FORTY youth participants to the Brunei-Singapore Adventure Camp 2008 yesterday went on an adventure to explore the pristine rainforest of the Ulu-ulu National Park Resort.
Kamil Abdul Hamid, director of the resort's business development, said the Ulu-ulu National Park Resort offers visitors authentic jungle adventure while enjoying the resort's facilities.
He told youth participants that Ulu-ulu, which means remote, contains one of the richest biodiversity in the world.
Twenty Bruneian students and 20 Singaporean students took part in the two days, one night activity organised by the resort.
Nurashikin, 15, a student from Singapore's Admiralty Secondary School, said although this is her first time in Brunei, she had been wondering about the beauty of the sultanate's tropical rainforest since it was mentioned in class.
Indeed, the trip to Ulu-ulu was an adventure for the students and the teachers with them.
Before proceeding to Ulu-ulu, the students marvelled at the fast-flowing Batang Duri river. The atmosphere became more lively as they took the Temuai boat to the Ulu-ulu Resort.
During the 25-minute boat ride, the students had the chance to see colourful butterflies and birds.
Proud to be in the programme, a geography teacher from Kiulap Secondary School, Fairul Azmi Hj Sulaiman, said he expects the experience to make him a better teacher. It is much better to go out and explore the environment rather than reading and listening about the subject, he said.
For the nature walk, safety was a priority for everyone. The students were briefed by personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department and a nature guide from the resort.
Hainah Hamzah, the resort's sales and reservation officer, said the resort made sure each group of students had a walkie-talkie as a safety precaution.
The students, who were separated into two groups, set off on the nature walk to discover the delicate ecology of the flora and fauna of the rainforest.
It took them approximately two hours to reach Ulu-ulu's canopy walk. Even though the journey was a bit tiring, the students were thrilled over the experience and the novelty of seeing flora and fauna they had only seen on television.
A Bruneian student, Adi Busyrah, 15, said that the trek was more tiring than climbing the Shahbandar hill, but that it was more fun to do the nature walk, especially when they could see the canopy walk.
When they finally reached the steps going to the canopy walk, the participants were more than eager to climb up the 50-metre tall and 100-metre long canopy walk.
After enjoying the view from the top, the students went on to cooler pursuits as they went canoeing along the river. They also enjoyed a refreshing swim.
They were then served lunch by the resort's restaurant, Two River Terrace Cafe.
The last leg of the trip was a stop at the Kg Amo B longhouse. The participants were welcomed by the head village officer and briefed on the life of the Iban. The students were entertained with Nangat Lelaki and Nangat Perempuan, the Iban's traditional dance. The students were also invited to try the dances with them.
On the way back to Batang Duri, The Brunei Times had an opportunity to interview a tourist couple who was on vacation in Batang Duri.
Alwyn and Margherita Finney from the United Kingdom said they decided to go to Brunei because of its rainforest. The couple expressed their desire to bring their grandchildren to Brunei.
Kamil Abdul Hamid, director of the resort's business development, said the Ulu-ulu National Park Resort offers visitors authentic jungle adventure while enjoying the resort's facilities.
He told youth participants that Ulu-ulu, which means remote, contains one of the richest biodiversity in the world.
Twenty Bruneian students and 20 Singaporean students took part in the two days, one night activity organised by the resort.
Nurashikin, 15, a student from Singapore's Admiralty Secondary School, said although this is her first time in Brunei, she had been wondering about the beauty of the sultanate's tropical rainforest since it was mentioned in class.
Indeed, the trip to Ulu-ulu was an adventure for the students and the teachers with them.
Before proceeding to Ulu-ulu, the students marvelled at the fast-flowing Batang Duri river. The atmosphere became more lively as they took the Temuai boat to the Ulu-ulu Resort.
During the 25-minute boat ride, the students had the chance to see colourful butterflies and birds.
Proud to be in the programme, a geography teacher from Kiulap Secondary School, Fairul Azmi Hj Sulaiman, said he expects the experience to make him a better teacher. It is much better to go out and explore the environment rather than reading and listening about the subject, he said.
For the nature walk, safety was a priority for everyone. The students were briefed by personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department and a nature guide from the resort.
Hainah Hamzah, the resort's sales and reservation officer, said the resort made sure each group of students had a walkie-talkie as a safety precaution.
The students, who were separated into two groups, set off on the nature walk to discover the delicate ecology of the flora and fauna of the rainforest.
It took them approximately two hours to reach Ulu-ulu's canopy walk. Even though the journey was a bit tiring, the students were thrilled over the experience and the novelty of seeing flora and fauna they had only seen on television.
A Bruneian student, Adi Busyrah, 15, said that the trek was more tiring than climbing the Shahbandar hill, but that it was more fun to do the nature walk, especially when they could see the canopy walk.
When they finally reached the steps going to the canopy walk, the participants were more than eager to climb up the 50-metre tall and 100-metre long canopy walk.
After enjoying the view from the top, the students went on to cooler pursuits as they went canoeing along the river. They also enjoyed a refreshing swim.
They were then served lunch by the resort's restaurant, Two River Terrace Cafe.
The last leg of the trip was a stop at the Kg Amo B longhouse. The participants were welcomed by the head village officer and briefed on the life of the Iban. The students were entertained with Nangat Lelaki and Nangat Perempuan, the Iban's traditional dance. The students were also invited to try the dances with them.
On the way back to Batang Duri, The Brunei Times had an opportunity to interview a tourist couple who was on vacation in Batang Duri.
Alwyn and Margherita Finney from the United Kingdom said they decided to go to Brunei because of its rainforest. The couple expressed their desire to bring their grandchildren to Brunei.
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