Dad taking tiny kids to live in Amazon for 15 months has 'horribly unusual' fear
A dad has admitted he has had 'nightmares' about what could happen to his kids when they leave the UK to live in the rainforest - but says he and his family are 'very excited' and ready for their new adventure.
Greg Dickens, 37, and and Guen Bradbury, 36, will begin their 15-month-long journey through Guyana this weekend after months of planning and packing.
Travelling with them will be their young children Talpha, aged six, Martes, four, and one-year-old Lutra, who will learn to live with the humidity, unpredictable terrain and all kinds of creepy crawlies as the family venture across the tropical forests of the South American nation.
Their journey will begin in the Guyanan capital of Georgetown, where after a short few days they will all fly south to take part in a two-week-long survival training course.
Six year-old Talpa (right), four-year-old Martes (left) and one-year-old Lutra will go to local schools in Guyana (Paul Marriott)After that will follow more than a year of travelling village-to-village through the Amazon, before they eventually end up at the research centre of Iwokrama.
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What makes their expedition different to most is the distinct family feel, and when they set off on their adventure on April 22 it will be the first time the children ever get on a plane or leave their home country.
Greg says his little ones are raring to go, with the older pair especially keen for brand new experiences as they prepare to enrol at multiple local schools along the route.
The family's final few weeks in the UK have meanwhile seen them cram almost an entire bedroom's worth of equipment into their home in Cambridgeshire, as Greg spends hours tinkering and modifying various gadgets and safety items for their trip through the deepest parts of the jungle.
He'll even be bringing different component parts of a boat with him, ready for the Bradberrys to put together and use to navigate down the Amazon River.
Reeling off the many things they have got ready, Greg said: "We have got a boat engine, an electric one, it’s quite heavy and it weighs a bit but we’re taking it with us.
The family have almost filled a bedroom with all the equipment they are taking to Guyana (Paul Marriott)"We’ve got inflatable boat hulls which we can latch together and make a catamaran, a tiny one.
"We’ve got survival gear, water purification stuff, a pretty amazing first aid kit.
"Some hammocks that I have modified form their own original design to hold two kids instead of one adult.
"In fact, I don’t think there’s anything we’re taking that hasn’t messed with or modified from its original design.
In preparation for the trip, young Lutra has also been put through potty training, while the dining room table at home has disappeared in favour of more rudimentary mealtimes on the floor.
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The parents say they have also gradually increased the amount of spice in their children's meals to help them adapt to the new local cuisine.
Greg admits he has had 'nightmares' about what could happen to his children in the rainforest but says they are taking safety measures (Paul Marriott)
Guen says the couple have thought 'very hard about the levels of risk here' (Paul Marriott)There are, of course, more immediate dangers involved in venturing deep into the rainforest - not least with young children - and Greg says he has had to think soberly about the worst that could potentially happen on their trip.
Opening up on how he has dealt with his fears, he said: "I’ve had a year of nightmares about this - the kids getting hurt in horribly unusual ways, or it all being too difficult, or impossible, or too dangerous.
"And then, in the last month or so, we’ve been watching some videos on YouTube and films of people doing similar things in Guyana, or Suriname, or anywhere locally - and it looks really fun!
"They’re having a really nice time, the jungle is not all death and all danger all the time."
He even admits that, amid all the worrying, he had "lost sight of how much I’m looking forward to this for a while", with it only being in the last few weeks where he has gone from "terrified and planning to not be so worried" to "being really excited and trying to have as much fun as possible."
Giving a mother's perspective on the challenges ahead, Guen adds: "We would be being very, very foolish if we did not think very hard about the levels of risk here.
"So, we’re seeing those ‘nightmares’ as ways to help us with the risk, and what are our shields of protection to help us with that risk.
"One of the things that he mentioned is smartphones, and I think we often take them for granted but they are such an incredible tool to allow you to have access to wilderness medicine apps, to allow you to have offline access to huge numbers of bird species and recognise them by call."
But the key to keeping the kids safe, Greg says, will be a 'rule of four' - ensuring there are approximately this number of prepared responses and layers of protection to every emergency situation.
The family will use a 'rule of four' to help them prepare for emergency situations (Paul Marriott)For example, there are four methods of stopping them "dying from snake bites", including training them to walk safely in the forest, wearing snake-proof gaiters, taking our emergency rescue insurance, and various forms of snake bite treatment.
There are also several ways to prevent them from drowning if they fall out of the boat in to water, such as wearing a lifejacket, being tied on with a rope, and having swimming lessons.
The couple say they have done their best to identify the major hazards of life in the Amazon, and have put multiple layers of protection around each one - as well as having each child vaccinated "‘till kingdom come" against tropical diseases.
While the biggest expense has been flights, and after that smartphones, the greatest challenge he expects from life in the months ahead is the unwelcome company of tropical flying insects.
"This is going to sound ridiculous but I love bugs, and I love the jungle, but I’m moderately sure that I’m gonna find being bitten a hundred times a day by biting flies to be wearing after a while? I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get bored of that pretty quickly", Greg said.
Guen has also singled out the constant stickiness of the jungle as one of the biggest tests, saying: "I think it’s going to be coping with being damp all the time, being sweaty, being uncomfortable. And helping the kids recognise the strategies to manage it, talk about it, get them used to it.
Despite the obvious risks involved in the tour - and sceptical comments from some members of the public when their plans were exclusively shared with the Mirror back in January - Greg says the reception from his friends, family and peers has been "universally positive".
Many have demanded that he tells them all about the trip when he returns, and this has even tempted him to prepare a short film to be shown upon his return, or alternatively hold a small gathering where he can share his tales in person.
The couple are keen to see the kids 'develop their responsibilities within a family group' along the journey (Paul Marriott)
The family will fly from the UK to the capital of Georgetown before flying south for survival training in Lethem (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Their trip has been made possible thanks to Greg and Guen's sabbatical period from research and product development firm Innovia Technology, where they work in medical and surgical innovation.
While in Guyana however they will take up a new calling in education, as they have already agreed to teach in at local schools in the rainforest in exchange for having their children offered a place there.
Both of them are also trained vets, something which they say has helped them secure crucial meetings with various environmental organisations in the English-speaking country, and will allow them to do scientific research along the way.
But the biggest thing they are hoping to gain out of the whole experience is witnessing the family working as team, as well as the memories and unique opportunities for bonding that will undoubtedly crop up.
Mum Guen said it would offer something different from the usual patterns of modern parenting: "I am looking forward to having to be a team, parenting in lots of different situations, and especially with the older two, giving them defined responsibilities where they can see it’s important to do it for everyone.
"I think, with the best will in the world, it’s really hard with the way we live in the UK in general - a lot of parent’s roles especially as kids get older are taking them out of the family, so taking them to clubs, taking them to experiences.
"I think there are obviously massive benefits about that but I think sometimes it can come at the cost of releasing just how much you as an individual contribute to a family group."
Watching the kids grow will also be one of the highlights, adds Guen, and she says she is keen to see "develop their responsibilities within a family group" as they embrace the unfamiliar - and embark on what they hope will be an adventure of a lifetime.
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