Short swims and long drops

On 25 January we left fieldbase for a day of trekking, swimming, and camping. Destination #1: Kapila River. Our trek to the river led us through fields and small villages, where smiling locals were greeting and waving at us. The people in this area seem to have a particularly sweet tooth, as little children, as well as grown up men, asked whether we would have any chocolate or similar delights.
The river itself is a quiet place. Seasonally receding water levels provide for a very diverse flora and fauna; our photographers were particularly keen on getting close to the many different bird species. A very different flora could also be found within the river, where underwater plants make sure that 

1. A swim test of 200 meters is not the piece of cake you think it would be.
2. You will look like Poseidon himself when you get out of the water, with long strings of vegetation hanging from your hands and other body parts.

The swim test was preceded by some area risk assessment and rescue training; important knowledge we will pass on to the soon-to-arrive project managers and venturers.  

The wanderers.

 

What?

Going through who-knows-what to get to the water.

Having cooled off we were ready for the second part of the trek, leading us to destination #2 Kolli Thota camp site, where we would stay for the night. Joined by Country Director Mark Ashby, we set up tents, kitchen, fireplace and the infamous long drop. Our success was significantly hampered by soil as hard as European winters (not that we know anything about that anymore), but constant digging wore away the stone. Sitting around a fire in the beautiful middle of nowhere, munching well-deserved pasta out of mess tins, we concluded the day with a not-very-trust-building game of Mafia. 

 

Romancin' it up

Dig this.

Tomorrow the project managers will arrive. We are very much looking forward to their arrival and – on that occasion - polished fieldbase to a grade of non-recognition. Let the games begin...

P.S: For any inquiries about who or what a long drop is, please refer to Mark Ashby.