Day 6-9 - Updates becoming less frequent now!

Obviously due to being in the middle of the jungle, giving updates is difficult but now is a good time so here it is for you all!
Over the past few days the camp has been improved and even rebuilt! Toshi had his 21st birthday, that big boy!... he wished for a pony but it's yet to come. A lot of our new friends came including Dillon, one of the workers at Iwokrama, and Phenton, a legend in his own right who attempted to teach me how to make his world famous bush brew. After lovingly adding the eggplant peel, yeast, water and sugar to a plastic bottle it all blew up sending aubergine shrapnel all over the road and bringing back my repressed memories of my time in 'nam. A good time had by all however London dry gin has now been renamed 'poison' by the locals.

With the EPA yet to have been fully processed the only past times are improving camp and our cooking skills... I however have undertaken butterfly catching under the careful guidance of Toshi and have somewhat surpassed him by catching a Morpho achilles (for those of you who dont know, it looks ace).
Dillon is having his 21st birthday this evening to which we were all invited however Toshi and myself have had to return to Georgetown to finalise the EPA application. All i can say about that is that I hope everyone is drinking and having fun on our behalf... I know we are on theirs!

Everyone in the area has been extremely friendly including the loggers up the road, the workers at Iwokrama and the members of Fairview an Amerindian village, inviting us to gatherings left, right and centre (tic toc tic toc!)

As for biology the only thing we can do is look at the animals and get used to identifying them in the wild... for myself, I'm sampling the air... by smelling it... taking some preliminary readings!

So for those worried parents and lovers that are unable to sleep at night through fear of losing their little darlings, we dont yet have malaria or snake bites... and Emma and myself are still yet to be bitten by ANYTHING!... I guess the only worry is that we might be corrputed by Wilson and Phenton's seductive dance moves!

Over and Out!
Mark (Princess) Brown

Day 4+5 - The other two still in Georgetown

Just a quick post to let everyone know what Tosh and I have been up to while swanning about in Georgetown. Although we were both thoroughly bummed about not joining the rest of the team (especially now as they have their own splash pool!!), we have actually been having a great time in Georgetown mainly talking to everyone and getting to know what's what about the place. On sunday we had lunch at some ladies' house, Andrea and Noelle who i met at the RGS funnily enough. We got to see the inside of one of the few restored wooden houses that make up the city. They also took us on a speed tour of the sites which include the sea wall and various other important buldings, the high court (not that we want to end up there) and the tallest wooden church in the world.

Yesterday, National Carribean Day, we decided to take a walk around to the zoo and botanical gardens (sticking to biology and all). It was pretty interesting and we definately sharpened up on our bird identifying skills as there were so many types of macaws and eegrets. They had Harpy Eagles, although both Tosh and I thought they had far too many of the rare birds, in far too smaller cages! They also had jaguars and a lion, once again the cages were a bit too small for the animals comfort. There are plenty of birds just flying about in the city, no need to go to the jungle..... just kidding.

We have been chatting to many people from taxi drivers and street vendors to VSO officers and an ex-seal, coast guard, boat inspector official and other people who drop by.. Our aim, to try get a picture about how everything happens in Guyana. It's a very vibrant country and definately worth a visit!

Tosh and I are now impatiently awaiting our ride down to join the others! Just one hour to go and then we'll be on our way!

Day 4+5 - In the Jungle

We’re three days into the jungle and were nice and cozy but still stressed out! 7 out of 9 of us have made it and 2 of us are coming in tomorrow, they’re still alive as well I think! We’ve set up the bashers and hammocks and are in the process of re-doing the tarpaulin shelter. The meals we’ve had are pretty disgusting but surprisingly satisfying and as yet there have been no major problems, although Alex’s hammock fell down with her in it last night! We’re meshing really well and there have been only small minor disputes. Aside from that this stay is going to amazing; the weather is blissful and the area is beautiful; next to our camp site (within our campsite) is a deep plunge pool that we swim in everyday, the work is hard but the reward is all worth it. Toshi and Steph are really missing out but they’ll be able to enjoy the area in the morning. Personally I feel as though I’m already loosing weight; the sweat here just drips off and without a bandana the sweat really gets in your eyes.

The trip down was pretty hectic. We took an overnight minibus and although we knew we wouldn’t be able to get much sleep the journey was so bumpy because the road is made with clay and there are potholes everywhere. Alex got the most sleep because of motion-sickness pills, followed by Emma and Ester. Of the boys 2 ended up trying to sleep on the floor, and Mark was proposed to by a drunken pregnant girl!

Biology-wise we’ve seen all sorts of crazy shit! This morning we found a wasp nest happily taking advantage of our tarpaulin; this was however swiftly destroyed with 100% DEET. We’ve seen a few kapybara (massive rats), a fair few bats and a whole load of weird butterflies. Yesterday we came across an amzingly small spider that mimicked a mould on a twig, putting 4 legs forwards and 4 legs back it could camouflage away. As yet we are yet to see any monkeys or snakes but we’ve seen a fair few birds including toucanettes! Things we’ve learnt so far is that ant bites hurt like hell, black flies bite worse than mosquitoes but mosquitoes bite a hell of a lot more! Mark and Emma are yet to be bitten but everyone else is getting annihilated by all sorts of creepy crawlies! We’ve all begun to not care about the Sun as well, the guys (apart from Ed who has a V shaped shirt tan) are all happy strowling about with no tops on.

The people here are all genuinly friendly. Everyone that drives by honks, which may just be because of a massive camp of white people they usually don’t see, and some just kind of stop by for tea and have a chat, as well as that they all wave. Aparently national figures for tourists in Guyana are at 32/month! Our main ranger is called James, who is can craft pretty much everything you’ve dreamed of – he even made Ester a little step which we now use as a veranda!
Our camp is prime location as well, as right next to us we have a creek with red water, and we have made it our designated pool! The water is really fresh and fast-flowing, so we’re also using it as a fridge, and we’re filtering and iodining the water to drink.

Things are going really well, we’ve made ourselves quite at home; there isn’t much to worry about!

See you all soon
Ct & Ester

Day 2/3 - Georgetown

After experiencing a rather successful first day of shopping in Georgetown it seemed only apt that we experience a taste of the Georgetown nightlife, despite having read in every tour guide not to go out at night here whatever you do. However, our hard day of work left our tummies a rumbling and we really had to find somewhere to eat. Since we had been walking the city all day, we figured we'd try find somewhere to eat around Starbroek market which seemed like the heart and soul of the place. We were NOT wrong in thinking this. It was the busiest 'heart and soul' of a city i have ever witnessed in my life. It was even busier then in the day with hundreds of people pouring into the centre from taxis and vendors selling sweets, rattling cups of pills at us or trying to get us to come drink home made vodka with them. I suppose this is a pretty standard Friday night in Georgetown.

Everyone vehicle constantly beeping, crowds of people bustling past eachother and then us, the 9 white kids trying once again to 'fit in' with the locals. We really should have listened to the guidebooks. After wondering into the first establishment which looked like it may offer some sort of decent grub, we quickly decided that 3 types of dishes which had been left under a hotlamp for what looked like a week were not qoing to satisfy our hunger. We went out onto the street where we all quickly decided to get a taxi out of the sheer chaos we saw. We soon realised that if we stuck around any longer, we were bound to be caught up in drunken brawls or possibly be kidnapped. At that thought, i began to panick and after being bombarded by all 100 taxi drivers who wanted our business we got into two taxis and quickly go out of the market. We headed to a chinese restaurant that the hotel recommended but ended up at an overpriced restuarant in a quieter part of town which we could definately not afford. Against my gut instincts we began walking about to find something cheaper.

We were in a group of nine, it wasnt as if anything could happen to us but it was still the most unnerving night for most of the group and we walked the darkened streets avoiding the pricier restaurants. We did however find a chinese which served our food quick and cost about 15 pounds for all of us! I had however lost my appetite at this point! We got home safe and went to bed!

Day 3 was just as exciting as the last. Breakfast included chicken balls in curry sauce and sausages. As Tosh and I were staying extra nights in Georgetown, we had to move all the equipment into one room. The hotel must think we are pretty strange, carrying sacks of flour, sugar, machetes, gardening implements and water barrels to and fro! After a 40 minute trek, John and I finally found an ATM which would take our cards so we could complete the shopping. We had to buy the last bits of food and equipment. Yes, more rice (that takes us to 128kg of the stuff) and about 30 tubes of tomato paste. Pots, pans, sunblock (very difficult to find in a place where most people definately do not need it) and finally got to sample a bit of fruit from the market. Mangos, watermelon and bananas for lunch which were loving. Emma, Ed and I paid 10 pounds for kidney beans, which must be the most expensive food purchase of the week but we got a free cocnut from a vendor who used to live in the same part of london as Emma! It really is a small world. Once again, the 'barbie girl' calls were loud and clear.

The plan for the rest of the night was to pack up everything and for everyone except Tosh and I to take a taxi which Trevor had helped organise down to Iwokrama. Trevor, who obvioulsy knows the right people in this town helped barter a good price for the taxi, however not all went as planned. In the early evening, 6 hours before everyone was due to leave, the driver came by to check on everything. But.... he was under the impression the team were not going as far as Iwokrama and so when Toshi and John explained where they wanted to go, he wanted more money. For the couple of hours John and Tosh were in negotiation with the driver to make sure that everything was still going to run to plan, the rest of the group were having negotiations of their own. Time was running out and Toshi and John did not want to aggrevate the driver as he was eally our only hope of getting down to Iwokrama that night. We couldnt afford really for the team to stay any longer and so the pressure was really on. Toshi had to call Trevor, the only man who could help.....

Meanwhile, the rest of the team crammed into one room with rotten potatoes and enough equipment to start a small farm to discuss their fears about the situation unfolding downstairs. 'Stranded', 'Kindnapped', 'Gun', 'emergency plan', 'satellite phone', 'safety', 'machete' and 'death' were a few of the common words in the discussion. Our worst fears being that the driver drops everyone in the middle of nowhere and demands more money which we dont have to take us the full way and then leaves us taking everything, even the rice! WE just didnt know what could happen and were starting to feel really uncomforatble........

However, Trevor did save the day. He knew the Taxi driver, Peter, really well and explained our situation. As a result we got the price to $400 for the trip down. Alot cheaper then taking the public bus too! Everyone's minds were eased by Trevor's confidence in the man and so all the previous talk of emergency procedure fell to the back of everyones' heads. We now had to concetrate on actually trying to pack the taxi. After another chinese (Honestly its the cheapest food around and its really tasty), a last shower (the last for a very lonng time) and couple of games of cards, we were all bringing down the equipment (we threw those potatoes away) It began to feel like a real expedition. At 12am, Toshi and I waved goodbye to the rest of the team in a blue minivan with a bulging roofrack. With only water, bread and peanuts for accessible food, the rest of the team will have to get to Iwokrama and clear and set up camp and wait till we have the permit on tuesday to begin our study.

Toshi and I felt like we were sending our kids away from home for the first time and there were almost tears in our eyes! Well not really, they're big enough and ugly enough to deal with it! We will now wait in Georgetown till Tuesday to sort the pemit out and then join them on wednesday. Although i know their journey will be absoultely fine and very exciting, i am awaiting their e-mails impatiently!

So fingers crossed now that the permit is fine for tuesday!!

Day 2 - Shopping in G/town

Having had a luxurious sleep in the Sleep Hotel for the first night in Guyana the group of 9 was ready to start the looong day ahead! Everyone had to wake up and be ready by 9:30 to have the complimentry breakfast; a plantain roti, toast, pineapple jam, microwave sausage and tea breakfast may sound pretty disgusting to you Brits having your Tesco dinners, but this simple dish (which at first looked like hell) was a life saver!

By 11:00 the group split into 3; one food group (myself, Emz and Ester), the hardware group (John mark, Alex and Ed) and the admin group (Tosh and Steph). dressed in inappropriate gear we all stuck out like soar thumbs, against the chocolate background the 9 whities looked somewhat out of place, through the whole day it seemed as though we were the only tourists in Guyana! our pink ladden princess Em was bombarded but lustful jeers, "Barbie Girl have you got a boyfriend?", and our arian god Mark was taunted with the likes of "Hey Ruddy, get out here look at how white this man is!". But the two shopping groups had no problems getting around town. It strikes me that despite the squalor and poverty (with leprosy and beggars scattered about the rat infested dirt roads)everyone in this wonderful country seems curious and friendly towards the encroaching aliens; all the people here have the time of day to hear about your trip and all seem genuinely amazed at the level of commitment in our trip.

We each had a small list of stuff to buy, as part of the food group I can only elaborate on the food stuffs, we managed to buy potatoes (of which were some what squashed and rotten), a lot of rice, odd spices and a vampire slaying amount of garlic, etc. the haggling in the market ios quite fun but is scarily stressful, while we were able to reduce prices by the equvalent of pennies I couldn't help but think that this strange haggling was stressing ou the marketeers more than it was us; by the end of the day we weren't even bothering to haggle. The food buys were so heavy that they warranted a taxi ride of which the kind taxi driver seemed surpringly shcocked when he attempted to lift the bags we had carried for so long. Our highlights among our group apart from the constant perched lips of oggling Ema adorers was Em falling unsuspectingly into a massive crater in the road, while quietly chuckling her foot was coated with an undescribable floor mess, thankfully she was able to recover from her fall and embarrassment.

Fairing slightly better than us the hardware group were able to buy near enough all of the Guyanese equip[ment on their list in 2-3 shops; this allowed them to siesta in the sun with coconut drinks.

The admin group were dealing with much worse news; appently the Environment Protection Agency ermit we need to stay in the jungle messed up along the way. This team met up with our ever so helpful contact Trevor and managed to make contact with the people at Iwokrama. Steph having not put any insect repellent on her uncvered lower legs was thus sattacked and annihaleted by mosquitoes loving her white blood.Unfortunatly the cockup is forcing Steph and Toshi to stay a few more days in Georgetown while the whole mess gets sorted out; the rest of the team however will venture on as per usual into Iwokrama tomorrow night. If all goes to plan though, plan B will conclude with the 9 junglateers camping it up by wednesday!

Just so you know, everyone is still alive and kicking and as of yet we aren't at each others throats, but only time can tell. As a rather enthused local told me today "keep it real, peace out white boy!"

CT

Day 1 - Arrival

After 25 hours of being awake, we have finally arrived at the hotel in Georgetown, at 1am local time, or 6am London time, and have spent the whole day in airports.

This morning we managed to just about make the 7.17am Gatwick express from Victoria, which was jam-packed even for that time in the morning. We queued for ages in Gatwick with 11 bags, and had to put most of them on the oversized belt, and then again we stood in a very long queue to gets our bags scanned - the message being 3 hours arriving at the airport in advance is well-timed!
We didn't all sit together on the plane, which lasted for 9 hours in the company of incessantly screaming babies EVERYWHERE. None of us managed to get some sleep, so instead resorted to watching 3 movies, and took a few strolls here and there.

At Barbados the warm weather greeted us - no less than 30C - along with a short tropical downpour. However, feeling so liberated and free after that flight, most of us stood and enjoyed it! The queue at the airport to check in was even longer than anything in Gatwick, and we had to pay $35 extra for excess baggage. We then went on a mission to find some food, and ended up paying universally extortionate airport prices, and had to sit around for what seemed like an eternity. Also, we found out that Emma managed to get a pocket knife through Gatwick security! Our flight was delayed by a total of 2 hours, and when we arrived in Guyana after severe decompression symptoms and feeling nauseous from the mini plane we queued for, again, an eternity for immigration sevices.

We were all feeling the sleep deprivation getting to us, but the fun hadn't begun! First, when a few of us had gotten through with our 2-month visas we realized only 4/11 bags had arrived as well as that 3 of us were only able to get month-long visas!
So we sat around and worried, but after having made a complaint about the visas they were changed, and 15 minutes later the rest of our bags arrived on a different flight!

So now we're finally all settling down safely for the night, the guys with a bottle of beer and the girls in their nightgowns and curlers. Sweet dreams, and till the next time!

Fundraising

Current Funds

Personal Contributions £5,000.00 Imperial College £5,000.00 ZSL £2,000.00 RGS £750.00 Harrow £500.00 Lyndhurst House School £200.00 Lindeth Charitable Trust £300.00 Barker Charitable Trust £100.00 Ring Automotive Ltd £250.00 10Km Sponsored run £900.00 Medical Modelling £350.00 Band Night £391.00 Cake Sale £651.00 Total Raised £16,392.00

Future Events
Auction
The generosity of a large number of shop owners in the chelsea Kensington area has been overwhelming. Their donations will be auctioned off at Bonhams auction house along with a variety of lots provided by the team members themselves. The date of the auction has been postponed until after the expedition has taken place so watch this space!

Past Events
Klinefelters Fundraising Gig
On the 29th of May The Klinefelters successfully provided a whole nights entertainment and managed to raise £391 from a crowd that quite blatently knows good music when it hears it.

Bake sales
Against all odds, the culinary skills of the team yielded a massive £651 from the generous... or ravenous staff and students of Imperial college.

10k Run
It was a photo finish between John Gale and everyone else... John, admittedly, clinched it though

Edward Sulston Profile

My fascination with Biology started at the age of 9, with a visit to some of the national parks in North America, since then it has been a passion of mine. I was awarded a Nuffield Bursary in the summer of 2002 for a research project in neurology at the John Radcliff Hospital in Oxford. I’ve always had a fascination with marine environments, with a pet project over sixth form at Magdalen College School helping to develop a Marine Aquarium. I did a small amount of work for the natural history department of the BBC doing research into equipment to be used for the program Amazon Abyss. Work experience half way through my sixth form consisted of working for the Park Rangers of Oxfordshire, learning of invasive species and land management. My interest has now turned towards Jungle environments, as the most species diverse ecosystems in the world they are an exciting area for study. I relish in the challenge of entering a new environment that holds many hidden wonders.

Cuong Tang Profile

Although my experience of the jungle environment is limited to a trek through a Vietnamese jungle while on holiday, I thrive on the opportunity to experience and get down and dirty in Guyana. As one of the last four pristine rainforest left on this planet, I believe this trip will be life changing, and perhaps give me some direction career wise. From the majestic Jaguar to the haunting stare of the Saki monkey, my love for the beauty of nature is the reason I chose to study biology at university. What could be more fulfilling than observing an untouched haven for biodiversity?

Emma Keller Profile

I have not encountered a jungle environment before but feel ready to embrace the new experiences that I will endear. I am a self-motivated individual and am always eager to learn new things and be confronted with places and situations alien to me. As a person I am organised, happy and will always strive to succeed as I believe the greater the goal the riper the reward. I am easy to get along with and enjoy working as part of a team and co-operating with others. Leadership is a strong quality of mine and I can step in and out of this role when required.

As part of my A-levels I undertook a camp-craft trip whereby survival in a woody area, living in tents with limited facilities and conductance of research throughout the day were involved. Although completely different, I feel that I will be able so extract some of the skills I learnt here and apply them to the jungle situation

Oliver Hill Profile

Experience
Travelled for 6 months around mainland China in my gap year. Focussing mainly on the study of kung fu.

I was born and raised in the heart of the Devonshire countryside so wildlife as always been a major feature of my existence. This lifestyle has given me a strong basis in outdoor survival and wildlife watching. Much of my young life was spent camping in our woods, watching wildlife and appreciating nature. I have developed a keen sense for wilderness survival through the tutelage of parents, local farmers and woodsmen and just living there and building a fire or a campsite. My parents have always been avid naturalists and for as long as I can remember have taken me along to the meetings and lectures of various societies to which they belong such as the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), the Devon wildlife trust and the Devon herpetological society. This has ingrained the ability to quickly recognise those details which allow us to differentiate between similar appearing species. Conservation has always been a great concern of mine and I feel strongly about actively doing my part towards helping get us back on track. My contributions to the team would revolve around my survival skills and knowledge of wildlife tracking and recognition.

Stephanie Heard Profile

I am an extremely keen and dedicated 2nd year undergraduate, studying Biology with a Year in Europe. I have completed the Gold Duke of Edinburgh in Snowdon, where I developed important skills in expedition planning, map reading, basic survival skills while camping such as setting up camp and cooking. I also learned the importance of teamwork, how to keep a team motivated and building up fitness for expeditions. I attended the 2nd year Marine Biology course in Guernsey where I learned invaluable field work skills. This course involved the frequent use of transects, quadrat and the identification of species in that environment, so I feel confident in carrying out the planned research and data analysis in Guyana. I was a member of the Wirral Countryside Volunteers which involved countryside management and animal habitat development. Having grown up in South Africa, I have travelled to many wildlife reserves, including the Safari and Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park where I have participated on park treks with park rangers. I have therefore been in ‘wild’ environments before and feel I have adequate experience in this area. Growing up and travelling around South Africa and many other places such as Brazil and Europe has instilled in me a very strong sense of adventure and determination to endeavour through challenges such as the Guyana expedition.

John Gale Profile

Travel has always been one of my passions. During my gap year in 2004 I conducted six months of research diving: three months for the Capricorn Coast alliance in Madagascar and three months for GVI (Global Vision International), Mexico. The research focused on fish and coral distributions, looking at the sustainability of village fisheries in Madagascar and the fluctuations in populations of certain fish and coral species on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. During the summer of 2003 I worked for a university lecturer researching bat populations in a country house in Wiltshire; tagging lesser horseshoe bats to measure the feeding range.

Other travel has included trips to five continents. All jungle experience comes from a five day trip in the Brazilian Amazon, a four day trek in Laos and a four day summit ascent of Mt Mulu in Sarawak, Borneo. I’ve trained as a PADI Divemaster and logged over 140 dives. In 2002 I travelled in a camper van for three weeks in the Australian outback, and also spent one week being taught the habits and names of reef-fish on the Ningaloo reef, NW Australia. More recently this summer a schoolmate and I travelled by bus to Vietnam through Thailand and Laos. I feel these accumulated experiences have given me a superb grounding in basic survival skills, an ability to understand foreign cultures and a solid grasp of relevant field research techniques all of which gives me confidence that I will be a useful member of the expedition team.

Ester de Roij Profile

Last summer I went to Ecuador for a month to radio-track bears, which involved listening to signals through an antenna, locating them and then recording compass details. The readings were done on hikes along transects on various mountains. This has given me good practical experience such as marking transects, and the use of electronic equipment, that would be useful on this trip.
Apart from being a very keen biologist (and greatly enjoying fieldwork), I love working in teams and I am always up for a challenge. I am generally ambitious, reliable and trustworthy.

Alex Cameron-Smith Profile

Experience:
I have worked in two wildlife parks in the UK: Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne and Capel Manor in north London. I worked in close proximity with a large range of animals, including tigers, lions, snow leopard, European wolves, squirrel monkeys, cheetah, lemurs, meerkats, lizards, snakes, camels, zebra, reindeer, toucans and various birds of prey. I have climbed the eleven mountains of Snowdonia in Wales (with a dislocated knee), as well as three other peaks, which helped me obtain essential team skills as well as increasing my physical fitness.

I have a first aid qualification in both basic and emergency procedures, and I will be renewing my certificate before the expedition.

Mark Brown Profile

I am currently studying biology in my second year and hope to be able to go on to do a PhD with the ultimate goal being to enter a research career. Constantly learning, discovering and understanding is an exciting concept for me and something I am extremely motivated to achieve.
I am predominantly interested in the smaller scale biology, that of the cell, the biochemistry and genetics. How these sorts of mechanisms manifest themselves on a larger scale such as the entire organism or even evolution is of great interest to me.
Music is also a large part of my life, playing various instruments and writing my own songs is a great hobby of mine and I feel that creativity is a valuable thing, especially in an area such as research.

Personal goals
See an area of the world drastically different to any I’ve been to and have a chance to help preserve it for others.
To gain an insight into what a research career would be like whilst paving the way towards it by developing my CV.

Hitoshi Takano Profile

Experience:

- 2 months, Sungai Kinabatangan, Sabah, Borneo – Collecting beetle samples for Natural History Museum, London (2005).
- 2 months, Alabat Island, Philippines – Helping to conserve a watershed area for the inhabitants of the island, in conjunction with the National Museum of the Philippines (2005).
- 1 month working as a guide in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand – Taking visitors trekking through the rainforest, valuable experience in communication and taking responsibility for all members in the group (2005).
- Trekking through various rainforest environments in Taiwan and Malaysia (2005).
- Ascent of Mount Kinabalu (4,100m) Sabah, Borneo (2005).
- Organising and leading four team members on the last leg of the Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, north-west Spain, to raise money for Whizz-Kidz (2004).

Since a young age, I have been fascinated by Nature and the planet we live upon. From the camouflage of a leaf butterfly to the deadly venom of a cobra, I have marvelled at Nature’s ingenuity. My main interests lie in herpetology, especially snakes, an inordinate fondness for such strange creatures. Yet I know, without conservation measures, much of the planets unique ecosystems will be destroyed and many species will perish with it, leaving our next generation without the sights and sounds of what is in my eyes, paradise.
I am an extremely motivated individual, who likes to do things to the maximum ability possible. I have a fun and amiable personality, and enjoy working as part of a team, as well as the challenge of leading the team. I am able to stay calm and think clearly and quickly under pressure and most importantly, I never give up. Organising and leading this expedition to Guyana will be a challenge and a once in a lifetime opportunity I must grasp.