BACHELOR

OF COMMUNICATION (HONS) PUBLIC RELATIONS

Batch of March 2008

It was a trip with fusion of eco-tourism, factories visit and recapping history. 

We visited three museums, Gopeng Museum, Taiping Museum and Matang Museum. Of the three, I like the Taiping Museum the most as it displayed underwater world habitats which struck some interests to me.

Caiming is second from left at the front row 

'Belacan' or shrimp paste factory in Kuala Gula was interesting too where we could see the stages of fermentation and 'sun bathing' which were important for the making process.

Marine habitat showcase, which included sharp teeth of the 'puffy fish', knife-like weapon of the mantis prawn and crab tying, was informative as we were not familiar with these species in our daily lives. 

Before we went to the bird sanctuary, we were required to watch a video show regarding the wildlife in the surrounding area. To my surprise, it also showed the delivery process of a newborn baby elephant and this was my first time watching it.  

The migratory birds watching on a boat was a bit disappointed as I had expected to see many more of these species in a big ample seashores. Picked up cockles was exciting where you would need some tactics to perform the task. 

There was marine life breeding farm around the sanctuary and we were able to buy some softshell crabs for dinner. Our tour guide also explained on how to breed the softshell crabs  which I felt was a bit cruel to cut down the crab legs in order to have them in the way we wanted it to be. Why should we build our happiness on others' sadness? 

Though the charcoal factory visit was a bit dirty and smoky, it was really a beneficial session where we came to learn that there were anti-oxidants agents within the charcoal.

Pieces of charcoal ready for sale, very good anti-oxidants agent! 

As for the Night Safari, it was like a treasure hunt. To get a glimpse of the animals, I need to search for the animals in the dark as our zoo lighting is not very good nor up to expectation. Also, the PA system of the train was not functioning well.  

For the visit of the Mangrove Tree Centre, it was a bit sad to see most of the trees were short. We believed it was so due to the mass logging activities.

Caiming was squatting in the middle of the group

While in Taiping town, the hotel we stayed was new and cosy, which had just started operation since May 2014. The place was strategically located in the middle of the new town area and was convenient for meals and shopping at Tesco or Aeon. Thanks for DARP's effort to find such a nice place for a night-stay. 

It was a setback that we did not have enough time to play water sports in the Taiping Lake Garden. However, the view of the century-old trees around the lake was magnificent and beautiful. It reminded me of my younger time of my hometown.

At the scenic Taiping Lake Garden 

In conclusion, it was lonely to go on this trip alone, but it was interesting to join a small group so that I could chat on various topics with them. I felt lonely when I just could not share my feelings with anyone. Also, I realized that it was really an urgent matter to conserve our environment and we were polluting our mother earth in our day to day lives.