look after her and practice his  Spanish.

3. Leeches






James (Project Manager)

1. He has brought a ukelele and he can play it (well a bit) so those lucky enough to be on project with James can look forward to a George Formby styley sing song. Should make the nights fly by.

2. He chose Bill Bailey as his famous trekker buddy as apparently he knows about ‘birds’.

3. Again he goes for leeches rather despondently – not sure James was inspired by my 3rd question

Shall I do me now….

Jo Burton (Communications Officer)

1. The Complete Season 1 of ‘the Hills’ on DVD which I thought I could watch on the laptop whilst travelling. I can’t believe I have admitted to that. How embarrassing. I just thought if I couldn’t live the glamour maybe watching a bit from time to time would get me through the more skanky moments.

2. I would choose Ranulph Fiennes or James Cracknell as my famous trekking companion but probably the latter is for all the wrong reasons so I will go with Ranulph.

3. It will have to be the mosquito bites on the face.



Tom (Logistics Manager)

1. I-pod is the luxury item with his favourite track being Van Halen’s Jump. I tried to get him to sing it to me but he was having none of it.

2. He chose Nelson Mandela which everyone was in support of as a good choice

3. and it was leeches all the way for Tom.

Anna (Country Deputy Manager) (Front)

1. Anna is here full time so her luxurious item was rather grandly a multi gym!

2. George Clooney is her famous walking partner.

3. Mosquito bites to the face please!

Vijay (Host Country Venturer) (Left)

1. Ipod again although he couldn’t decide on his favourite tunes as he has literally thousands of tracks including some really obscure Indian bands.

2. Alexander the Great!

3. Leeches

Claire (Photographer)

1. Luxury item is her mascara.

2. She would most like to trek with Greg Mortenson author of "Three Cups of Tea" which made her cry when she read it although she says that she cries a lot whilst reading and they are usually happy tears.

3. The leeches.

Dave (Project Manager)

1. Luxury item is a blow up mattress.

2. Ursula Andres. She is the Bond Girl hotty that comes out of the sea. In her hay day though obviously and not present day.

3. Leeches again for Dave!

And finally we had a staff night out last night for a trip to the palace and would you believe it a curry!

97,000 light bulbs illuminate the palace for one hour every Sunday

     

(L to R) Anna Dave Tom James Jo Helen and Sophie