Form 1 Trip to Sítio do Carroção

By: S. Franco

Introduction:

​​This year, the Form 1s went on an exciting field trip to Sitio do Carroção, which lasted 3 days and 2 nights. The bus left the school at 7:00 am, and we arrived around 9:00 am. The landscapes we saw while on the bus were magnificent, varying between different plantations and beautiful mountains and trees.

The camp:

         As we stepped out of the bus, many of us noticed that there were green hedges positioned in a special 'maze' format. Also, we saw that buildings surrounding them had some sort of old architectural design. It was stunning!

​    The camp’s food was delicious! Each day, for all meals, there were various options including meat, rice, beans, pasta and different types of salad. For breakfast, there were many different yummy choices, such as: bread, cakes and fruits. Also, there were different sodas and juices. The lunchroom was very enjoyable, grandiose, and had an old-fashioned design.

      Every night we went to sleep at 11:00pm and woke up at 7:30 am sharp. The rooms in which we slept in contained many beds and bathroom stalls. Some beds were bunk beds, others weren't. There were two rooms for the girls, and two rooms for the boys. Each room had a name:  Venus and Earth for the girls and Mars and Uranus for the boys. There were monitors accompanying us at all times and sleeping with us in our rooms.

   Free time:
              Every day, we had 1 or 2 hours of free time. In this time, there were many activities options, and we could do any one of them. The activities were:

• The maze: the camp had a very large and confusing maze. The objective was to go to the middle and find the exit.

• Foot-golf: It is a game in which you have a soccer ball and you have to try to kick it into a large hole in the ground.
• Soccer
• The pool (waterfall included)
• The lagoon
• Badminton
• The Quatripuru trail: It is a trail through the forest which is 500m tall!

• The game room: It has lots of video games and things like a basketball stand, air hockey, etc.

​Adventures and Activities:
                 
         Throughout our stay we did a total of 7 fascinating adventures. We were split into two groups based on our tutor groups; Tudor, Stuart and Windsor north were group 1. Tudor, Stuart and Windsor south were group 2. We all did the same adventures, but in different orders.

They were:

• Spazukamonaring: this adventure is based on formula 1 racing. Spa, Zuka, Mona and Ring are tracks that a famous formula 1 racer liked training in. We would ride bicycle and pretend they were cars and compete against each other. There were many different features in the track, such as: bridges, tunnels and the rain curve, where we were sprayed with sprinklers.

• Planet earth: this adventure lives up to its name. We learned a lot about Earth. There was a square containing water and the world and continents were shown on it. There was a lagoon there too, and we swam in it and went kayaking. We were shown different ways to make energy, using wind and water. There was a large geyser that shot out water, which rose to 15m in the air.

• Bio planet: this was all about animals. We got to see turkeys, cows and pigs. We went to a fish laboratory, where we were shown very interesting species of fish and got to touch a baby crocodile. Also, we went to their aquarium with other types of fish and grown crocodiles. It is one of the largest sweet water aquarium in Brazil!

• The rock enigma: We entered cave, and inside there was a large lake. There was a tiny waterfall and a slide. We spent quite some time swimming around. It was splendid.

• Lost fossils: On this adventure, we went looking for a plane, which was forced to land in the jungle that was driven by paleontologists a long time ago. We entered the plane and felt the sensation of the landing. We found a cottage with their tools and a journal containing a map, which we used to locate dinosaur fossils and large skeletons to dig them up. We heard dinosaurs’ sounds and it felt like they were coming towards us! We all got a glimpse of what it would be like to live during the Dinosaur Era. 

• Indiana jones: It was probably the one that pupils most enjoyed. We had to overcome a series of challenges, just like Indiana Jones. We entered a cave and a boulder came running towards us! We hiked through the forest, crossed a river and dived under a waterfall. Later, we went to an exciting slide which led straight to the river, it was amazing!

• Cableway: We got to ride a cableway across the forest, all the way to a cottage, which they called Tarzan's cottage. Then, we got to swing on a vine across the river, and later fall in. 

​At the end of each day, around 9:30 pm, we would go to a room and play little game in teams (red, blue, green and yellow). The games were “Guess the picture” and “Hangman”. After, we would have a little party with music and drinks. We would then go to our rooms and sleep at 11:00pm.

A general overview:

Overall, the trip was wonderful! I personally enjoyed it and I am sure all of the Form 1s did too! I am sure that the Form 1s next year will have a blast! It is an excellent camp and during the mid-year holidays it is open for anyone who wants to come and stay for 7 days, where they can enjoy more of the camp's spectacular attractions!