Source: http://ribexpedition.net/history
Finally we are all here in Buenos Aires on the threshold of our dream becoming a reality. Getting here means being thousands of miles away from our homes spread across Switzerland, Germany, India, Argentina, Netherlands, Denmark and Italy. Arriving at this point has been an odyssey of thousands and thousands of emails, countless long distance phone calls and Skype conversations across the continents, dozens of flight, some connecting some not, and at times permits that had ensure passage would be arriving well after the flight had departed. But most of this is now behind us.
Crew
Which is the most important and difficult task and if a team can get factors right, success and a rewarding sense of teamwork will follow. Humans are in the mix, and each team member brings along all of their baggage—for the good and for the less good.
We worked good as a team and managed quite well the 5 weeks of depending on each other 24hrs a day. We had our struggles and our highs and lows. As a leader I must inspire a high level of commitment and performance. But as a human being it is not always easy to deal with the pressure of the unknown and the expectations everybody has in me. In the beginning of the trip I felt sometimes too much pressure on my shoulders for various reasons. I also tend to expect too much from my crew. Crew changes are always healthy but also sometimes difficult to adjust fast enough to the daily grind of the old team.
The aim of the Expedition was to travel through four countries: Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. The teams will journey 6800 km in 72 days on 8 different rivers, from the Delta of the Paraná River in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Manaus, the heart of the Amazon river, in inflatable boats and capture as much of the unique natural landscape, flora and fauna as possible.
