Mulgrave School Challenge, discovery & service in June 28 > July 16, 2017 Mulgrave School - Adventure in Ladakh 2017

Arrival and Indus Valley Exploration

➢ June 28 Fly from Vancouver 11.30 am> Arrive Toronto 7.00 pm > Depart for Delhi 10.55pm ➢ June 29 Delhi Overnight. Arrive Delhi 10.25pm. Collect Medical Cargo. Wait for early morning flight to ➢ June 30 Depart Delhi 5.40 am – Arrive Leh 7.05 amTransport to Stok Highland. Lunch, dinner / R & R at Stok Highland Hotel ➢ July 02 Leh / Lamdon in morning. Lunch at School. Afternoon exploration of & with Lama Palden ➢ July 03 Meditation classes & Medical Service Projects ➢ July 04 Meditation & Medical Service Projects ➢ July 05 Stok village hike. Tent set-up and assignments. Final trek preparations

Indus > Matho Valley Trek

➢ July 06 Begin Matho Valley trek. Camp above Stok village ➢ July 07 Trek to Stok Kang Ri La Basecamp ➢ July 08 Full day in Stok Kang Ri La Basecamp ➢ July 09 Trek over Matho La. Camp in lower meadow ➢ July 10 Explore Matho Valley ➢ July 11 Trek to Shang Ri la pass ➢ July 12 Cross pass. Camp near Shang monastery ➢ July 13 Trek to Shang Sumdo. Finish trek > transfer back to Stok

Free day and return to Vancouver

➢ July 14 Free day ➢ July 15 Fly Leh 8.20 am to Delhi. Day in Delhi. Depart Midnight to Toronto ➢ July 16 Arrive Toronto 5.00am Depart for Vancouver 06.30 am Arrive Vancouver 08.35 am Video Footage

• The Song Collector Erik Koto

• https://Clps from Leh and Ladakh

• https://Clips from Leh and Ladakh Where is Ladakh?

Ladakh

Singapore > New Delhi

➢ Ladakh is an extremely remote region of situated on the north side of the great Himalayan mountain range on the vast Tibetan Plateau. You first fly to the capital city of New Delhi.

➢ The only way into Ladakh is by a spectacular one hour flight that lifts one out of the urban intensity of New Delhi and over a virtual sea of snow-capped Himalayan peaks before landing at the ancient city of Leh in the Valley. Flight over the Himalayas to Ladakh Our traditional guesthouse in the village of Stok. To the right is the Royal Palace. To the left looms the 6,000m peak of Stok Kang Ri. History and the Himalayas at our doorstep After exploring our “home” village of Stok, we will have the opportunity to explore the capital city of Leh as well as two of the many Buddhist monasteries in the Indus Valley. Lamdon School & Kristin

Leh is the location of the Himalayan “Sister School” of Kristin School

On the second day in Ladakh, the Kristin group will first hike up to the location of the Royal Palace for a stunning panoramic view of Leh and the Indus Valley.

We will then hike down to the location of Lamdon School where the Kristin School students will be honored guests at the morning assembly.

The principal, Mr Eshey Tundup, will present each student with a traditional silk scarf as a ritual of respect and gratitude in front of the 2,500 students of his school

The impressive accomplishments of Lamdon School is surpassed only by the magnificence of it’s setting

The group will then explore the ancient royal palace and monastery at nearby Shey village Thiksey Monastery

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➢ One of the most impressive monastery complexes in Ladakh is just 25km from Stok.

➢ The huge hilltop structure of Thiksey at one time had over 1,000 monks in residence. The “Chamba” statue at Thiksey Monastery

➢ The 12m high jewel encrusted statue of the “Chamba” or messianic Buddha at Thiksey Monastery is justifiably famous as one of the most beautiful enormous works of religious art in the world.

➢ We are fortunate to have a respected Buddhist monk scholar as your source of insight to the vast history and culture of Ladakh.

➢ Lama Palden is a long time friend and will be lending his invaluable knowledge, fluent english language skills and delightful personality to enrich the experience of exploring the cultural treasures of Ladakh. He will accompany the group to all the monasteries to explain the rituals, history and cultural significance of each destination Himalayan Health Project

Without the invaluable logistical support from International Ladakh expedition groups, the progress made by the Himalayan Health Project would not be possible Dental / Medical Expeditions to Ladakh

☯ Since the first medical teams arrived in 2007, the Himalayan Dental/ Medical Project has grown to be a major source of basic health care for 1,000s of Ladakhi men, women and children living in some of the most remote and isolated locations on earth

☯ For the past nine years international teams of dentists, doctors, gynecologists, optical surgeons and dermatologists have come to Ladakh to bring a wide range of treatments to over 22,000 patients living in some of the most remote locations on earth

☯ We have now built a modern, efficient dental/vision clinic on the campus of Lamdon School in Leh to carry on the work year round rather than depend on temporary venues Volunteer dentists, ophthalmologists and woman health care specialists from around the world will be able to work together with our full time nurse, dentist and optometry team to provide world class dentistry and vision care free of charge for the entire Ladakh community Technology & Tradition

! 26 major medical expeditions have taken place over the past nine years – many of them in some of the most remote areas of the Himalayas where no sophisticated medical care was available.

! Dr Marcus Ang and his team of 18 skilled ophthalmologists and optometrists used an impressive array of diagnostic equipment to examine over 2,500 patients for a wide range of eye conditions and injuries during a camp we held in the remote Valley in 2015

Fully operational vision clinic

$ Teams of ophthalmologists can treat patients in the multi-station vision clinic upstairs after screening hundreds of patients in our open ward area on the second floor of the complex.

$ In August 2015, we hosted a major team of vision specialists from The Singapore National Eye Center.

$ They examined and treated over 1,500 locals in only 6 days

$ 370 prescription eyeglasses were measured for, fabricated and distributed free of charge

$ Over 800 reading and sun glasses were distributed.

$ 18 people had successful cataract surgery performed ! Perhaps the most cost effective and dramatic success of The Himalayan Vision Project is the wide scale examination of patients for prescription eyeglasses and simple reading glasses.

! These relatively simple interventions dramatically improved or restore functional vision to hundreds of villagers who have attended the camps

. An alliance for the future

$ The Himalayan Vision Project has created an alliance with the prestigious LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India. The advantages of this alliance are enormious:

$ We have sent 3 local Ladakhi students to their Optometry School for training and they have returned to staff our vision clinic starting in August, 2015.

$ LVPEI will send regular teams of Ophthalmologists to Leh to screen and treat patients for all over the Indus River Valley

$ Our more serious cases will have priority for surgical treatment at the main hospital complex in Hyderabad. Vision equipment

$ State of the art vision diagnostic and treatment equipment was purchased in Singapore and then transported to and assembled in our new vision clinic Mutually beneficial community service

In 2016, the student group from Kristin School will actively participate in two very important projects for The Himalayan Health Project

Some students will be assisting our dentists and helping to screen and treat patients for a wide variety of oral health care problems.

They will also be conducting wide scale education classes for the younger students of Lamdon and other local schools in the importance of proper and regular brushing

Other teams of Kristin students will be distributing UV protection sunglasses to hundreds of the students after explaining to them clearly how important it was to protect their eyes from the harsh sunlight of the high Himalayas

Kristin students will also work together with teams of Ophthalmologists from The LV Prasad Eye Institute to conduct vision health care camps in remote villages and monasteries in the Indus River Valley Training to help the doctors

$ Kristin students will receive training in accurate measurement for prescription and reading glasses and help with the on-going screening and distribution efforts to provide these valuable assets out of the Lamdon clinic, in villages away from Leh or while on the trek

$ They will also receive training instruction from our dental team so that they can actively participate in oral health training sessions at local schools in the Indus Valley Dental Clinic The Lamdon Dental Clinic is now fully equipped and functional

We have four autonomous dental chairs where virtually any dental or oral surgery procedure can be performed with the aid of portable radiology technology and a full array of world class equipment

The primary dental station is staffed by our new full time dentist Dr Marie Nordstrom of Sweden as well as our resident dental technician Ms Yangchan Dolma

When larger teams of dental volunteers are working, we can set up all four chairs and provide treatments for hundreds of people a day Women’s Health Care Breakthrough

☯ Historic breakthroughs have been achieved by the multi-national gynecological teams that have traveled to Ladakh over the past six years

☯ In 2009 when the first women’s health care team came to Ladakh only 18 women attended the camp.

☯ In 2010 that number grew to 300

☯ After an entire year of village-to-village women’s health care education efforts, over 2,000 local women attended the 2011 camp

☯ During the 2012 camp the international team of five gynecologists screened over 500 women from some of the most remote areas in Ladakh. Most of the villages were in the primarily Muslim areas near the border with Pakistan. It was a very successful breakthrough to be able to provide the women of the villages the first gynecological care of their lives

☯ In 2014, Dr Swee Chong returned to Leh with a robust team of 12 gynecologists and screened over 1,000 women and provided 75 surgical treatments for pre-cancerous lesions.

☯ In 2015 Dr Quek returned with an even larger team of 18 gynecologists and screened over 2,000 women and performed 125 surgeries on women with precancerous lesions on their cervix The best cure is prevention

Historical progress in the long term health care for the women of Ladakh was been made over the past seven years that The Himalayan Women’s Health Project has been bringing trained gynecologists to the region

Dr Quek Swee Chong, the driving force behind the project, traveled to Leh and made a compelling and impassioned presentation on the safety and long term health potential of a wide spread HPV vaccination project to the political leaders of Ladakh

Dr Quek has submitted an ambitious subsidy request to the multi-national pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline which manufacturers the expensive, but miraculously effective vaccine against the virus proven to cause cervical cancer

If we get approval from the local medical authorities, we will begin providing HPV vaccines free of charge for as many young women in Ladakh as possible

Any Kristin student that is particularly interested in women’s health care can work with our resident physician Dr Dekyi who carries on the work full time at a local hospital Lady Ganga / Nilza’s Story

In May 2015 our Himalayan Women’s Health Project screening & treatment camp was the subject of a documentary film called “Lady Ganga / Nilza’s Story”. One can watch this compelling portrayal of two women’s shared experience in the universal struggle to diagnose, treat and control the preventable plague of cervical cancer here: http://www.ladyganga.org/

The film will be shown at The United Nations in New York on World Cancer Day on February 4th, 2016. Dr Quek will be one of the primary speakers at the international gathering of specialists, oncologists and cancer specialists

Our shared aspiration along with the producers is that the film will inspire women around the world to a greater level of self-awareness and to actively demand their basic human right of adequate reproductive health care. Introductory classes in the disciplines of Meditation

☯ We would like to introduce another interesting and beneficial aspect to the Mulgrave School expedition to Ladakh in 2017

☯ In the ever increasing velocity and quantity of work loads, social media, expectations and aspirations we all too often now find ourselves in a swirling input tornado of distraction far removed from tranquility or the nutritious sanctuary of silence

☯ In conjunction with the community service projects and perhaps even on the trek, we would like to allocate several days to introductory instruction classes in basic meditation techniques led by a renown Ladakhi teacher

☯ It has proven to be extremely beneficial and trip/life enhancing for the student groups we have been sharing this opportunity with the past two years Ladakh Clinic in Leh Mulgrave meditation/community service venue

Our large, open ward facility that we will covert to an excellent meditation class venue We can have group lunches on the deck and enjoy spectacular Himalayan views over the entire Indus Valley

Our dental/vision clinic Students can assist our doctors Meditation & Mindful Experiance

☯ As with any learning experience, the key is held by both the teacher and the student

☯ Our meditation instructor is known to everyone as simply Vivek. He is from our home village of Stok and spent many years studying meditation in Burma, Thailand and India and has now returned to Ladakh to provide instruction in this life enhancing skill to locals and international guests alike

☯ His english language skills are excellent and his instructions are centered on regaining one’s ability to concentrate and focus on a single thought, feeling or even the illusive mental silence in our daily lives

☯ You can find out more about Vivek at his website: dhammahouse.com Departure for the trek

" After six days of cultural explorations, community service work, meditation classes and gradual acclimatization to the altitude, we will be ready to depart for the eight day trek into the Ladakh Himalayas

" Thorough safety & equipment checks will be made of everyone physically as well as logistically before we depart

" The day before the trek departure, we will conduct a 5 hour “dress rehearsal” hike in the village of Stok to make sure everyone and everything is ready go .

Certainly the most memorable way to appreciate the gigantic magnificence of the Himalayas is to trek deep into the impressive landscape and be humbled and enriched by the grandeur The 8 day Indus > Matho Valley trek is one of the most challenging and remote Himalayan adventures in the world. We will cross a major high mountain pass over 16,500ft/5,200mt in elevation, climb on 6,000m Mt. Stok Kang Ri and explore the isolated Matho Valley where a rugged Ladakhi village lifestyle continues it’s centuries old dance with the harsh, yet spectacularly beautiful environment. ➢ One must venture into the Ladakh Himalayas in much the same manner as the nomadic tribes who still inhabit the region. All provisions for shelter and survival must be transported by Tibetan pack horses. All food, water and essential logistics must be carried in to supply the temporary “village” of our camps n Trails & Campsites The gigantic scale is both humbling and awe inspiring ➢ Everyone will also have the chance to hike in snow when we are camping at higher altitudes

. Matho Valley Trail The Matho Valley has a wonderful variety of landscapes and terrains Rest, recharge & reflect

Our “village” near their village The life & the faces of Ladakh

➢ Incredibly, there is a large and vibrant wildlife population in the Himalayan foothills.

➢ Herds of ibex, blue sheep, wolves, burrow dwelling marmots and even the elusive and legendary snow leopard prowl the arid landscape for the means to survive.

. Ibex After each day of trekking through the splendor of the valley, the experienced Sherpa crew will set up camp, fix dinner and rest the horses. All necessary tents, sleeping bags and comfortable mattresses will be provided to each participant

The weathered beauty of Ladakh

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➢ The places carve the faces ….

➢ The trail passes through some of the most spectacular and unique scenery in Ladakh

Safety is our first priority

" The health and welfare of every participant is our primary responsibility and focus for the entire time they are in Ladakh

" We work closely with the leadership team from Bill Kite’s staff and have shared responsibilities for all hygiene standards in the hotel, on the trek and during all excursions away from the hotel

" On the trek, Bill’s staff are all well trained and experienced in high mountain first-aid and will carry a self-contained and comprehensive medical kit for every 10 participants. They are vigilant to maintain hydration necessities and trail safety protocols

" In addition we carry expedition standard rescue and emergency equipment including oxygen, portable stretchers and a high altitude pressure chamber. The students are also trained in their use in case we need for them to participate in a rescue Higher, better, safer

" The hike ends each afternoon with plenty of time to meet together as a team and reflect on the day and fine tune any safety issues or enhancements Being ready for 4 seasons a day

Kristin School is fortunate to be coming to Ladakh in the warm summer months, but we must be well prepared for a wide range of possible weather conditions

We will be providing everyone with excellent quality tents, sleeping bags, down jackets and other equipment to be able to deal with any weather condition encountered during the trek The final full day of trekking will take the group over another high pass and back into the Indus River Valley Climb high and then descend back “home”

" After reaching the top of the pass, everyone will hang a long string of traditional Tibetan prayer flags

" Every participant is encouraged to write an individual thought, feeling or reflection on one of the flags before they are hung across the pass

" The team then begins the long descent back down into the Indus Valley and the end of the trek Many people feel that the final day of trekking downhill through the spectacular Shang Sumdo canyon is the most challenging and memorable hike of the entire journey End of the Trek

" After eight unforgettable days of trekking over high passes, peaks and pastures, the trail will lead the group back into the Indus River Valley and the comforts of the Highland Hotel

" After well deserved hot showers and lunch, everyone will have an opportunity to plan for their final day in Ladakh.

" We can organize additional cultural tours, meditation classes or time spent helping the doctors at the clinic

" There will also be plenty of time for shopping in the Tibetan markets in Leh so everyone can bring back mementos of their time spent in Ladakh As the journey to Ladakh comes to an end, you will fly back over the Himalayas to the urban contrast of New Delhi where everyone will spend the afternoon and night in the comfort of the Lemon Tree Hotel. Early the next morning it will be time to head to the airport for the return flight to Singapore/Auckland

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???? departs Delhi @ ??:?? / arrives Hong Kong @ ??:?? Lemon Tree Hotel New Delhi

After the extraordinary adventure in Ladakh has concluded with a successful flight from Leh > New Delhi, a “quality of experience” decision has been made to allow the participants to rest, reflect and enjoy the comforts of the splendid Lemon Tree Hotel in New Delhi before beginning the long flight journey back to Singapore

The hotel is located very near the airport so there will not be any time spent in the noise and haste of New Delhi traffic during the ferocious summer heat. A journey to Ladakh is an overwhelming experience of enormous scale and challenging efforts and yet one also leaves with a collection of admirations and affections.

The 2016 expedition will be especially beneficial for all who come with the personal challenge to grow, learn and carry forward the remarkable relationship between Lamdon, Ladakh and Kristin School For more information on the trip, please contact: Mr Craig Davis