Students enjoy excellent expedition to Vietnam and Cambodia
At the end of the summer term, 13 Sixth Form students, along with Mr Allen and Miss Hockaday, embarked on a three-week Outlook expedition to Vietnam and Cambodia.
The trip offered a blend of cultural experiences and historical insights, as well as providing an opportunity for their personal growth as they worked together as a team.
The expedition began in Vietnam’s bustling capital, Hanoi, where the pupils were able to spend time sightseeing whilst orientating themselves in a new country.
The team explored the famous Hanoi Train Street and visited the Ngoc Son Temple, which is beautifully situated on an island in Hoan Kiem Lake. In the evening, they experienced a traditional performance at the Water Puppet Theatre.
From here the students took a cruise around the picturesque Halong Bay. The team were able to take in the views whilst kayaking around the bay and luckily escaping the rain with a visit to Hàng Sùng Sốt (Cave of Surprises).
After an exhausting day, pupils took advantage of relaxing under the stars on the sun deck before participating in an evening of karaoke (with some surprising song choices!).
After a brief time in Vietnam, the team took a short flight to Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh.
There was little time to rest after a day of travelling before the team had to embark on a nine hour bus journey to Banlung for their trek segment of the expedition.
The pupils, along with local guides, trekked for four days through the Ratanakiri Province, sleeping in hammocks each night in the jungle.
Whilst the trek was physically challenging, both Lizard Camp and Hunters Camp offered pupils time to cool off and relax in cascading waterfalls, and whilst at a homestay in Koh Pong village, some pupils challenged local school children to a game of football.
On returning to Phnom Penh, the team volunteered with Free The Bears where they contributed to the care of sun and moon bears rescued from illegal wildlife trade. Pupils helped the organisation to maintain the sanctuary, prepare food and sensory enrichment for the bears whilst also making new hammocks for the bear enclosures and their efforts were much appreciated.
The group also visited significant historical sites, including the S21 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. These visits were sobering but important to understand Cambodia’s not so distant history and offered a powerful reminder of resilience.
The trip concluded in Siem Reap, where the pupils explored a floating village of Tonlé Sap and were lucky enough to learn about the local life from a guide who had grown up himself in the village.
One of the highlights of the trip was marvelling at the grandeur of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as spending the day exploring many of its surrounding temples.
One of the most rewarding aspects of this expedition was the way it fostered essential life skills among our students, setting them up for life after Stockport Grammar School.
All pupils within the team took on various roles during the expedition; managing finances and budget, arranging accommodation, organising transport, leading communications and as well as updating social media.
This range of responsibilities allowed the pupils to develop leadership qualities and enhance their ability to collaborate effectively under what were sometimes challenging conditions.
