The highlight of most Kenya trips is sitting in silence as you watch a lioness stalk her prey or spotting each of the Big Five on the sweeping plains, but while Tony Huddy loved all those amazing experiences, what left him speechless was making friends with the Masai…
“Just inside the Sekenani Gate – the main entrance to the Masai Mara National Park, there is a Masai village. And in that village there is a community hall. And in that hall, there is a pool table. And on that pool table I played the best game of pool that I have ever, and probably will ever, play.
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Living and working in Cambodia and trying to learn the local language has brought many challenges and some embarrassing moments for Intrepid’s Jo Crisp. But the effort has been well worth it…
“When I started as a new manager with Intrepid in Cambodia I thought the key to success was learning the language. So I bought a Khmer English dictionary and practiced key phrases when ever I got the chance. Remork (motorcycle rickshaw) and taxi drivers, friends and work colleagues, they all suffered as I mangled the ancient Khmer language. What I thought was a good representation of chh’nung – delicious – was in fact a badly pronounced version of chanung – cooking pot. Meanwhile everyone must have been a little confused when I announced that I had a sore snake – rather than stomach ache.
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Early last year, heavy rain, flooding and mud slides caused loss of life and devastation to many communities in Peru, including several in the Sacred Valley near famous Machu Picchu. One of the tragic casualties of the floods was the Intrepid Foundation supported Wiñaypaq school at Taray – the classrooms, kitchen, fish farm, workshops and teacher’s room were all left in ruins.
Established in 2005, this school provided free primary education in Quechua and Spanish to needy local children in a disadvantaged rural area. The great news fresh in, is that a new school has almost reached completion. Waltraud Stolben, the school’s founder, was absolutely determined that there be minimal disruption to the children’s education, so while their classes continued at a temporary location, new buildings were built with support from many Intrepid traveller donors.
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Sometimes we scour the world to find out favourite spots, but as Intrepid Express reader Annaleise Byrd reflects, one of the best places she knows was close to home in Queensland, Australia…
“Bundaberg, affectionately known as “Bundy” by the locals, is sunny, friendly and laid-back. I lived there for four years and have many happy memories of barbeques, bonfires, beach sports, the Air Show, and the legendary ginger beer. The only hill in the whole area is “The Hummock”, an extinct volcano from the top of which there is a beautiful view of the surrounding farms, a smattering of small communities, and the sparkling Queensland coastline.
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