Sixth Form News - October 2009
October 2009 News Archive
20/10/2009 |
KCC go to Borneo 2009 Kingsbridge Community College — BORNEO, 2OO9 The second day we rose at 3 am to trudge up granite rock with the aim of reaching the summit in time for the sunrise. We saw the sunrise, but hadn't quite made it to the summit! Whilst two of our group suffered altitude sickness and were unable to make the whole climb, it was a moving moment for the rest of the group as we took three pebbles from Aveton Gifford estuary and placed on the peak to remember the three boys—known to us all—who had tragically lost their lives. |
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| We then headed for Sepilok in the other Malaysian state of Borneo, Sabah, to see the orang-utans in their rehabilitation sanctuary. Our charity work was based in Sarawak, a Malaysian state of Borneo. This Kayan village have just over 100 families and were previously feared head-hunters, but are now, thankfully, peaceful Christians. They are mostly farmers and oil palm cultivators. Apart from a fogging road into the village, the only means of travelling between villages is along the Baram River by boat. Their landing site was slippery and difficult to climb so we were asked to construct a pontoon under supervision of the villagers. Some of the group also helped out at the kindergarten. The villagers cooked us traditional Kayan food and held a cultural evening for us. We spent many hours each evening playing football with the village children. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about a very different culture. On completion, guides from the village took us through the deep undergrowth of the Baram basin jungle. We learnt how to catch fish and which plants can be eaten, which were poisonous or have medicinal properties. We managed to fit in a trip to some underground caves in the rain-forest which were used to' harvest-nests (used for birds' nest soup) made from swiftlet spit. We also relaxed in hot springs, tried white-water rafting, camped under the stars in the jungle and on sandy shores, and even celebrated one of our team's 18th birthday with pizza and chocolate cake. Ben Goodman |
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