Three guest blogs, two treks, and one lesson in Indian cuisine

A big hello to family and friends of Dan Leigh, Kris Clayton, and Joel Saldanha! Those three musketeers managed to fit a blog writing session about their treks on 13 and 14 February into their busy venturer schedule. Read here about their experiences and be really, really proud. All the others: Enjoy the the firsthand accounts of our venturers' adventures.

Guest blog from Daniel Leigh – Delta 5
13 February was to be the first real taste of our Raleigh lives - the practice trek. Delta groups 1, 3 and 5 had the pleasure of embarking, whilst 2, 4 and 6 had to check their excitement and wait for next day. After waking up at the totally reasonable time of 4:30 am, we sped through breakfast, packed our bags and boarded the buses, ready for more death-defying motoring to take us to the start point.
The trek would be around 15km long, taking us through farmland, local villages and to a swimming site at a nearby river. What was particularly striking, right from the start, was just how different this environment was from anything I, and I’m sure many of my fellow venturers, had ever seen before. The excited villagers, overwhelmingly eager to see us and have their photos taken, the packed motorcycles, and honking tuk-tuks were only some of the things that were powerfully new and fascinating. The scenery was beautiful- a precursor to the stunning sights of Kerala, and even the heat was strangely welcoming (for those of us coming from the arctic wasteland of the UK at least).
The trek also included a short swimming aptitude test - a 200m swim in a local river. The term “swim” might be slightly too generous here, as we all discovered as we crawled, struggled and winced through the weeds, mud and rocks that filled the shallow waters. In spite of this, the interlude was mightily refreshing in the wake of the intense midday sun.
By about 4:00 pm all three groups had reached the campsite, but there was little time for slacking as the site had to be furnished with tents, kitchen areas and a toilet, the homely hole in the ground known affectionately as the “long drop” (don’t worry, there was a tarpaulin cubicle constructed around it to give the squatter some privacy!). As the sun went down and the head torches came on, the baffling ordeal of dinner faced all three groups, which included a demonstration of how to prepare a live chicken halal-style for cooking, an experience that affected us all in different ways I’m sure; for me, my carnivorism was seriously tested. Delta 5’s kitchen was completely communal, but planning had not really received due care and attention. Although the final concoction was pretty much everything that we had boiled up together (food that is), it was remarkably tasty. Who says that you can’t eat gourmet-style in the great outdoors?
Overall it was a very enjoyable and productive experience (I managed to use the long drop for the first time!), and it left us hungry to get out there and begin life on the projects.

Into the wild underwater world

D6 passed with flying colours (Photo by Sophia Knies)

Constructing privacy (note the "supervising" position of the three PMs in the background)

Constructing top notch three person bedrooms

Guest blog from Kristian Clayton – Delta 1
The 13th of February was what I would call the first time seeing ‘real India’. Fieldbase has already placed us in a Raleigh bubble and it was really nice to be able to be out on an adventure. We were completing a 15 km trek with an unusually early morning start for all venturers.
I was in Delta 1 group and after a short bus journey we were the first team to set off. Straight away what amazed everyone was the local people - how excited everyone was to see us Westerners - and it always made me laugh to be told that I’m now in India by many of them, as if I wasn’t already aware. Also their excitement at being photographed never wore out.
As the walk progressed everyone began to really feel the effect of the Indian weather. UK temperatures would do well to exceed 0 degrees before I left; now we were trekking in 30 degrees with 20kg packs on our backs. A lot of water was advised! The heat made everyone extremely excited about the swim test. A short 200 meters swim down the river was just what the doctor ordered; I just wish he could have made the water deeper! It was fascinating to see how the Indian people used the river: a man washing his cow and women doing the laundry for their families. No washing machines here I’m afraid.
After our swim it was a short walk to the campsite. A few new things we all learned were how to dig a hole for waste food, water and one for the toilet. Believe me when I say that the luxury of a toilet is one that should never be taken for granted. Another thing that should not be taken for granted is meat: The locals had a special food chain lesson in store for us: Three live chickens would be prepared to be our dinner. Having been a vegetarian when I was younger, this was very hard to watch, let alone try to do myself, as some other venturers did. However, with the way the daily vegetable curry has become quickly very boring, it was a welcome diversion, indeed.
The day ended nicely with everyone sitting around the campfire and completing the debriefing. All I can say is that if this is just a taster, then the projects to come are going to be amazing!

Author Kris early birding

Little Joe with puppy - Caution: Inside joke! (Photo by Sophia Knies)

Stephen sharing his vast long drop knowledge with Deltas 1, 3, and 5

Guest blog from Joel Saldanha – Delta 4
V-Day was D-Day for Delta teams 2, 4, and 6. After spending four days at the Raleigh Fieldbase, the craving to practice what I learnt had reached the ultimate stage. Ironically the day of our first trek happened to be Valentine’s Day. For all these years this day has called for chocolate, flowers, and probably a movie. However, I realised that chicken and “energy bombs” provide for more entertainment than I could ever imagine.
If not for the vivid landscape, the loud Kannada music on the bus on route to our drop point sure helped bring our senses to life. Being a member of Delta 4 sure has its perks; our three PMs to begin with. Jenna, Chrissi, and Sammy are angels with vibrant and colourful personalities. With regard to the venturers, I am clueless on whom to begin my words of lavish, praise, and respect I have for them.
After walking for 12.2 km it felt extremely amazing to cool ourselves off in the Kapila river. Others really enjoyed the coffee at the chai stand near Maddur. Another sight not be missed was the exchange of “Namaskaaras” (hello in Kannada) between villagers and venturers.
The pace of my team mates was excellent and although we gave Delta 2 a 20 minutes head start, we somehow managed to overtake them rather easily. Not like it was a contest; it was just nice to see my fellow venturers having their adrenaline pumping. Times got a little stressful upon arrival at campsite due to lack of water, but some sharing with our frenemies Delta 2 and 6 and the generous help of a local got even this problem solved.
Our dinner was preceded by a course in Indian food preparation by Manju - from the live chicken to the meal in our mess tins, including humane killing and plucking. I took the honour in doing it for my team and it has been an instructive lesson on where our food comes from.
Delta 6 teamleader Barney concluded the evening with a brilliant reflection session around the campfire; an adequate ending of a smooth Valentine’s Day.

Our favourite chai stand

Author Joel behind a motorcycle that has space for at least 4 more persons.

Some Delta 6, some more village kids, and one joker

Team Delta 4