Day1: HKIS

The first full day in Sri Lanka for the students from Hong Kong International School is brought to you by Robyn, Nitiya and Tara: 

"This morning we woke up to the beautiful view offered to us at the Gateway Airport Hotel. Though our stay there was reasonably short, staying merely for the night it was definitely sweet. After leaving early this morning we took a three and  half hour bus ride to our new living quarters. After reaching at around 11am we were astonished that even though the cabin at Borderlands did not have air conditioning or the amenities that The Gateway had, it was still very relaxing. Our cabins are on a long river surrounded on all sides by nature.

The first thing we did was take a quick swim in the river before heading to the canyon.

A long hike through the jungle and we finally reached our destination – when we first arrived we saw massive rocks and small rock pools but as we entered deeper into the canyon we discovered that the place was much more vast. There were many steep slides and high cliffs which we had to slide and jump off. The obstacles seemed endless. By the time we finished our activity we were exhausted but felt accomplished. We took a shorter hike to the river and then we floated along the river back to camp. 

Once we got back to camp we did something we thought we would never do. We showered in the river. The water was cold and the ground was filled with pebbles – this was an unusual experience and at the end of the day we were astonished by Sri Lanka’s natural beauty. The food was amazing and very much look forward to the rest of this journey.”

Day 4: Adventure At Camp

Dear Parents

We have been able to survive  …. So far. You will never believe what we did today – you think you know us that well?

Well we did things today that neither you or us would’ve ever  imagine we would be able to do. Not only did we go through a challenging adventure race that  involved untying knots without actually touching them or boiling an egg by building our own fire, but we also had to stack crates without falling off them (our record was 16 crates) and zip-lined across a river while it was raining cats and dogs.

We finally ended our day by shopping in a few stores in the village for some gifts,

Even though we are having the time of our lives and we would wish to extend our stay here – we miss you a lot and see you soon!

Lynn, Joelle and Chami

Day 3: An Amazing Service Day at the Kelani Estates Creche in Belilena

‘Suba Sandawak parents (in case you’re wondering it means Good Evening in Sinhala.)

Were sure you’ve all been waiting impatiently to know what we did today.

So after waking up at 6:30am ee skipped morning stretches and the river bath planned because of a wild intruder. He decided to visit the girls’ bathroom which led to some excitement inside there.

Editors Note: intruder was resident Purple Face Leaf Monkey!

After that we tool a truck ride to a crèche which looks after 15 children – here we divided into two groups. One group started painting the crèche while the other played with the kids.

They were so welcoming and friendly and we spent a great time with them.

One of the mothers was kind enough to cook some snacks for us that we ate during a break. After a few more hours of work we had lunch sent from camp and tidied up the crèche and said some thanks before leaving.

They showed us great appreciation and happiness with big smiles ok their faces and bowed down to thank us which made some of us very emotional.

It was an overwhelming experience and the best part of it was making little kids happy.

When we came back we showered in the river! An unique experience Ha!ha!

Can't wait for tomorrow and some new adventures!”

Chloe and Meg

Day 2 - amazing adventures on the Sandun Ella Waterfall

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and higher experiences.” Eleanor Roosevelt

 Hey Parents!

 Hope you’re not missing us too much. Today was all about adventures. After having to deal with a cheeky monkey we did some yoga stretches, before having to take a dip in the “freezing” river.

Around 11am we went on a 40 minutes truck ride. Helmets on, life jackets buckled, we were ready to face the unforgiving jungle – we started off with a short yet tough hike, and after admiring the beautiful view, we went down a waterfall abseiling.

Despite some people’s fears (and bites from evil leeches) we all made it down the waterfall and had lunch while enjoying a wonderful view.

In the afternoon we visited a Buddhist Temple, got to learn more about Buddhism and we even lit some candles. The experience was really inspiring.

Finally after a long day we have all learned how to face our fears and going on challenging adventures”

Joelle and Joelle

Welcome to the Lebanese School of Dubai

 Day 1: Our visitors from Lycee Libanais Francophone Prive enjoy walking up to beautiful views and a day of adventure at Borderlands Sri Lanka - here's Farid and friends message to all the parents back at home in Dubai! 

"Dear Parent – Don’t worry! We are Alive!

Today we were surprised wit not only a later wake up time but also with some fun exercises concerning teamwork, trust, communication and leadership. Starting off with our inability to properly place a stick on the ground!

In our defense we only had 2 fingers to use. After strategic talking, different game plans, the stick reached the floor. After that come some trust exercises which included possibly falling to our deaths (into our teammates arms of course).

Editor note: No deaths or injuries occurred and the kids showed great team work and trust in each other

After lunch we started our hike to the canyon. It was an amazing day with some of our teammates overcoming their fears. We finally floated back to camp on the Kelani River  - enjoying the refreshing water, cooling us down after a long, hot and humid day.

Now stop bombarding our phones with messages and missed calls and stop worrying about us and enjoy a kids free week!"