Twelve Year 10 and 11 students travelled to Thailand over the Easter break on a Round Square Service project with the aim of building a water tank for a small village.

The group spent the first two days in Chiang Mai and visited the Doi Suthep Temple and the Wat Chedi Luong temple as well as a local market where the students tasted some local treats and spent the afternoon painting traditional parasols under the expert guidance of a local teacher.

The next day they hiked through Doi Inthanon National Park, roasted and ground coffee beans and reached the highest point in Thailand. Day four was when the work began!

The BHS group of students mixed concrete by hand to plaster the walls of the water tank and some even braved the heat to plaster the interior walls. They also visited a remote Karen village and spent the afternoon sharing songs and dances with the students.

On the last day, everyone took part in a bamboo weaving class and a blessing ceremony. Other highlights of the trip included The Flight of the Gibbon zip-lining course (not for the faint-hearted), a morning at the Elephant Conservation Centre just outside Chiang Mai, a morning on the river in Bangkok and a visit to a fellow Round Square School, The Regent’s School.