I’ve recently remapped a journey I took in India back in 2007. For those new to my blog, I’m fairly well-travelled (although the list keeps growing). I have both slummed it as a backpacker on a 6-month adventure through South America & Europe and lived-it-up with luxury stays in East Africa and the Bahamas.

India is a destination I revisit often in my mind. I’m still mesmerised by it and soak up all the travel documentaries and podcasts on this destination, yet my own experience of visiting India is complicated. I want to love it. The vibrancy, the smells, the noise, the adventure… but my emotions are tangled.

When I share stories of travelling in India, people feel confused… ‘Did you like India? or was it awful?’ they ask. And 14 years later, I still don’t know exactly how to answer. Or perhaps the answer is both.

I travelled with another girl, a friend from work – we were 23 years old and had travelled to a combined 30 countries between us so approached the trip with, I can say in hindsight, part-arrogance and part-naivety.

We were harassed so relentlessly in Delhi that ending each day in tears was not uncommon. We were tricked by a travel agent into travelling to Kashmir which at the time was still defended by the military following the fall of Musharraf, the ensuing turmoil in Pakistan, and the upsurge of unrest and violence in Indian Kashmir.  I will say, the military took good care of us, giving us instructions on what to do and how to act if caught in crossfire when venturing away from the safety of our houseboat. I’m not sure at the time we fully understood the severity of what was happening in the region as we demanded to be taken into the town one day against our accommodations advice. 4-months later terrorists lobbed a grenade on the bus carrying tourists, killing four people, including two children and injuring others.

We woke up in our hotel in Jodhpur in the middle of the night to a hotel porter, standing over our beds watching us sleep (creepy) and had a very weird, possibly inappropriate massage in Jaipur in a female-only spa.

Hearing only this part of my trip, perhaps sounds horrific, but was makes travelling in India so fascinating is there equally beautiful moments.

The most spellbinding sunset I have ever seen was on the drive from Agra to Jaipur. It was truly a colour that I can’t describe and I hope I’ll never forget. Something amazing about India is the food. Forget what we think we know about Indian food because it is so much more diverse and delicious than we see in the western world. And there were moments that were truly special, like participating in Holi Festival. We ran around the courtyards, throwing coloured dye at local children, and we were playfully dunked in water tanks by the locals who fully embraced us in this annual celebration known as the “festival of love”, the “festival of colours”, and the “festival of spring”. The festival celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha and Krishna. It also signifies the triumph of good over evil.

Even though India is known for being hectic, we also had these serene moments of tranquillity, listening to the call to prayer echo over Lake Dal under the Himalayas was exceptional. Waking up at dawn to listen to this out on the front deck of our houseboat, where fog lingered over the water – it was cold but the sun would burn away the fog while we were comforted by the warmth and gorgeous scent of sweet milky chai prepared by our cook. This is a moment which makes travel worth it.

Staying overnight in the Thar desert near Jaisalmer is another beautiful memory. We took a camel safari and slept under the stars – our camel were left to roam about the desert at night and it was pretty awesome to watch their slow and rhythmic return to camp from far in the distance as we ate breakfast with our guide at sunrise.

As you can tell, my travel in India was complex. While we felt beaten down most evening by the unrelenting haggle, we also experienced the high’s that only experiencing something new brings.

A year after I visited India, I read Shantaram, the 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts, in which a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict escapes from Pentridge Prison and flees to India. The novel is commended for its vivid portrayal of tumultuous life in Bombay but it sparked a deeper understanding of India for me. I desperately wish I read it before I visited. Mostly, because I don’t think I was aware of how significant the culture differences would be. I mentioned earlier, that I was a little arrogant, thinking I could handle any experience after travelling extensitvely across continents but India was different. It’s not comparible to othre destinations. I would love to return to India. I want to reexperience it with more openess, to observe more and soad up all of its vibrancy. How special it would be to travel with a local. One day I will return!

For now, I thought I would reshare the journey I took:

After spending a few days in Delhi, we visited a travel agent to find a better way to travel. We started out wanting to travel solo and seeing the ‘real India’, but after 3 days in Delhi, we knew we were not going to enjoy this holiday if we kept trying to travel solo. Our guide convinced us there were no yoga retreats and no rafting trips operating on the Ganges so suggested we travel to Kashmir. More on our story can be found in my blogs from 2007, but what we found out once arriving that his Uncle owned a houseboat on Lake Dal in Kashmir so he has just sold us a trip to stay with his family. But my god, it is a beautiful part of the country.

We travelled by plane and after 4 days returned to Delhi where we were met by our driver who would take us on a 14-day tour of Rajasthan via The Taj Mahal in Agra.

The wonderful thing about having a private driver was that we didn’t have to figure out any of the transport or accommodation. This is a really common route around Rajasthan, we woke up each day, he would drive us to the most popular temples (we would send him to buy our tickets to get the local prices) and each night he would drive us to a clean but basic hotel to stay at.

If we felt like we were being ripped off, we would ask our driver to help us. One day after a long drive, we wanted to stop for some beer before heading to our hotel and the shopkeepers told us we had to pay ‘tax’ on top of the price listed in the shop. The tax was 4x more than the beer so we got into a huge fight and eventually stormed out refusing to buy it. Our driver calmly took our money and was in and out in 2min with change – he made our trip so much more enjoyable.

To read more about my trip around Rajasthan, click the links below:

• Delhi
• Kashmir
• Agra & Taj Mahal
• Jaipur
• Holy City of Pushkar
• Udaipur
• Jodhpur
• Jaisalmer

Tips for Traveling in Rajasthan, India

Okay, so finally getting to those tips about travelling.

Trust your Instincts

Instincts are nothing but the storehouse of knowledge in your subconscious. Give your gut feeling a little more credit and act accordingly. Some of the most unsafe places in an estranged land are not dark alleys but you’ll intuitively get a feeling – listen to it.

Be an early bird

When traveling, the plan is to cover the maximum number of places in a limited period of time. Wasting any time by sleeping in late would only end up in less time for your excursions. To explore the most, get an early start and stick to the plan of covering the places as per the schedule.

Connect with other Travellers

Make use of social media as best as you can and connect with the locals, ex-pats or other travellers. These unexpected tour guides can open up so many off-the-beaten track adventurees

Unearth the explorer in you when you venture into an adventure like travelling in India. Give up on the inhibitions, give up on the customary and form your own basis for travel and explore it in your stride.

1. Please don’t be camping in the middle of winter
2. And then, Please please be one of those awesome treehouses I’ve seen on Canopy & Stars.

This is my belated birthday surprise weekend away. Organised totally by Ross, and although he has successfully booked an amazing trip to Iceland’s magical Reykavik and a Moroccan Oasis in the past to celebrate my birthday, there was also that accidental booking of a Naturist retreat back in 2017.

Our taxi dropped us off outside a sign that said ‘Crafty Camping’.

I tried to keep an excited smile on my face as we wound through the woods. A yurt finally came into view through the many branches that lay ahead and then I saw it…. a signpost with key.

The Woodsman’s Treehouse’s grand pier-like boardwalk extended into our very own private kingdom for the long-weekend: a king-sized bed, a double-ended copper bath and the rotating fireplace that can be pointed toward the bed, sofa or kitchen. A particularly notable feature is a window in the floor, looking down to the stream below. The thick insulating walls feature picture windows that offer woodland views, and there is ceiling window above the bed that looks up at the impressive oak canopy above. It’s overwhelmingly perfect!!

Opened in the summer of 2016, this is a magical setting that can only be described as ‘Utopia’, with uninterrupted vistas through the tree canopy across an enchanted Dorset woodland.

The rustic Woodsman’s Treehouse, which appeared on Channel 4’s show “Amazing Spaces”, is an eco-friendly one-bedroom living space with all of the upscale advantages of five-star accommodation.

An outdoor shower is 5 star you say? Yes! Yes, it is! Amongst the trees in the Dorset Woodland, it is seriously one of the most incredible showers I’ve stood beneath.

A metal spiral staircase from the treehouse deck up to the rooftop where we located a copper Jacuzzi bath and a private sauna – the perfect spot to watch the sunset amidst the Dorset countryside before watching the stars and the moon gradually light up the night sky above the tree canopy.

If it wasn’t enough that we were staying in one of the most luxurious treehouses in the country, the fact that this treehouse has a slide is just a ‘cherry on top’. Squeal!

The Woodsman’s Treehouse is an entirely unique stay and one that is more than memorable. Hidden away deep in the Dorset Woodlands, a weekend at The Woodsman’s Treehouse is the therapy that you might not even realise you need.

Prices from £390 per night

@craftycamping

www.mallinson.co.uk

Yet, while we become evermore conscious of the environmental impact of our spending, the question of whether artificial or real Christmas trees have a lower carbon footprint has become top of the eco-friendly Yuletide agenda.

Do we opt for a lifelong plastic tree we can dust off and reuse every year, or do we embrace the urge for that real Christmas tree smell, buying one freshly felled and dumping it in a landfill come January?

The obvious answer may be to shirk buying any tree at all – but bah humbug!

This may lead us to assume that a long-lasting fake tree would be the way to go, as it wouldn’t require the annual car journeys and petrol exhausts. 

But that isn’t the case, according to The Carbon Trust, who says that a real Christmas tree has a “significantly lower” carbon footprint than an artificial tree, particularly if it is disposed of in a sensible manner.

According to the organisation, a natural two-metre Christmas tree that does not have roots and is disposed of into a landfill after Christmas produces a carbon footprint of around 16kg of CO2.

A two-metre tree that has roots and is properly disposed of after its use — by burning it on a bonfire, planting it or having it chipped — has a carbon footprint of around 3.5kg of CO2, four and a half times less.

On the other hand, a two-metre Christmas tree made from plastic has a carbon footprint measuring at around 40kg of CO2, more than 10 times greater than a properly disposed of real tree.

Therefore, depending on the make, an artificial tree would need to used for at least 10-20 years in order for its environmental impact to equal that of a responsibly-disposed natural tree.

However, if you’re like me, and the idea of cutting down a tree for the sake of Christmas still doesn’t sit quite right…. why not plant some trees in it’s place?

Because it can up to 10 years for a tree to grow to its full oxygen producing potential, I’m choosing to plant 10x trees to offset my real chrismas tree this year. At only .40c per tree, planing 10x trees with an amazing NGO in Kenya costs a total of $4 USD. I personally visited this project earlier this year so have seen exactly how these funds are used and the impact it has.

If you find yourself in the giving spirit and would like to make an even bigger ‘giving impact’ this Christmas, consider purchasing the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS Giving bundle above.

Watch the video below to see the impact you will make by purchasing.

Maasai Market, Nairobi

Nai Nami Storytelling Tour, Nairobi

David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

Giraffe Centre, Nairobi

Carnivore Restaurant, Nairobi

Amboseli National Park – Safari

Lake Nakuru National Park – Safari

Maasai Mara – Safari

Stay at Giraffe Manor, Nairobi

Karen Blixen Museum

While in Kenya I was fortunate enough to take part in a 10-Day Study Tour to visit local NGO’s to see and participate in some of the incredible work that they do. To learn more, see my posts on B1G1 Kenya Study Tour.

A Maasai warrior is a fine sight. Those young men have, to the utmost extent, that particular form of intelligence which we call chic; daring and wildly fantastical as they seem, they are still unswervingly true to their own nature, and to an immanent ideal. Their style is not an assumed manner, nor an imitation of a foreign perfection; it has grown from the inside, and is an expression of the race and its history, and their weapons and finery are as much a part of their being as are a stag’s antlers.

After an amazing week visiting B1G1 projects, we end our trip to Kenya with a 2-day safari in the Masai Mara. This feels like a very relaxed safari as Mum, Bec and I already did two Safari’s a few weeks ago – so the pressure is off in terms of spotting wildlife (although we still haven’t seen a Leopard).

The Masai Mara is home for East Africa’s most iconic wildlife including: lions; elephants; leopards; zebra and giraffes. 

As we left the airport to drive to our accommodation which is located inside the National Park, we spotted a mother giraffe with two calves – adorable.

We all know about the cheetah’s electrifying speed. Large nostrils and an enlarged heart and lungs help the world’s fastest land animal to reach speeds of 114kph (71mph). A long tail helps it to balance as it tears after weaving, zig-zagging prey, and claws that never fully retract help it to maintain traction on the ground. 

But speed alone is not enough, and an explosive bust of energy is only the endgame to a much longer and more subtle hunting strategy. Cheetahs have evolved to exploit the Mara landscape. They use the termite mounds and fallen logs that litter the plains to scan from distance for nervous, jittery prey. The tall grass provides perfect cover as they edge nearer. Only when the cheetah is close enough to be confident of a kill will it risk expending energy in an exhilarating but draining test of speed. On average, every second chase results in a kill. 

Lion population in Africa is estimated to have declined by 43% in the past 20 years; with roughly 20,000 lions only believed to be roaming the entire Continent.  It was incredible to get to see these up close and I’m so pleased I invested in an extra lens for my camera to capture these shots.

These Hippos were in a small lake just a short walk from our lodge. There was a viewing platform that we walked to each evening an sunset and it was incredible to see close to 70 Hippo emerge from the water one my one into the night. Hippos are the deadliest wild mammal in Africa, killing an estimated 500 people a year. Many attacks happen on land when humans inadvertently come between hippos and water, causing the beasts to panic.

Violence usually accompanies general elections in Kenya as the results are generally disputed, with the result of the 2017 elections being legally disputed and another election held shortly after which the opposition refused to participate in until electoral reforms are passed.

Once the election chaos was over and peace returned to Kenya, the refugees in the IDP camp were offered US$100 per family to relocate back to their homes, but many chose not to return to villages where their houses had been destroyed and livestock and property stolen. Instead they pooled their money to buy the land that they were camped on, divided it into equal-sized plots of land and began the process of replacing their tents with homes, a process which is now complete.

We arrived at New Canaan village and divided up into smaller group so that we could walk around a little more freely. Once again, we were swarmed by kids and they fought over who would get to hold our hands as they showed us around their village.

It was hard to focus on what we were seeing in the village because the children where asking so many questions and pointing out their own homes as we walked around.

After walking through New Canaan Village, we stopped off at a house just beyond the boundary to visit a remarkable woman named Margaret. She was a recipient of one of the business loans and she explained how she ran her business and what it had done for her family.

Within just 2 and a half years, with the help of micro-finance projects run by the excellent So They Can, she has become a supplier to local restaurants and hotels. She buys her greens from the farm in bulk and then sells 3 times per week to her customers. Her husband had died, and she discovered 6 years ago that both her and her youngest daughter were HIV positive. Owning her own business has allowed her to send her children to school, buy her own land, and afford medical care for her family. She has since had a little boy, pictured above who is now 3, and due to the medical care she received managed to avoid transmitting HIV to him – an amazing accomplishment.

I felt so impressed by her story, she is positive and charismatic and is totally uplifting – an utterly inspiring woman.

The micro-finance loans can transform lives from as little as $50, and as the loans are repaid they are loaned again to more women, to keep the momentum of positive change. Along the with money through loans, So They Can also provide mentoring and business coaching to the recipients, helping them to manage their money and run their businesses. You can learn more about the wonderful work they do, and that B1G1 supports, here: www.sotheycan.org

So They Can is an incredible organisation, and after finished out walk around this village we were invited to visit Miti Mingi Village.

The Family Strengthening Program that they run is designed to help children remain with their family when this is in the child’s best interests, but in cases when that is not possible or the child has no family they may be placed in a family at Miti Mingi Village.

Here is some further info from So They Can’s website:

Project Impact : Creation of 15 loving, safe, non-institutional family based homes for 120 orphaned and vulnerable children being nurtured by a dedicated full-time ‘mama’ giving these children a true sense of security, stability, trust and love.

Project Goal : Our goal is to deliver an upbringing for all 120 children in our care that is as close as possible to the dynamics of a family home

About The Miti Mingi Children’s Village : Miti Mingi Children’s Village, meaning ‘many trees’ in Kiswahili, provides a home and family for those who do not have or are unable to remain with their family of origin. Miti Mingi Village provides a safe and loving home for 120 orphaned and vulnerable children who are cared for by a team of dedicated ‘mama’s, our Village Director and Village support team.

The Village is a bright, colourful and safe place with 15 individual family homes, each with 8 children ‘siblings’ and each with a nurturing ‘mama’ who has committed to being with the children for life.

The other kids from this family were at a local sports day. We were able to see their rooms and they showed us their books and where they helped their mama to cook dinner. The youngest girl here was new to this family, and was bursting with questions. She wanted to know if in our countries, we had tables and chairs? And if we had clocks? and if we had books? She was the sweetest little thing.

After a little bit of shopping at the Sew Woman Can store, we took a group photo before board out bus to return to our accommodation.

We set out early and arrived at our first school Mlimani Primary School by 12pm. This school has about 700 students between the ages of 5 and 15 – yes – I thought 15 was old for a primary school but in Kenya it’s not unusual for girls in particular, to start their schooling late due to their responsibilities at home.

Global poverty could be halved if all adults completed secondary school education, with Sub-Saharan Africa suffering from the highest out of school rates in the world.

Unicef

B1G1 has supported this school in many ways, but one of the most heart-warming projects is the blind unit at the school, where the kids each have access to braille typewriters.

The principle of this school is quite a character and the kids were so excited to have visitors. We tried not to be a distraction but there was no chance of that, as the moment we walked into the grounds were were swarmed by affectionate children who wanted to hug us, hold our hands, and touch our hair. There were fascinated, with my straight – and in their words, ‘silky’ hair – and couldn’t believe it was growing out of my scalp. (Although I think with all the pulling and hands running through my hair, I lost a decent amount of hair over the next few hours). It was an amazing visit, their excitement and energy was so uplifting.

Something I learned during the visit was the number of girls who miss school due to their monthly menstural cycle. With no sanitary products they will miss a week of school each month which makes it very difficult for them to maintain the grades they need to progress to the next grade. One of the projects available on the B1G1 platform allows us to provide sanitary products to these girls to help keep them in school.

Obviously I’m travelling with my Mum and my Sister (as well as 24 business owners) and one thing the kids loved, was learning that we were a family. My Mum does look young for her age, but they were blown away to hear she was in her 60’s as she was bouncing around, high-fiving, hugging and laughing with all the kids – they couldn’t believe it. Life expectancy is around 60 years in Kenya so a woman her age in their community is most likely frail and without the energy that my Mum is lucky enough to have.

Due to lower life expectancies and the ravages of HIV and AIDS, only 2.7% of the population is aged over 65 years and 42.2% are aged under 14 years. The median age for a Kenyan is just 18 years and the average life expectancy is 59 years.

Kenya Aid

A group of kids asked me if my Dad was here too. I explained that my Dad had passed away many years ago while I was still at school. And one little girl responded and said her Dad has died too – and another little voice, said ‘mine has too’ and then a third said her Mum had died. It was both an awfully sad moment but also one the felt so beautiful – we all connected over sharing this with each other. I could see that they realised that we are not that different. We may come front different countries but we all human. I lightened the mood by explaining I also had a brother who was back at home in NZ, they asked why he didn’t come to visit? I explained that he had 3 young children so need to stay home to help take care of them. We showed them photos of my nephew and twin nieces – they loved to look at the photos of babies and found them very cute.

The second stop was at Kibowen Komen Primary School, also in Nakuru, There are approximately 1,450 children at this school, with a pupil/teacher ratio of 75:1, which although on the high side for Kenya was thought to be reasonable and is certainly better than many schools.

Last port of call for the day was the amazing Aberdare Ranges Primary School, which is run buy the excellent So They Can organization, once again with the support of B1G1 as well as other global sponsors.

Only a few short years ago, this school did not exist, and there were no other local options for these children as they came from a refugee camp. The refugees were IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) who were driven from their homes by violence surrounding the heavily disputed general election in 2012.

Once the elections were over and the partisan violence had subsided, the Government offered each of the refugees around US$100 to relocate back to their homelands, but most didn’t want to return to where their houses had been destroyed and property stolen, so they instead polled their money to buy land and establish a village community on the site of the refugee camp.

Through a combination of the refugees’ determination and hard work, and support from B1G1 and similar organizations, the tents were replaced by permanent constructions and a strong community has been forged.

Aberdare Ranges Primary School was the first project founded by So They Can in 2010 in partnership with the Kenyan government giving a community in crisis hope through education.

Our hosts at Aberdare did their best not to disturb the classes that were in progress while they showed us around, as all of the Grade 8 students were sitting exams that would determine whether they got into a good school (the National schools, which offer boarding and the highest standard of education) or a less promising alternative. Tragically for those who don’t make the cut, the future prospects for work are quite bleak given that the unemployment rate is massively higher than official figures, by an order of magnitude.

100% of Aberdare Ranges Primary School’s first graduating class of 2017 (120 students) were able to proceed to secondary school to continue their education. The school was most recently placed in the three top performing schools in the Sub-County.

The school is at full capacity educating 1080 children annually from Early Childhood Development classes (pre-school) through to Standard 8 (age 14). It is a model educational institution in the region, providing quality facilities and education to benefit the educational support offered in the additional 36 collaborative schools So They Can support in East Africa.

Aimed also at balancing the gender inequality in these areas, 70% of the scholarships are given to girls.

Students have the opportunity to attend Secondary School across Kenya. So They Can have partnered with nearby government school, Nairobi Road Secondary School, that the majority of Aberdare Ranges Primary School students will attend. Other high performing students will be selected for other National and County schools.

On completing Aberdare Ranges Primary School students enter secondary school for the next chapter of their education journey. Our secondary school scholarship program is enabling extremely needy children from remote rural communities the opportunity to further their education.

Vocational training options are also available for continued learning opportunities.

As a place where the majority live in poverty, sadly, many women in desperate need of feeding their families commonly trade their bodies for fish at the port on Lake Victoria contributing to a huge rise in HIV in the area.

Everywhere we went, our group was greeted with singing and dancing of traditional Kenyan songs, and Odede was no exception. When we arrived there were very few of the staff and villagers around, as most of them were preparing for the funeral of a young boy who had sadly died a day or two before.

Fred and his team had a big job ahead of them starting a foundation but have made such impressive changes in the community through founding the Child Development Centre which is a combination of a school and orphanage, and the establishment of the health clinic there, which has saved hundreds of lives and treated thousands of illnesses since being established in 2011. We had he pleasure of witnessing Fred unveil a special dedication to Paul & Masami for the work they have done to support this amazing cause.

They have a maternity ward at the clinic which has positively contributed to the healthy delivery of babies in the area. Previously, these babies would have been born in risky conditions at home without medical supervision with no follow up care.

Now, they can test the mothers and babies for HIV and offer treatment. Something I learned on this visit it that there is a medication (Zidovudine) that babies born HIV positive can take for 18 months, which, if taken correctly can lead to them eradicating the illness and being HIV negative. It is taken for this period of time due to HIV being passed through the breast milk to the babies.

Learn more about World Youth International: https://worldyouth.org.au/donate/friends-of-odede

After spending time at the clinic, we walked down the road to where a local family had been the recipients of the last mud hut building exercise from the B1G1 study tour of 2018. It wasn’t far, and the local women sang. We got distracted by some local kids who modelled for our photo taking.

On return to the clinic, we met with 20 woman business owners. It was a fantastic meeting as 3 of them presented their businesses to us and 2 of our group shared their businesses with the Kenyan woman.

We were able to share the challenges we each have in business and exchange ideas on how to overcome them.

After a hearty breakfast to set us up for a bit of hard labour, we drove to a remote spot in the countryside near Mawego to build a mud hut for a family of 12. This family were living in a 1 bedroom mud house in quite desperate conditions. Sadly, they at lost 2 babies already and both parents and their 3 youngest children were HIV positive.

There are so many ways in which the Mango Tree organization supports the local community it’s difficult to keep track of them all, and that includes rehousing those living in intolerably cramped and difficult conditions, usually in exchange for the parents ensuring that their children (especially the girls, who are frequently excluded) attend school.

Some of the kids were curious and sat and watched as The Mango Tree team explained the agenda for the day.

It was a huge task to fill even after the frame and posts had been erected by Mango Tree. Our first task was to collect water from a pond about 1 mile away to mix with dirt. We spent about 1.5 hours collecting water, walking back and forth carrying 20 litres of water at at time – it was exhausting and I felt incredibly sad thinking that these woman had to do this every day to ensure the family can cook and bathe.

The next task was to mix the water and dirt to make mud. Getting the constancy correct was tough and learning to roll the bud to create bricks was not something I was able to master.

This was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever participated in. I feel like it wasn’t a choice to stop when I felt tired, when you’re considering this family and their challenges – what is 1 day of hard work building a house? I went into ‘the zone’ and just mucked in and got it done.

When we got to see the looks on their kids’ faces when they were shown their new home and given mattresses and blankets of their own it was truly incredible!

The complete troupe who got the job done – all of the B1G1 group, plus about a dozen Mango tree workers and family members.

It was extremely satisfying to see the job complete, and with the bedding provided, they were going to be much more comfortable in their new home that they could sleep in that night.

We earned our lunch that day, which we ate back at the Farmer Training Centre before returning back to our accommodation.

To learn more about The Mango Tree, please do visit their website and if you are able to contribute to their amazing work please do so.

http://www.themangotree.org/About-the-Mango-Tree