06:30. A few people gather outside the long house to enjoy a
cup of Ceylon tea and homemade cake. They look at anxiously at the clock, till
it’s 07:00. We all assemble for a morning warm-up; a few late comers rush in. Divided into groups, we head out jogging to an
open space, where we do stretches. Coming back, our exhausted team jumps into
the cool river to get a natural bath. After the refreshing bath and a filling breakfast,
we all stand ready for a hike, which later proves to be longer than expected.
In the blazing sun we walk onto the surprisingly empty Sri Lankan roads and
head for the rubber plantations. With high hopes and breath taking views we
begin our tedious climb. We realize the importance of water. After a long hour Belilena cave finally is reached.
The guides explain the history and significance of this place; the finding of
the 30,000 year old man.
The Borderlands
team sets up an activity, in which we learn about each other. A few blindfolded
people have to identify someone just by their hand. Surprisingly, many people
succeed. Next we are divided into 3 groups. The teams can’t wait for their leaders
to tell them about the task at hand. We have to navigate a whole group that is
blindfolded, except for the last person. There can be no verbal communication.
Some teams ended up with silly outcomes, but Louis and his group set a record
by finishing it 2:41 minutes short of 10. We learn about the importance of
leadership, communication and trust.
When we finish eating lunch, we head to
the final activity: abseiling. We climb
the hardest part so far, with the further equipment tiring us. Some people want
to give up, but push on anyway. We are relieved to reach the top, and want to
start abseiling right away, but first we listen to long safety instructions.
Some people get nervous. In the end everybody manages to get down and admits
that it was fun. We head back to camp at 18:00 with no energy. In total we
walked 10 miles. It was a very exhausting, but rewarding day.
By: Artur Folwarczny and Neha Asim
No comments:
Post a Comment