St Hilda's students assist in the construction of high school dormitory rooms

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: Expeditions
PROJECT: Leadership Expedition
WRITTEN BY: St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls

Sabaidee!

We have just finished up our very rewarding five days at the community project, building dormitories for boys at Sop Jak Regional High School. The school is located in the small community of the Sueng River Valley, about two hours drive from Luang Prabang.

Sitting on the back of a truck in the cool sunlight of a Wednesday morning on the way back to Luang, we think back to our six hour drive from Nong Khiaw to the community project crawling along the muddy roads with the rain coming down around us.

We spent five days sifting sand, mixing concrete and rendering the dormitory walls. Progress was slowed by some surprise rain and a brief thunderstorm which left the group playing cards and huddling together wrapped up in our beanies, thermals and fleeces; waiting for the rain to finish so we could launch ourselves back into work.

As well as working on the dormitories we were able to meet the people from the high school and share stories about how different our schools are. We were able to join a soccer game which resulted in a draw yet they insisted on a penalty shootout which we won! We used one of the soccer balls we were able to donate to the high school along with other books, stationary and sports equipment.

We also had the privilege of meeting the children at the primary school and playing games such as 'duck duck goose' to their delight while they taught us some of their local games. It also gave us the opportunity to donate some sports equipment and books.


When we weren't playing with the children or working off all that tasty Laos food on the dormitory we enjoyed some cold bamboo rafting, basket weaving and bathing in the Sueng River. The last night was spent at the high school disco where we witnessed traditional dancing from the three main groups in Laos; Hmong, Khmu, and Lao.

Every night was spent in our home stays with our host families, some groups enjoying the companies of some cheerful puppies called Steven, Monday, and Tuesday and a cat called Tiger. The home stays were usually compiled of a well built wooden structure with a squat toilet and bucket shower out the back. Despite the sound of it, the bucket showers were surprisingly quite satisfying, especially after a long day of hard work.

We are looking forward to another two days in Luang Prabang, venturing into some more night markets and hopefully seeing the early morning Monks Alms Procession 'Tak Bat' whilst we are there.

From the St Hilda's Laos girls (and Tom)!

P.s Parents! We will be arriving back in Perth on the 21st of December at 8am- sharp. Please don't forget us!

St Hilda's Expeditioner's arrive in Luang Prabang, Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: Expeditions
PROJECT: Leadership Expedition
WRITTEN BY: St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls

We have now safely arrived in Luang Prabang after our fun and relaxing boat trip down the Mekong. We found a guesthouse in the centre of town and have been slowly navigating our way around (we only got lost a few times).

On Monday night, we went to a grill house and ordered plates of meat that we attempted to cook ourselves on the flames at our tables. We stayed up late and explored the night markets, bartering with the locals and filling our suitcases with baggy pants and t-shirts...maybe even a few presents :P

On Tuesday, we finally got a sleep in. As Laos was colonised by the French, there are crepe and pastry shops on every corner! We couldn't resist heading across the road for a very nutritious breakfast including Nutella filled crepes and Oreo milkshakes (sorry parents) After polishing off our plates and even having seconds, we headed off on a walking tour of Laos that took us to hill tribe museums, gigantic temples and even the campus of a school for monks! We grabbed an early lunch, had some time to relax at the guesthouse and then went back to the markets. This time, we went early to watch a traditional dance being performed at the Luang Prabang film festival. The dances were amazing and so different to anything we have in Australia. After a quick dinner we were back into the market shopping. After an hour, we found a promising tourism agency that gave us great deals on elephant riding and kayaking activities. We managed to book elephant riding and bathing and a waterfall visit for a bargain price before walking home for bed.

Wednesday saw us up early for a very exciting day! At 9.00am we were picked up from our hotel and driven 40 minutes out of town to an elephant camp. We were taken on a ride through the jungle and were able to freely interact with all the elephants. The highlight was definitely bathing the elephants. We rode the elephants bare back into the Mekong River until we were nearly submerged. The elephant trainers began shouting commands in Laos and before we knew it the elephants were shaking their heads in response, in an attempt to fling us off! We were all being thrown into the water whilst being squirted by the elephants and the whole experience was just incredible! It was truly a once in a life time experience and being in such close contact with such amazing creatures is something we will never forget.

We played in the water with the elephants for nearly half an hour before riding them back up to the camp for a quick lunch. After lunch, we set off on an hour long bus drive to Kuang Si water falls. Kuang Si consisted of amazing streams of crystal blue water cascading into countless swimming holes. We had a swim in the main swimming pool before returning to town for dinner at a local restaurant.


After a delicious Laos style feed, We went to a local book cafe to take part in their weekly movie night. Open to the general public, the movie nights are held in the upper area of the store. We walked up the staircase to a cosy den area with mattresses and cushions all over the ground and a big tv in the corner. We ordered exotic pots of tea and sticky rice desserts before settling down to watch "A Place Beyond the Pines", starring Ryan Gosling (yay!). The movie night was such a nice way to relax after a jam packed week and was the perfect end to our incredible day.

Next time you hear from us we will be finishing up our community service trip and getting ready to come home. We can't believe how fast our trip is going and it just keeps getting better. We miss you so much and can't wait to tell you about all our amazing experiences!

See you all in only 8 days!
Lots of love,
The Laos girls (and Tom)