SnowdonFor one of my trips in furth year I wanted to climb Snowdn which is the tallest mountain in Wales . I finally got the chance and decided to go with my mum and uncle . We got the ferry over to Holyhead and from there we drove to our tiny hotel that was less then twom kilometers away from the base of Snowdon . Early the next day we embarked on our hike towards the base of mountain . As we began our ascent of Snowdon it began to rain heavily and we were drenched for the rest of the hike . As we climbed higher and higher the clouds began to set in so we could not see more then twenty feet in front of us . Finally we reached the summit of the mountain after a gruelling two and a half hours of steep uphill . I felt euphoric that i had finally completed this hike and I knew now that the trip was well worth it . Vietnam Vietnam
We started our trip by getting up in the early morning and began to head to the airport for our flight . I was so excited as I haven't been on a completely new holiday in so long usually it is just the usual sunny holiday for a couple days but this one was going to be different this time i was heading to Vietnam and Cambodia a completely new place which isn't like any other place I had been . We started our 12 hour trip and I was not looking forward to it . Both of my parents had taken sleeping tablets for the flight over and i was left to watch movies in English subtitles for the next 12 hours . After a gruelling flight we arrived near the city of Ho Chi Minh . The first thing that struck me was the number of motorbikes compared to cars and the amount of people who were on those motorbikes . I saw three to four people on a single motorbike but the most I saw was five which was of three children and their parents. Cu Chi Tunnels The next day after arriving we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels . This is where the Us army fought the Viet Cong . To get to the tunnels we travelled by boat with our tour guide Nguyen . While we were there our tour guide was explaining the history of the tunnels and showing us the different traps and tricks used by the Viet Cong . What i found strange was how proud he was of the Vietnam war and how he portrayed the Us army as the villians and oppressors and the Viet Cong as the heroes . I am not saying that is the wrong or right but I have never heard it told that way I am just used to it being told from the American point of view . I went inside the tunnel and I could barely fit , what was amazing was that the one i went through was the one which was largened for foreigners . Vietnam Markets The next day I went to the nearest market which had everything a tourist would want from Vietnam . There was zippo lighters , oriental carpets , pipes ,knock off jerseys and fake Supreme and Louis Vuitton apparel everywhere . I bought so much stuff for barely anything because the price of things over there are so cheap and everything is bought and sold for almost nothing . Xo Food Tour On our last day in Vietnam we took a motorbike tour around all the different districts in the city ranging from the poorest districts full of traders and locals to the richest district nicknamed ‘ The Korean District ‘ full of banks and grand building . It taught me a lot about inequality there is people there living in absolute squalor who have an entire family living in one room and then there is people living like royalty who have more money than they know what to do with . Cambodia When we left Vietnam to go to Cambodia we had to take a small propeller plane to the city of Siem Riep with a population of 50,000 . The plane was quite small and we hit small pockets of turbulence which was quite scary because the plane did not have any safety instructions or anything like that but when we arrived it was all worth it for the view from the airport which looks like a temple and a terminal merged . On the drive over the humidity was incredible and meant that you got tired and dehydrated very easily meaning you had to drink over 2 litres a day to just remain hydrated . Countryside tour The first thing we did was hire a motorbike tour guide to took us out in to the countryside to enjoy the view, go to the local food markets and meet some of the locals who farmed mushrooms in plastic bottles and a family who farmed different types of thyme . We also went to a local food market which was all fresh as they do not have fridges so everything has to be picked or killed that day . I tried some juice made from bamboo branches and oranges . Even after 7 days in that timezone I was still jet lagged and collapsed back at the hotel straight after the tour had finished . The next day we explored the markets surrounding the town . They the typical things tourists like such as snake whiskey and little buddha statues . Last Day On the last day we just went out to lunch to have some local food which was absolutely disgusting and was a bad choice as my last meal in Cambodia and did not make me happy to be taking a 14 hour flight back . It was an incredible trip which was full of incredible experiences like meeting the farmers to talking to people who were injured by mines left over from the Khmer Rouge era . There is also a great atmosphere there which is lively and exciting . The most surprising thing was the way that the locals were very open about talking about the travesties that happened during the reign of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge . Snowboarding in Italy We went snowboarding in Italy over the christmas holidays in the Italian alps for seven days . I really enjoyed the holiday as I really progressed and enjoyed it much more than previous times because I was able to try so many more slopes that were much more difficult and steep. I also attempted to do jumps and tricks which ended in me bruising my coccyx and damaging my elbow . I really enjoyed my time in Italy because the culture and food over there is so different to ours and I think it was a great christmas because of it . Christmas Dinner I spent my christmas dinner in hotel in the Italian alps with my family eating a 6 course meal which was nothing like a traditional christmas meal . It started with lots of cheeses and fruit and ended with fish and lamb but there was no turkey and no ham . The waiters were not dressed like normal italian waiters and instead of shirts and waistcoats they were wearing lederhosen which i thought was only found in central European countries but apparently in the North of Italy it is also very common in the Italian alps . It was a great experience to have to be able to see how they celebrate christmas and the differences between what we think christmas is and what they think it is . Carlingford Canoeing : canoeing was a very exciting experience and is one that I will never be quick to forget . Being in the freezing cold and in three canoes strapped together is a very new experience and was very fun but it did rely on a very high level of communication between me and the rest of the people in the canoes .There was constant talk between us and the others to make sure we were all on the same page so that we could turn left , turn right and go straight when we needed to . On the way we had someone to direct and take on the position of cox . He helped us to keep in sync when we were rowing and as a whole I learnt how much communication is needed when such a big group of people have to work together to complete a task . Murder Mystery : The first thing we did was break up into teams of five and set out to find clues each of which would prove one of the suspects innocent and eventually we would just be left with one suspect left . There was so many clues that took us all over the town and it would have been a great way to see what carlingford had to offer but it was completely dark and was raining quite heavily so i actually didn't get to see anything . It was quite intense trying to beat the other teams but in the end all it was a team exercise and was meant to be taken lightly . Game Night : Once again the first thing we did was break up into teams of 5 or 6 . We were then set tests of agility , strength and body control . we had to select the best person for each of the challenges and for the team ones we had to choose the right combination of people which took a lot of consideration among the team and people had to step up and be confident in what you are good at . It was very intense and I greatly enjoyed the competition of it and especially when my team came 2nd . Combat Laser : We were broken up into teams of red and blue and sent to either side of the battle zone . You got thirty lives and each hit from the opposing teams rifles would knock off one life . The first 3 games we played were team deathmatch and there was not much team strategy used for these games as we got used to the rules but after that we played capture the flag and there we implemented a team strategy where half the team flanked left and the other went right but yet I think we lost every game of capture the flag which wasn't fun but the overall experience was amazing and i'm so happy I did it . Nightline : This activity involved being blindfolded and led along a rope through the forest at night . It was quite scary and since there was drops and jumps and small tunnels you had to climb through and all the while you had to rely on the person ahead of you to tell you what was coming up next and it was just a big game of chinese whispers and feeling with your feet but it was so much fun and great time and was surprisingly one of my favorite activities at carlingford . Zip Lining : I had done ziplining before so i wasn't too expecting too much out of this but I was blown away by the spectacular views overlooking the quarry and the sea . It was beautiful and to pair that with the thrill of ziplining just made it so much fun and was absolutely exhilarating time .
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