Matt in Ecuador

Hi Everyone!

I arrived into Quito in the early hours of the morning today after our flight got diverted to Guayaquil, it is something that happens from time to time due to poor weather, and whilst frustrating, the airline was very helpful and we all got here in the end. The altitude in Quito is notable but I know it is good acclimatisation for the trekking that I am going to be doing later on this week. The people of Quito are very friendly and the area that we stay in with World Challenge groups is very nice (La Mariscal), with a good selection of restaurants and a wide array of artisan goods to buy, I can see that I am going to have to buy lots of nik-naks for the team back in the office! I will update further once I have more news.

Matt.

Leh - Trekkers Paradise

After my first blog I took the one hour flight north of Dehli to small town of Leh which sits sandwiched between the massive mountain ranges of the Himalayas to the south and the Karakoram to the north. The town is located at 3,600m on a dusty desert plateau and is a trekkers' paradise. Tomorrow I will be doing a technical recce for 9 days to open up trekking areas for our teams, and cannot wait to get into the vastness of this north Indian region. I am very jealous of all our teams going this summer and spending the best part of a month in this stunning area.

Whilst visiting projects yesterday I had the opportunity to visit a local festival where Ladakhis proudly demonstrated the different tranditional dances and costumes mainly to local school children audience for their education. Our In-country Agent and I were also invited to have lunch with the monks in the monastery which is the venue for one of our projects this year, and which sits perched on top of a hill with tremendous views of the Indus valley beneath and views of snow capped mountains above and around. This is an inspiring place to be and is in complete contrast to the bustle of Delhi I left behind a few days ago.

Will be in touch again once I get back from the mountains.

Take Care,

Holmes

Holmes arrives in Delhi!

I arrived in the plush new international airport in Delhi earlier today at the beginning of my 2 week recce around northern India. The new airport express into central Delhi is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone! Cheaper than taxis and avoiding the crazy congestion of the roads, the air-con is a welcomed respite from the heat that hits you as you step outside! My cool, calm and relaxing shuttle took me straight into the madness that is the main central railway station, where an Indian family were creating a bottle neck at escalators as they had evidently never been on them before and were clearly terrified to take that first step!

After shuffling through the crowded streets where I was bombarded at every corner by the sights, sounds and smells of the Delhi traffic, I made it to my hostel in Pahargani covered in sweat and tried to cool down under a fan that is far too slow for my liking. In about 10 minutes I will head out to check the accommodation we have booked for our teams this summer, and then try my luck at a local restaurant I passed on my way here for dinner. May be out of contact for a few days but will keep you posted on my travels very soon!