___3GRACE'08 Taman Negara Experience & Reflections + Information about Taman Negara

Objectives

In today’s globalised world, it is paramount for pupils to develop and have an understanding of this global village by learning through visiting other countries. Presbyterian High School is committed to providing our pupils this experience by organising overseas trip that will enhance their holistic development through the International Studies Programme (ISP). Presbyterian High School believes that the programme will help to heighten global consciousness, strengthen their sense of belonging and commitment to community and nation, and appreciate the cross-cultural perspective for the pupils’ holistic development.

The Taman Negara Trip presents an excellent opportunity for the pupils to:

• Gain knowledge, skills and values experientially so as to enhance the educational experience of our pupils in PHS.

• Have an experiential inter-disciplinary learning journey in a nature reserve, with a focus on the subjects: Science, geography, English and Character development.

• Learn more about issues relating to foreign diplomacy and nation building.

• Develop problem solving skills through Problem-based learning, in which pupils propose solutions to a hypothetical environment problem.

• Cultivate the habit of persisting in the rugged setting.

• Be reflective and independent learner.

• Be involved in community involvement project, nature trekking, adventure activities in natural environment such as staying overnight in a cave.

• To provide opportunities for pupils to interact with Malaysian pupils.

The day that we have long awaited. Some of us were so excited that we could not even sleep the previous night. We were supposed to reach school before 6 and everyone was streaming into the canteen with huge bags that look heavier than themselves. Everyone was waiting in the canteen while teachers were marking attendance, at the same time, waiting patiently for the bus to arrive. In the end, we could only leave school at about 8am because the buses were late. After loading our humongous bags onto the bus, we departed the school for the Tuas Checkpoint.

our moments of waiting...

growing "sian"?

yipee! our buses are finally here!

Taman, here we come!

our way to Tuas Checkpoint...

We crossed the Malaysia Checkpoint and had to change to another bus. As one of our school mates accidentally misplaced her passport and was unable to cross the checkpoint, we had to wait for her. One for all, all for one!

here's the bus!xD

and the candid post of Michelle!

We soon began our 8 hour journey to Taman Negara. On the bus, our class entertained ourselves with many activities. Some chatted happily among themselves, some fell asleep. During the bus ride, our kind and pretty tour guide played a movie, Ah Long Private Limited, for us such that we would not be too bored. Many of us were so engrossed in the movie and this kept us entertained for around 2 hours. During our trip there, we realised how bonded our class is. For lunch, we came to a pit-stop at Yong Peng where we had our fill. Some ordered mee rebus, while others chicken rice. There was even a really big fish in the pond outside the place. We bought tidbits from the convenient store there so that we could have something to munch on while on the bus.

here's the humongous fish!

is it even bigger than Christopher??

Christopher...

There were toilet stops along the way and some of our friends bought snacks to fill their stomachs on the bus. Many of them were selfless and shared their snacks with the rest of the class. I remember that the whole class ate til we were so full that we were terrified when we saw the snacks being passed to us again! There was even once that there were 3 packets of the same nachos but of different sizes being passed around! That is the spirit man, 3 Grace!

this is one of our toilet stops!
the drinks sold there are really cheap!:D

on our way there,

some played with phones...

waited longingly for the arrival of Taman Negara...

laughed happily for no good reason...

When we finally arrived at the campsite, which was at Gua Balai, what greeted us was a cliff-face, abundant vegetation and lots of insects like butterflies which littered the scenery. It gave us a very rural feel and everyone was amazed by this sight. As city dwellers, we had little opportunities to actually see this. We began the climb up a flight of rusty stairs to our campsite which was in a cave.

Yipee! We finally reach our destination!!

carefully climbing the flight of stairs...

the tents inside the cave...

playing with torchlights while settling down?

Some of us had fear of climbing up that flight of stairs as we were able to see what were below the staircase and were afraid that our "barang-barang" would drop through the gaps. We helped each other along and finally reached our accomodation site. That's what friends are for! We got into our tents and put down our "barang barang". Each tent was to accomodate 4 people and as some of the tents were smaller, it was very squeezy. After we settled down, we prepared ourselves for our upcoming activity which is dinner! Everyone was so famished and could not wait for dinner! But... DINNER WAS LATE!!

let's see how our class waited patiently for the arrival of dinner...

off to explore?

erm, looking weird?

waiting for dinner to drop down?

took a class photo!!!

Finally, dinner was here. There were many flies flying here and there and there were even some flies hovering over our dinner! Our schoolmates who were serving had to consistently chase away these pests. It was indeed a rare experience to dine with nature! Dusk came, we soon finished eating and everyone was really bloated, except some who could not eat due to the "natural" environment. While having our briefing for the night activities, flashing lights in the sky caught our eyes, as fireflies were flying aimlessly circling above our heads bringing joy to everyone, it was indeed a sight to behold!

For the night activity we walked together in pairs with the guide in front to guide us through the dark forest. The moon was up and the trees were blocking all light from entering the forest ground, giving us a creepy feel which gripped our hearts. When we reached the cave which we first saw when we entered by bus, our trainers gave us a candle and requested us to walk back along the path. Our class was split into 3 different groups and one of our groups was the first to reach. Some of us went through the walk without even using the candle, while others thought it was a light stick at the beginning and broke it into 2. In the end, they came back using only half a candle. It was indeed a memorable experience where we encouraged each other and pulled through by helping each other!

Everyone managed to return safely and we all smelt bad after the walk. Everyone longed to have a nice bath and then to sleep as soon as possible. After the night walk, it was OTOT(Own Time Own Target). Almost all of us dashed into the toilets to take a nice shower. The toilets were not very clean and they were infested with many insects. Two of the girls from our class were freaked out as after they bathed, they realised that at the bottom of the tub, there was a DEAD RAT! Although the hygiene conditions were not very good, it did not matter as long as we had a great whale of time there!

YAY! OUR LONG AWAITED BATH!

After we had thorougly cleaned ourselves, we went back to our tents and realised that we simply could not fall asleep. Perhaps we were too excited? It wasn't a bad thing anyway and most of us went off to our friends' tents to have a nice chat before we returned and had a good night rest.

having a nice time in the tent...

It was not long before it was the next day! Another day of adventure!

And here, it ended the first day of our Taman Negara Trip 2008...

In the morning, we had field cooking. It was a first time experience for many, but the class managed to cook a healthy and hearty breakfast for themselves. The breakfast included 4 pieces of bread, 4 hotdogs, 4 eggs, and some butter and kaya for the bread. It wasn't what we would have deemed as a scrumptious breakfast, but it did at the very least last us through the morning. =D All of us had fun preparing our own breakfast and it might also be the first time for many blessed PHS students!

when will you be ready to fill our stomachs???

aiyo, what happened to the mess tins??

hmm, looks edible but not the chaota part...

looks quite delicious...

the breakfast looks appetizing?

great that we still have roti to save

the breakfast that was ruined..

After an hour or so of eating and washing up, the first activity of the day began. Our group, consisting of 3 classes, was split into 2. The first group went for caving, while the other went for abseiling. Our group got to go for abseiling first, and it sure was a hair-raising experience!

it's time to clean up!

Some of the 'brave' students decided to go first, so they put on their harness and helmet. Then, they were led up a very, very steep slope. Many slipped while climbing up the slope, due to the damp soil. So, in order to minimize the chances of us rolling down the slope, we had to hold on to skinny tree trunks and some rope that was tied to them. We helped each other along the way and realised the hidden "gentlemen-ness" of the guys in our class!:D

briefing given by the instructors on how to wear the harness & helmet

After managing to climb up the rope, we were greeted by some huge boulders and 2 trainers/instructors. Mosquitoes were aplenty in the area, and we had to wait for our turn to abseil down. The trainers/instructors were very friendly and helpful, and never failed to encourage us to press on. On top of that, we also had our fellow classmates cheering and waiting for us at the base of the cliff! Minor accidents did happen on the way, but everybody managed to finish the activity safe and sound.

all ready to set off!!

cheering our classmates on!

yay! congrats on successful landing!

For lunch, we had a balanced meal and everybody was satisfied. Our next activity was caving, so we went to change into the proper attire. In order to reach the caves, we had to trek a distance through the jungle. Luckily, a path was already 'carved out' for us, and everybody followed in an orderly manner to the cave entrance.

Upon entering, we had to make our way through a 'hole' at the side of the cave. The first thing that some of us managed to touch was mud, as the cave was moist and damp. After a while of crawling and careful walking, we were greeted by a beautiful scenery. It was truly a sight to behold, as it was something that you would only be able to see if you went there.

Then, after some time of walking, it was time to leave the cave. However, it was a long way down, as we had to slide and trek VERY carefully through the cave, as it was very steep and slippery. Some had bruises and cuts on their hands, but nobody was seriously injured. There was a student with a sprained ankle, who even managed to go through the whole activity. Kudos to him!

One thing that did manage to surprise us though, was the smell and sight of bat guano. The floor was littered with bat guano in this area, and we had to shine our torches on the floor to make sure that we weren't stepping on bat guano. Also, some people got bitten by leeches on their legs and hands, and some even on their torso, but these were easily taken care of by the teachers and trainers.

After exiting the cave, we had to trek the same route back and walk back to the camp site.
It was pretty tiring, but we felt that it was a worthwhile experience as we saw and learnt many new things.

The Scenery!

other parts of the caves..

As the sun started to set, we quickly went back to the caves to pack our belongings and got ready to board the bus to the hostel. Then, out of the blue, it started to rain. Luckily for us, there were shelters around the area, and the classes huddled together to prevent themselves from getting wet from the rain. Now that's what i call class spirit. =D

yay! we've reached the Tekkam Plantation Resort!

After the short journey to the hostel, we started to unpack everything and checked out the area. It was a pretty decent place, and there were double-deck beds for us to sleep on. 16 people shared a bunk, and there were 8 double-deck beds in it. Wardrobes were also provided, but not many used them, as they thought that it was too much of a hassle to take out their things and pack them again 2 days later.

here're the boys' bunks!

The girls were lucky and they got to stay in chalets due to a shortage of bunks. The boys were rather jealous and couldn't stop whining! Not long after, they decided to give up as their whining was not getting them anywhere!

listening attentively to the piece of good news!

Yipee! we've got chalets!

hooray! our chalets!

So, very soon, we had dinner in a canteen, and then the preparation for rafting which was on the next day. We learnt how to tie a clove hitch, which hopefully, will come in useful the next day!

demonstrating how to tie a clove hitch...

Lights out was around 11, and so we quickly showered. The bathrooms weren't exactly usable, as many things were broken. Only 2 cubicles had shower heads, and 1 of them was clogged. Others decided to use the 'basins' of water located near the taps, and you had to use a scoop to pour water onto your body.

It was a pretty tiring day for us, but everybody was happy that they would be able to sleep on a proper bed for the night.

And here, it ended the second day of our Taman Negara Trip 2008...

We had breakfast at the canteen around 7.30 in the morning. After breakfast, we proceeded to the first activity , which was bamboo rafting. We felt quite excited for the activity before assembling at the venue. Once there, the instructors divided us into 3 groups. We received a task sheet which included instructions and various information for the activity.The trainer gave us 30 minutes to discuss on the methods and materials to be bought with imaginary "money". This activity allowed our groups to bond together, as we worked together to complete the tasks.