It’s the trekking life for us!

Our venturers left early yesterday morning to start their three-day trek training. The India teams packed their kit and all the food they’d need for the next few days on Sunday night and, after an early breakfast, were off to explore India.

Trekking out 

Their 15km trek took them along dusty roads, through rural Indian villages and past countless free-roaming cows. It was a tough morning but everyone loved seeing real Indian life and meeting the villagers and excited children at every village. The colourful villages and stunning views of lush rice paddy fields as far as the eye could see was the perfect start to everyone’s Raleigh adventure.

The India groups arrived at the campsite just after lunch and, when they saw the beautiful river and lush coconut trees that surrounded their new home, their faces lit up with excitement. Within no time at all it was all hands to the deck to make the campsite their own. They learnt how to use traditional Indian digging poles to make short drops and slops pits. They also practised building shelters so they had some shade from the sun and a place to cook.

India 1 PMs needed a little 'lift' after finishing the trek! 

India 2 digging the short drop

India 3 getting to grips with tent poles 

India 5, tents up and tools ready!

A well deserved lunch for India 3

India 2 stopping for a breather while putting up their shelter 

No hiding from us India 4...we can see you!

After all that hard work everyone needed a shower...or should that be a splash! As pop-up showers aren’t really an essential piece of Raleigh kit (although sometimes we think they should be!) our venturers enjoyed the facilities in the nearby river.

Next on the agenda was a well deserved supper. Our ventures cooked up a storm on Trangiars and then curled up in their tents for a good night’s sleep.

The next day it was up early for a hearty breakfast of porridge and then straight into medical, communications and casevac training as well as a swim test. The campsite was a hive of activity as all the groups learnt all the key skills that they’ll need on expedition. Under the watchful eyes of their PMs, our India groups got to grips with radio protocol, the phonetic alphabet and first aid.

After lunch it was straight back into it. Mark gave everyone a cookery lesson and shared some top tips for making sure you eat well on project. The group then had a surprise visit from Sham the snake man; Sham showed the group some of the local snakes, including a cobra. A couple of brave venturers even got the chance to get up and personal with the snakes!

India 1, nice and refreshed after their swim test 

India 5 learning about casevac training 

After a very hot morning and afternoon, everyone was just about to head down to the river for a dip to cool off when it happened...the heaven’s literally exploded and we all had a taste of what weather can really be like in India. And I have to say, it was amazing!

The sky lit up with flashes of lightning and loud claps of thunder – it was just like someone was turning a light switch on and off – the rain was so hard that it was bouncing off the ground; the sound alone was breath taking. All of a sudden, little streams of water appeared around the camp site, and there was a mad scramble as everybody made sure their bags were undercover, thank goodness for the shelters everyone put up yesterday!

 So after an eventful day it was time for another evening around the campfire with each group enjoying a delicious chicken curry – the perfect end to a rainy afternoon!

Tomorrow everyone will be heading back to Fieldbase to relax and enjoy a bit of time out. They’ll have the chance to go through their kit and make sure they have everything they need before they go out on their projects on Friday.

Everyone is very excited about finding out where they’re going – I’ll update the blog as soon as the groups and projects are announced...so watch this space!