Our Travelations

As it was the week of the Perth Fashion Festival when we arrived in the capital of Western Australia, we attended several events including Restyle.

Restyled fashion at the Perth Fashion Festival 2010

Restyle, a catwalk cum workshop, features clothes sourced from various op shops (short for opportunity shops), also known to some people as charity shops, in Perth. They were combined together stylishly and put on real models, and honestly, did not look like rejects at all! In fact, we learnt that great bargains and sometimes, even that rare designer or vintage item, can be found in op shops. The trick is to develop a keen eye and lots of patience.

Read more in an op shop/Restyle piece I wrote for My Paper. Jeff’s pretty pleased with how his fashion photos turned out too.

Esther

A lot of backlog, people. Bear with us. And yes, many apologies!

First up, let me tell you about Green School Bali, which I had the privilege of finally visiting in April.

I had known about Green School since last year in my previous job, but only recently did I manage to visit. We were hosted by the warm and friendly Ron Stones, Green School’s consultant director.

With its tagline, “Equipping Children for 2025″, this school is seriously a school for the future. It is almost entirely made of bamboo and is such an interesting, inspiring place to learn. Famed Canadian jeweller John Hardy and his wife, Cynthia, built this school because they wanted to teach children about sustainable living – they also built what could possibly be the world’s largest bamboo building, the Heart of School, a grand, imposing, three-storey structure, located within the school grounds.

Miniature model of Heart of School, made out of bamboo

Besides teaching the standard International Baccalaureate (IB) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) syllabus, there is also a Green Studies programme, which includes topics like carbon footprint analysis, water studies and even, organic farming and gardening.

Within the Creative Arts and physical education programmes, students delve into yoga and batik painting using natural dyes made from vegetation on site, and martial arts, with the Balinese traditional art of Mepantingan being an important component. Students, aged between three and 15, learn by doing, with each child tending to their very own vegetable patch.

I wrote about the Green School at the SE Forum site, so feel free to click on the link to find out more.

Jeff wasn’t with me on this trip – oh, how I wished he could have seen the school with his own eyes – so, this post is as much for him as it is for you, dear readers! Enjoy!

Part of Heart of School, entirely made of bamboo

School football field

The students' tomato patch

Students are encouraged to use reusable water bottles to collect the spring water that is made conveniently available from water points within the school compound. Do not use plastic. Make a choice.

Hydro-energy harnessed from the fast flowing Ayung River which divides the school

View from the bridge at the entrance of the school

A beautiful set of photos (not taken by me) of the school can be found here.

*****

• Green School Bali is located at Jalan Raya Sibang Kaja, Banjar Saren, Abiansemal, Badung, Bali 80352, Indonesia.

*****

Esther

Earlier this month, we had a real treat. We were invited by a very kind friend to help out in her research dives – to witness and study the annual coral spawning event.

Now, being avid divers, we were naturally very (VERY VERY) excited!

And on that balmy night, in the short stretch of reef fronting the Raffles Lighthouse, the corals did not disappoint. No sirree – they were all out to play! They rock and rolled, and put on a great show!

Check out Jeff’s amazing photos for an idea of the performance we enjoyed.

The corals came out to play!

What happens during a mass coral spawning event is that parcels of egg and sperm are released by the corals. They float to the surface, where fertilisation occurs if they mix.

A microscopic larva then forms and settles on a hard surface, like a rock. It transforms into a sedentary coral polyp, which multiplies to form a colony. Only one in thousands of eggs completes this process, with the rest being eaten by fish and other marine life.

It’s not exact, but typically, corals spawn a few days after the full moon nearest to Good Friday. In Singapore, at least.

A closer look at the parcels being released

Pop, pop, a-popping!

We had to mark the corals that were spawning using white ribbons attached to weights (lower right hand corner)

A group of researchers from different parts of the world were also there to study the coral spawning.

This goes to show that there is something amazing beneath the depths of the infamously murky Singapore waters. Something worth preserving; something worth saving.

Here’s Karenne’s video for more coral action:

Synchronous Mass Coral Spawning 2010, Singapore from Karenne Tun on Vimeo.

And I wrote about the researchers and the coral spawning too in my paper.

We’re all hoping to do our small little part in spreading awareness of the treasures we have.

Raffles Lighthouse

All in, it was a great experience – something that will forever be a reminder to me about how wonderful nature is.

It was also a great night out with friends, some of whom we haven’t seen for a few months.

We are blessed.

Esther

My jelly buddy!

Snorkelling in Palau’s Jellyfish Lake was both an exhilarating and a humbling experience for us. Imagine, frolicking among millions of jellyfish in an emerald-hued lake tinged with shades of jade. I truly felt at one with the universe. Nature is amazing!

Jellyfish galore!

We are blessed to be featured in my paper again so I’ll leave you to read the Palau Jellyfish Lake article here.

I hope you find the travel tips useful; let’s learn and share together!

Esther