Above the Clouds
First up, SHOUT OUT – we love hearing about the community this trip creates, and we have been informed of the 'India Tour Reflection Group', a group of parents gathering every Monday to chat about the trip back home. Shout out to you legends, great to hear you are enjoying the blog. Tonight is our last night in Darjeeling, and we are so pleased to have taken in this leg of the journey. The place feels little like the India I know, and for that, it is refreshing. So I sit here, literally above the clouds, attempting to articulate for you how day 8 played out, and I hope you enjoy.
Tuesday 12 December
Sickness Update – it is with a heavy heart that I add myself to the list of those fallen. I am currently trying to practice what I preach, and hope to be back to 100% shortly. Cam MacFarlane and Nikau Reti-Beazley are also new additions, with Ryan Donovan and Ben Lerner still on the mend. Michael Derevianko is now fully recovered – champion.
4:00am – after this writer definitely did not pull rank, the group were awoken. However, there was a valid excuse, as we headed off to watch the sun rise on the third tallest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga (also known as K2, given it is the second highest mountain in the Himalayas). K2 is situated about 125km south-east of Everest. The trip saw the group travel up Tiger Hill, where hundreds of people gathered (they've even built a grandstand) to watch this sight. It was absolutely stunning. Indeed, there was even a peep of Everest. After the chaos of the last week, this was a moment of pure clarity. This clarity was clearly short-lived, however, as all boys came back with some abhorrent beanies, George Skinner with the worst of the lot – a pink cat beanie with ears.
5:00am – on the way home, the group also visited a monastery. Given the area we are in, Buddhism is inescapable, and the monastery allowed us to gain a greater appreciation of the way of life that it is.
7:30am – after a rapid pace was set by Mr. Jordan (previous tour participants will be well aware of this), the group powered on to breakfast, and what a breakfast it was. This writer took it upon himself to treat the boys, and he did not disappoint. Bacon, eggs, sausages and good old fashioned t-sauce (that's tomato sauce, for those less cultured) were dished up, with every mouthful devoured. You're welcome, boys.
9:00am – a well-deserved few hours of rest were had.
12:00pm – we then headed to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute which, bizarrely, and in vintage India style, also includes a zoo containing leopards, panthers, tigers, and bears – oh my! The Institute is primarily a teaching facility for youth mountaineers, but also contains a museum with some fascinating history of the geography and those that have battled it. Of note were the references to Tenzing Norgay, as Darjeeling was his home town.
2pm – free time was had, and the boys were able to sleep, read and explore the streets of Darjeeling. The challenge for the group was to observe the differences between this place, and Kolkata. The boys particularly noticed the increased level of wealth in the area. Whilst there are the inevitable street stalls, just the clothing of the people served as a reminder of the change in material standards. Given I have not been to Nepal, this writer must take the group's word for it when they say Darjeeling has a Nepalese feel to it, much more so than an Indian feel.
6:00pm – we reconvened for dinner, and our finest Indian attire was again a requirement. Mr. Crook took this opportunity to dress up as a park ranger mixed with Steve Irwin, with some serious khaki on khaki action. Questionable at best. Callan Adams concluded proceedings with his Experts in the Field talk on Buddhism – simply outstanding stuff!
8:30pm – we split off into new debrief groups for the first time, giving the boys the opportunity to interact with a new staff member, as well as a new group of boys. Discussion this evening moved away from the things we had been seeing, and onto our personal lives. Each group was given a set of flash cards, with a phrase such as "seeking connection" on it, and a picture as the back drop. The task was for each of us to pick a card that particularly resonated with us, and share the reasons why. Some particularly heartfelt and authentic responses were had. As staff, we continue to be absolutely blown away by the level of depth of these boys.
10:00pm – and that was it, the end of day seven in India. Crazy to think we have only been here a week.
MVP – Raymond Zhou. As I've said, free-time today consisted mainly of rest and exploring the streets of Darjeeling, and many chose to do just that. However, next to our hotel sits a reasonably large hill, on top of which rests a Buddhist temple. Raymond led an excursion to this temple, taking in the incredible view from the top, and being blessed in the process. Full credit to this young man for making the most of the free-time he's given, and continuing to explore.
Thought – today, we were exposed to Buddhism. Central to the religion is the notion of detachment. Part of this is the idea of meditation, and switching off one's mind. The power, it is said, is in de-cluttering one's mind, and gathering clarity through stillness. Indeed, in the 'age of connection', how often are we truly still? Today, we have Snapchat, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook, often at a minimum, as mediums of communication. Where we are constantly in contact with one another, we are forever distracted. Buddhism suggests that we are therefore failing to achieve enlightenment, the pure state of happiness.
Reuben
Tuesday 12 December
Sickness Update – it is with a heavy heart that I add myself to the list of those fallen. I am currently trying to practice what I preach, and hope to be back to 100% shortly. Cam MacFarlane and Nikau Reti-Beazley are also new additions, with Ryan Donovan and Ben Lerner still on the mend. Michael Derevianko is now fully recovered – champion.
4:00am – after this writer definitely did not pull rank, the group were awoken. However, there was a valid excuse, as we headed off to watch the sun rise on the third tallest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga (also known as K2, given it is the second highest mountain in the Himalayas). K2 is situated about 125km south-east of Everest. The trip saw the group travel up Tiger Hill, where hundreds of people gathered (they've even built a grandstand) to watch this sight. It was absolutely stunning. Indeed, there was even a peep of Everest. After the chaos of the last week, this was a moment of pure clarity. This clarity was clearly short-lived, however, as all boys came back with some abhorrent beanies, George Skinner with the worst of the lot – a pink cat beanie with ears.
5:00am – on the way home, the group also visited a monastery. Given the area we are in, Buddhism is inescapable, and the monastery allowed us to gain a greater appreciation of the way of life that it is.
7:30am – after a rapid pace was set by Mr. Jordan (previous tour participants will be well aware of this), the group powered on to breakfast, and what a breakfast it was. This writer took it upon himself to treat the boys, and he did not disappoint. Bacon, eggs, sausages and good old fashioned t-sauce (that's tomato sauce, for those less cultured) were dished up, with every mouthful devoured. You're welcome, boys.
9:00am – a well-deserved few hours of rest were had.
12:00pm – we then headed to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute which, bizarrely, and in vintage India style, also includes a zoo containing leopards, panthers, tigers, and bears – oh my! The Institute is primarily a teaching facility for youth mountaineers, but also contains a museum with some fascinating history of the geography and those that have battled it. Of note were the references to Tenzing Norgay, as Darjeeling was his home town.
2pm – free time was had, and the boys were able to sleep, read and explore the streets of Darjeeling. The challenge for the group was to observe the differences between this place, and Kolkata. The boys particularly noticed the increased level of wealth in the area. Whilst there are the inevitable street stalls, just the clothing of the people served as a reminder of the change in material standards. Given I have not been to Nepal, this writer must take the group's word for it when they say Darjeeling has a Nepalese feel to it, much more so than an Indian feel.
6:00pm – we reconvened for dinner, and our finest Indian attire was again a requirement. Mr. Crook took this opportunity to dress up as a park ranger mixed with Steve Irwin, with some serious khaki on khaki action. Questionable at best. Callan Adams concluded proceedings with his Experts in the Field talk on Buddhism – simply outstanding stuff!
8:30pm – we split off into new debrief groups for the first time, giving the boys the opportunity to interact with a new staff member, as well as a new group of boys. Discussion this evening moved away from the things we had been seeing, and onto our personal lives. Each group was given a set of flash cards, with a phrase such as "seeking connection" on it, and a picture as the back drop. The task was for each of us to pick a card that particularly resonated with us, and share the reasons why. Some particularly heartfelt and authentic responses were had. As staff, we continue to be absolutely blown away by the level of depth of these boys.
10:00pm – and that was it, the end of day seven in India. Crazy to think we have only been here a week.
MVP – Raymond Zhou. As I've said, free-time today consisted mainly of rest and exploring the streets of Darjeeling, and many chose to do just that. However, next to our hotel sits a reasonably large hill, on top of which rests a Buddhist temple. Raymond led an excursion to this temple, taking in the incredible view from the top, and being blessed in the process. Full credit to this young man for making the most of the free-time he's given, and continuing to explore.
Thought – today, we were exposed to Buddhism. Central to the religion is the notion of detachment. Part of this is the idea of meditation, and switching off one's mind. The power, it is said, is in de-cluttering one's mind, and gathering clarity through stillness. Indeed, in the 'age of connection', how often are we truly still? Today, we have Snapchat, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook, often at a minimum, as mediums of communication. Where we are constantly in contact with one another, we are forever distracted. Buddhism suggests that we are therefore failing to achieve enlightenment, the pure state of happiness.
Reuben
Can't wait to see photos of you all dressed up in Ali Baba gear, pink beanies, sunnies and beards!
ReplyDeleteYes I'm looking forward to these pics as well!! Great update thanks Reuben!
ReplyDeleteReuben, thanks for these fabulous updates- well written, informative just love them! Highlight of my day. Also thank the boys for me, all their blogs are also fabulous- honest, raw, interesting- I can see why these young men were chosen to go on this adventure. May your journey continue to be blessed- and may you all stay as well as possible! Gabrielle
ReplyDeleteReuben, so appreciated for your hard job! Looking forward to the photos as well! All the best to all of you!
ReplyDelete