Wow, what a hectic 6 weeks! It has seen me chasing more Duke of Edinburgh students around both Scotland and Sri Lanka, I’ve mixed cement by hand to help build a sports pavilion, I’ve been whitewater rafting, helped to cook 12 different curry dishes, carried a cuddly blue parrot around Norway and played with Thomas the Tank Engine for about 6 hours. Obviously a lot to cover, so I’ll try not to bore you.
One thing that has progressed well is my nights under canvass (unfortunately, I’m lacking in many photos, as the camera broke on Day 1 of my Sri Lanka trip.) After another 2 nights with Duke of Edinburgh (where I met another interesting person, Paul, the store manager and mountain bike leader), I had about 12 hours to sleep, post my postal vote for the Referendum and pack for a 2.5 week expedition to Sri Lanka, via Dubai to pick up 19 school kids and 3 teachers. (2 of whom I’m claiming as old friends I have reconnected with, as I led with them last year to Ethiopia – Sean and Andrew. The 3rd teacher I’m counting as one of my interesting people – Mallory is Canadian, just started her first ever teaching job on her first ever trip abroad in Dubai, and had now signed up to a Sri Lankan trip. We got to know each other fairly well through sharing tents and even a double bed for a week in one hotel!) I also met the interesting Ronnie Robb, one of the other expedition leaders, who was working 10 months this year on foreign expeditions (and wondering why he found it hard to hold down a long-term relationship.)
One thing that has progressed well is my nights under canvass (unfortunately, I’m lacking in many photos, as the camera broke on Day 1 of my Sri Lanka trip.) After another 2 nights with Duke of Edinburgh (where I met another interesting person, Paul, the store manager and mountain bike leader), I had about 12 hours to sleep, post my postal vote for the Referendum and pack for a 2.5 week expedition to Sri Lanka, via Dubai to pick up 19 school kids and 3 teachers. (2 of whom I’m claiming as old friends I have reconnected with, as I led with them last year to Ethiopia – Sean and Andrew. The 3rd teacher I’m counting as one of my interesting people – Mallory is Canadian, just started her first ever teaching job on her first ever trip abroad in Dubai, and had now signed up to a Sri Lankan trip. We got to know each other fairly well through sharing tents and even a double bed for a week in one hotel!) I also met the interesting Ronnie Robb, one of the other expedition leaders, who was working 10 months this year on foreign expeditions (and wondering why he found it hard to hold down a long-term relationship.)
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While in Sri Lanka, I managed 5 nights under canvass – 3 on our trekking phase through tea plantations and rice paddies, and 2 at the rather cool Borderlands, where we did white water rafting. Although I’m claiming it as a night under canvass, it was the most luxurious night I’m spent in a tent, with a campbed, a light and a 4-way extension lead for all my electronic needs……perched on a wooden balcony overlooking a beautiful river and the jungle.
Sri Lanka also saw a fair number of different restaurants, although I have only included the ones that I can remember the name of……we had a lovely posh meal in the Royal Oak (old British colonial), lunch every day at our project site in Shan’s Rest, dinner most nights during our project phase at Kandy View Hotel, and our last night extravaganza in Tusker’s in Negumbo. Each served delicious Sri Lankan food, and sometimes traditional British cuisine, such as a hot dogs.
We also had a fabulous opportunity to learn to cook some Sri Lankan food – 23 people working in pairs to cook 12 different dishes, all organised in the front room of a local Sri Lankan lady. The experience was fantastic for team building, and produced the best meal that we ate on the whole trip, which given the kids previous cooking disaster during our trekking phase (no, I still don’t know how they made pasta have the look and texture of mash potato….) was a very pleasant surprise. I personally was involved in making coconut roti, which involved cutting down our own coconut with a machete from the tree in the garden, husking it, and grinding out the inside.
Sri Lanka also saw a fair number of different restaurants, although I have only included the ones that I can remember the name of……we had a lovely posh meal in the Royal Oak (old British colonial), lunch every day at our project site in Shan’s Rest, dinner most nights during our project phase at Kandy View Hotel, and our last night extravaganza in Tusker’s in Negumbo. Each served delicious Sri Lankan food, and sometimes traditional British cuisine, such as a hot dogs.
We also had a fabulous opportunity to learn to cook some Sri Lankan food – 23 people working in pairs to cook 12 different dishes, all organised in the front room of a local Sri Lankan lady. The experience was fantastic for team building, and produced the best meal that we ate on the whole trip, which given the kids previous cooking disaster during our trekking phase (no, I still don’t know how they made pasta have the look and texture of mash potato….) was a very pleasant surprise. I personally was involved in making coconut roti, which involved cutting down our own coconut with a machete from the tree in the garden, husking it, and grinding out the inside.
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Sri Lanka saw a few opportunities for random acts of kindness too, from saving the teachers food before the kids descended for seconds, through to flicking leeches off the kid’s boots while walking. (Leeches are not actually that bad once you get used to them…..and provided you have a spray bottle full of Dettol to get them off you if they bite.)
During our project phase where we helped the locals to build the foundations and walls of a sports pavilion for the local community, I took the opportunity to learn how to mix cement by hand, after the team carefully measured 45 palettes of sand from the sand pile, 2.5 bags of cement and 3 randomly sized buckets of water (plus a few extra sloshes) and a lot of digging over. We also passed rocks along a line from the rock pile delivered by a pick up truck, to the local workmen building the wall – this is a form of exercise I wish never to repeat!
I also took the opportunity to try lots of ‘interesting’ looking snacks at the project site, cooked by the local women. This ranged from what I think was mashed dates and potato in a leaf, to the rather delicious sugar and cinnamon something-or-other, to Vadi, a spiced, sun-dried dumpling made from ground lentils and chickpeas.
During our project phase where we helped the locals to build the foundations and walls of a sports pavilion for the local community, I took the opportunity to learn how to mix cement by hand, after the team carefully measured 45 palettes of sand from the sand pile, 2.5 bags of cement and 3 randomly sized buckets of water (plus a few extra sloshes) and a lot of digging over. We also passed rocks along a line from the rock pile delivered by a pick up truck, to the local workmen building the wall – this is a form of exercise I wish never to repeat!
I also took the opportunity to try lots of ‘interesting’ looking snacks at the project site, cooked by the local women. This ranged from what I think was mashed dates and potato in a leaf, to the rather delicious sugar and cinnamon something-or-other, to Vadi, a spiced, sun-dried dumpling made from ground lentils and chickpeas.
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While on the plane to Dubai and Sri Lanka, I also read 2 books – the rather fascinating ‘Leader Manual’ (all the policies and risk assessments for World Challenge) and the interesting ‘Medical Handbook’ containing all the ways you can die or getting horribly ill in developing world countries. Not what I would have chosen for pleasure, but ‘books’ for my challenge nonetheless. I also managed to watch 2 films: The Dressmaker (a rather random story of Kate Winslet goes to small town Australia and is accused of murder) and the rather trashy ‘How to be Single.’
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After coming back from Sri Lanka, I had barely a week to recover, watch a film (‘Chappie’ – robot becomes gangster) and attend a few networking meeting (coffee with the company I’m leading some Arctic Treks with next year, coffee with a lady who wanted to book a navigation course for her and some friends, and a Skype chat with someone I met at another networking event) before taking another big opportunity – a cruise to Norway.
We were invited by Matt’s brother and his wife, who do regular cruises. It’s not the normal sort of holiday that we do, as we’re normally on action holidays – walking, kayaking etc, but decided to give it a go. Despite some initial apprehension about feeling sea sick and being stuck on a boat, we had a really lovely, relaxing holiday. Fair to say, I have now well and truly smashed my ‘drink 30 types of alcohol’ challenge, after working my way through the cocktail menu. My favourite was Raspberry Crème Brûleé, - a mix of baileys and what appeared to be some raspberry-flavoured yoghurt. I also completed the ‘eat in 30 restaurants’ challenge after eating in the main on-board restaurant (The Oriental) and specialist on-board restaurants, The Glass House and Michelin-starred Indian Restaurant, Sindhu.
We were invited by Matt’s brother and his wife, who do regular cruises. It’s not the normal sort of holiday that we do, as we’re normally on action holidays – walking, kayaking etc, but decided to give it a go. Despite some initial apprehension about feeling sea sick and being stuck on a boat, we had a really lovely, relaxing holiday. Fair to say, I have now well and truly smashed my ‘drink 30 types of alcohol’ challenge, after working my way through the cocktail menu. My favourite was Raspberry Crème Brûleé, - a mix of baileys and what appeared to be some raspberry-flavoured yoghurt. I also completed the ‘eat in 30 restaurants’ challenge after eating in the main on-board restaurant (The Oriental) and specialist on-board restaurants, The Glass House and Michelin-starred Indian Restaurant, Sindhu.
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The cruise provided a bit of time for chilling out, including reading a whole book, borrowed from the on-board library, called The Girl Who Came Back (which was mildly entertaining) and also watching a film in the cabin, called Focus, with Will Smith as a con artist. Due the boat’s dress code, we also got dressed up for dinner each evening, including 2 black tie nights, which provided a great opportunity for some fancy hairstyles too. I tried the hard-to-achieve French Twist, with some success.
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On the way back from Southampton, we stayed overnight with Matt’s friends Rich and Em, and their 2 delightful children. Their 5-year-old son Alfie had just got new trainset, which included a brilliant twist in the track, where the engines drove into a cradle and were catapulted down a 360 degree twist before trundling on their merry way. Alfie found this fascinating, and kept asking me to play with him, so in an act of kindness, I probably spent a good 6 hours over the 2 days playing with Thomas the Tank Engine.
The week back home has been fairly quiet, but I have managed to watch a new film ‘Now You See Me 2’ – good if only for Danial Radcliffe playing a baddie, try out a new exercise class Fitsteps (a ‘Strictly-inspired dance exercise class) and do all of Matt’s washing and pair up all of his socks, and make another ‘What’s in the Fridge’ Soup of broccoli and butternut squash.
The week back home has been fairly quiet, but I have managed to watch a new film ‘Now You See Me 2’ – good if only for Danial Radcliffe playing a baddie, try out a new exercise class Fitsteps (a ‘Strictly-inspired dance exercise class) and do all of Matt’s washing and pair up all of his socks, and make another ‘What’s in the Fridge’ Soup of broccoli and butternut squash.
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Some things I have learnt:
- Against the advice of our local guide, it is definitely not “better to wear shorts as you can see the leeches climbing up your legs and therefore flick them off before they bite you.” This led to a leech bite on my inner thigh about 5cm away from my ‘important places’ that I wouldn’t have got if I’d worn long trouser legs tucked into socks like everyone else had who had ignored his advice.
- Not many people seem to know about the Monty Python ‘Dead Parrot’ sketch…..or at least know it in enough detail……we carried a Norwegian Blue (cuddly toy) parrot called Sketch around Norway with us, surrounded by British people, and only one gentlemen chortled at it….everyone else (I must say, including me, at first) looked blankly at us taking photos of this parrot.
- Pasta, cooked for long enough, will eventually look and taste like mashed potato. Well…..it you close your eyes and imagine its mashed potato, not some starch-filled sludge. Don’t trust 16-year olds to cook for you unattended!
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