THE TRIATHLON MINI CHALLENGE (July 22nd-26th, 2008)

Students from Welling School, in Bexley, London had taken part in a programme in Kandegala, Karnataka where they worked with fifteen families who did not have access to basic hygienic sanitation, in order to construct individual eco-sanitation units for each family. As a conclusion to this program they came to Kerala to participate in a mini-adventure challenge organized by Kalypso.

The students arrived at Hornbill camp on July 22nd after a fulfilling two weeks in Kandegala. Their journey had been long and tiring, so they were given some time to relax and freshen up after which they gathered together to learn about their first task - a raft building session. Using bamboo, tubes and rope the students were required to build themselves rafts that would hold about 7 people each, and then set out on a rafting competition. After a briefing by the Kalypso staff on how to build effective rafts, the students divided themselves into 4 teams and enthusiastically went about their task. Post much laughter and hard work, the rafts were ready and the students eager to try out their creations on the river, carried the rafts down to begin the competition which involved rafting to a fixed point about 250m away and back. With excitement levels high, the teams set off, paddling with all their might. Some shouting and splashing later, the team led by Tim emerged winners! It had been a fun day but the teams had to now prepare themselves for the next couple of days of cycling and trekking which would push their limits of fitness and endurance.

Briefing session

The creation process

Putting it together


Teams with the finished product

Carrying it down to the river

Ready, Set, Go!

Row, row, row your raft


Splash time

The jubilant winning team

Before...

And after

Day 2 dawned, with everyone up nice and early. With overcast skies threatening rain, the team was transferred to Kallarketti, their starting point. After Kalypso staff briefed them about safety precautions and how to navigate through Indian roads and traffic, they were off. The cycling was challenging and some of the students had a tough time, needing to get down and push their cycles through some bits. But spirits remained high even during the uphill rides. Despite rain and slush, the team pressed on, cycling an impressive 30 km to reach Poopara. The tired students were then transferred to the beautiful Anaerangal lakeside camp for the night.

Roheen briefing the students

Setting out

Taking their cycles for a walk

Leading the pack

Tired cyclists

Zooming by

Through the rain and puddles

Waking up the next day, the students were a little anxious about the two day trek ahead during which time they would cover almost 30 km, most of it while walking up hill. The first day required them to trek to Korangini where they would set up camp for the night. Setting out, they walked through picturesque green plantations. In spite of aching legs and brushes with leeches, they managed to reach Korangini in good time.

The final day of trekking saw everyone still exhausted from the activities of the previous days, so to make things a little easier, the students were transferred part of the way by jeep. The trek was thus relatively easier as they only had to walk up 12 km to Top Station. Regardless of this, it was still a difficult climb and with bodies tired out by all the physical activity the students had a tough time of it. On finally reaching Top Station, everyone was overjoyed and thankful to have made it at last.

And they're off

View along the way

Exhaustion setting in

Setting out on Day 2

Long way down

Shabeeb- the Kalypso guide

Ecstatic team at the finish

It had been a rough week of intense activity that had truly pushed the young students to their physical limits. But having pulled it off they left with unforgettable memories of sweat and tears, laughter and good times.

THE WORLD CHALLENGE TREKS ( July, 2008)

In July 2008, Kalypso conducted a trekking program for students from The Munich and Frankfurt American International Schools who had been brought down to India by the World Challenge organization that designs and delivers outdoor educational programmes for school groups that are packed with physical challenges and eye-opening cultural exchanges.

Before setting out for the hills of Kerala, the groups arrived in Kochi, where Roheen, the tour leader introduced them to Kerala and briefed them about the trek ahead, complete with all the safety precautions they would need to take while answering all the questions the curious, young students had to ask him.
The next day, filled with anticipation and a little nervousness for what was ahead, we set off for Chinnakanal, the starting point of our trek. Traveling up, we had time to get slowly adjusted to the change in climate, from the humidity of coastal Kerala to the cool, windy weather of the hills. After about five hours we reached Chinnakanal, a region surrounded by tea plantations and misty mountains and made preparations for the trek ahead. With everyone ready and raring to go, we headed out, heavy backpacks and all, making our way to Suryanelli and our campsite for the night. Our trek involved walking through grasslands and beautiful eucalyptus plantations while stopping for lunch en-route. After a difficult five hours of trekking, with an exciting river crossing on the way that added to the sense of adventure, our tired and relieved group reached the Kalypso campsite at Anaerangal.

Starting out

Lunch stop

River crossing

Admiring the view

Up early on the second day, we enjoyed a tasty breakfast, got our backpacks and gear ready, and set out for the second day of trekking. Inspired by the scenery and views, we passed through plantations like pepper and cardamom at Papathi Chola, and also walked past the Muduvan tribal colony, which gave us the unique opportunity to see the indigenous people and admire their way of life. The next few hours included a walk through a pine forest until we finally reached Lakeside camp in time for a hot lunch served by the Kalypso team. The rest of the day gave us time to explore the area and laze around by the lake, catching up on some much needed rest while the students, still in high spirits indulged themselves in some fun games and activities.

Early morning view from the Anaerangal camp

The 2 groups before setting out on the 2nd day

Walking through plantations

More trekking

Clowning around

Making our way to the Lakeside Camp

Much needed rest stop

We've finally reached!

Re-fuelling centre

Exploring a treehouse near the lake

Bonding time

The kitchen tent- source of all our food

The third day, we awoke to clear skies and bright sunshine. After another hearty breakfast we started the trek along the banks of the Anaerangal lake. The name of this lake literally means “where the elephants come down” and camping here gave us the great opportunity to see wild elephants drinking water from the lake. Our trek today was to be longer than the previous two days, but as we were in better shape, we pressed on, trekking through tea plantations, with a bit of a walk on the main road, until we reached the Kalypso campsite at Shantanpara. Tired but happy, we settled down for the night.

Anaerangal lake

The capable Kalypso team-Jerry, Roheen and Francis

Ravi, the camp manager distributing bananas

Wild elephants coming down to the lake

Starting out

In single file

Recording memories

Still trekking past the lake

Water stop

Shades of green

Resting by the road

Our final day of trekking was to be our most challenging day yet. We warmed up for the day by walking a few kilometers on a plain road. The real trek started a while later, as we had to make our way through the undulating terrain of the grasslands at Chaturangapara. Trekking up proved to be no easy task, but when we finally made it to the top, the spectacular views more than made up for it. Chaturangapara is situated on the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu and being up there let us be witness to the the plains of Tamil Nadu on one side and the hills of Kerala on the other. After spending sometime on the windy mountain top, we headed to camp and were greeted there with a hot cup of tea

Warming up

Roheen, taking the lead

Starting out on the tough bit

Illusion?

An almost vertical climb

Teamwork got us to the topAlmost there

We made it!!

Exhausted by the climb

Group photos at the top

It had been a challenging four days of trekking, but the things we had seen, the people we had met and the breathtaking views that had stirred us was reward enough.

The students with the Team Kalypso