Raleigh International gives young people between 17 and 25 years old and volunteer staff over 25 years old the chance to live and work on expeditions abroad. Not only do they develop personally and contribute to the country they are working in but they learn to work together with people from different cultures.

Rebecca Riddy signed up as an expedition translator on a Raleigh International expedition in Chile for 3 months. This is the third of her 'emails' back home reporting on her experiences. We will post further details of her exploits as she emails via remote South American Internet Cafes

Rebecca in Chile: Raleigh International expedition translator
Back in the main camp

25/02/01

Hello,
It is Sunday and it actually feels like it! Had a lie-in and then a big fry up with the other five who are based at field base. They are very nice people and are helping me get back to feeling normal after the kayaking.

The new project groups set off yesterday for this phase of three weeks, one more phase to go after this. It all finishes on the 14 of April which will probably fly by.

I was disappointed to find out I was going to be the office interpreter for this phase but don't mind at all at the moment. Need some R&R badly, and it's great to have good company after not really feeling at ease with most of the kayaking staff. Hot (!) showers, a bed (!!!), and real food is just the best thing after three weeks of dehydrated food. The work has been interesting and quite challenging – arranging for two of our Landrovers to be towed from a long way down south – getting parts to them by ringing around little places and getting contacts. I've also been organising trucks to drop people and provisions off at different places. As well as that I am on radio duty a lot which I really enjoy – I have learnt all the communications procedures, a special language to communicate with the 12 different project sites all over Patagonia. I would quite like to get in to that when I get back but don't know if there is any call for it outside the forces which isn't me really!

We have sun here which is a novelty after the rainy south and I have hunted out the shorts! I have brown hands, face and feet, the bits that stuck out of the kayaking gear so look a bit odd. There is a good pool in town which some of the others started going to every day so I will tag along, I think it's a quid a go if you buy tickets in advance. It will be great to swim again.

I reckon after a week here I may have itchy feet to get out to a project. I have spoken to Ben (Deputy Expedition Leader) and when big boss Malc gets back, probably tomorrow, I will discuss the possibility of only doing half a phase in the office, swapping half way through with another interpreter. We have someone in mind and she is fine about it, so fingers crossed. If it does work out, I will be going to a community project north of here where they are building a fire station. I am also the interpreter from a distance for a project an hour from here that doesn't have an interpreter this time. They are building a herb drying facility for the local women's co-op that I like the sound of. I will go along and interpret at some meetings etc for them.

It is very nice being able to come in to town for a coffee and use the internet, buy stuff but I can see myself spending too much money! I am in town with Al, the Portuguese accountant, we are going to buy salmon (v cheap) and veg for dinner before heading back.

Very soon, I need to decide when to change my flight. Been reading my Lonely Planet and am loosely thinking of using the staff Raleigh flight on 14 April back to Santiago and then chilling out on a beach near Santiago with some of the staff, but nothing has been organised yet for a week or so. After that, I think I will bus it to the north of Chile into Peru to do the Inca trail and see a few other places before going to Bolivia. La Paz sounds ace and Bolivia will have lots of other things to offer too, plus I think it is very cheap (Indian culture, rainforest etc).

After that, up through Peru to Ecuador, which has an even better write up than Bolivia. I want to get over to the Galapagos but haven't been able to find out what damage the oil spillage did. Does anyone know?

I would like to fly to the Galapagos from the mainland to save faffing around, and organise a trip from Puerto Ayora on the island I fly in to. As July is the start of the peak season in the Galapagos, I would like to be there in June. Working back,this means, Inca trail to start in mid-May, Bolvia mid-end May or maybe a week or so longer, before heading through Ecuador to the Galapagos. Quito and Cuenca and a few other places in Ecuador sound good first.

Anyway, anyone fancy doing any of it with me? I could arrange to meet you along the way or whatever. A friend here spent £350 in 3 weeks in Peru, and Bolivia and Ecuador will be about the same if not cheaper. For the Galapogos you are looking at £550 for a week's tour on board a boat with all included. You can do diving tours which may be slightly more or there is the option of doing day dives from Puerto Ayora for £40 a day for 2 dives. Flying to and from the island from Quito or Guayaquil, south of Quito (which the Quito plane goes via) of mainland Ecuador is about £200.

Take care
Rebecca

Further information

Raleigh International currently runs eleven expeditions a year. In 2000-2001 expeditions are going to Belize, Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, Ghana, Mongolia and Namibia. The three-month expedition is part of a longer programme involving training weekends and workshops. These workshops concentrate on personal development and global awareness. After an expedition, there is the chance to join Raleigh International support groups all over the world, to continue the Raleigh experience and to help others take part.

You can see updates about this and other projects on the Raleigh International website.

© travel-quest.co.uk 2001

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