After an awe-inspiring school trip to the Himalayas with The King’s School Canterbury, Ava (KD, 6a) has returned with a wealth of memories and experiences to share. Ava has written an article which outlines her journey visiting the beautiful scenery of the region as well as the camaraderie shared with fellow students as they faced the physical challenges of trekking through one of the world’s most majestic mountain ranges. Through vivid storytelling and personal reflections, Ava invites you to read about the magic of the Himalayas here:
“Over summer, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to the Himalayas with school on a trip of a lifetime. This journey pushed me beyond my limits, both physically and mentally. Over the course of our adventure, we trekked through remote villages, experienced local culture, and learned the importance of resilience and teamwork in some of the most challenging situations I had ever been in. The Himalayas offered not just a backdrop for an adventure, but also a space for personal growth, reflection, and unforgettable memories.
A year after signing up for this incredible adventure, a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation began to set in as the departure date for the Himalayas drew closer. Before embarking on the journey, we had numerous opportunities to bond as a group in Canterbury. These gatherings were filled with lively conversations aimed at answering the countless questions we all had about the trip, worries, fears and a lot of admin! To prepare ourselves, physically and mentally, we also took part in two practice walks, which not only helped us build endurance for the demanding trek but also allowed us to get to know each other before spending two weeks of our summer together. These moments of preparation helped us become closer before the big trip.
After over a year of preparation, we found ourselves saying goodbye to parents in the airport before departing, it was exciting to be with my friends as we began the trip. We landed in India and headed straight to the Hotel in Delhi, and we spent the day with our trip guide, Jo, who answered every single question we had. As a person that easily gets stressed, I enjoyed this time to process what was about to come.
After a night in Delhi, we set of on a flight to Leh, a small town that is in the Ladakh union territory in northern India. One of the most incredible moments of the trip is when we were approaching Leh on a small plane, and all of the sudden we all began to climb over seats on the plane to get a glimpse of the Himalayan mountains. In that moment, it dawned on us where we truly were and that we were about to embark on an adventure into the heart of the Himalayas, a place more extraordinary than we had ever imagined. We landed in Leh, the town is located at the high altitude of 3,524 m. We were not expecting this sudden change of altitude to have a such a shock on our bodies but the minute we got off the plane we all felt the altitude and even standing waiting for are bags felt difficult.
Once we were settled in the hotel in Leh, we had an afternoon in the town together exploring the markets and taking in all of the views. Over the next few days in Leh we started to acclimatize our bodies by walking around several beautiful monasteries. We got the chance to chat to local guides and people around the area to ask questions and learn new facts about Leh.
I loved visiting the Buddhist monasteries and learning so much, the architecture was absolutely beautiful, and I couldn’t put down my camera as I wanted to capture every moment. I found this part of the trip so exciting as I wasn’t expecting to love visiting the monasteries as much as I did.
