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September 11th, 2015

11/9/2015

Me aged one and a half

On Sunday I’m moving to Exeter for 4 years to begin the MSci in Natural Sciences. Feeling really excited but a little sadness to be leaving home, parents and my lovely little dog. However, after 5 weeks in the jungle with no contact with home, settling in at University should, I hope, be a lot easier.

I can’t believe that I’ve been keeping up this blog for over a year now, as such a lot has happened during that time. It has been a great gap year and I’ve learnt lots of valuable skills. I’ve learnt to drive, come a notch further with my violin playing and learnt many new skills in creating wildlife art and photography. I’ve become a lot fitter, thanks in part to getting through another karate grading, but also from training for the expedition. Volunteering at the Corinium Museum has provided me with lots of new skills for my future career, as well as allowing me to indulge my passion for history.

I have enjoyed the chance to earn a wage, and also, the fundraising to make money for my expedition. This has been hard work, a time of highs and lows, and a time in which in which I have learnt that perseverance does eventually pay off. I still find it quite hard to believe the amazing adventure I’ve had. It has been a journey of self-discovery and I am still contemplating the wildlife and scenery I have seen, the people I have met and the things I have done.

Today is my final day of volunteering at the Wildlife Rescue Centre where I’ve been working on and off since the age of fourteen. I am quite sure that it is not the end of my volunteering/fundraising for them, but it is certainly the end for now. Then I must get on with my packing… a lot to do before I finally leave for Exeter, but I have at last finished writing up all my reports and prepared my talk about the expedition to give at Uni (just need to rehearse it a few times in freont of my parents) . Still working on the new pages for this website, but they are coming very soon… promise!

Time for a makeover

9/9/2015

Taramandua Fire in Valencia during flooding

So, I have at last sorted through several thousand photos that I took in Peru, and have been busy writing reports about my expedition. Alongside this, I am trying to get organised for university as I move to Exeter on Sunday for Freshers’ Week which starts on 14th - It’s all happening too quickly and I’ve an awful lot to do.

I realise I still haven’t told you all much about the expedition yet, but that’s because I’m working on new pages for my website: the current “About the expedition” section will be replaced by “The Expedition” where I plan to tell you a little about my adventures. I also plan to have a “Gallery” which will contain some of the photographs I took whilst I was away. I hope to be able to put this online within the next day or so, so please keep checking.

Home!

5/9/2015

Finally arrived home on Saturday evening – feeling exhausted, 4 kg lighter, having suffered a vomiting sickness and diarrhoea, trench foot and various bites and stings, but otherwise feeling healthy. I’ve had a great expedition though, full of fantastic experiences and the Manu National Park is amazing. Had a chance to travel to Peru with some wonderful people and made many new friends.

Taramandua Fire

I’ve seen some awesome wildlife like peccaries, monkeys and humming birds, though the 2.1m long deadly Bushmaster in Taramandua camp will never be forgotten. I can’t quite believe how weird and fantastic some of the insect life is. It is such a peculiar feeling to witness the sort of creatures only normally seen in nature documentaries.

I struggled with the heat and humidity, and when it rained it poured; and mud made moving around treacherous in hilly terrain, so the rainforest certainly lived up to its name.

sheltering under a banana leaf

Since arriving home I’ve enjoyed several showers, extra helpings of lasagne, roast dinner, lots of puddings, cakes and chocolate. As well as a couple of long uninterrupted nights sleep in a comfy, cosy bed and I am starting to feel more human again.

It feels strange without the constant noise of the jungle and it is certainly nice to have dry feet again. Whilst it is good to have access to the television, phone and computer again, I didn’t miss any of these whilst I was away.

Throughout the expedition I have learnt a massive amount, not only about the Amazon but about myself , and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this expedition possible.

Another postcard

27/8/2015

This morning we received another postcard from Peru – dated Monday 27th July!!! (well, at least it beat Angus home). It was written the day before they left Cusco for Manu. They were obviously having a wonderful time exploring Cusco’s markets (where I think many of them invested in colourful printed trousers (including Angus). On another day they hiked up a hillside to see a large statue of Christ, and to get a fantastic panoramic view of Cusco, as well as visiting the Inca ruins of Saqsaywaman. On their final day, they did a scavenger hunt in Cusco to learn more about the city.

So, the explorers should have returned to the hostel Ecopacker last night, to spend today in Cusco, before embarking on their long flight home early tomorrow afternoon.

Latest update

24/8/2015

According to the itinerary, Taramandua and Jungle Fever are now back at base camp to process their scientific data. Tomorrow they will start to pack up base camp and prepare for the long journey by river and road back to Cusco on Wednesday.

British Exploring have just published a post which Taramandua wrote during their time in the jungle. It sounds as if they are having a fantastic time and seeing some amazing wildlife (including the deadly Bushmaster).

http://www.britishexploring.org/blogs/latest-updates-from-the-taramandua-fire-in-peru.aspx?EntryId=282&tabid=343

A postcard from the jungle!

22/8/2015

What a wonderful surprise - today we received a postcard from Angus, which must have travelled to England with the three-week explorers when they returned home last Saturday… so a huge thank you to whoever played postman.

It is clear that Angus is enjoying his experiences. The card was written back at base camp (having just dug a toilet pit!) following the community phase, which he says had been extremely hard work. His fire had worked on a biogarden, as well as a banana plantation. He says he enjoyed meeting the locals and it had been an eye-opener. He also says he has learnt a lot from the experience and was looking forward to seeing more of the jungle.

At the time the card was written, he’d found the insects infuriating, but not that bad, and he had encountered the infamous Bullet Ant, though fortunately not been bitten! Angus had illustrated the card with his observation of a rather weird looking caterpillar – about 1 ½ inches long, pale blue and green with lots of furry spikes (see below). We can’t wait to hear about the other curiosities he encounters whilst deep in the jungle.

Today is Taramandua and Jungle Fever’s final day in the jungle, before they return to basecamp tomorrow.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

20/8/2015

Here’s a recipe for a tasty Peruvian salad that we’ve been experimenting with. It works well with ordinary Quinoa, but Black Quinola is just as good and gives a nuttier texture. We served it with avocado (Tesco are selling large avocados from Peru at present, and they are delicious).

For four servings you will need:

300g Quinoa

4 tomatoes

1 onion

1 red pepper

A large bunch of parsley

10 fresh mint leaves

A small bunch of basil

2 clove garlics

½ cup green chopped olives

Olive oil

Lime juice

Salt and black pepper

Rinse the Quinoa and boil until soft (about 15 minutes, though black Quinola will take about 20 minutes). Drain and leave to cool down. Finely dice the vegetables and herbs. Mix all these ingredients together and add lime juice, oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Leave to stand in the fridge for one hour before serving. ENJOY!

Life in the jungle

20/8/2015

Two recent posts on British Exploring’s website give insight into life in the jungle for the explorers. At this stage of the expedition, we’re not entirely sure whether “Taramandua” and “Jungle Fever” exist in their original form as, during the planning stage for the expedition there was talk that the explorers may re-group as some explorers wanted to carry-out an expedition in the jungle which would qualify them for the expedition section of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, whereas others preferred to be able to focus on the scientific research. Angus’ preference is for the latter.

http://www.britishexploring.org/blogs/amazon-latest-news-update-and-blog.aspx?EntryId=280&tabid=343

http://www.britishexploring.org/blogs/jungle-fever-in-a-jungle-bake-off.aspx?EntryId=281&tabid=343

The GROW project and Agroforestry

12/8/2015

Yesterday the Young Explorers (YE’s) and leaders of Taramandua and Jungle Fever fires returned to base camp by boat following the Community phase, to spend two nights with the other three fires. Tomorrow the three week fires will return to Cusco and begin their long journey home, whilst Taramandua and Jungle Fever will head off into the jungle for the science/adventure phase of the expedition. Today will be used to plan and prepare for the 10-day expedition into the jungle, where there are high hopes of being able to make it up onto the Pini-pini ridge.

Recent blogs suggest that the time spent on the Community Phase has been profitably spent helping the CREES foundation with their GROW project. With the CREES initiative, over 20% of the population of Salvación now has a biogarden. Whist the diet of these beneficiaries has now improved considerably, they are also able to gain an income by selling some of their produce. CREES plans many more biogardens in Salvación, and to date, only a few of the gardens have rooves. Roofing is important as it helps protect the garden from too much rain in the wet season and too much sun in the dry season. Constructing roofs is one of many tasks which the YE’s have been able to help with.

The YE’s have also helped CREES with their Agroforestry programme. In this initiative, plots of deforested land are sold to the people of Salvación. Each beneficiary receives labour and the know-how from CREES, as well as plants (a specific ratio of hard and softwoods, as well as bananas) to create a sustainable forest which can be harvested after 18 months (bananas), 15 years (softwoods) and 40 years (hardwoods). In this way, a long-term sustainable income is generated which diverts away from the old destructive deforestation practices.

Kudzo, which the YE’s were planting last week is used in deforested areas to help control erosion after deforestation and to improve soil quality.

See: http://www.britishexploring.org/blogs/the-community-project-comes-to-a-close-at-savalcion.aspx?EntryId=277&tabid=343

Manu - a hot and sticky place

8/8/2015

Weather data from a weather station at Manu over the last week:

Daytime temperatures are on average 29-30°C

Night time temperatures are on average 22-24°C

Relative humidity is frequently 100%, so everything gets very wet

Sunrise is 6 am

Sunset is 5.30 pm

Today the radar map shows rain clouds just North of where they are. The current temperature is 26°C, 100% relative humidity at 5 am Peru time.

The weather station is down river from Base Camp, but we expect it to be the same.

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Photo by Angus Malmgren

Fundraising

I MANAGED TO REACH MY FUNDRAISING TARGET - a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me and helped make it possible for me to take part in this amazing adventure.

THANK YOU also to the following for grants and sponsorship:

The David Haydock Memorial Trust
The Hedley Foundation
The Lord Mayor's 800th Anniversary Awards Trust
The Roger and Miriam Pilkington Charitable Trust
The David St John Thomas Charitable Trust

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