Echo Two's epic adventure

Phase One has drawn to a close - so far, we've travelled through Kerala with Tango Three and had muddy fun with Charlie One. In an exclusive,  Echo Two's project communications officer, Shona Bradford, describes life at "Camp Coco":

 Shona and two friendly neighbours

"We arrived in Huskurhadi on 11th July to an empty field, which quickly became our new home. We made it so cosy that even the locals made it their second home. After working hard on setting up camp; building bashers; digging a long drop; making a shower; and building a fence, we went on to start a back-breaking, but enjoyable three weeks of digging trenches.

One classy campsite

Tea with milk and two sugars, please Lucas

This basher's inhabitant is in for a shock

Rise and shine time became earlier - we settled on 5am. Digging in the first two weeks of Indian sunlight was tough going, and we contended with sunburn and blisters. When the rain finally came, our breaks consisted of either taking cover under the bamboo tree, or having group mud fights, which we found worked wonders for our skin! We finished our days work with a swim and a wash in the reservoir. We managed an astonishing 33 metres of trench, which the next groups will continue.

 

 

After our day trips out to the Golden Temple and Sriringapatram, we all felt a lot closer to India and a little more cultured. We enjoyed masala dosa and puri for breakfast, using nothing but our right hands! We managed to get a glimpse of one elephant, and one evening they ventured extremely close to camp, finding their footsteps in the adjacent field in the morning.

 Day tripping at the Golden Temple

Going deeper underground

The local children kept us company and put on a traditional Indian dance for us at the school. We soon realised that we were going to have to dance too. So up we went and shook our stuff. A few of us went on to teach some nursery rhymes and games, which the children thoroughly enjoyed and went home smiling.

Ripping up the dance floor

 An Echo Two education

We ended our time in Huskurhadi with a feast, topped off with banoffi pie, which has become a camp classic. Waving goodbye to our new friends as we left pulled on some heartstrings, but we are all fit and well and excited about our next phases. Until then, over and out."

Yvette and a new found friend

Anna with a delicious pot of banoffi pie

Huskurhadi 5-a-side with referee Lucas

 

Night, night, Echo Two