Action Packed Visit to

ACTION PACKED VISIT TO CHIANG MAI

Sam Stuart, Head of Year 9

One of the highlights of the Bangkok Patana calendar, for students and staff, is our annual Residential visit. Having been on the Chiang Mai Residential previously, I was really keen that our Year 9 students should have the opportunity to experience this wonderful trip for themselves. I was delighted when we were told that the full trip could, with careful planning and management, go ahead as usual. As expected, the excitement was quick to spread and very soon rooms were being planned, activity groups were being discussed, equipment was being checked and travelling snacks were being bought!

It was to be an action-packed few days, with little time for sitting around. By general agreement, the highlight was the white-water rafting – a new experience for many and one that will live long in the memory. Kayaking on and cycling around the beautiful Mae Ngat Lake also gave our students a chance to experience first-hand, the beauty of Northern Thailand. A huge thank you must go to the fantastic team from Wild Planet who were there to help us all the way.

For other students, the most fun and laughter was had back at the hotel, where everyone had the chance to paint an umbrella, show off their Muay Thai skills or try their hand at Thai dancing for the first time. Thank you to all the instructors and helpers for demonstrating how it should be done! The camping night was great fun. The campfire and talent show, led by Mr Baker, was enjoyed by all and resulted in many tired but happy students falling asleep in their tents.

Finally, thank you to Sofia and Dara from 9D for providing this description of the trip from a student’s perspective:

This year, Year 9 was able to experience a wonderful trip to Chiang Mai. We were able to carry out a range of different activities. On Monday morning we all met at Don Mueang Airport. It was an early start, but by 6.30 am we had all boarded the plane as planned. We landed safely in Chiang Mai and, having collected our luggage, got back into our travel groups for the trip to the resort. When we arrived Mr Stuart introduced us to the Wild Planet staff, then we all went to our rooms, rested and had a tasty lunch. Then it was the icebreaker games, which included Spider’s Web and Tarp Volleyball. After we finished our games, Activity Group 1 and 2 were asked to pack their bags for camping. Then the groups began their travels towards the campsite whilst the other groups enjoyed more games and some time to rest. Camping was incredible, to be far away from the city lights and everything we know really opened our eyes to how wonderful nature really is. As the sun set the groups ate dinner and even had s’mores! After an evening Talent Show, everyone was exhausted and we climbed into our tents for a well-deserved sleep!

The next day our camping group was introduced to white water rafting, starting the morning off with practising and safety precautions, before heading 10km upstream. The experience was unforgettable. On the same day, Group 5 and 6 went kayaking and biking around the beautiful lake in Si Lanna National Park. Groups 3 and 4 stayed at the resort and had great fun experiencing traditional umbrella painting, Thai dancing, Muay Thai and archery. All of the activities were finished at around 4.00 pm. After a shower and dinner, we settled down with a few snacks to watch ‘Jumanji’ during movie night.

The next morning, Groups 1 and 2 left for their biking and kayaking adventure, Groups 3 and 4 were looking forward to spending some time on the river, while Groups 5 and 6 stayed at the resort for the cultural activities. Everybody appreciated this day and we were all looking forward for the evening to come – the disco! After dinner we all got dressed up and started dancing. This year we were surprised with an incredible performance by Macky and Jomei. As their amazing duet took the stage we all started clapping and had the night of our lives.

The overall experience was unforgettable and the Year 9 Residential was voted the best one so far. It was a great experience and we got to meet a lot of new people. The memories will stay with us forever!