WWW, also known as Week Without Walls is an educational program that provides exciting opportunities for students to learn about the world through the eyes of an experiential learner and to build relationships among each other and the world around them. For this year’s WWW, we were given various options of where we could travel to and I decided to do the cycling trip because I found the destinations exciting and I really enjoy biking. I wanted to challenge myself to practice my endurance and consistency. 

On day one of our trip, we traveled by car all the way to Dehigaha Ela, Sigiriya. We stopped near camp and biked the remaining kilometers (14.5 km) to our final destination (Back of Beyond). Once we arrived, we had lunch and hopped on our bikes once again to complete a 28 km loop ride. We encountered a few bumpy roads here and there but the scenery was stunning and the cool air blowing was a great motivator for us to keep pushing. Following this, me and my friends all washed our bikes and decided to hop into the river stream to cool off after a long day. This was definitely one of my favourite highlights throughout the week because river baths were great to relax in as well as hangout with friends. We had lots of laughs and intriguing conversations! 

Later in the evening, we all ate dinner as well as completed our end of day reflection in which we discussed the challenges we faced and our goals to achieve on the trip. During day two of WWW, we woke up early to the sounds of nature and made our packed lunch. Following this, we checked our bikes to make sure there was nothing wrong with the gears/maneuvering and then we set off to cycle 45 km! We stopped in between to eat lunch, take a break to energize as well as to take in the view that surrounded us. There was a quiet aspect that I really liked about this stop. Throughout each of the days, each stop that we parked at had its own story to tell. Each one had different themes and produced different emotions. In this particular one, I felt comfort and joy. 

It had a tranquil ambience which was great to just relax in while chatting with friends! After this break, we biked all the way back to camp but before arriving we stopped by a market to grab some groceries for dinner!! Everyone was split into different groups in order to take on chores. Group one had to provide dinner, group two had to plan entertainment during the evening and group three had to clean the dishes. Once we reached camp, we did the usual where we scrubbed down our bikes but this time instead of going down to the river stream; we had a bike repair workshop. During this activity, we were taught to reassemble bike parts and learned the functions of each of the segments. This was really useful because I had no idea in the beginning what most of the parts were called and really helpful in the future in case I ever need to put back missing pieces of my bike back together. 

Day three consisted of all of us cycling 24 km and by this time, my legs were already starting to give into the muscle pain but with the help of encouragement from both peers and teachers; I just knew I had to push through. One major highlight of this day was when we met up with the art group (another Week Without Walls group!). We took them by surprise by hiding at their campsite and screaming hello once we saw them walking in. It was really exciting to see all of them, it felt like it’s been years since we last saw them (even though it was only two-three days). We caught each other up on what fun activities we did and our highlights so far! On day four, we biked a total of 37 km and made our way up Pidurangala by hiking. The view from up top was spectacular. We could see miles and miles of beautiful greenery. Even though the walk up and down the rock wore me out quickly, the forest surrounding all of us was lovely to take in and admire. Last but no least, day five was where we had to say our goodbyes. However! We did manage to sneak in a last bike ride. We rode for 37 km alongside the canal all the way to Naula and stopped to transition onto the bus. Overall, this trip has been one of my favourites as it helped me to reconnect with biking, nature, friends and myself. I learned more about the different functions of each part of the bike, appreciate my surroundings more and importance of nature for our environment and us humans as well as to trust myself more in taking risks (to new things, explore more, avoid being afraid) as well as to better connect and make the best memories with my friends!