Screening today: “School of Raleigh”, “Snakes on a Fieldbase”, and “Chariots of Water”

During the two days the venturers have been here, we did our best to destroy them with vast amounts of knowledge and entertainment, but they have been holding up like aces. All the training sessions we have been covering in one week time (see this blog post), they got served in only two days: GPS-tracking, map reading, voice procedures including learning the phonetic alphabet (and it is still “U” for “unicorn”!), situational/incident/trip/medical reporting, casualty evacuation procedure, (gasp… are you still with me?) hygiene and medkits, medical emergencies, basic life support, and trauma. They also got a presentation of what we (and they) will be up to in Phase I, during which our PMs tried to lure them into their respective projects, promising elephant-dung reading, excrements-into-energy-transformations, and toilet humour.

Some recovery positioning

Some casevacing

The Manchester City stadium should be right here then...

I said "uniCORN"!

For all these efforts they received the special treat, which we never got (just like blog comments, my dear friends and family of PMs!): World famous Shyam brought snakes, style, and knowledge to our Fieldbase. Looking like an Indian Ringo Starr, Shyam is a snake rescuer and rehabilitator, wildlife conservationist, public educator, and all in all the first person to call if you find a snake in your house. If you want to see him in action, you can check out the BBC’s “Caroline Quentin - A Passage Through India” (Episode 3). Bringing his vast collection of non-venomous and venomous snakes into Fieldbase, he triggered a spectrum of emotions, from plain “I have to run”-fear (hissing cobras are not very popular) to adventurous “I have to open this box”-curiosity (truly excellent idea, if a Russell’s viper is in it). But more importantly: He shared his experiences with regard to snake identification, removal, and bites, as well as general wildlife safety measures with us, so we know what to watch out for and how to react.

Shyam the man

Not everybody's cup of tea

Do not pet; it's cute but venomous.

After a long day of brain-challenges, we got all athletic, as our Greek gods of war Izia, Mattos, and Rhysos staged Raleigh Olympics. The Deltas entered into a fierce competition over wheelbarrow racing, Indian style water bearing, and other proper Olympic disciplines. I have no idea who won, as things got seriously out of hand and we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of “Water Wars - The Venturer Strikes Back”.

Indian-style water bearing - Level 1

Indian-style water bearing - Level 2

How to start a water fight

How to end a water fight

On Monday (Teams 1, 3, and 5) and Tuesday (Teams 2, 4, and 6), our Deltas got their walking boots on early in the morning and left for a 15 km trek, including swimming, overnight camping, and loads of impressions of rural India. As I had to hold the Fieldbase-fort and stand ready for Charlie-Oscar-Mike-Mike-Sierra, the trek section will be covered through guest blogging by outrageously talented venturers. It may be your friend’s firsthand experience, so keep watching this space.

P.S.: A big THANK YOU to all the people that commented; it made the day of our venturers. Keep it coming!

Venturing it up

The big moment has come! After 11 host country venturers (HCVs) arrived at Fieldbase yesterday (significantly improving the tunes around here; waking up to “Sunshine of your Love” is priceless), we just got flooded by another 65 venturers arriving from Bangalore airport. 

During their five hour bus ride to Fieldbase, they were well taken care of by our project managers; Barney, Chrissi, Emma, Janet, Natalie, and Stephen; who made sure that sufficient amounts of indispensible items - like expedition information leaflets, toilet paper, and calm advice on how to deal with the extraordinary experience of Indian traffic - were available. They also got their batteries recharged with some delicious breakfast dosa and chai.

All the venturers went through our infamous and super effective Raleigh anti-jetlag procedure, kicked off by welcome speeches - delivered by our lovely and über-excited managers Mark, Simon and Petr - emphasising the superiority of Raleigh India over ALL other Raleigh expeditions. EVER. Excellent choice, my dearest venturers! And this was just the beginning: we had a Fieldbase tour, health and safety training, code of conduct, medical 1-2-1 ‘s, administration and photo sessions in store; of course complemented by energizers and name games.

Thanks for making a mess.

Pete giving an eight minutes presentation.

Hmmmm...
Food it puts me in a good mood, it keeps me goin',
When under strains, ain't nothin worse than hunger pains.

Just before dinner, they had time to hang up their mosi-nets, unpack their sleeping mats, get homey in their dormitories, and then concluded their first exciting day with a session on cultural awareness delivered by Theja and Mark. And FINALLY they will get some of that well-deserved sleep, just to wake up to a sunny morning with temperatures at an enjoyable 25 degrees (jealous much?) and a fun day of hard skills training. Stay tuned for news!
Oh, and we got a special delivery: Richard Jones arrived with the venturers (applause please!). He is our new Fieldbase Medic, holding the fort when the others are out there constructing and trekking.

Doc Jones in fort holding position

P.S.: As managing 76 people is somewhat impossible, we allocated them to “Delta Groups” for the next five days, all taken care of by our PMs. So if you, the highly esteemed reader, would like to pass on a message to one of the venturers, please indicate name and group according to our elaborate scheme (So sorry... Names are not in order; But I can't possibly get to know 76 people in one day.):

Delta 1: Abigail, Chaluva, Christine, Frances, Grant, Isabel, James P., Jules, Kristian, Nicole and Suresh

Delta 2: Alexandra, Beatrice, Caspar, Charlie, Chyna, Jude, Max, Rebecca, Shaveh, and Thejas

Delta 3: Charlotte, Claire, Daniel W., James W., Jan, Katherine, Oliver, Ramesh, Sally, Sophie, and Suraj

Delta 4: Abhishek, Haydn, James H., Joel, Joost, Laura, Mandisa, Marjolein, Patrick, Sofia, Victoria, and William

Delta 5: Aashna, Daniel L., Eline, Flora, Jonathan D., Manjunath, Martha, Shaquille, Stephen, Ursula, and Vishnu 

Delta 6: Dominic, Helen, Jonathan C., Natalia, Roonmarijn, Sophia, Thomas, Venetia, Vijay, Wolde, and Yashaswi

Be my guest...

For two days, Fieldbase has been empty like Keralan riverbeds in dry season: Our PMs headed out to their project sites to conduct their project planning visits; time for the Fieldbase staff to fight loneliness with Comms (“Hello darling, this is zero. Over.”), get their cooking skills back up, and enjoy the actually sufficient number of chairs in the front porch office. Bored much? I thought so. And that’s why I pressured our PMs “out there” into a session of lovely guest blogging. Here we go:

Charlie 1 (written by Stephen)
Gandenahalli is a village two hours north of Mysore in an area of intensive paddy rice, sugarcane and banana growing, set behind trees as you approach it from the main road. It is a poor village and a handful of motor cycles are the only motorised transport. Ox carts are the preferred means of conveyance.  We feel ever so slightly out of place as we bounce over the dusty rutted tracks that pass for streets in our gleaming, white 4X4.
Children descend upon us before we have stepped out of the car at the junior school, every one of them wanting to say “Hello” and ask us our names, testing their English before being swatted away by teachers. They are soon back, grinning, shaking our hands and following our every move.
We meet the village leader, the Grampanchayet President, a taciturn man who is happy that we are here to build 45 eco toilets in his village but shows no real enthusiasm to talk to us and seems a little bemused that we have turned up at his front door.
As we walk around the village we pass a house where the body of an 80-year-old man is laid out on a wooden cot under an awning in the middle of the road and are encouraged to approach the body. His widow wraps him in her arms while keeping up a constant keening in front of neighbours gathered about on chairs. We think we’re intruding but the widow stops her wailing long enough to nod her head as if to approve our presence. We convey our condolences to the two sons.
This village of 7,000 poor but hard working people will be our home for three weeks.

Charlie 2 (written by Izzy)
We had our first treat on the journey, spotting Ellies, baby monkeys, deer and wild pigs.  Meeting the project partners at CTRD was inspiring. Since 1988 they have been working with tribal and rural communities to identify and meet their needs in a sustainable way, without damaging their cultural identity.  The Paniya tribe who we will be helping to build 9 toilets and 85m of road greeted us warmly and within seconds we each had a child holding our hands.  It struck us how lucky we are that the community are welcoming us into the hearts of their lives despite the disruption, games, noise and intrigue we will bring. So let it begin and the toilet humour flow!

Echo 3 (written by Olive Ridley, the turtle)
I’ve been watching the Echo 3 PM’s preparing to come and help my turtle family and friends with our nesting in Velas: and quite frankly I’m rather nervous...
The bashers were slightly wobbly, menus rather sketchy and music choices dubious.
However... my fears have turned to excitement as the bashers held up, the sausage mash and onion gravy looked inspired and first class entertainment was provided by one of the PM’s busting out all the moves to Craig David... We will have fun!!!
PS: Please don’t flash me when I’m nesting, I’ll get disorientated and may not lay my eggs.

Echo 4 (written by Jenna)
Following a spectacularly eye opening bus journey complete with wild elephants and peacocks, we arrived at the CTRD headquarters to be greeted by our project partner co-ordinator and all round expert Vijay. After a lowdown on their background and all the incredible work they do in the area, we got stuck in learning all about the bio gas project we would be undertaking in the village of Cheriyery.
Surrounded by vast tea plantations and the jungle of Tamil Nadu, Cheriyery couldn’t be in a more perfect setting. We were given the opportunity to meet the seven female beneficiaries we would be working alongside and after being greeted with such warmth and enthusiasm (and endless cups of Chai and biscuits!) it was hard not to fall in love there and then. At a past expedition village we also got to see the bio gas units working in their full glory. It was such a humbling experience knowing that with some elbow grease and bit of determination we are going to be able to make a change to some exceptional people’s lives. Bring on the venturers! 

Tango 5 and Tango 6 (written by Amanda)
Adventure trek leaders, Barney and Matt, were joined by fellow Project Managers, Janet and Amanda, to recce the MuddyBoots Trek in stunning Kerala state, four hours drive from Fieldbase. With a leisurely 8 am start, our aim was to meet the MuddyBoots staff and ask all the necessary questions we needed to know as PMs to make the trek a safe, challenging, and well-organised expedition. After a rare elephant sighting and some much-needed meaty curry (so far it’s been veggies galore) we drove up through the villages and past curious faces to start our mini hike up to the first campsite along some top-class off-road tracks. The next day, a 12km walk lay ahead of us and the four of us practised with our laden packs, convinced we would be smug in knowing that we carried everything we needed – from bulging medical kits to Chana Masala spices to meet the flavouring taste buds we all seem to have developed already. Following a much needed swim in Asia’s second largest dam (of course we’d already put up our tents!), we hunkered down for the evening with a roaring fire, reviewing the day’s highs and lows. We know that we will all find the trek a huge challenge at different times and all felt the experience of walking in the heat (and knowing how essential it is to leave camp early for the cooler part of the day) was great in understanding a bit of team banter and motivation to allow every single person to complete the challenging trek in a remote and gorgeous part of the world.

P.S.: My must-have items for staying cool and looking hot during trek: your Dad’s wide-brimmed sunhat; factor 50; if you are a contact lens wearer usually, get involved with some prescription sunnies; walking boots with great ankle support; light scarves are perfect for turbans and covering your head, as well as glamming your trekking outfit (clearly essential).

All sorted out

Boy, I am glad I read Harry Potter (or rather let Stephen Fry read it to me). Otherwise the events of 1 February would have been somewhat peculiar to me.
In the evening, the fieldbase of witchcraft and wizardry’s roof terrace became the centre of magic decision making, as our management team solemnly conjured the Sorting Hat, which was to allocate our PMs to their respective Phase I projects. This phase will start on 16 February and PMs and Venturers will be back to fieldbase for their changeover on 5 March.
These are the choices the Sorting Hat announced *drumroll*:

Community Project Charlie 1 - Eco-sanitation - Stephen, Cate (M [this means Medic])
Stephen and Cate (and the soon to arrive Venturers, of course) will help poorer families in the village of Gandenahalli to construct their own eco-sanitation facility. The project will improve community health through access to safe drinking water by reducing pollution of the local water sources. Moreover, the units will provide sustainable rich compost every 12 months; a great basis for growing nutritious crops, which, in turn, provide a source of income. Our project partner MYKAPS and the village’s Self Help Group leaders selected the 45 beneficiary families.

Community Project Charlie 2 - Sanitation - Emma, Izi (M)
Emma, Izi and the Venturers will assist 38 beneficiaries in Kayuni and two neighbouring communities to build individual sanitation units for their family. Not only will the units improve the drinking water quality, but they will reduce the risks particularly for women and children in going into the adjacent forest to satisfy their sanitation needs and risking attack by wild animals including snakes. Our project partner CTRD Trust focuses on tribal and scheduled caste communities with their in the Integrated Tribal Development Programme (ITDP).

 
Environmental Project Echo 3 - Turtle conservation - Natalie, Harriet (M), and M&E Officer Joe
Natalie, Harriet, Joe and the Venturers will help communities on the Maharashtra coast, where growing populations of Olive Ridley Turtles nest between November and March, to develop their economy around eco-tourism. Based in the coastal village of Velas, the group will undertake work to construct a pathway from the village to the beach, so tourists can witness release of turtle hatchlings. They will also patrol the beach at night to prevent poaching and to identify new nests for relocation into the safe hatchery. Project partner SNM has been working towards the conservation of marine turtles since 2002.

 
Environmental Project Echo 4 - Bio-gas - Jenna, Sammy, and Chris (M)
The team of three PMs and Venturers will help to construct bio-gas units for seven recipient families in the very marginalised community of Cheriyery. The units will provide them with free gas for cooking and an alternative livelihood from the sale of dairy produce and organic fertilizer both produced as a bi-product of the biogas production and reduce the environmental impact of firewood consumption. The beneficiaries were selected by our project partner CTRD, according to their knowledge of animal husbandry and the size of their land.

Adventure Project / Trek Tango 5 - Janet, Matt
Janet and Matt will lead the Venturers during their 19-day adventure phase in Kerala. The 200km journey takes place in the Western Ghats Mountains, incorporating trekking in the forest, across savannah grasslands and rice paddies, off-road mountain-biking, and river rafting. Physical challenges will easily be rewarded by breathtaking scenery, including indigenous wildlife (cross fingers for elephants!). The trek is guided by our adventure partner MuddyBoots.

Adventure Project / Trek Tango 6 - Amanda, Barney, and Photographer Bob
Amanda and Barney will lead the 17-day trek in Kerala. During the 200km journey, the Venturers will summit the second highest mountain in south India (2600m) and undertake a 24hr survival challenge including river rafting. This section of the Western Ghats Mountains is renowned for its beauty and diverse terrain, as well as for plentiful opportunities to sample Kerala’s special foods and of course the tea! The trek is guided by our adventure partner Kalypso Adventures.

 
After the Sorting Hat had spoken, Mark Malfoy, Simon Snape, and Pete Potter decided to provoke some antagonism between the newly formed teams by letting them Ready-Steady-Cook against each other. After fierce competition with partially illegal methods, Team Fieldbase and Team Echo 3 topped the list in terms of taste, creativity, presentation, and X-factor. After a penalty shoot-out - involving classic dance, oriental dance, and water - the panel announced douze points for Team Fieldbase, proving that the central management of this expedition is incredibly well taken care of.

Competition faces

The judges

The glorious Fieldbase team and Hogwarts' headmasters

Today, after having worked through folders of essential information about their projects, the PMs headed to their project sites to conduct a Project Planning Visit. They will meet the partner organisations, learn about the project and why it is necessary, meet the local community and assess potential risks on site. They promised me to bring back first-hand information for you, so prepare for a thrilling session of guest blogging.

More people = more activities = wayyy more words

You wonder why you didn’t receive any news from Raleigh India fieldbase in the usual timely manner...? There are two reasons:
 
1.    Individual reason
 
The already mentioned bunch of just-arrived project managers invaded my front porch office and turned it into their personal entertainment centre. Once a temple of zen, concentration, and creativity, the fieldbase’s cozy outdoor area now resembles London Waterloo Railway station. Talking, browsing, writing, and knitting project managers wiggle their heads (an Indian specialty) over the well-known phenomenon of “What, I have been here for ONLY four days!!?”, a statement that leads us straight to:
 
2.    Collective reason

Apparently, those four days must have had 48 hours each, as otherwise I do not see any possibility to pack such an overwhelming amount of activities into them. After being lured into our upstairs community area under the false pretext of getting lunch and playing some simple name games, the newly arrived PMs were drowned in an ocean of introductory information and administration forms. “Any questions?” – “When can we go for a nap?” – “No off-topic questions, please.” The cherry on top was served by Country Director Mark, who gave an informative overview of those six projects our PMs will be allocated to. Who exactly will go where is to be figured out in the days to come; Mark, Simon and Petr are very secretive about it. (They love surprises! No, actually they just love the power position of knowing more than anyone else.)
Day #2 saw fieldbase transformed into a hard skills boot camp, which – judging by the tired but knowledgeable faces around me – is still ongoing. Lessons learned (skills acquired):

• There IS a hipster version of Easter egg hunting (GPS-tracking).
• Some minutes have 1000 seconds and Westings and Southings do not exist (Map reading).
• The code word for the letter “U” is not “unicorn”, much to the regret of certain fully grown men (Phonetic alphabet).
• “Over and out” only exists in Hotel Oscar Lima Lima Yankee Whiskey Oscar Oscar Delta (Voice procedures).
• Even in the face of life threatening injuries, the British consider making a cup of tea to be indispensable (Casualty evacuation procedure).
• The standard procedure for communicating gossip from project sites to fieldbase is called “Situational Report” (Situational, incident, trip, and medical reporting).
• Insufficient handwashing is the root of all evil (Hygiene and Medkits).
• Snakes are the root of all evil (Medical emergencies).
• DR ABC is not easy as one two three (Basic life support).
• Everything and everyone can be a splint (Trauma).

Casual casuality evacuation

The sheer length of the list above may give you an idea about the information overload during the last few days and our current dazzling level of intelligence. But - believe it or not - that was not everything! 
Slightly dissatisfied with our mind-body balance, we also managed to squeeze a 15 Kilometres trek, including swim test and overnight camping, into our busy schedule. Powered by a sweet and sticky morning delight called “energy bombs”, Team India I left fieldbase at 7:30 in the morning, closely followed by Team II. The trek led us through rural villages with happily greeting locals, where we could not only witness a procession (opinions on its nature range from wedding to funeral), but were also treated like A-list celebrities during school breaks. After a long and hot trek, the PM’s swim test was a welcome opportunity to cool down, follow up on those blisters, and recharge our batteries for the second trek section towards the camping site. Having arrived there, the advanced fieldbase team initiated its “knowledge transfer process” with regard to long drops, camp fires and tents also known as “relaxing and letting the new PMs do all the work”. What then followed was a shining example of creative cooking and intense campfire bonding, leading into a late night, followed by a very early morning, followed by the long awaited reward: warm showers at fieldbase and finally some culture plus a top notch dinner in Mysore. 

Stay tuned for news about the upcoming whereabouts of our PMs!  Phase I allocations are due and soon you will find out who exactly will be responsible for installing toilets, constructing bio-gas units, leading treks and other exciting projects.

A taste of India I: Trying to figure out the shortcut.

A taste of India II: Rhys, Izi, Sammy, Matt, Emma, Pete

India II swim test: Jenna, Emma, Harriet, Matt, Izi

Camp group picture - From left to right:
Front row: Amanda, Reggie, Izi, Janet, Cate
Second Row: Bob, Barney, Chris, Harriet, our driver small Manju, Rhys, Stephen
Third row: Simon, our driver Prashanth, Matt, Joe, Pete
Last row: Sam, Natalie, Jenna, Emma, Sammy, Christiane