Raimie; Jln Kebangsaan; 30/08/06

This time, the experience was extra exciting, extra fun and the most importantly, extra challenging!! The scenery before entering the jungle was quite scary. Then, when we were about to go inside, we encountered a very steep hill, where we had to climb down very slowly. The ground was damp and slippery due to the rain. There were lots of trees, ferns, pandan, lianas, mosses and mushrooms. I was really fascinated with this one blue, shiny, flower-like mushroom that was sticking on the side of a fallen branch. The ground was really covered with fallen leaves and branches. There were also fallen trees that sometimes, blocked our way. So we had to be very careful walking through the jungle. Again, no animals in sight. Just the sounds of insects and birds from the distant. Furthermore, we had to cross a stream, which felt really nice and cold. We had to be really cautious as the 'bridge' was slippery. Moreover, we came across a land of ferns, so we had to put our arms up to avoid from the sharp edges of the ferns. With all those great experiences, I rated this visit 8/10. To me, the environment was really, really 'two-thumbs up', even though few portions of the land were seen destructed by man. Well, at least, they were replaced by ferns, which I had been told, can be used as medicinal herbs.

I would not mind to come back here again...

Raimie; Sg. Tilong; 23/08/06

Before the trekking, I did not know that there were too many trees cut down especially when we were brought to a hill top and saw a massive of clear land with constructions in progress. When we were inside the jungle, no animals were in sight. There were trees, carpets of fallen leaves, rattan, ferns, lalang and lianas. These inner beauties in the jungle were really fascinating, despite the destruction that had been made by man. So for me, the experience was just alright, about 6/10. There were no challenges faced, apart from walking through the fallen branches and loose rocks, where we could easily slipped if we were not careful. The weather at that time was not that hot as it was already late. All in all, the scenary in the jungle was breathtaking. It also concerns me: Few trees; loss of shelter; clear land; soil erosion; landslide; destroy the livings. On second thought, we might want to support the government to clear the land and make Brunei a more developing country but that would be another different story...

Mas Zuraidah (Sg.Tilong 23/08/06)

As it was the 1st BEAP trekking, ofcourse, i felt very excited. Plus, i've never been to the forest at Sg. Tilong before. Ok..it was totally fun. We did come across an animal, but we didn't get to see it clearly because it ran away very fast. Our group leader said it was a rat. A huge one, that is. But my friend at the first glance thought it was a chicken.Hahahaha. Very funny. Moreover, i've learnt a name of a tree, but i don't know how to spell it. I know that it produce a nice smell and it has beautiful flowers that produces the smell. I'm an Economics student, all i know is about the Labour supply, GDP, unemployment, etc, so i have an excuse though.Hehe. What's more? I watched a live action on deforestation. It was my first time ever. Well, they did it on a good cause though. But i hope they don't destroy the whole forest. Otherwise, i'll go on strike. Well, no lah. I'm just kidding. Hehe. O yea! I nearly slipped twice because it was slippery. I just laughed it out. We also get to hear the sound of birds. Cute! But i didn't get to see them.

Anyway, the walk made me realized that i don't have to go to the gym if i do this often and also by controlling my diet.Hehe. Overall, the trekking was enjoyable. I would rate it 7/10. I'm really looking forward for the next trekking site. And the following sites also.

Cheers.

Hafizah (Sg. Tilong, 23rd August 2006)

A Walk with Nature
I believe a number of the members of the BEAP had previous experiences venturing out into the wood. For me, it was my first…well not exactly, but I’d consider this to be the first serious trekking activity that I ever had.

Before we departed from UBD by bus, we first had to fill in a few forms and questionnaires, all relating to our knowledge and experience with Brunei’s flora and fauna. After that, at approximately 5:00 pm we boarded onto the bus and left the campus. We arrived at the trekking site at around 5:20 pm, and about ten minutes later, we started our journey into the forest. I was in group four.

Since it was my first real trekking activity, I was particularly cautious and careful, especially about where I set my feet on. The forest floor was covered with roots, rocks, lots of leaves, and even fallen flowers! How sweet…! I must say, as a first-time trekker, I had yet to get use to walking on the forest floor, because the roots could actually make one trip and fall, which by the way, I almost did a few times.

Along our way in the forest, there were various sights and sound, and even scents! The background music was singing of birds, rustling sounds of scampering small mammals, twigs snapping under our feet, and the distant hum of vehicles at work. Occasionally, while admiring the beauty of nature, we could sense a pleasant floral scent in the air. We were told that it came from a type of flower in the forest known as Magnolis.

Before making our way back to the starting point, we stopped momentarily to look at a piece of land that had undergone deforestation. So, that was where the humming sound originated from. The previously evergreen land was now layered with tar and cement. That was my first encounter of deforestation. Before, I only saw it on the television, or read about it in articles. I’m not sure how to describe the feeling that I had when I saw it for real… Well, for one thing, it showed that Brunei is developing its land, probably for housing. However at the same time, a percentage of the forest’s occupants had lost their homes and shelter.

I would give this trekking activity a 7/10. Well done!

From Dr Irene - Instructions for Journal Entries

Dear Students of BEAP UBD 2006,
This is a space for you to share your reflections of the BEAP UBD 2006 trekking activities with your colleagues.
All members should write at least two sentences and maximum of 300 words for each trek they participated in.
All postings for each trek should be posted by the Sunday night 8pm of the same week the trek occured. You should post your journals by clicking CREATE NEW POSTS in the edit mode, do not use the COMMENTS button below unless you are commenting to other student's journal entry.
Please write in the title box the location and date of the trek and your first name only.
You can write about any of the following and other relevant reflections about the trekking activity you participated in:-
- What you learnt about the environment that you did not know about before this trekking activity;
- How you felt before, during and after the trek; Why you feel the way you felt;
- How you rate the trekking experience; Why you rated it as such;
- How the trekking eperience benefited you;
- What challenges you faced during the trek;
- If the learning expectations you had for the trek were met;
-and so on - concerning your educational experiences of the treks.
Thank you
Dr Irene