Hafizah (Lucky Garden, 20th September, 2006)

An Exhausting Experience

This trek was more challenging than the last. Well, it was neither the distance, nor the up-and-down journey that made it challenging (getting used to those already), but the pace at which I had to follow. We had to walk at a faster speed in order to reach the “finish line” before sundown. However, after covering one-third of the journey, we slowed down and eventually stopped momentarily, because one of our team members was in need of first-aid help. After we tended to her needs, we continued the trek, and this time at an even faster pace. We were trotting (as described by out leader) through the forest. At that speed, plus the uneven and occasionally slippery surface of the forest floor, I had to constantly watch where I tread, or I might risk tripping over the roots or something.

Oh I forgot to mention this: at one point during the trek, I encountered a trail of black ants, in which each ant had a baby ant (not sure whether it was a pupa or larva), between its mandibles. A friend told me that they were probably slave-raiding! Some species of ants would invade a neighbour’s nest, steal their babies, and bring them back to their own nest. Then, once they mature, they work for the colony that captured them. I was quite surprised, as I never knew about such behaviour in ants before. I certainly learned something new that day!

In three words, the trek was: exhausting, educational, and enjoyable! d(' ',)b

Hafizah (Rimba, 13th September, 2006)

A Series of Unusual Encounters

In my point of view, this trek was by far the most challenging, fascinating, and indeed an obstacle course. There were various sorts of plants that I encountered for the very first time. Unfortunately, however, I haven’t learned what their names are. The trekking was particularly challenging because the trekking path was narrow, occasionally steep and slippery, and the dense undergrowth that slowed down our pace.

I came across a pitcher plant, various types of ferns, developing ferns which curled beautifully, mosses, mushrooms, and two different architectural designs of ants’ nests: one that looked like a ball was built on tree branches, and the other, which appeared like it was melting away, was formed around a tree trunk.

Having emerged from the forest, we arrived at a housing construction site. The houses were all half-way to completion, and it seemed that they’ve been abandoned for quite a while. The thick and overgrown grass and the sunless interior of the houses created an eerie atmosphere. Another thing, it was as if the housing project was abandoned abruptly. There were still unused bricks lying around and a bagful of probably cement … as though they left in haste.

Then, we reached a vast open area, at which I felt like I was no longer in Brunei. Why so? Well, for one, it was the parched land. It reminded me of drought and famine. A close view of it resembled a jigsaw puzzle. Then, I saw hoof prints of a warthog, and Pumbaa from ‘The Lion King’ immediately came to mind. Later, in a natural structure that looked a tad like the Grand Canyon, were holes made by birds of an unknown species that functioned as nests. However, the most extraordinary encounter was a piece of land that was covered with flat-top peaks, and a miniature version of the Swiss Alps. Now, those made me feel like I was on Mars!

The only downside of this trekking activity was that I didn’t get the opportunity to learn the names of the plants and natural formations that I saw. Otherwise, it was quite a rewarding experience! Therefore deserving a 7/10! d(‘‘,)b Two thumbs-up!

Raimie; Rimba; 13/09/06

Before this trekking, I did not know that a jungle that looked so undisturbed from outside, could be so destructed inside! It was really shocking! The obvious evidence? Ferns. They were everywhere and we had to walk through a very narrow route to pass this area. When we went deeper, we encountered lots of thin tree trunks and fallen branches that were blocking our way. Towards the end of this trekking, we found a pile of woods, which were evident from constructions. The beauty inside this jungle is that there were quite a variety of plants that I have never seen before. Unfortunately, they were only present in little amounts, which is very pity. Interestingly, we also found pitcher plants, hidden by the lalangs. One of the challenges that I faced was walking through the ferns. We could easily get lost if we were to walk alone.

I rated this trekking 7/10 because it made me realised that even though a jungle can look so beautiful from the outside, you will not know about the inside until you discover it yourself. This area is approximately 70% "ruled" by ferns. In 10 years time, who knows if they are able to monopolise the whole area and "destroy" the others. Is that what you want the environment in Brunei to be? Just ferns and no others? In my opinion, Brunei would be like a plate of plain, white rice with no extra variety of foods on it. It won't taste that nice.

The jungle in Rimba is just one of the examples. Who knows if there are more, who knows...

[Pictures will be uploaded later]

Trip to pantai tungku

We have a trip to Pantai Tungku last week. It was not quite as challenging as i thought it would be. We started off by walking along the beach. I was walking with my friend and we are quite isolated from the other groups as they are either far ahead or way back behind. I in fact didn't learn anything at all during the walk because there was no one there to explain to us about anything.

After the long walk, we reach back to the inital point where we started. We were given duty to pick up rubbish along the beach. Rubbish bags and gloves were provided. The most challenging part is where i have to pick up the rubbish using my bare hands because i didn't know there were gloves provided. The rubbish are quite smelly and disgusting. Almost everything were thrown there including dipers. The scene was really sore to the eyes.I would rate this trekking experience enducationally 5 out of 10. This is because I was really unprepared for the task and in terms of education, i 've learnt that there is a need to protect our beauty beach so that they will not be polluted. It is hoped that there will be more activities or campaigns that helps to promote awareness among the people to conserve the beauty of our beach.

Tungku Beach (6th September 2006) – Puspa Rahayu

This week our location was at Tungku Beach. It took us about 10 minutes to reach there. When I heard that we were going to Tungku beach at first, I felt so exciting since it was my first time to go there. Usually I just pass by the beach on the way back to hostel or back to KB. The scenery was very awesome. We were asked to walk and take a look at the surrounding plus we were asked to do sort of “cleaning campaign”. We picked up the rubbish that laid down everywhere and divide it into different bags for collection of cans, bottles and other rubbish. But I think the Tungku beach was quite clean compared to some other beach in Brunei that I have visited before. Not much we have learned during this trekking except building our self-awareness about the environment. I would loved to rate this trip 6/10 because of the pleasure scenery which made me felt peaceful and for reminding me how important to have such a clean environment. The trekking was quite unchallengeable if compared to our fist and second trip. Nevertheless, I still felt happy and enjoy the trip.

Don't complain unless you do something as he does--make the world better...

Hafizah (Pantai Tungku, 6th September, 2006)

Sandy Strides

As always, before every trek, I would feel excited, because we would go to a different place each week and therefore enriching our knowledge of the environment. This time around, we went to the beach (Pantai Tungku), unlike the last two treks, which were in the forest.

One of the main purposes of the trek this time was maintaining a cleaner and greener environment. Sad to say, but it is a fact that litter-strewn beaches are a common sight in Brunei. Rubbish such as plastic bottles, Styrofoam containers, and plastic bags make up a large percentage of the rubbish seen at beaches. Not only these rubbish pollute the environment, but they can also harm sea animals. For example, plastic bags that get carried away into the ocean may cause death to turtles -- thinking they are jellyfish, they eat them and get choked.

I find it quite ironic that people go to the beach to relax, find peace in the calmness of the ocean, have a good time with family members or friends, and yet, they are the ones who “help” to pollute the seashore! Rubbish bins ought to be made available, and the citizens of Brunei should be more aware and responsible of the cleanliness of their surroundings. If they don’t care, who will? They should not simply wait for others. Brunei is our home, and we are the ones who should see that it is well taken care of!

The challenge that I encountered this week involved large stacks of rocks. On one occasion, we had to climb down a steep pile of rocks, and the other, walk on them. Mind you, those boulders had gaps between them, and some weren’t really stable. I found the experience adventurous, nevertheless. : )

Again this time: minimal animal encounter. The only animal that I remember seeing was a bee. Oh yea, and lots of cocoons suspended on coniferous trees! (' ',)b

Raimie; Tungku Beach; 06/09/06

Before this trekking, I did not know that there were lots of morning glory plants lying on the ground. It was fascinating. I also did not know that there were quite a few of acacia trees in this beach. Hadizah told me that these trees are undergoing extinction, which is really sad. During this trek, I felt so relaxed seeing all those plants everywhere, so beautiful and feeling the cool breeze and listening to the waves and birds. However, I also felt sad seeing rubbish everywhere especially those under trees and three piles of old woods lying on an open area. The rubbish found were mostly plastics, which we all know are non-biodegradable. If this beach is not cleaned up regularly, plastics will keep on accumulating and eventually, damage the earth. I was mesmerized when I encountered lots of big shells, which I even collected some of them home. This trekking experience benefited me in a way that I tend to be more cautious about my surrounding. I rate this experience 7/10 because I have learnt so much about admiring the environment more than I would before I joined this course. The feeling of exploring an area, admiring the beauty of the environment and think about the dangers that the environment is facing make me to be more aware about what is happening around me.

My second trip to Jln Kebangsaan

Our second trip was to the Diplomatic residential area at Jalan Kebangsaan. We took off at about 4.45 pm and reach there at about 5.15 pm.I have to admit that this trip is more exciting than the first one because it involves walking in the rain as well as climbing up and down the steep andn slippery slope not to mention the stream we have to cross.

As soon as we arrive at the site, our first challenge was to climb down the steep slopes. we have to be very careful as it was quite slippery and there is not much trees or branches we can hold on to. Probably the most challenging part for me is when i have to cross the stream by walking onto the unstable logs which seems to sunk halfway into the water. some members help out by putting logs on the side so that we can hold on to it. but still it was scary to me as i was unable to balance myself but luckily i didn't fell into the water ( it will be quite embarassing if i did hehe...). then we continue our journey and reach to a point where we have to climb up the steep slopes. we have to be careful with our steps as it was quite slippery due to the rain which was still pouring. however, the foliage has protected us from the rain and we only suffered a little wetness.

Then we have to walk along a narrow path which is surrounded by thick, bushy ferns with leaves branching out. it was quite dangerous as the branch have this sharp little thorns which can cut our skins or clothes if we are not careful. I was disappointed once again when i know that i have to cross another stream. this time the task is even more difficult as there is not enough logs to laid down for us to cross. The gushing of the running water is very cold and i couldn't see very clearly of what i was actually stepping because the day was getting darker. But due to the encouragement from my group members, i manage to cross the stream safely although my shoes have been entirely soaked with water.

By the time we came out from the forest, it was already dark. As usual we were offered drinks to quench our thirst and tiredness. but overall the trip was fun and exciting and i hope we can have more of this kind of trip in the future.

Jln. Kebangsaan, near Malaysian ambassador residence, 30 August 2006, Khadizah Latiff

This second trip was quite challenging n i enjoy it..love the nature so much.. hope we will be going to more adventurous trips in the future..see u people

DOC Khaty

Spg. 370 Sg. Tilong, 23 August 2006, Khadizah Latiff

This is our first trip and even though i'm quite familiar with this place, i still think it was good.. On the first place, it was kind of frustrating coz the other bus was lost n we were so worried but then it turned out to be well..i nearly lost my way while leading the second group coz it was already dark in the forest..sorry people..luckily i remembered the plants that could be found there..anyway, it was really a good experience for everyone..i hope this course will open our eyes more on the environmental problems that we are facing right now especially the clearing of the forest for development..nw, hope we are going to enjoy the other trips..

Jln. Kebangsaan, near Malaysian ambassador residence, 30 August 2006, Hadizah

The walk was really great.. Even though the walk was a bit challenging than the first walk, I really enjoyed it.. Some friends fell down but luckily no one hurt.. There are a lot of ferns and some beautiful mushrooms. It really good to see at the beautiful scenery.. I really enjoy every second of the walk.. :)

COL Hadizah

Spg. 370 Sg. Tilong, 23 August 2006, Hadizah

It was a great experience.. I like the walk, even though one bus was lost at first but everything turned out to be okay.. The walk was fun and I saw a lot of plants species in the forest.. As I walked further into the forest, I realised how much human has caused destruction to the forest. We should appreciate the forest more or else there is nothing left for our next generation. It such a great experience. Looking forward for a more challenging walk..

COL Hadizah

Challenging experienced at Jln. Kebangsaan

Our second jungle trekking was on 30^th august 2006. As usual we met at CLT to divide ourselves into 4 groups. We started our journey at about 5 pm. This week we went to a jungle at Jln. Kebangsaan. It took us about 30 minutes to reach there. This time we had a very challenging jungle trekking just like in the documentary programme that i've saw in the TV. Now i know how it feel...hehe... We had to face very steep slope plus crossing two little streams. Since it was raining on that day so the path was quite slippery. It made us difficult to move up and down the steep slope. Like last week, we have been introduced to some of the plant in the jungle such as ixora, liana, etc. You can see some of the picture as shown above. We also met the biggest ant in the world (as explained by one of our senior). Unfortunately, I could not take the picture properly as the ant was running away from us. (I think the ant felt shy that’s why she/he avoiding us hehe…just kidding). We reached back to the starting point at about 6.30pm and had our refreshment. We headed back to UBD as soon as everyone gathered at the meeting point. Our trekking ended with a big smile on everyone face which showed that everyone felt happy for it, don’t you think so? I would rate this trip 8 out of 10.

our 1st trip

On the 23^rd august 2006, around 4 pm all of us met at the CLT room 1.11. Our lecturers who in-charge the Brunei Environment Appreciation (BEAP) course gave us some briefing about the course plus we had to sign an indemnity form as well as answering a few questionnaires in order to survey our knowledge about Brunei’s rainforest. Our first jungle trekking was at spg. 370, Kg. Sg. Tilong. We started our journey around 5 pm. We went there by using UBD buses. It took us for about 45 minutes to reach there but I think it might be less than that if we were not lost in the first place. We were divided into 4 groups and each group had their own leader and sweeper. I have joined the first group and we went inside the jungle for about 1 hour. We have been introduced to some plants such as wild orchid, ginger, a kind of palm tree and a plant which its leaves looks like “tongkat ali” leaves. We also have seen a death young snake. When we reached the top part of the hill we saw a mass destruction which was obviously for the development. But thank God there were still untouched area and hopefully it would be untouched forever. It was getting dark that we all rushed out of the bushes. We were given refreshment by the time we were out of the bushes. For me, our first exploration on that day was exciting and I can learn a lot of new things. I would loved to rate it 7/10. At about 7 pm we left that place and went back to UBD. It was so tiring but I enjoyed it and I know I’m going to have muscle pain the next day after the trip hehe…

a trip to Sungai Tilong

Our first trip was to simpang 370, Jalan Muara and everyone was so excited about it. However, during the journey, we got lost as we were unable to find the simpang. It took us a while to find the location. We arrived at the site at about 6.00 p.m and started our journey into the jungle right after that. Our leader, Faye has provided us with some information about the forest. She introduces us to some of the plant and animal species which we have never seen before. She shows us the ginger plant, termite nests as well as the skin of the snake that has been shedded. Later we were brought to the destruction site where part of the forest has been cleared up for development. Trees are falling down due to erosion and it’s so sad to know that many species will lose their habitat. After that, we started to head back to our bus. As we go along, the day was getting darker and the sound of the insects and animals in the jungle are becoming more obvious. We heard the sound of the cicada and other insects which was very loud and echoing through the forest. We have to be careful with our steps as we do not bring our torchlight along. We manage to come out from the forest at about 7.00 pm. I was so tired and exhausted but the cool drinks are very refreshing. It was really an enjoyable experience for me. The trip has taught me much about the nature of the forest. It also make me realized the importance of conserving our forests.

Hafizah (Jalan Kebangsaan, 30th August, 2006)

Rain in the Rainforest

I must agree that the second jungle trekking was more challenging than the first. It had more obstacles, slippery slopes (and more slips), team effort, camaraderie, wet pants, squelchy shoes, and of course much more fun!

When we started our journey into the forest (5:15 pm), it had already begun to drizzle, and it continued throughout the trekking activity. However, being in the forest, with all the trees and foliage “filtering” the raindrops, we didn’t really get wet. However, we did get wet when we crossed a small stream in the jungle. Since the log that functioned as a bridge had partially sunken into the stream, we had no choice but to wade across. The water was knee-deep, filled with branches and had a squashy, muddy base. I actually slipped into the stream, accidentally of course. I hope nobody thought that I did it out of excitement. *LOL*

Overall, the trek was like an obstacle course. We had to climb up and down steep and slippery hills, go through dense ferns, cross a couple of streams, walk over and under fallen logs … that’s it, I guess. Hm… I thought that the experience would aggravate the cold that I had, but I was mistaken completely! The green experience instead was therapeutic; I felt much better after that! (‘ ‘,)

We emerged from the woods at around 6:20 pm.

Trekking activity number two, you deserve a 9/10!