Hot off the press...the latest updates from the project sites

As they say while the cat's away the mice will play...or, in Fieldbase’s case, learn all about how the operations room work and get up to speed with CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation) training.

This weekend all the PMs were away on their PPVs (Project Planning Visits) so it was pretty quiet at Fieldbase. We made the most of our time however, and in between manning comms and being on ops duty, we managed to squeeze in a delicious home cooked veggie stir fry and a relaxed film night.

Relaxing on the terrace before starting training

Manning the operations room

We also headed into Mysore and stretched our legs, climbing the beautiful Chamundi Hill to see the temple at the top and then enjoying a bit of retail therapy and a lovely dinner out.

Fieldbase at the bottom of Chamundi Hill

On Monday all the PMs were back and full of exciting updates about their project sites. As ever, we don’t want to give too much away and spoil the surprise for our venturers, but here’s a sneaky peak of what’s in store.

Charlie one – Malligalli

Ed, Maggie and Jonny

“We had a lovely first weekend at Malligalli and were treated to a very warm and enthusiastic reception from the people of the village. We were especially welcomed from the beneficiary families where the group will be building the eco-sanitation units.”

Charlie two – Mangoda

Sian and Kath

“Mangoda village is amazing. We were made to feel very welcome and had more cakes and chai then we could cope with! We arrived during a woman’s self-help group and everyone seemed excited and pleased to see us. We got the chance to visit a village which already had a biogas unit and had a cup of chai cooked on it! We’re really excited about going back and getting the project started."

Echo three – Gandathur

Charlie and Jon

“We had a fabulous time at Gandathur village and met all 12 families who will be benefiting from the biogas units. We also got the chance to try lots of chai and had some delicious home cooked meals with the local families. We finished our visit by checking out the beautiful scenery at the nearby reservoir and played cricked with the local children – we can’t wait to go back!”

Tango five and six– Demon Mountain

Andy, Hannah, Rachel, Kim and Anthony

Tango five and six joined forces for their PPV and had a little taster of the Demon Mountain trek.

“During our practice trek in Kerala, the arduous hills and heavy packs definitely got our hearts pumping! But with the amazing views it was definitely worth the effort! After a superb couple of days we can’t wait to get back out there!”

The PMS all had their heads down in the afternoon, writing up their project reports and risk assessments and then it was off to Mysore for a night out and an opportunity for everyone to catch up on the gossip and find out all about everyone’s project site.

We also had another member of our Fieldbase family arrive; Lee has just been on expedition in Borneo and will be working in Logs with Tim.

Introducing Lee

We’ve got another busy week in store preparing for the arrival of our venturers on Sunday. After two weeks of training we’re all feeling fully prepared for them and can’t wait to put all our training into action and, of course, get out there...