Clydesdale Money

HI

I now have an envelope for each of you with £7.08 in it – that’s what was left from the Mexico group bank account. Can you come and collect it from me sometime soon?

Thanks

Ewan

Clydesdale Bank

Hi

We still have £85.01 leftover in the Clydesdale Bank from our Mexico trip.  So I will go to the Bank tomorrow and withdraw the money and close the account.  I will divide the money between the 12 of us, so that will be £7.08 each and I will try and get the money to you before I go off to Uni.

Ewan

 

Brilliant article by Gillian in this week's Northern Scot

Everyone should buy a copy!!

Speyside High School Mexico 2010

Home at last!!

Hi folks

We've made it home - 32 days - over 20 bus journeys - 1000's of miles travelled - 100's mile walked - a couple of hundred mosquito bites - a few tears, loads of smiles and endless laughs!

I would just like to say it was a privilege to travel with such an amazing group of young adults - who have all developed over the course of the month and shown such strength of character, skill and good humour! I couldn't have asked to travel with a better group! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!! Thank you all so very much!!

More photos will follow...once I've had some sleep (I've now been awake for 29 hours)...keep checking back!

Dr F.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Lots of love from

Mum, Dad, Iain, Samuel, Thomas, Granny & Grampa Shean, Granny & Grampa Oban...

Missing you loads but we'll see you soon.

xxxxxx

Sierra Norte Trek completed

Hurray!! The last of the trekking is over. We've all just spent an enjoyable 4 days hiking around the Sierra Norte mountains to the North East of Oaxaca. We arrived in Oacaxa on Thursday to be met by the In-country agent for World Challenge - Carlos. Who immediately took us out to tea in the market - where amongst other things we all ate grasshoppers! (deep fried in oil and lemon) - surprisingly tasty.

The next morning - with the miminum amount of kit (tents, sleeping bags and one change of kit) we headed of to Llano Grande on a local bus (not one of the fancy coaches we have been doing most of travelling on) for the bumpy two hour journey.

From Llano Grande we trekked through the pine forests pasts look out points, a lake and some caves to our home for the night - a campsite on the school playing field. In the morning most of the group trekked on to the next town, Benito Juarez, apart from myself and Emma (because she had a sore knee - no need to worry it is fine now!). That night we slept in a wooden hall by the light of a coal fire.

The next day it was downhill all the way to a local trout farm - where we camped and ate a delicous tea of freshly caught and cooked trout - Delicious!!

Yesterday we hiked 10 miles along the river and then up out of the canyon to our final town Lachtao. Here we were welcomed by the locals with freshly made lemonade and allowed to camp in the grounds of the local church. There were also showers and proper "sit down" toilets - the showers were really welcomed - you have no idea how smelly we were after 4 days!!

We are now back in Oaxaca in the stifling humidity - all scrubbed clean with our clothes all washed. Tomorrow it is off to the project in Union Zapata - where we will be painting classrooms in the local school and helping to set up a recycling project. It is all very exciting!

Can't believe its less than 2 weeks till we're home - how time flies!!

Dr F.

Photos

Fantastic photos and loving the updates – keep them coming.  Everyone is very interested in what you are doing and how you are getting on, so it is good to be able to keep them updated.

Congratulations to you all for making it to the top.

From

Brenda (Ewan’s mum)

Photos...

Our campsite hacked out the jungle in Cuetzalan - Mossie fest!


Ewan being all manly and stoking the fire so we can all have breakfast,



Swimming in an amazing waterfall in Cuetzalan - don't we all look pale - we're all much more tanned now!


The girls preparing the fruit for our breakfast - fresh fruit and condensed milk - awesome!

Pausing for a rest during our first high alititude acclimisation trek through the forest half way up La Malinche.

Loads of photos...

The gang playing cards before our ascent.


On the summit!



View from the top.



The caldera of the Volcano

The gang relaxing in a cafe in Puebla - You can tell we've all been scrubbed clean!

Hurricanes and Earthquakes

Hi folks...

Another update. I'm sure you all been hearing about hurricanes and earthquakes on the BBC news in Mexico. I can assure you its all happening far away from us! The hurricanes are in the north of the country - all we're getting is a damp drizzle (kind of like home really!). The earthquake happened in Oaxaca state (where we are going next) - but was small and did no damage. So please don't worry! Remember "no news is good news".

Dr F.

La Malinche Volcano completed!!

Well we´ve done it!!!

Conquered La Malinche - the 5th highest mountain in Mexico - a total ascent of 1461 metres (from a starting altitude of 3000 metres). We conquered the altitude, several cases of traveller´s tummy, the freezing hand and toe numbing cold, the slippery volcano ash (two steps forward, one step back) and the optimistically named "boulder scramble" (aka. rock climbing) - to the summit. But we all made it - all 14 of us!!

I don´t think I have ever done or will ever do anything that phyiscally and emotionally challenging again. I have to admit I had wee cry when I got to the top and so did a few others!! Photos will follow - but until I can get a memory card reader or USB cable here is one from the internet from where we camped on Monday night at the tree line (3800 m). It really doesn´t do it justice! We started climbing this last bit at 3 am in the dark!!!

Next stop Oaxaca and the Sierra Norte Trek.

Hasta Luego!!

Hello from Speyside High

Dear All,

 

Just wanted to send some good wishes to you for your adventures in Mexico. Hope you are all well and not suffering too badly from bits/sunburn. We have had some good sunny, warm days .... but tomorrow the forecast is for rain! Only two days left of school for us..... and Andy Murray is through to Semi-Finals! Federer was beaten today in another quarter final match. Anyway you can see I have been doing more tennis watching than school work..... hope you all have a great two weeks. Look forward to seeing some photos.

Lots of love Mrs B xx

Happy Birthday Gillian

 

In your best Mexican accent

All together now!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday Dear Gillian...

Happy Birthday to you...

 

 

 

Love from Mum, Dad, Karen & Craig

Xxxx

 

 

My mistake, about 10 in the morning in Mexico.

Volcano Completed!

Message from Dr. Fraser:

Volcano Completed by all. Back at base camp having one hour rest before going to campsite.

Message received at 15:48 BST (About noon in Mexico) on 29th June 2010

Mr. H

Hey Erin and Co,

finally got to see your blog page and see what you have all been up to. I am glad you are all getting on okay and that you all seem to be having fun. I hope that all that climbing Ben Rinnes has helped you all.

I never knew teenagers ate vegetables! I thought that was just a myth! I'm just wondering whose doing the washing up!

So good luck with the rest of the challenge and I look forward to more photos and tales.

 

Take care

 

Karen (erin's aunt)

 

Hola de Cuetzalan

Hi folks,

It´s been a while since the last update - but we´re all here in Cuetzalan - an amazingly picturesque town perched on the edge of a steep mountain. The town is full of very friendly people, good food and has an amazing launderette!!! Which is just as well as we´ve spent the last few days trekking in the jungle and have gotten amazingly sweaty and muddy!!


Our trek took us from the town (imediately after a massive thunderstorm) down a steep track of slippery stones a couple of miles to our "campsite" - a "flat" piece of ground hacked out from the jungle with machetes. We set up camp and Ewan and Tom built a fire then cooked us a tea of rice and stewed vegetables (we have to eat veggie on the treks as meat would go off). We then fought off the mosquitos and went to sleep for the night - a very sticky experience in the humidity.


The next morning we have to climb up the hill we´d climbed/slipped down the night before - a tough challenge but we all made it - although some were more sweaty than others. We then trek to these amazing waterfalls.







At the bottom of the second waterfall we could all swim in the pool and we all a much needed wash!! Thank goodness for biodegradable soap!! Our next campsite was on a football pitch in a village on the banks of river. The thunder storms started again with the most amazing forked lighting and we all got soaked again!! Dinner of pasta and more stewed veg was cooked under a bridge as it was the only dry place.


Yesterday we trekked back to town for much deserved bed in a local hostel and some delicious food. Today we´re off to Puebla and on Saturday we start our biggest challenge of the trek - climbing the 4600 m La Malinche Volcano (we passed it on the bus - it looks big!!!).


All challengers are well (a wee bit of sunburn and a couple of mossie bites, but that´s all) and looking forward to the challenge!!


Hasta luego!

Teotihuacan

We visited Teotihuacan today. This involved tackling the Mexico City Metro during rush hour - interesting as you only get about 10 seconds to get on or off the train. We then caught our first bus to Teotihuacan - an ancient ruined city from 100 AD. The first challenge was to scale the Temple of the Sun - 248 large steps in the roasting sun.


As you can see we all managed and the view was spectacular. We are all standing on the spot where they carried out human sacrifices to the Sun.



We then climbed the Temple of the Moon and then explored to rest of the site before returning to the city for dinner.


After dinner it started raining...and we all got very very very wet getting back to the hostel. When it rains here it really rains!

Tomorrow we are off to Cuetzalan for the first of our treks. We're going to miss the Mexico match tomorrow (which is on at 8.30 am) but we're all hoping Mexico will get to the Quarter finals or better because it would amazing to watch the football here!!!

There will probably not be an update now for a few days.

Hasta luego!

Hola from Mexico

We have all arrived safe and well...if a little exhausted after our 26 hour journey. The hostel is great and the location superb. After a good nights rest we have been exploring Mexico City - and have so far visited the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the Templo Mayor. Tomorrow we go to Teotihuacan.

We've all had our first taste of Mexican food - enchilades verde and enchiladas mole (chicken in a chocolate sauce).

More photos to follow....

Hasta luego!

Photos (top to bottom): Waiting to change money with all the bags in mexico city airport. The gang in the Presidental palace. A carving from the Templo Mayor. The gang on the roof of the cathedral admiring the view.