Saturday, 29 June 2013
Day 6 of Batty Tour tested the endurance, the willpower, and the amount of enthusiasm our already tired brains could manage to . Day 5 was a day jam-packed with ooo's and ahhh's even yippie's(as one jumped off one of the cliffs into the freezing water), so Day 6 had to live up to the previous day's awesomeness.
And without any doubts, it did! Waking up once again and getting into the transport only to experience a rather long and treacherous ride(by our beloved spaniard) drenched our fading breakfast energy immensely, nonetheless a long awaited press of the brakes by the spaniard not only signalled an opening door, but fresh air and a wee walk. Upon the wee walk we came across a lock at Fort Augustus(a lock being the system of transportation which is used through levelling water at certain heights solely to get boats through the town's river). It was an amazing sight indeed and it had supplied us with renewed hope and vigour for the day to come.
Back into the transport we went and "RAFA"(short for Rafael) - our esteemed driver - got us onto the road again. The break we experienced, eating the lunch we'd received earlier got us into full gear. Next Stop: the Urquhart Castle! Beautiful and Majestic was the short film which we'd seen before even seeing the actual castle. After the film had finished the curtains which had been tightly closed together had opened, the lights turned on and... The Magnificent Castle lay surrounded by the Loch Ness River. It lay ruined and its corners incongruent. We enjoyed a few moments of fame as we positioned ourselves near the hall of the castle to construct a loch ness monster lookalike - while the tourists exiting and entering the castle were amazed by the relentless attempt we had made at constructing the lookalike.
After much sightseeing of the loch ness river - at the top of the castle - came to an abrupt end, we were on the road once again! Now, to Inverness! As we entered Inverness, we were told to return to the transport after an hour and a half, because we were allowed to go shopping for whatever we desired at nearby shopping centres at the various malls in Inverness. It was amazing! The stores were quite different to the ones at home. I even hoped to see a Woolworths store there, but I saw a KFC...ATLEAST!!! We made a stop at clothing stores and shoe stores. Obviously experiencing a bit of shock by the shoes which were on display at one of the stores made us stop, we decided to enter that very store. The sales on the shoes gave us even more reason to go and purchase one or two pairs, but attempts at converting the prices of the shoes to rands sank our hearts incredibly!! We felt extremely sombre, but the thought of being on this tour consoled us because we knew that we'd spend a pound or even 60 pounds to get what we desired most.
Our free time had expired and we returned to the transport. Arrived back at Sgorans Lodge quite quickly, through the many shortcuts our RAFA had taken. WHAT A DAY!
by Laud-Beau
And without any doubts, it did! Waking up once again and getting into the transport only to experience a rather long and treacherous ride(by our beloved spaniard) drenched our fading breakfast energy immensely, nonetheless a long awaited press of the brakes by the spaniard not only signalled an opening door, but fresh air and a wee walk. Upon the wee walk we came across a lock at Fort Augustus(a lock being the system of transportation which is used through levelling water at certain heights solely to get boats through the town's river). It was an amazing sight indeed and it had supplied us with renewed hope and vigour for the day to come.
Back into the transport we went and "RAFA"(short for Rafael) - our esteemed driver - got us onto the road again. The break we experienced, eating the lunch we'd received earlier got us into full gear. Next Stop: the Urquhart Castle! Beautiful and Majestic was the short film which we'd seen before even seeing the actual castle. After the film had finished the curtains which had been tightly closed together had opened, the lights turned on and... The Magnificent Castle lay surrounded by the Loch Ness River. It lay ruined and its corners incongruent. We enjoyed a few moments of fame as we positioned ourselves near the hall of the castle to construct a loch ness monster lookalike - while the tourists exiting and entering the castle were amazed by the relentless attempt we had made at constructing the lookalike.
After much sightseeing of the loch ness river - at the top of the castle - came to an abrupt end, we were on the road once again! Now, to Inverness! As we entered Inverness, we were told to return to the transport after an hour and a half, because we were allowed to go shopping for whatever we desired at nearby shopping centres at the various malls in Inverness. It was amazing! The stores were quite different to the ones at home. I even hoped to see a Woolworths store there, but I saw a KFC...ATLEAST!!! We made a stop at clothing stores and shoe stores. Obviously experiencing a bit of shock by the shoes which were on display at one of the stores made us stop, we decided to enter that very store. The sales on the shoes gave us even more reason to go and purchase one or two pairs, but attempts at converting the prices of the shoes to rands sank our hearts incredibly!! We felt extremely sombre, but the thought of being on this tour consoled us because we knew that we'd spend a pound or even 60 pounds to get what we desired most.
Our free time had expired and we returned to the transport. Arrived back at Sgorans Lodge quite quickly, through the many shortcuts our RAFA had taken. WHAT A DAY!
by Laud-Beau
Friday, 28 June 2013
Day 5 of the Batty Tour was filled with wet and trailing adventures. Starting from the treacherous rapids of a rocky river, and ending off with an adrenaline pumping bicycle ride through narrow, steep and muddy terrain.
The first activity we as the batty group encountered was Gorge-Walking. More than it just being a wet walk up a rapid river, it was a ice cold, muscle pulling, current fighting adventure. Many people thought black people couldn't swim... They were right. Okay well, the Batty group did extra-ordinarily well, swimming against a strong current, sliding in between huge rocks, jumping off high cliffs plummeting into the cold water. This is one activity that is not soon to be forgotten.
Then we started with the bicycle activity, I remember riding on a narrow bridge over an entire dam. Riding under trees, between thick bushes and the edges of a steep ledge. By the end of the activity we were tired, and beat up, but I was willing to do it again. Every single Batty learner will remember this day, each having a different story.
Joshua Harris
The first activity we as the batty group encountered was Gorge-Walking. More than it just being a wet walk up a rapid river, it was a ice cold, muscle pulling, current fighting adventure. Many people thought black people couldn't swim... They were right. Okay well, the Batty group did extra-ordinarily well, swimming against a strong current, sliding in between huge rocks, jumping off high cliffs plummeting into the cold water. This is one activity that is not soon to be forgotten.
Then we started with the bicycle activity, I remember riding on a narrow bridge over an entire dam. Riding under trees, between thick bushes and the edges of a steep ledge. By the end of the activity we were tired, and beat up, but I was willing to do it again. Every single Batty learner will remember this day, each having a different story.
Joshua Harris
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Day 4 of Batty tour 2013
What a day!
Our activities included:
- Dry slope skiing: fun was had by all! All our guys mastered the slope and eventually skiied from the
top of the slope and Elaine did very well to represent the girls at the top of the slope. The other girls
enjoyed the skiing activity and we all had some good laughs at all the falls.
- Abseiling: Batty tour is not just about seeing the world, it is also about seeing ourselves. Today one of
our Battys faced her fear of heights and abseiled down what must have been 30m of rock face.
- Ruins: On our trip back home from abseiling, Raphael suggested this sight. We made a stop and
soaked up the beauty of the surroundings.
- Frank Bruce sculpture trail: The teachers surprised the kids with an afternoon hike, which took them
into the world of art. But a special kind of art. Frank Bruce did sculptures of wood and granite, and
along the trail we saw a number of his works. Walking back home at 20:45, the sky is blue and the
sun is shining.
What a day!
Our activities included:
- Dry slope skiing: fun was had by all! All our guys mastered the slope and eventually skiied from the
top of the slope and Elaine did very well to represent the girls at the top of the slope. The other girls
enjoyed the skiing activity and we all had some good laughs at all the falls.
- Abseiling: Batty tour is not just about seeing the world, it is also about seeing ourselves. Today one of
our Battys faced her fear of heights and abseiled down what must have been 30m of rock face.
- Ruins: On our trip back home from abseiling, Raphael suggested this sight. We made a stop and
soaked up the beauty of the surroundings.
- Frank Bruce sculpture trail: The teachers surprised the kids with an afternoon hike, which took them
into the world of art. But a special kind of art. Frank Bruce did sculptures of wood and granite, and
along the trail we saw a number of his works. Walking back home at 20:45, the sky is blue and the
sun is shining.
Day 3 of Batty Tour 2013
After a wonderful time in York, it was time to set off to our next destination.
As we made our way back to the train station, we did so at quite a pace as we did not want to miss our train! Imagine 14 speed-walkers, backpack and luggage in tow...... we must have been quite the sight :)
We spent the next 5 or so hours in transit to Kingussie, in the Scottish Highlands. In Kingussie, we were fetched by our team guide, Raphael (and you must say it with a SPANISH accent, as he is Spanish), and taken to Lagganlia, where we'd be staying for the next few days.
Lagganlia is situated in the Cairngorms National Park, where there is no cellphone signal, but there is wi-fi! ;)
It felt so good to be "home" for the next few days.
After a wonderful time in York, it was time to set off to our next destination.
As we made our way back to the train station, we did so at quite a pace as we did not want to miss our train! Imagine 14 speed-walkers, backpack and luggage in tow...... we must have been quite the sight :)
We spent the next 5 or so hours in transit to Kingussie, in the Scottish Highlands. In Kingussie, we were fetched by our team guide, Raphael (and you must say it with a SPANISH accent, as he is Spanish), and taken to Lagganlia, where we'd be staying for the next few days.
Lagganlia is situated in the Cairngorms National Park, where there is no cellphone signal, but there is wi-fi! ;)
It felt so good to be "home" for the next few days.
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Last bag check
Do you have these essentials????
- Toothbrush
- Cellphone charger
- Your ticket and passport.....
Then you're set... see you soon!
Saturday, 22 June 2013
What a journey it has been up to now!
We've counted down the days...... but now we've reached the point where we're down to HOURS!!!
Yes, in little over 23 hours we'll be meeting at OR Tambo International airport with big smiles and hopefully not so heavy bags, ready to head off on the most exciting part of our Batty2013 journey.
I don't think any of us can wait!!!
We've counted down the days...... but now we've reached the point where we're down to HOURS!!!
Yes, in little over 23 hours we'll be meeting at OR Tambo International airport with big smiles and hopefully not so heavy bags, ready to head off on the most exciting part of our Batty2013 journey.
I don't think any of us can wait!!!
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