British School of Colombo - Day 2

Today's blog post is written by Sharna.

As soon as my team arrived at the bottom of the mountain we looked up and groaned. The first thing that came to our heads was: ‘this is going to be a long hike’. The first few steps were easy, but then it got hard. The smooth pavement turned into stones, the stones turned into huge rocks which turned into steep steps. Suddenly, stunning views popped out. The views had stolen my eyes. It was amazing. My pain still attacked me more. But, the views were distracting me. 

Luckily we had only a bag to carry but the sun was right on our backs. It was tiring. The main thing was to keep walking. This time I could hear my whole group panting. It was like the entire herd of leopards.  i could hear something in front. Something that wiped away all my worries into hope: water.

I called back to my team. I had to keep them on the bright side of things. So I called out: “Water! We’re near the water fall.” There was a loud cheer.  I knew then that they were all happy. As soon as we got to the top of the mountain, where the cave was there was a wave of relief. We all stumbled down on the ground. Finally! I could see some people getting their drinks out and staying as quiet as mice. No one needed to talk. Soon the team leader, Mr. Nirmal, told us to gather up. I couldn’t even move my legs, but I used the last amount of energy I had left so I could turn and face him. “Respect the person who is speaking” is always an important rule to remember. Mr. Nirmal told us to listen (the 2^nd most important thing to remember) to the man speaking. 

In the end all our strength had crawled back to us. So we were all ready for a game. We played two games that were so fun. What we didn’t know was that the adventure was just beginning. We were told that we were all going to be allowed to have a little shower on the water fall. Yaay!! The water was biting cold. I didn’t care. I was having too much fun! I loved every second. All of a sudden there was yelp from my friend Tanzilla. She had slipped. Was she okay? I pulled her up and asked her. Thankfully, she was okay. I told her to enjoy it while she can. So we did, together. But all great things have to end. I got outside to join my group which was just about to leave.

The hike down was much better than the hike up. I learnt that Kitulgala wasn’t just about making friends, but to get together with your old friends who you haven’t spoken to in years. The entire time down I was catching up with my old classmates. That’s why I didn’t feel exhausted at all. I was enjoying myself. In the end we did get back to camp where we were told to get ready for river bathing. We still have so much fun to do. That’s what makes it fun!

British School of Colombo - Day 1

The first morning of BSC’s trip was spent arriving to camp, settling in, hiking to the canyon and having lunch. In the afternoon the students went canyoning and then hiked back to camp.

Written by: Sasha.

The bus ride to The Borderlands in Kithulgala from The British School of Colombo was approximately 3 hours. We were divided in to three different buses. When we arrived in the Borderlands base camp, we had some instructions and were sorted into our tents and cabins. I was happy in the cabin I was because fortunately, I was with my 4 best friends and a few pretty good friends. I had only spent a day here, and I absolutely love it here! I had so much fun hiking through the forest and crossing the river. This day has been full of adventure! I had learnt that the activities that we did and do are risky but fun. It can be both in the same time you know! I really enjoyed my time here. I am really looking forward to tomorrow and the day after! 

Written by: Dhanika.

We arrived at Borderlands at 9:00 am. We took our luggage with us to the entrance. We then got introduced to the Borderlands staff, who guides us to our destinations. First we got changed into our action clothes and then played some nice games. Then we had an energetic hike, it included crossing rough rivers and creeks. After that we headed to our destination where we had lunch. We then played a game where leadership qualities were needed. We had our lunch, packed rice. We had another long hike to go canyoning. We had great fun. Then we had a two hour hike back to The Borderlands. We swam in the river and then got changed and got debriefed. We had dinner and then we slept. We looked forward for another adventurous day.