After one and a half years of
planning and fund raising, 39 players and 5 teachers set off for South America.
It was surprisingly ‘chilly’ in Santiago for our first game, against Redlands
School, set in the beautiful foothills of the Andes. Our next two games were
further south in Conception and Curico, where the hospitality was exceptionally
warm and the sea extremely cold. They gave us a taste of their culture in the
form of dance and remarkable horsemanship.
We left Chile to fly to Buenos Aires and travel south to Mar Del Plata for our fourth game. The sea was warmer and the hospitality warmer still; unless you were one of the teachers that stayed in the Argentinean version of Faulty Towers! Then north via a Gaucho farm to demonstrate our horsemanship and have yet another BBQ. By this stage each one of us had consumed an entire cow!
We then flew to the most extensive waterfall system in the world at Iguazu. Stunning scenery, wonderful fauna and flora, contrasted dramatically with the adrenalin rush of charging through ‘Devil’s Throat’ canyon in a power boat.
Leaving Argentina we arrived in Rio de Janeiro and a fabulous hotel overlooking Copacabana beach. The surf was up and we had an exhilarating time in a briny washing machine. The adventure continued with a 4x4 jeep ride through the jungle to arrive at the awesome statue of Christ the Redeemer.
The rest and relaxation had come to an end and we focused on our last games against the Brazilian U17 and U19 squads in Sao Paulo before flying home exhausted but happy.
With 44 people, 10 games, 3 countries and 9 flights this was an ambitious tour. For the success of the tour I would like to thank the fund raisers, the accompanying staff and, most importantly, the tourists themselves. You may have shaven heads under pink hats for now but I hope you have memories and friendships that last a lifetime.
Mike Hayward (Party Leader)
Below are some photographs taken on the tour. Click on the image to see a larger version
