A DAY TO REMEMBER

by Imelda Farrah Zohre HA

AS soon as we arrived at the meeting point at around 6 am for a sailing trip, we've waited for the bus to come but to no avail. Unlike our previous trip, this time no transportation provided to transport us to the Serasa beach.

Then we make a move ten minutes later after a discussion with BEACA members to drive all the way to the meeting point. As soon as we arrived, we waited for the Dream Charter's crew to come. While waiting, we were instructed by Dr. Irene to apply for a sun block and insect repellent as to avoid those unwanted insects to attack us nor to blackened our younger look skins.

Depart from the beach to the sailing boat.

Once we are done with the self protection, those from the Dream Charter arrived with a small boat at bay of the Serasa beach and instructed us to enter. Few of my mates went on the first 'encounter' (could be first experience for some of them for sitting on a small cute boat).

And this doesn't stop there as the boat suddenly capsized in the middle of the way before reaching 13m long and 3.6m wide 'Jenny'. It looks like a big chaos from our eyesight. We were panicking seeing this. Dr. Asmah is one of the passenger on the boat. However, the Dream Charter crew who has vast experience are the hero of the day as they managed to saved all the buddies and bring them at bay.

The boat capsized...

However, as this might be their first hand experience, some of my mates looks traumatic and sad for what happened and not to mentioned for those who carries their expensive gadgetries swam together into the deep salty water.

The "survivor" being calmed down by Dr. Irene....

After everything is back to normal, all of the BEACA members were on board the steel constructed 'Jenny' which is safe on ocean going vessel. The vessel is 18t that can carry a maximum of 25 guests.

We were briefed by Aideen, the Dream Charter crews about sailing terminology, besides some of sailing safety tips. While Captain Peter captaining the vessel from Serasa beach to the checkpoint at Pulau Muara Besar, we can see the scenery of our beloved country who kept unthinkable of unexpected treasures.

The panoramic view of the Petima.

At Pulau Muara Besar, at the place where we anchored, we then swam down the South China Sea while some took some pictures for something to be remembered. After that we boarded back the vessel and on board the 'Jenny' then start to experience the many functions that the vessel has to offered first hand.

First hand experience taught by Aideen

Some of the lesson we were taught is about the knots. It was told that the bowline sometimes called the 'King of Knots' is one of the most useful knots to sailors. It can be made quickly and easily and will never jam. The rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree and back down the hole.

On our way to the Serasa beach, at some point the Dream Charter engine stopped. While waiting for it to be fixed, we saw some boats passing in our sail.

It was a worthwhile experience and not easy to forget.

Hep!...Hep!... Hoorrrrrrraaaayyyyyyy!!!!!

Tremendous Tees

Shocking! This is the biggest tree ever i have seen in Brunei Darussalam with my raw eyes. The tree is really huge and needed 12 people connecting together to measure how 'monstrous' the tree is. From my understanding, the tree has reached of more than 100 over years old. During my visit there, I was told not to 'disturb' the sky-high tree as part of it died due to human disturbance.

Dr. Irene (right) with the picturesque view of the huge tree's background

It took us nearly two hours to find our way out from this unexpected unique forest that kept lots of animal sounds that I never heard it before in my previous jungle trekking. Hearing that, I tried to record it but my fellow friends don't allow me to do so, having in mind will effects her spirits.

The Bonsai flower once famed as a home decoration

From my previous activities, we learned lots of plants species but now we focus on the animals and insects though the aim is to see the big tree which is yet to know the scientific name of the biggest tree.

One of the 'biscuits-look-alike' caterpillar that we found

From the journey, we also learn the meaning of teamwork besides learning the preserve of this beautiful forest which kept the big trees and the small waterfall that I am pretty sure not much people knew about it.

Due to non-exposure of this beautiful forests, there is only a little wastage to be collected. This show how clean the forest is.

We supposed it was a baby snake egg that already hatch

We, the second team at this activities, reached the finishing line first, as to our first team lost in the middle of the forest. Dr Irene and some of my fellow then decided to make a rescue managed to find them half and hour later.

Hopefully, this beautiful preserve forest that not only consists big trees and mini waterfall as well as big stone-look alike-caves can be one of the main attraction in Brunei for researchers and adventures tourists to come over.

One of the biggest stone, emerging like a cave's look

By Imelda Farrah Zohre HA

When I was a kid I was told that Sumboi-Sumboi is good to make your hair grow even longer and thicker once you put the liquid of Sumboi-Sumboi all over your head. But you have to practise it everyday. I ever saw it my childhood neighbour apply it to his hair, as if he can have a better hair then mine, yes it is, he manage to make his hair longer even faster. Pitty him, his mom instruct him to cut his hair short because he have to take photo for his IC.

One of its species, the enzymes that this plants produce can clearly see inside it

So I ask my parents about this Sumboi-Sumboi liquid which is smell not so bad, I ask them where I can get this things, soon my dad simply answer that we only can get it in depth forests and tall tree. Since then I never saw and never try to use this Sumboi-Sumboi again. Until one day I saw a riplica of big Sumboi-Sumboi that are located at the Berakas Forest reserved entry which recall me back about my childhood story.

I manage to do some research about this uniquie plants, that the sciencetist name it as Nepenthes plants or they call it Monkey Cup as part of Tropical Pitcher plants.

The Monkey Cups (Sumboi-Sumboi) plants

After all, I wanted to know more about this Sumboi-Sumboi as a Tropical Rainforest living things when it was last Friday 9th October 2009, BEACA activites continue with our next trip to a forests that are located somewhere at Rimba. Just a few Kilometers to the roundabout of the Giant superstores.

As usuall with the BEACA team member, me and others are already with our own post that we voulenteery filled. So as a refreshment manager for this week I prepared 100plus for the group to regain their water body after the trekking.


Taking us about 30 minutes to go out of the depth forests, again our sweepers (Azmey and Nurhakimah) lead us the way, which Nurhakimah not sure about it. But yet we manage to go out as soon as the other gourp reach the meet points.

Some of them who are very active and commited having fun doing this trips

As soon as we take a rest about 5 to 10 minutes, we all vote to go back to where we were drop by using the new way, which I suppose they never recce it before, so all the groups gatherd together and later make our own path to go back to the finish line.

Along the tiring way, hot, no reception area in a very depth forests and a slippery hill with a lots of intresting species of trees, plants and inscets we manage to go out after about 30 to 35 minutes which we pass by a staff houses, abdonden building and a lots of construction area.

From this trip I learned a lots of plants speices, such as an Orchid that are well growth in the middle of the forest filed, then we saw the 'Bunga Kodok-Kodok' the purple colour flower that believe can be use to clear skin form any accidental marks. Melastoma malabathricum L. (Melastomaceae) is the scientific name of it, which also believe can reduce the heartburn problems.



What is more, we manage to see the giant 'Daun Pandan' the leaves have thorn and even bigger that survival can use to make a roof by it and thia giant pandan does not smell like the normal pandan that we are using for the 'Bunga Rampai' in sepecial occassion.

Now this is what I saw from this trip, we need a great team work which we a having it now, just need to improve it well, the same problem that we have is to know what post to handle for the next trip. Everydbody keep on asking whos doing who? What is more to know our own responsibilties is also another thing that is very important to this exciting activites just need to add on the commitment evrything that we suppose to do we aware of it. Anyway I am having fun to gain myself a great experience with this activites and looking foward for the next trip, with a lots of new plants and species to be seen.

LUCKY GARDEN

According to Forestry Department of Brunei Darussalam in their Website http://www.forestry.gov.bn/about_geo.htm. Retrieved on 5 th October 2009 stated that "About 78% of Brunei Darussalam's land area of 5,765 sq km is covered by forest, giving rise to forestry as one of the major activities in the country. The Government of Brunei Darussalam has acted to conserve some 322,000 ha hectares as forest reserves. At present, about 235,520 ha (40% of total land area) has already been gazetted as FR and out of this, about 50,000 ha has been allocated as National Park."

Lucky Garden in Brunei Darussalam is one of the place where located a forest that not much people really know. Being with this BEACA involved in this week activity, I am exposed to this beautiful place that can be use as one of the recreational area just like Bukit Shahbandar dan Bukit Markucing not only doing exercises climbing up the hill and see the beautiful of the nature but also to do a research about this a little bit untouched forest.

It was the 15th day of Hari Raya Celebration, everybody still in their Hari Raya mood but yet we still do our activities to this Lucky Garden as early as 6 am which is located around the Sungai Tilong Area. At the first place I'm thinking that this area are were a garden was developed and later thougt that this area is just a place where the housing area for mostly Chinese people to live in. I keep on wondering why we are assigned to this activities to this hiding place.

According to our friends who were doing the recce with Dr Irene, it is a Jungle Trekking activity that we going to do and later I begun to wonder agaian is there any forest that we can do junlge trekking activity over there. Answer to all my questions later replied as I witnessed it myself those place.

One of the river that we crossed over

With the number of 13 students who took BEACA course including myself were divided into three groups thats include two sweeper at each and every group. As we go along to the almost end of the road the bus stop and we started to divide ourself into goups and start to move on starting by walking to a muddy road, just a minute later we reached the bottom of the hill and started to climb it eventhough it is a slippery path and soon after climbing it we started to enter the forest.

Again, due to Hari Raya 'open houses', I felt it is so heavy and breathless climbing the hill that are surrounded by several spieces of plants, but I have to be committed to it until the end of our slippery and muddy journey. Beside doing this healthy activities not only may drop my 'Hari Raya' Cholesterol that I've been collecting but also the exposure that I got from this beautiful Tropical Rainforest with so much species of plants and insects leaving on it, may open my eye and think back that this area should be reserved for the sake of the environments.

Forest Fruits that I am doing the research of this species

What makes me interested is the uniqueness of several tree that are growing there without being damaged and destroy, the mushroom that we saw makes me thinking that this kind of plant also in need of the tropical rain forest. What if the forest being destroy those kind of mushroom only can be seen in the supermarket that were imported form outside country.

Our Sweeper the smells of this tiny flower is nice.. but....... you experience it yourself

I am impressed with the view as we reached a the first hill that we climb up. We saw the view of the housing and the beautiful Mosque that are located at Perpindahan Lambak Kanan, this place remind me of Bukit Markucing at Kampong Subok that I used to go before that also giving us a very nice view but yet this view is even new and off course its my first time to experience it myself.The beautiful view of Masjid Kampong Lambak

Nevertheless, as we go along climbing up and down the hill we saw some annoying things happened to this area which will be bit by bit disturb the purity of the plants surrounds. First we saw abondan hut that are built with a wood from the forest itself. Second is the dumping area look a like just before we climb up the next hill, while me and my friends try to collect it but it is to dangerous to reach due to the steep location, and many more to see.

Our Sweeper (Azmey Yunos and Hajah Noorhakimah) lead our way while collecting some white paper which was left over at selected plants and tree as a mark that are made by the previous unknown activities. By collecting it we indirectly clean this forest and make it even clean. The only marks that the sweeper hold on to is the blue ribbon on which also we removed it as soon as we pass by our marks.

Now, what I saw in that forest is several species of Fungi, forest fruit which I bet can also be eaten to survive, several species of inscets and any size of trees with diffrent sepices can be found in that forest. Other than the steep hill and high low hill we also saw a small river that we cross over it and earlier then that is the plantation with the hut and the equipment of the activities that are practise by the people who are leaving that area.

Green Fern

Bracket Fungi, only in Tropical Rainforests.

What is more I also realize that team work among us will makes the group even stronger and together till the end of our journey especially in helping hand. To remember our own responsibilities and what to do with it is also one of the important things to be done. Committed to it will be easy for everybody and will not facing any problem in the future.

When group 1 meet group 2...in the middle of the forests... we stop and taking Photo

Dr Irene with the rest of the fellows is in the group three

I am a First-Aider during the jungle trekking were done, everybody come and go, arrived and departure in a safe and well-condition so from there I assume no accident and injured happened during the activities, thanks GOD for making this trip successful and happening.

The end of the trips we manage to collect the rubbish and divided it into recycle theme.