Phoenix Canoe Club Expedition Part 1 Back to our Blog»
Read travel stories from our staff members
Posted: Thursday 01st January 1970
Categories: All Categories, Trip Report
After eighteen months of planning and training 37 expedition members were queuing up at Heathrow complete with luggage, 30 kayaks, 4 packs of paddles, 2 expensive video camera’s and 5 extra suitcases packed with new clothes, shoes, toys, school equipment and footballs for the 3 community projects we were supporting.
Arriving in Delhi airport.
After a smooth flight, Jam(es) from IntoIndia met us at Delhi airport and we were loaded onto a coach, with the kayaks following by lorry (they didn’t fit on the other coach that had been supplied). Jam quickly learnt everyone’s name and set us at ease with a nice meal at Clarke's restaurant which had a brass plaque warning diners to leave arms and ammunition outside. We arrived at our hotel and settled in and showered before travelling over to Saikripa to meet the children from the orphanage and have dinner with them. They welcomed us with songs and dance and showed us around their humble home. We then went back to the hotel for a champagne celebration for the start of the trip.
Having fun at Saikripa.
The next morning we were up early for breakfast at the hotel and then packed up and loaded up the coach. The kayaks had been transferred to another lorry and had set off early to drive up to the river get-in. We were off to the Social Outreach Foundation where we were welcomed by more songs and dances from the children who had come in on a Sunday specially to meet us. We all received a “bindi” or “pilak” (red dot) blessing on the forehead and were sprinkled with petals. We were shown the 11 computers we had supplied to them earlier in the year and Mark Simkins set about updating and registering them (he had to re-build 3). We have pledged to send SOF a cheque for £650 to pay for a new battery back-up system to cope with the regular power cuts. We spent the morning with them, playing games, singing songs, telling them what we do in everyday life and Claire taught them how to clean their teeth properly with the brushes and toothpaste we provided. We then travelled back over to Saikripa for lunch with the kids and for an afternoon of fun and games. We had three groups of our members that had prepared some songs to perform to the children. The children taught us how to play “Coco” a fast action chase game. We also visited their nearly finished Vocational Training Centre near the orphanage and have pledged to send a cheque for £2,000 from our Community Project Fund to set up the bakery equipment in the training room.
Looking at photos in SOF.
We found Delhi to be a filthy city with slums and shanty towns everywhere and rubbish just discarded anywhere. Cows have the freedom to roam anywhere (and do) and transport was a scary mix of bicycles, motorbikes, tuk tuks (motorised rickshaws), cars, ancient coaches and lorries. On the back of all large vehicles are signs saying “Horn Please” and if you are passing, being passed, thinking about passing or just waiting to be passed, pressing the hooter is the order of the day. We drove back to the posh Clarke's restaurant for dinner and then onto the train station for a bit of a culture shock. The orphanage was right next to an open sewer, however, the smell was nothing compared to the station. The place was heaving with people, sewage was pooled on the tracks direct from the train toilets and people were laid out huddled in blankets on the platform amidst vendors, hawkers, porters, beggars and waiting commuters. The train arrived at 10.30pm and before it had slowed down, the ordinary carriages were besieged by people scrambling for a seat. People were literally being thrown off the moving train by their fellow passengers in their quest for a seat. We were booked onto the air conditioned sleeper carriage and all bunks were reserved, however, it was not easy to sleep with the “chai” seller trying to sell tea to the “sleeping” passengers all through the night and the locals staring at you.
Playing games at SOF.
Words from expedition leader Phil Atkinson