Friday 27^th January, 2012

It’s 7.30am and a sea of hot pink ski jackets swamp Ronaldsway airport in the Isle of Man as 26 Brownies, senior section and leaders from Ballaugh and Arbory Brownies descend to start their journey to Disneyland Paris. It’s hard to believe that the time has come to start our adventure after months of fundraising …… selling chocolate brownies, a sponsored rescue, a 60’s, 70’s and 80’s night for the grown ups and a Christmas auction. The excitement increases as a life size Mickey Mouse appears from nowhere wishing the Brownies well on their journey (Tawny Owl is a sport!). Before you know it we’re striding through departures to board our Flybe flight to Gatwick airport. No more sleeps, we’re off! More »

I am back from one weekend and preparing for the next as the Venture Abroad team set off to Disneyland Paris again tomorrow.

How to sum up last weekend in Disneyland Paris, but here it goes! The excitement began as the groups rolled up at Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch and Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne on Friday night. The real adventure however started on Saturday morning, when the Brownies and Guides caught their first glimpse of the Disneyland Park Gates! The day was spent riding roller coasters and seeing their favourite Disney Characters… there was no sign of Mickey Mouse though! But imagine the smiles when he appeared at The Character Breakfast on Sunday morning! Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip & Dale joined Mickey as they went to each table to sign autographs and take pictures. More »

It doesn’t seem like 12 months ago that we were sat here in Disney’s DavyCrockett Ranch preparing for the first of our January Weekend Breaks to Disneyland Paris!

We arrived on-site early this morning to ensure that everything was ready for the arrival of hundreds of Guides, Scouts, Brownies and Cubs later on today. The cabins at the ranch are set and the Cheyenne Hotel is ready and waiting for its guests. More »

We arrived back to Birmingham airport on Monday evening, after a whistle stop tour of the highlights of Agra and Delhi over the weekend.

A guided tour of Agra on Friday took in the massive Agra fort, beautiful Baby Taj and a marble factory where we were shown the techniques used on the Taj Mahal’s stunning marble patterns. This was followed in the evening by a very Bollywood show telling the love story behind the Taj Mahal, and on Saturday morning we went to see it for ourselves. As the sun rose over the Taj, we watched it emerge from the haze and grow warmer and brighter with the sunlight. A truly stunning sight, and well worth the dawn wake up call! More »

How time flies! Our stay at Sangam is coming to an end, and we have just had the closing ceremony to mark it. I’ll take you back through the past few days since my last post. We have visited a number of community partners whom Sangam works closely with, including Tara Mobile Creche, Deep Griha sights which run medical and educational programmes, and Maher which is a centre for women and children. It has been both humbling and inspiring to visit these centres where volunteers and local staff are making such a huge impact on the lives of the communities. More »

Hello! We have a jam packed programme at Sangam, but this afternoon there’s a bit of time to relax, take a dip in the pool, write some postcards, and I thought I’d come and fill you in on what’s been happening this week. Mumbai feels like a very long time ago, and the past few days at Sangam have been incredible…

More »

Hello from Sangam! After a couple of days travelling, we arrived today at India’s Guiding World Centre in Pune, just over 100 miles south east of Mumbai. 17 members of Girlguiding Birmingham and myself are here for the next 10 days to take part in a cultural programme.

More »

Those of you who know me know that I could not stay a week somewhere and not mention the food! That is especially so when in Mexico. Gone are images of sizzling Fajitas and Taco Shells that grace the supermarket shelves at home. At Our Cabaña, these are replaced by Tomales, Taco Tubes, Cactus, Hibiscus Juice, an array of yummy fruity deserts and a whole lot more. On the first night we were told how to eat various things the Mexican Way. This included using a lot of lime, chilli and of course salsa verde. Now, I am a fan of salsa verde and you can imagine my delight when one day it was on the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner!! Those who are not so fond of spicy food were happy to discover that the chefs at Our Cabaña do not make the food hot; it is in-fact up to you to do this… salsa verde anyone? More »

So, I thought I would tell you a little about my favourite haunt at this World Centre, The Craft House! It has played a role in many activities; it is where the piñata is created for the Mexican Fiesta. We started to create our own yesterday and I can see it sitting there waiting for the final touches.

The ladies taught the local seniors some crafts from home town; Mary’s woolly weather man was a definite hit, as were Ann’s scenes of Jersey calendars, which many of the ladies proudly held tightly as they left the Cabaña!

Yesterday it was our turn to learn and the staff at The Cabaña showed us traditional Mexican crafts, including Paper Marigolds, God’s Eyes and Papel Picado (a traditional party decoration).

Proof that everyone enjoys the Craft house was summed up by Jennifer when she claimed “Even I have achieved something in The Crafthouse; something I never thought would be possible!”

Hola from Our Cabaña! I cannot quite believe that 4 days have almost gone by and what an eventful four days it has been! 27 Guide Leaders and Trefoil Members from all over the UK have made the journey to Mexico. We started our adventure in Mexico City before we headed south to the WAGGGS World Centre, Our Cabaña. Luckily the suitcases that stopped off in Paris also arrived here, bringing a smile to everybody’s faces!

On our first night, we joined in the Mexican Fiesta with a group from Australia. Mexican food, drink and dance moves were tried and tested by everyone and it was the perfect start to our week here! More »