Year 8's trip to Cat Ba

Year 8 are off to a great trip to Cat Ba. 

Day 1 (15/10): 

Day 1 After a seamless journey via the highway to Hai Phuong and the ferry crossing to Cat Ba we arrived at Cat Ba Ecolodge soon after midday for lunch. We then had two afternoon activities, visiting the fascinating hospital cave which we were taken around by an informative local guide and also a trek through butterfly valley. The trek involved a level of excursion that challenged some of the students which is one of the objectives of the trip and everyone felt a sense of accomplishment when they returned to Ecolodge. Having eaten a well earnt evening meal, students are currently enjoying some free time before they go to bed in their tents. Hopefully they will have a good night’s sleep as we have a vey busy itinerary tomorrow which we are all looking forward to.

Day 2 (16/10): 

We’ve been blessed with lovely conditions in Cat Ba today with a bit of cloud cover in the heat of the day and some lovely afternoon sunshine. Students have thrown themselves into the day’s itinerary and each group has done two activities; either raft building and cycling or kayaking and climbing. It has been impressive to see the way students have approached the activities with enthusiasm even when confronted with challenge, a testament to their perseverance. After camping last night we look forward to a night in a hotel this evening and then students will complete the two activities tomorrow that they didn’t complete today. We will be slightly altering the cycling activity tomorrow to walk a gravel section of the road and a hill as a student fell off their bike today and had to be checked by a doctor. Parents have been informed and the student is fine.

Day 3 (17/10): 

It has been another wonderful day here in Cat Ba. Students have again taken on activities with impressive energy and enthusiasm, particularly considering the busy few days at the start of the trip. I will let the pictures speak for themselves as the activities have been a rotation of the same activities as yesterday. We are currently on the boat back to Cat Ba island where we will return to the hotel for students to freshen up for this evening’s beach bbq. That will conclude another excellent day. Tomorrow morning we hope to have time visit a canon fort before we start the journey home. I will ask students that have phones to contact parents when we are on the highway to Hanoi with a more precise arrival time but it is likely to be at about 3pm.

Day 4 (18/10): 

Shortly after sending through yesterday afternoon’s update from the boat back to Cat Ba harbour some students had the privilege of spotting eight Golden Headed Langurs scampering across a cliff face. The Golden Headed Langur, also known as the Cat Ba Langur as it is found no where else in the world, is Asia’s rarest primate and one of the rarest primates in the world, with only 68 left. Fortune favours the brave is a saying normally used in different contexts, but it seems apt here. Many students have shown great bravery in tackling their fears throughout the trip and though completely unrelated it seems a worthy reward that students were rewarded with the precious sighting of such a magnificent creature yesterday afternoon. 
After freshening up at the hotel we headed to the beach for a well earnt feast after which students enjoyed some free time around the campfire. This morning we just had time for a trip to Cat Ba market and we have now started the journey home. We are currently expecting to be back at school at about 2.30 where we hope a group of exhausted students are promptly collected by parents and drivers.
It has been a wonderful trip which I believe will leave a lasting impact on the students both individually and collectively with their shared experience of collaboration and perseverance when confronted with the types of challenge that are so different from their daily routine.