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!