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PERU EXPEDITION - AUGUST 2003

In July and August 21 King's School students travelled out to Peru on a personal development expedition. Whilst they were in Peru each student took it in turns to lead the expedition. This involved planning everything for the full day including accommodation, travel arrangements and food.

The groups landed at Lima airport at 10:00pm and quickly organised local transport to a hostel. The very next day everyone was back on the move again, travelling from Lima to Huaraz, nestled in a valley deep in the Andes between the mountain ranges of the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra.

This would become the base for the groups for the next three weeks. There were three phases to the expedition, a project phase, a trekking phase and a rest and relaxation phase.

In the project phase the groups got involved in a number of diverse projects. These included working in a school helping to teach the children and sanding and varnishing the desks. Some work was done to help decorate a medical centre (photo on the left) that was being built high up in the Cordillera Negra. The centre was being built to help the local Peruvian people in the countryside who would otherwise have no access to medical care. Working here was good for acclimatisation as it was at a height of 3900m. Another group worked on an irrigation project where they were digging out a channel and fitting a sluice gate. This was particularly hard work with both the heat and the altitude (3500m) making it strenuous. The work here would improve the flow of water down to land farmed by local communities and enable them to more easily control this flow.

All the trekking was done in the valleys of the Cordillera Blanca. Surrounded by stunning mountains reaching up to over 6000m the groups hiked up valleys towards lakes and glaciers reaching an altitude of 4500m. Walking at this height takes some getting used to and all the groups started off with two one day treks to Lake Churup and along the Ishinca trail (photo right). This allowed everyone to acclimatise before the main four day trek. Even so altitude sickness forced groups to change their plans. One group had a late night decent from Lake Churup and another had to return to Huaraz on the second day of the main trek. Both groups were able to overcome the problems and get back out amongst the mountains. Every member of the expedition had personal high points on the trip and for many it was reaching the glacial lake Cuchillococha, seeing the avalanches on the mountains and the Condors soaring high above the valley.

The rest and relaxation phase allowed the groups to soak up the atmosphere of the markets of Huaraz and test their bartering skills as they searched for gifts for everyone back home. Relaxation came in the form of the hot springs at Monterrey. Some groups were more active and went out horse riding or mountain biking.

Every member of the expedition gained a huge amount from being in Peru. Besides making new friends and learning how to work within a team, members learnt a great deal about themselves and many came back changed by the experience.

The next expedition is to China in the summer of 2005.

PHOTO GALLERY

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