World Challenge

Horse kebab anyone?

2011-08-31T15:47:00.000+01:00

I’ve just got to the end of 3 highly productive days in Uzbekistan’s capital – Tashkent. Although the guide books don’t exactly rave about the city, after rough-round-the-edges Bishkek and the boiling hot train experience, I’m now completely enamoured with the place. Tashkent must be about as far east as you can get in Asia whilst still feeling like a modern European city. It is incredibly clean (much cleaner than London) with a fantastically cheap and efficient underground metro, huge wide tree lined streets, loads of fountains, beautiful buildings (and a few not so beautiful soviet ones) and very friendly people. I really like it, and I think it’s a great place for teams to start their adventures in Uzbekistan. Central Asia can be quite daunting, but Tashkent is so well organised that it softens the blow a bit.

I’ve been staying in the old town on the northern edge of Tashkent. It looks like the pictures of Afghanistan that you see on the news – ancient flat-roofed dried mud houses with dusty lanes between them, ramshackle market stalls, donkeys dozing against trees and old men playing chess in the shade – a complete contrast to the slick new city centre, though only 15 minutes away on the metro. The B&B I’ve been in is absolutely great though – the most delightfully friendly family, immaculate new bedrooms with ensuite, and delicious breakfasts (loads of fresh fruit, freshly baked bread with honey, and of course green tea). The owner is a lovely lady called Feruza who speaks good English. Like most people in Uzbekistan her family is Muslim and as it is Ramamdam at the moment that means no eating in the day, but each night they’ve very generously invited me to join them for supper where they break the fast, eating on cushions round a low table under a canopy in the courtyard. The food is delicious: plov (Uzbekistan’s national dish, a pilaf of rice, vegetables, raisins, mutton – a bit like Moroccan tagine), tomato and dill salad (dill is the most liberally used herb in Central Asia, sprinkled on everything – including pizzas and yoghurts!) and really tasty fresh peaches and melons. It’s been brilliant – really like staying as a guest in their family home. At the moment they’ve only got 13 beds, but next year Feruza is adding more rooms (inshallah) so will have beds for 20 people, in which case I can’t think of a better place for the teams to spend their first few nights in Uzbekistan.

I had a huge list of things to do in Tashkent over my 3 days in Tashkent, and somehow managed to get them all done. First stop was visiting Chorsu Bazaar – old town’s enormous farmers market. This will be a brilliant ‘first taste of Uzbekistan’ for teams. It’s very well laid out and organised, but huge and bustling, and you can buy pretty much anything you’d want, from handicrafts to electronic gadgets, hundreds of varieties of fruit and vegetables (July and August are the absolute best time to visit in terms of range of fresh produce), household items, and more varieties of rice than I ever knew existed. It’s not unlike the bazaars in Marrakech, except there’s not another tourist in sight, just rows and rows of ancient Uzbek babushkas with their billowing floral dresses, wide flat sandals and colourful headscarves. With the help of the Central Asia phrasebook I managed to get the price of some team essentials – a mobile phone, sim card, various quantities of rice and pasta – as well as establishing where to change money. There’s a gaping 30% gulf between the official and black market exchange rates, so the trick is finding somewhere were teams can change money at favourable rates without compromising safety and security.

Uzbekistan has surely the world’s most ridiculous currency – the Uzbek som comes in at around 2300 som to 1 US$, but with highest denomination note being 1000 som – i.e. less than $0.50! This means it’s impractical to change any more than $50 at a time – my money belt was struggling to zip shut and I was looking distinctly pregnant with $50 worth of som under my shirt. But it’s not going to be too much of a problem for the teams, as you can change dollars everywhere you’d need to, and in many places dollars are accepted outright. It means that the trusty World Challenge calculator has been well used though, as food bills are routinely running in to the 10’s of thousands!

After my first visit to Chorsu it was then on to inspect Gulnara’s B&B – an old town backpackers stalwart. Unless Feruza has her extra rooms finished in time for the first team, this is probably where teams will stay in Tashkent. It’s ideal – beds for 30 people (singles, twins, triples and dorms), a kitchen where you can prepare meals, a lovely shady courtyard full of trees where breakfast is served, and a very friendly and helpful owner. Then in to the city centre for 2 days of interviewing potential in-country agents, meeting with a local NGO to discuss projects, visiting the local supermarket to get an idea of food costs for if the teams are self catering, visiting the bus and train stations, checking out 3 other local guesthouses, and trying to find an internet cafe with a non-Cyrillic keyboard...

My proudest achievement of the last 3 days (after careful writing down and rehearsing – thanks again to the invaluable Central Asia pocket phrasebook) was going to the train station (where absolutely no-one speaks English), and in very slow and badly pronounced Uzbek asking for and buying a 2nd class train ticket for 2 days time on the express train from Samarkand to Bukhara. Left with ticket in hand feeling extraordinarily pleased with myself. It’s also good as it shows that, although challenging, this is well within the grasp of teams to do for themselves, without needing to get interpreters and travel agencies involved. Note to teams: get yourself a Central Asia pocket phrasebook and start practicing now!

My least proud achievement of the last 3 days though has been failing to correctly translate a Russian menu, and ending up inadvertently eating a horse kebab... Oh dear.

It’s been a busy but very satisfying 3 days in Tashkent, but it’s time to leave horse kebabs, the zippy metro and friendly Feruza behind me now and head west to the fabled golden cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, then in to the Kyzul-Kum desert for a camel back adventure... Next update when I’m
back from the desert.

Yöl bolsin!

No-man's land and Kazakhstan

2011-08-17T10:54:00.002+01:00

Bishkek to Tashkent via Kazakhstan
Well the journey from Bishkek to Tashkent was every bit as adventurous as I guessed it might be. After a morning exploring the Ala Archa base camp near Bishkek (beautiful snowy mountains, yurts and a thundering turquoise river slicing through the valley) the afternoon’s journey from Bishkek to the Kazakhstan border was incredibly quick – just 40 minutes. The border crossing out of Kyrgyz was the usual hectic crush, complicated by all forms being in Russian (definitely going to make sure we supply teams with a translator to get them across the border – I was very glad for mine!), then a short walk across a no-man’s land bridge to the Kazakh border post, with more forms, more stamping of papers, and finally stepping in to Kazakhstan – the world’s 9th largest country, land of Borat – for the first time. Again, my translator was a godsend in helping to find and negotiate a rate for a taxi for the 1 hour journey to the small town of Otar, and helping me change some dollars in to Kazakh Tilgrit. The ride to Otar showed a completely different landscape to Kyrgyzstan. While the area around Bishkek is all snowy alpine peaks, this corner of Southern Kazakhstan was just vast gently rolling grassy Central Asian steppe as far as the eye could see.
Otar itself – one hour from the border – was a dry dusty one-street town with a small provincial railway station. The friendly station manager looked at my ticket and confirmed that the weekly train to Tashkent was indeed running, and should arrive on time. And miraculously it did. Onboard the train it was heaving. I had chosen to travel 3rd class – open plan bunk beds full of women and children in one big carriage – as I’d been advised this was safer for a single traveller than being in an enclosed compartment (as per first and second class). I found my pre-booked top bunk, scrambled up, and settled down for the 20 hour journey. Though roastingly hot (no AC, though thankfully the windows opened) the carriage was very civilised – clean duvets, sheets and pillow for each berth, a toilet at each end of the carriage, and at one end an urn with an endless supply of boiling water for making pots of tea and noodle snacks – very handy. In my bunk area there was a lovely family from Almaty on their way to visit relatives in Shymkent. The 11 year old son spoke some English so we chatted for a while, then we all shared dinner (my contribution of crackers, raisins and jelly babies was pretty paltry compared to their vat of rice, chicken stew and green tea, but they were very gracious about it). The train journey was pretty smooth and quick, mostly through the night, but the real fun started the next morning when we finally reached the Kazakh-Uzbek border...
First the train came to a halt at the border, and instantly – without the benefit of the breeze from the moving train – the temperature in the carriage started to climb. Slightly menacing Kazakh guards and police boarded the train with sniffer dogs and started rounding up everyone’s passports and papers – again all the forms were in Russian, but this time I didn’t have the benefit of a translator, so had to take an educated guess as to what I was supposed to write in each box, and where to tick. For all I knew I could have blithely ticked the ‘I am carrying weapons’/ ‘I take drugs’/ ‘I work in espionage’ boxes – I had no idea, but had all fingers crossed as I handed in my papers... (Learning point: I took an extra form and I’m going to ask our resident Russian speaker Emma to translate it when back in office and make a template for teams so that they know what to put in which boxes and don’t get caught out).
Our passports were then taken away, stamped and returned. The whole thing took 2½ hours, by which point the temperature in the packed carriage was about 47C. Then a brief respite of 20 minutes breeze as the train rumbled on to the Uzbek border, and the whole thing all over again – police, dogs, passports rounded up, and another 1½ hours stuck in the furnace-like carriage by this time completely pouring with sweat, and with a carriage half full of fretfully grizzling toddlers just to heighten the stress levels. Finally we moved off again, passports all stamped and in order, and from the Uzbek border it was just 15 minutes further to Tashkent station. Incredibly, just as it had arrived exactly on time in Otar, the train pulled in to Tashkent at 14:20 on the dot as scheduled – very
impressive! This shining and immaculate air conditioned new station was a very welcome sight, and from the station I was picked up and whisked off to my fantastic B&B for 3 nights in Tashkent.
Each element of the journey – Bishkek to the border, then a taxi to Otar, then confirmation in Otar that there really was going to be a train, to the train actually arriving dead on time, and finally making it across the border from Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan and arriving in to Tashkent’s glittering new train station – felt like a minor triumph. I had a healthy wad of emergency dollars in case border bribes were required or the journey failed and was fully preparing for the train not to turn up and to have to travel to Almaty in Kazakhstan and fly to Tashkent from there, but amazingly the whole thing came together!
Travelling by train along the Silk Route is going to be a brilliant adventure for the teams: a bit challenging at times because of the language and logistics, and a little bit hot and stressful at the borders, but overall good fun and a great chance to interact with the extremely friendly local people. I was really pleased to make the journey myself and see that it’s definitely do-able – it looked like a good option on paper but very few foreigners use this route so it was definitely worth making sure before we send the first teams!

Alex Auden - Silk route recce part 1

2011-08-12T09:55:00.000+01:00

After a stressful start to my Silk Route recce (nearly refused check in at Heathrow under the threat that I’d be deported as soon as I touched down in Moscow for not having a Russian transit visa... inspite of Aeroflot strenuously confirming earlier that week that I definitely wouldn’t need one) my move from London to Kyrgyzstan took a further blow following the announcement that the Heathrow – Moscow flight was running over an hour late. This meant it was going to a very close call to make my connecting flight to Bishkek, and even if I made it my bag was unlikely to be so lucky. A tense 4 hour flight to Moscow was then followed by a 3am breakneck sprint through a dimly lit airport to make the connecting flight to Bishkek. Which also turned out to be an hour late! Aeroflot can at least be relied upon to be chronically late. Good news for me, and for my bag, as on arrival in Bishkek it was the first off the carousel. And since that auspicious start everything has gone completely to plan and I’m now at the end of my second day in Bishkek.

The ride from the airport was a great introduction to this part of the world that I’ve never been to before. Gigantic watermelons, peaches and apricots piled high on road side, decrepit Ladas being skillfully welded back to life, whirling dust storms, clattering trams, wooden shacks selling vodka and lottery tickets, and little huddles of men sitting round playing some sort of board game in the shade to escape from the balmy 36C summer temperatures – all as we whizzed along from airport to city centre. Exploring Bishkek itself I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Although undeniably a former Soviet concrete jungle and pretty scruffy in places, it’s very leafy with wide green boulevards, open air parks, gloriously gaudy memorials and fountains on every corner, and with the most spectacular back drop of the jagged snow-capped Ala Archa Mountains just 20km to the south. And with the mountain snow melt sluicing and gurgling through Bishkek’s storm drains, the city is fairly clean feeling and pleasantly dust free. Although the lack of English street signs can make things a bit tricky, the streets are laid out in a very straightforward grid, and it’s always easy to get you bearings as at every intersection you just have to look for the glittering snowy mountains to know you’re facing south.

The last day and a half in Bishkek have been hectic: visiting the supermarket and Osh bazaar to look in to food prices (it’s been 2 years since we last had teams in Kygyz, so a quick supermarket sweep to get the team essentials costed up is a worthy exercise), meeting with our in-country agents and 2 former project hosts to discuss plans for 2012 and future project work, confirming how much mobile phones and SIM cards cost and where the best places are to change money, looking in to white water rafting and helicopter availability, and trying to find suitable accommodation for the teams. Tomorrow I’m off to the Ala Archa base camp to see the area where our 2012 will undertake acclimatisation treks, and also to see the project site of one of our 2009 teams. Then in the afternoon, after a brief stop back in Bishkek to buy supplies, one of the more adventurous legs of the recce begins: a taxi ride to the Kyrgyz/ Kazakh border, another taxi ride from the border to a small town in Kazakhstan called Otar (I’ve prepared a sign in Kazakh Cyrillic saying ‘I need to get to Otar train station please to catch a train at 6pm’ just in case my scant Kazakh eludes me at the crucial moment...) and then a 20 hour train journey across the Central Asian steppe to Tashkent – the capital of Uzbekistan. So with a little luck that is where the next blog will come from.

If it comes from somewhere in deepest Kazakhstan though, then something has obviously gone a little awry with the trains... Wish me luck!

A Galapagos ending for Matt

2011-08-09T08:12:00.001+01:00

There is a reason why our Ecuador expeditions are so popular at the moment (well, there’s actually many reasons, but this is amongst the top!) – The Galapagos!

I feel very fortunate to work for World Challenge most days but over the last few days that I have spent in the Galapagos I have felt that very strongly! It really is an amazing place and for the teams that are lucky enough to be coming over here there really is a treat in store. I have visited three of the islands that we go to, I have met with Lonesome George (the World’s most famous Giant Tortoise), I have swam with sea lions (who are my new favourite animal) and I have hiked up volcanic peaks to be treated to some breath-taking views. Hopefully the pictures that are included here are enough to convince you that it is worth coming, but all I can say is that it has been a truly amazing experience and the warmth of both the sun and the people has been a welcome end to the trip and a nice contrast to the cold high altitude temperatures that I found in Cotopaxi. My main Galapagos tip would have to be, make sure you save enough room for photo’s because there is lots to take pictures of. If however you want to try and get pictures of penguins swimming, I wish you luck, as you can see from my effort, I wasn’t very good at it!

Thank you Ecuador for an amazing time and I hope that you too get to see it soon.

Trekking in India

2011-07-13T09:20:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone! Back from the mountains and had an amazingly successful trek recce. The first of 5 days took us on a cultural extravaganza of “Little Tibet” as Ladakh is often known. Indispersed between hard, hot and long days trekking, we visited many gompas or monasteries which are the focal points for each village. They often reside at the highest points of a valley overlooking their community which does not bode well after a long day’s walk! It is fascinating to see how Buddhist culture features in daily life in these rural areas; houses and mountain passes are covered in colourful fluttering prayer flags who’s prayers fill the sky with blessings when the wind blows. There are other religious structures such as pepper pot like stupas and mani walls filled with carved stone tablets along footpaths and at community entrances. Ladakh is rich in culture and is rightly proud of it.
The second half of the trek took us over a number of passes just short of 5,000m which was quite tough going. As the first people over one of the passes since the winter we were not sure what to expect but the snow had melted sufficiently to enable safe passage. I always feel deeply privileged when I look up into the sky and spot a distant aircraft vapour trail and then told that it is the only aircraft we will see that day. I am now back in Leh and leaving tomorrow having spent 2 weeks in the magnificent country visiting nine projects and reccing two short treks. I will definitely be back again and perhaps this time for a little longer!

Trekking in Ecuador

2011-07-05T10:29:00.002+01:00

Wow! What a busy week, and what an amazing country. This recce has had two key objectives, one being on the mainland and looking at new treks and ensuring that all of the documentation that we send out to our leaders is of the highest quality and the second on the Galapagos (where I go tomorrow!), but first this week. After several meetings and lots of very official form filling I got to get out onto the hill and do one of the things I enjoy the most – trekking. One of my jobs has been to check on the suitability of a new trek in the Piñan lakes area, and I’m pleased to say it is stunning! I’ll included a couple of photo’s next time for you to see and I hope that the teams will enjoy it as much as I did (all-be-it in a slightly more relaxed way, we did the 4 day trek in 2 days!). The first day will be a good amount of uphill, but you are rewarded with a great little campsite and then 3 more days of amazing views (weather permitting!). Plus, we didn’t see a soul – my kind of walking. From here I went to check on our horse riding provider in the Machachi valley where I got to see a number of the wonderful mountains in the area. A brilliant spot and if your itinerary goes there then there are a number of walks or rides that you can do. I rounded off this week by visiting the Cotopaxi NP to see one of our most popular treks and it’s not hard to see why! A beautiful mountain and a landscape that genuinely makes you feel like you’re in another World. Top tip though, make sure you take some good warm clothes as it can get a little on the cold side out there.

Matt in Ecuador

2011-06-23T08:21:00.000+01:00

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

2011-06-15T09:00:00.001+01:00

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!

2011-06-13T09:08:00.001+01:00

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!

Ex Challenger returns to project site to continue charitable work!

2011-04-15T08:38:00.000+01:00

In 2010 The Wheatley Park School undertook an expedition to Nicaragua and completed a project within the rural communities surrounding Granada, successfully helping with the renovation of one of the local schools. The team undertook their project work alongside the charity ‘La Esperanza’ translated as ‘The hope’ in English. The team’s efforts had such an impact that one challenger has just returned for a three month placement to continue working directly for La Esperanza.

Just another reason why Latin America offers some of the best projects within the World Challenge portfolio….

The project is run by a group of volunteers. 'Born’ in 2002, they started helping in one small village on the outskirts of Granada, and now help in seven - from building new classrooms, to paying a local nurse to visit the schools, to making copies of exams for the children and helping women start handicraft groups. The work is funded solely through donations and 100% of the money goes towards the project. At each school the funds pay for at least one teaching assistant or "Ayudante" - a local student who helps out co-ordinating foreign volunteers and teaching. The Ayudantes usually speak a little English and the NGO also pays for them to go to college at weekends.’

World Challenge supports the UN International Year of Forests 2011

2011-04-12T12:19:00.001+01:00

The World Challenge website is now displaying the IYOF logo in support of the UN awareness campaign, promoting the importance of forests to people around the world.

As a company, we have been actively involved with environmental projects for several years, working closely with local communities to help promote sustainable development and resource use. On top of other environmental projects around the world this year, World Challenge have committed additional funding and manpower in Kenya and Tanzania to ensure that every person climbing Mt Kenya & Mt Kilimanjaro will plant a tree on the slopes of the mountains. This will help combat the deforestation in the area and minimise the damage this causes to local communities.

Peru sustainable project

2011-03-25T15:56:00.001Z

To coincide with the re-branding of our Northern Peru expedition to ‘Andes & Amazon’ we have recently secured an exciting link up with an environmental project in the Tarapoto area. We have been awarded additional sustainable project funding to support this initiative for the next 3 years, starting in 2011. This gives us a great opportunity to build on the platform established by previous World Challenge teams who have visited the area. The project is focussed on the Cumbaza River watershed, part of the Amazon basin. This is located in San Martin, the most deforested region in Peru.

In conjunction with our project coordinator, Rodrigo Ponce we are part of an initiative to promote ecotourism and teach environmental techniques, such as permaculture in local communities. Several communal reserves will also be created in order to protect the rich biodiversity of the area. I visited the community of San Roque de Cumbaza on recce and the area is stunning - a truly magnificent setting for a World Challenge project!

If you need any more information on this exciting project please don’t hesitate to contact us

Chris, Expedition Planning Manager, South America

Earth Hour

2011-03-22T15:52:00.001Z

World Challenge continues to look at ways to reduce its impact on the environment and help combat climate change. This Saturday, the world is invited to take part in Earth hour, where lights are switched off around the globe to help save electricity and give the earth a break. Earlier in the year World Challenge switched to green energy so that electricity in our head office now comes from sustainable sources, and World Challenge is now supporting Earth Hour by shutting down all non-essential office equipment, and encouraging staff to switch off lights in their homes at 20:30pm. Follow these links for more information on Earth Hour, how you can get involved, and what World Challenge do both in the UK and overseas.

Earth Hour
World Challenge's sustainabily work

Brilliant World Challenge project in Zambia

2011-02-17T14:38:00.003Z

In 2010 Sir Henry Floyd headed to World Challenge project in Zambia and completed their project phase near Monze in the Southern Province of Zambia. They set out to help complete a house that the school were building which they would rent out and use the money generated to pay for pre-school teachers.

The team put the roof on, the doors in, laid the floor and put the windows in. As well as this they painted parts of the school and planted a vegetable garden. Since the team left the project hosts have got in touch and have shared how the project work has made a difference to them and the community.

Pictures are of Sister Racheal and the school children. The half built house before Sir Henry went to do their project work.

This is what Sister Racheal had to say: “The St, Mary’s people are very grateful for your thoughtfulness and love you have for them. They had a big celebration, its all because of you nice people over there. We have managed to send some of our children from pre -school to grade one at St Mary’s Basic school , and we have also enrolled more. The garden is doing fine with plenty of vegetables, tomatoes, onions and spinach. The rain is pouring almost every day people are very busy in their fields. The house you built next week will be put on rent one of the teachers from St Marys will occupy it. The money will be used towards the payments of the teachers for the pre-school.”

Recce ted in the media

2011-02-17T14:22:00.003Z

Durham and Hermitage School organised a bag collection for their World Challenge India, Borneo and Tanzania expeditions. World Challenge sent Recce ted along with the school’s mascots to see where the collection ends up.

Late flight at Terminal 1 poem

2011-01-21T08:09:00.001Z

Late flight at Terminal 1

The rush has left,
The terminal is asleep.
Only the murmur of the air conditioning;
And the hushed chatter of the human mislaid,
Disturb its slumber.

The public flotsam gathers amongst the seats.
Mounds of clothes in the attitude of sleep.
Lost souls who’ve missed their connections,
Wait out the early hours;
In the empty terminal.

Swaths of linoleum floor,
Stretch empty into the polished distance,
Dotted with mortal monoliths,
Arms folded in impatient waiting;
For the late B914.

The buzz of chatter;
And increased excitement,
As Landed, arrived and baggage in hall;
Show on the arrivals board.
Reunions soon.

The arrivals doors are willed open;
In eagerness of glimpses of loved ones.
Joyful shouts as Challengers are spotted.
Tearful hugs and kisses;
As the wait is over.

A poem by a member of World Challenge staff meeting a World Challenge team coming back from expedition in the summer of 2010.

World Challenge India expedition team photo in the paper

2011-01-19T12:29:00.002Z

Monks Walk School travelled to India in 2010 and they had this photo from their trip published in the Sunday Times Travel Edition on 5th December.

They are also due to have a photo published in the Lonely Planet magazine but a date has not been confirmed for this yet.

View the photo

Rhino poaching - World Challenge projects that help

2011-01-19T12:22:00.004Z

Rhino Poaching Crisis in Southern Africa

In 2010 more than 260 rhinos were killed in South Africa for their horns, this is almost double the amount killed in 2009. Poaching operations are slick, professional and well funded. All over Southern Africa conservation groups, governments and game lodges are working together to end this illegal industry and World Challenge is joining in!
In Namibia the Waterberg Plateau is home to a number of threatened species including black and white rhinos, sable antelope and blue wildebeest. Nearly 40 rangers and wardens work to protect the park which was founded in 1972.

These rangers are sent on anti-poaching patrols, during which they have basic tin huts to stay in, some without a toilet or shower.

World Challenge teams will be working alongside the rangers to improve these huts in order for longer patrols to take place. Teams will be building extensions to these huts for rangers to store their tools and equipment, a basic structure to cover the cooking and campfire area and potentially a rudimentary toilet and shower block.
We are very excited about this project!

Alongside this World Challenge are helping to build a brand new school for the Rangers Children! The below picture is of two of the children who will benefit from the new school World Challenge are helping to build.

Worksop College Expedition to Kenya 2010 - The Project

2011-01-19T09:49:00.000Z

Another Worksop College Video on the World Challenge Expedition to Kenya 2010

2011-01-19T09:48:00.000Z

Worksop College World Challenge Expedition to Kenya 2010 - Mt.Longonot

2011-01-19T09:41:00.001Z

World Challenge's UK chosen charity

2010-11-18T13:12:00.001Z

Our chosen UK charity is The Thomas Ball Children's Cancer Fund http://www.thomasball.org.uk/

World Challenge support Save the Children UK

2010-11-18T13:11:00.000Z

Home : Save the Children UK

Swaziland recce photo album

2010-10-28T12:48:00.001+01:00

Alex in Africa - Swaziland recce

2010-10-28T11:48:00.003+01:00

Johannesburg
Inspite of Toni’s best efforts, the business class upgrade on Emirates flight EK4 fails to materialise, but the courtesy of a splendid new A380 Airbus, the journey from London to Jo’burg is as pleasant as a long haul economy can be. The landing is rough as the storm clouds are gathering, but in no time I’m off the plane, through immigration, changing money then heading over to the domestic terminal where my hostel shuttle bus is waiting. Stepping outside the skies open and I’m drenched by a deluge which marks the start of the rainy season. Bodes well for seeing Swaziland awash with bright flowers, green grass and blossoming trees. The rain is torrential and the lightening spectacular – it’s a welcome tonic from the stuffy flight.

We don’t normally have teams staying in Jo’burg – parts of the city aren’t suitable – but the hostel I’ve found is about 25km outside of the centre, in a peaceful rural feeling suburb. It’s a large secure homestead with a great campsite, bathrooms, camp kitchen, braai (barbecue) pits, dorms, a TV lounge and very tasty home cooked meals. Perfect for teams. The owners can organise safaris and transport – we spend some time discussing prices. Turns out that there’s also a supermarket 2km walk away, and just next to that is a friendly little orphanage which welcomes volunteers – an unexpected potential project. After a night and a morning in Jo’burg confirming costings and logistics it’s time to jump on the bus east to Swaziland, and the exciting bit of recce begins…

Nicaragua and Costa Rica recce

2010-10-22T14:30:00.000+01:00

Latin America Continent Manager Caroline Joyner heads off on a short recce. She will travel from Managua, Nicaragua to San Jose, Costa Rica over land. During the journey she will be sourcing new projects, negotiating prices and meeting with key suppliers and in country agents.

World Challenge Uganda 2010 (Part 2 of 2)

2010-10-15T09:15:00.000+01:00

World Challenge Uganda 2010 (Part 1 of 2)

2010-10-15T09:07:00.000+01:00

World Challenge meets the education department in Malawi

2010-10-04T15:24:00.004+01:00

This is some feedback from a project up in northern Malawi.
"We were blessed with another World Challenge group this year as well.

A large group came from Queen Elizabeth’s College in Lincolnshire and an Australian leader named Daine. They were an excellent team and went straight to work at the local primary school, Chikale, constructing another adventure playground. This time with a difference as it had giant games like connect four, bao, a maze and a chess board.

They left a donation as they had budgeted so well which was very generous as a group decision. This could mean a new classroom which is well needed with over 100 students in each class at the moment.

Everyone was very hands on, even those who couldn’t lift, dig, hammer, were kept busy with painting and decorating inside classes. It was great to get a visit from the education department showing interest and well deserved biscuit delivery. Once again I feel so happy to be part of the work this organization does and after all their hard work I get to see the joy it brings to children around us that need play equipment, and as Mr. Moyo, head of education stated a place to give learning minds a chance to rest and have their well earned fun. "

Find out more about World Challenge expeditions to Malawi and Malawi and Zambia

Fort Cochin: is this really India?

2010-09-21T16:35:00.005+01:00

The Indian family sitting opposite me are staring again. When I read they stare, when I sleep they stare and when I eat they stare. I am one of only 3 Westerners on the flight from Kuala Lumpur (I have just been on holiday in New Zealand) to Kochi in Southern India, and as yet un-used to the continual staring that will accompany me on this recce.
As we come close to landing in Kochi, Kerala, I see a carpet of shaggy coconut palm forests, tangled rivers, canals and lagoons.
I am at the airport by a man in a cream 1950’s-esq “Ambassador” car. “You from?” The taxi driver asks. I would be asked this question 1000 times over in the coming weeks by rickshaw drivers, taxi drivers, shop keepers, hoteliers, waiters and often people just passing me in the street.
Kerala is one of India’s wealthiest states, and as we drive through the outskirts there is a sense of wealth I was not expecting – bill boards advertising luxury flats, gold jewellery and wedding shops flash past. In 1957 Kerala was the first state in the world to freely elect a communist government which has been in and out of power ever since. This democratic form of communism has led to equality in land distribution as well as a focus on health and education. Today 30% of the state’s wealth is ploughed into education and Kerala has the highest literacy (91%) and life expectancy (73) of any Indian state.
The next day, stepping outside into India in daylight for the first time I soon realise Fort Cochin does not really have much to do with India. The town is on a peninsula connected to the mainland via a bridge. The real Cochin city is on the mainland and behaves much like any other hectic Indian city, but Fort Cochin seems like a piece of India sectioned off just for tourists. The majority of the people on the narrow streets of this tiny port enclave are westerners, and not only that, western package tourists! Every single shop is a tourist restaurant, souvenir shop or travel agency. It’s easy to see the appeal of the town: narrow atmospheric streets lined with white medieval buildings, ornate white catholic Churches, a Dutch palace, wooden roof top restaurants, quaint art galleries and a general air of times past make a lovely place to wander. All this is courtesy of a 600 year history which includes Portuguese, Dutch and British traders along with Chinese fisherman who brought their now infamous enormous spider-like fishing net contraptions to Cochin’s port.
Down to business. My first task, (other than searching out some muesli and green tea of course) is to research the hostel situation. I attempt my usual game of “how fast can you recce a hostel” but soon found that in India this game is almost certainly lost before starting. After a long conversation, I am shown around the first hotel by the very proud owner and then I attempt my first escape. Ah no. Before I knew it I am on the back of a motorbike ((full on the ground risk assessment conducted of course) whizzing my way to his second hotel, which I already know before arriving will be unsuitable for our teams. Half an hour later after many discerningly flattering comments about Mr Singh’s hotel we are back at hotel number 1. “Come in and sit down” he pines, gesturing me back into the office. I make my excuses and scarper, my first lesson of India learned.

It’s during my visit to one hostel that I come across the Indian art of head wobbling for the first time. Somehow I have managed to live all my life without knowing about this typical Indian trait. The receptionist seems to wobble and shake her head in different directions whatever I say. She can be answering “yes” to a question but still shaking her head and I begin to wonder if she has some sort of facial/head wobbling tick. “How many rooms do you have here?” I ask.

“12” she says as she wobbles her head ferociously.

“So you can sleep 24 then”. I say. More vigorous head shaking follows and I am seriously confused. That is until the next day I begin to notice it more and more in almost all conversations with Indian people. Basically the head wobble can mean “Yes”, “No,” or “I don’t know” which makes for a confusing first few days.
I visit as many hostels, tour agencies-posing-as-tourist-information and money changers as possible. Many Chais, long winded discussions about how many people can be squeezed into one home-stay and foot-mileage later I manage to make it to see Fort Cochin’s tourist spectacle of the sun setting over the local giant sized Chinese fishing nets. Getting that elusive picture however demands finding a rock which isn’t already taken by an over- weight German package tourist, which somehow ruins the moment for me.
The next morning, feeling like a VIP I get into the landrover which has been sent to collect me by our in country agent. On arrival at their offices, it is obvious that this isn’t going to be just any first-meeting-on-recce with a normal agent. Rather than the usual cafe in some dodgy neighbourhood, here are the agent sparkling shiny offices situated amongst mansions.
I am lead into the board room where 3 middle aged men and 2 younger men are already seated and looking ready for me to lead some sort of World Challenge summit. The older men introduce themselves as the Directors, they are ex Naval commanders who feel the need to keep their titles even though they are now working in tourism! Their staff address them at “Sah”. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I begin the usual endless round of ‘Thank Yous’ for their work in 2009 before starting on the review points and plans for 2010 teams. A short time later, the formality is suddenly gone and replaced by a jolly atmosphere in which I am heartened to realise that sarcasm is alive and well in India, and moreover, here even company director’s love to take the micky out of themselves! I had had my first taste of the true warmth of Indian people and there was much more to come.
The agent had scheduled a mere 2 hours for this meeting. Often the first meeting with an in contry contact can last for a full day and so I am not surprised when nearly 5 hours later, we emerge for a very late lunch. After much insistence on my part that World Challenge would like to pay for this lunch I have to submit to defeat. Clearly me paying for their lunch is not an acceptable way to do business here.
Later that afternoon I meet with a potential project contact from an NGO, which provides extra curricular English classes to under privileged children at various orphanages around the city. Not long out of Uni himself, he could talk for India and takes me through the organisation, staffing and mission of the NGO without stopping for breath at breakneck speed. By the time he has stopped talking its early evening and we head for an orphanage for disadvantaged girls where classes are taking place. Supported by the Catholic Church, the orphanage itself seems fairly well off, but all the girls here are from a background which includes some sort of trauma. Families who don’t have enough money to look after them, abusive parents, or absent parents. The girls are grouped into 5 classes according to age and are listening attentively when I enter the first class. Hands shoot up with enthusiasm at each question. Their passion for learning touches me. As soon as I pop my head into the classroom the children begin firing questions at me and control is lost. They only settle down again after being promised they can talk to the foreigner at the end of class. The girls form a circle around me and ask several million questions. After the ubiquitous “what is your name”, comes “what is your mother/father’s name, what religion are you and do you have mosquito bites” which I find an odd combination!
I arrive back at my room late in the evening and myself and the recce laptop take ourselves out for a nice Dahl.

The adventures of Recce Ted!

2010-09-08T15:46:00.004+01:00

As we come to the end of the 09/10 recce year, Recce Ted is enjoying a well deserved rest before heading off round the world for the next batch of recces for our expedition planning team.

This year our intrepid bear has explored dozens of countries and had some incredible adventures. He’s got too many snapshots to fit on the blog, but he’s compiled a montage of his favourite bits. Over the coming year Recce Ted will be packing his bags and heading to (amongst other places) Swaziland, Mozambique, China, Uzbekistan, Bolivia, Laos, Turkey, Syria, Zambia, Papua New Guinea and Kenya – and he can’t wait! Keep watching the blog to follow the progress of Recce Ted as he travels the globe…

Borneo Hub 2010 slideshow

2010-07-15T12:39:00.001+01:00

Check out the latest images from Borneo

2010-07-14T17:02:00.002+01:00

Expedition Planning Manager Chris Brunning will be out in Peru for 2 weeks from 29th July as an on-the ground extension of the World Challenge Operations Centre. With lots of teams passing through Cusco, having a full time member of World Challenge staff as an immediate contact is a big plus point.

He will also be gaining more first hand knowledge of the destination as part of his role as Expedition Planning Manager for Peru, which includes visiting new project sites and talking to current and potential providers.

Think that’s it for now and we’ll see how things unfold while he’s out there!

Find out more about World Challenge expeditions to Peru

Supporting teams in Tanzania

2010-07-14T16:04:00.004+01:00

Our Head of School Support Polly Griffith is leaving to work out in one of our in-country hubs in Tanzania on Saturday, 17th July. She will be out there until 20th August in Moshi at the base of the Kilimanjaro National Park.
Her responsibility is to provide an operational and safety service enhancement, based locally and she is hoping to provide a significant boost to our ability to project in-country customer service.

See what’s happening out in Tanzania by following Polly on our blog!

Out in Borneo

2010-07-14T15:46:00.005+01:00

Jenny Mullier, one of the Expedition Planning Manager has just arrived in Miri (Sarawak, Borneo) for 6 weeks. She will be spending 3 weeks in Sarawak & 3 weeks in Sabah.

She will be providing extra support for the teams and do recces for new treks and projects for future expeditions, and therefore will be moving around to different areas quite a lot instead of staying in one location for the whole time.

Check out the blog to follow how she is getting on! Find out more about Borneo expeditions.

Sightseeing with our In-Country Agents

2010-06-07T16:07:00.007+01:00

Back in April we set up a bit of an India versus Ecuador tennis match on the Wii and both Bob and Gary proved that they were both very capable of mastering modern technology in the form of a games console! And this weekend, after working hard at the EPC in High Wycombe the agents who didn’t have to head home straight away stayed out with the Expedition Planning Managers for some celebratory noodles. Tommy found an affinity with the Atlas the Ape on his t-shirt as he swung back to the hotel on every tree branch he could find and we’re delighted to report that Javier did make his rather early flight at 5am!

The following day, Pablo, Tommy and Carlos were packed off to London for a day of sightseeing. They managed an epic tour of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Tate Britain before heading to the Taste of Spain Festival on Regent Street. Pausing for lunch in Green Park Carlos sought the ‘free advice’ of a generous Texan hippy whilst Tommy set up camp next to him to offer ‘free hugs’. Then it was the delights of Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guards, Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery where Tommy scaled the dizzy heights of the elephant and lion statues for a better view of London. Joined by Pablo, Team America finally ended up with frappe soya lattes in Soho.

If you want to see what they had to say about London check out little video from Tommy and Carlos.

We know they speak for all our agents, including those that could not attend the conference, when they say they are looking forward to having you all this Summer. So keep up the last bits of fundraising and fitness training and they’ll see you there in a few weeks time!

Kyrgyzstan Royal Grammar School World Challenge: Best Bits

2010-05-27T09:28:00.002+01:00

New brochure launched!

2010-05-14T09:53:00.004+01:00

We've launched our new brochure! After taking on board all the feedback we've had from our customers, we've gone away to research and create new destinations including the Silk Road (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan). If you’ve not received one in the post already please do request a free postal copy or simply view the online version here: http://www.world-challenge.co.uk/popup/getBrochureRegistration.asp

At World Challenge customers are more important than costs

2010-04-29T12:22:00.002+01:00

While many travel companies left their customers stranded all over the world with no financial help, we at World Challenge were quick to ensure anyone under their care affected by the recent air traffic disruptions was very well looked after. The wellbeing and happiness of our customers comes first and foremost to us.

All customers were put up in 4* accommodation, all expenses paid and organised daily excursions. In addition to this the teams were wired out ‘pocket money' to cover costs of internet access, laundry and occasional treats.

We thought we'd share some of the positive feedback we've had from parents:

“I would just like to send my huge thanks to your world challenge team, for the way they handled the Morocco expeditions and the various 'unusual' problems they faced. Special thanks to the actual leaders, as the care and guidance they gave the girls was exceptional, but also thanks to the team at home, they kept us updated, and no question was too small. Please thank everyone involved, I am very impressed with your World Challenge team and will not hesitate to recommend them in the future. I will certainly be giving my other children the chance to have such a fabulous experience.”
Kind regards,
Parent
Morocco expedition

Hi there,
Just wanted to thank you all for your help and phone calls keeping us as parents informed while the children are stuck out in morocco. I have finally received an email from my daughter who seems to be having a great time and sounds like being well looked after. Cant wait to here all about the adventure when they finally return
Thank you again,
Parent
Morocco expedition

Hello,
We would like to offer our sincere thanks to the staff of both the school and World Challenge for the excellent welfare provided to our daughter during the recent Morocco trip. She has returned home in great spirits and we felt confident in her safety and wellbeing throughout the entire extended trip! We were very disappointed to read the negative comments from another parent in the article in Tuesday’s Evening Echo and we shall be writing to them accordingly in an effort to put the record straight. Please pass on our sincere thanks to all involved - we would recommend these trips whole-heartedly to any pupils contemplating such a challenge in the future.

Sincerely,
Parents
Morocco expedition

Flickr

2010-03-26T11:02:00.001Z

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

World Challenge raises over £2000 for Sport Relief

2010-03-26T10:55:00.005Z

Since January we’ve been working hard to promote and raise funds for Sport Relief… well, all of the events and hassling is now over and we’re proud to announce that we have raised £2093!!!

Claire Bowes' East Africa Adventure!

2010-03-19T09:13:00.000Z

Claire Bowes, World Challenge's Expedition Planning Manager (EPM) for Uganda and Kenya (and China!) is busy preparing for her imminent trip to East Africa. She leaves on Friday 19th March and will be visiting lots of amazing project sights as well as investigating new trekking possibilities. Come back soon to read her updates.

Ali’s Darwinian recce begins!

2010-03-05T16:25:00.000Z

Ali, World Challenge’s Expedition Planning Manager for Ecuador and Galapagos (amongst other exciting destinations) is heading off on a 3 week long recce Ecuador and Galapagos to visit new and existing project sites and trekking locations, meet our partners and agents in country and cover some serious ground during her short stay. She’s heading off on 6th March and will be taking loads of photos and videos so watch this space!

Emma packs her bag for India!

2010-02-10T15:33:00.001Z

Emma Turnbull, World Challenge's Expedition Planning Manager (EPM) for India and Nepal is busy preparing for her next trip to Rajasthan and the Himalayas. She leaves on Thursday 11th February and will be blogging whilst on the move! Come back soon to read her posts.

Find out about all our expeditions to India