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Holidays in Himachal Pradesh - May 2010
 
The Girls' Trek
Sixteen girls and four members of staff had a memorable trip to Sairopa in the Himalayan National park in the first weeks of June. They travelled two days by train and coach to the hills by the Eastern gate of the national Park. On the first day after their arrival they did a river crossing, abseiled down a rock face and went for a nature trail in the forest behind the Sairopa Lodge.
The next day we headed out on an eight kilometre hike to the Eastern Gate. We were faster than the boys over this stretch. In the evening we camped in tents and sat around the camp fire. There was all sorts of wild life. The next morning the weather broke and in the pouring rain we headed back for the Lodge but not before we had stopped in a tea house to dry out and have a steaming hot cup of chai.
In the evening we saw a film about some men who had done an exhibition in the same area. In the evening there was a concert with songs and dancing. The guides who had been with us on the trek did a local dance and we all joined in. The sun began creeping through the next day as we made our way back through Himachal Pradesh and the vast plains of U.P. We had to cross the river in the bus twice as the bridges were being mended.
By the time we reached Howrah we were exhausted but we want to go back again to see Pankhy and the rest of the team.
The children have camped and trekked way up beyond the treeline and into the snow, enjoying the forests, the rhododendrons, and the meadows full of wild flowers on the way.
It is a new and wonderful experience for the children who cannot believe the amazing things they are seeing - particularly the 360 degree views of the mountain peaks.
We will be posting reports from the children along with many more photos when they get back...
This is all possible thanks to the amazing hard work and generosity of Ian Blackman, who completed a canoe marathon on the Thames to raise the money needed to fund this holiday. Thanks also to everyone who supported and sponsored Ian.
You can see his fundraising page here
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