Our Travelations

If there’s something strange
in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
GHOSTBUSTERS

If there’s something weird
and it don’t look good
Who ya gonna call?
GHOSTBUSTERS

~ Ghostbusters, Ray Parker Jr

Remember that song? It’s the theme song to that classic cartoon J and I (and I’m sure many of you) grew up with. The cartoon is not so much scary as it was funny. The theme song is such a fun one that we remember it till this day, many years on. So catchy, don’t you think?

Well, I sure felt like singing it last weekend – at the Night Safari Halloween Horrors! The whole park will be turned into some sort of a gruesome Halloween wonderland every weekend (Friday and Saturday, and the last Sunday of the month) in October, with a climax on Halloween itself. Actually, it’s more like monster-land for us humans but certainly a wonderland for ghosts!

Here are some we encountered at the Haunted Village:

Erm, the Chain Man?

A serving of severed human head, anyone?

Brave woman!

More scary experiences followed during the Train of Terror ride on the tram. At one point, while meandering through darkened areas lined with thick bushes, we were suddenly set upon by a man with blood dripping down his face. He thrust an object into the cabin in front of ours and it was followed by shrill screams – turned out it was a severed head! Then, there was a long-haired woman, wearing white, with a pale face and blood red lips. As the tram conveniently slowed down, she just stood there by the side of the road and peered right into our cabin, straight into this girl’s eyes! (Actually, I think the girl’s boyfriend was enjoying the entire ride, because she would hug him tight when she got scared. And let me tell you, she was scared pretty easily! Haha!)

Check out Our Travelations facebook page for a video of what I mean – see it to believe it!

Then, there were the amazing props and sets, including a Chinese ghost wedding set up and a Malay wayang kulit stage complete with an automated show.

Of course, there were the animals too, but our photos didn’t turn out that great as we couldn’t use the flash. Here’s one of arty flamingos:

Arty flamingos

After the tram ride, we wanted to go for the animal show, but unfortunately, the queue was an hour long and we were seriously hungry by then. But before we left, we did manage to see one more animal in action – the Garra rufa or as I call it, the fish spa fish. Check them out, man:

Attack!

This experience certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted, but most people would enjoy it. Many visitors that night really got into the spirit of the occasion, donning headbands with glowing ‘Devil’ ears and witch’s hats. We certainly had a lot of fun, even though some parts were scary and adrenaline-inducing. It was definitely a creative way to experience the Night Safari.

Overall, we were very impressed with the effort put into making this such an authentic experience for visitors. Kudos to Night Safari for a job very well done!

And many thanks to ICON for the invite

Esther

We’re back from the most fantastic, eye-opening trip ever!

We went on a self-drive up the Coral Coast of Western Australia – from Perth, to Cervantes, Geraldton, Kalbarri, Shark Bay, Denham and finally, Monkey Mia!

Thanks to the kind sponsorship and arrangements made by Tourism Western Australia, Red Spot Car Rentals and Jetstar, we experienced and saw so many fascinating things that we can’t wait to share with you all. We also met tremendously friendly people who were all so passionate about what they do – like Capes the aboriginal tour guide, Nic the manager at Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort, Brianna and David from Australia’s Coral Coast, Barbara at the tourist information office at Kalbarri, and many more.

Here’s a small preview collage of some nature photos I took on my iPhone. Enjoy! There’s more to come!

Inspired by nature (from top left): A beautiful spring scene in the Chapman Valley; Hutt Lagoon (yes, it's really pink!), on the way to Port Gregory; the Murchison River in Kalbarri National Park; leaning tree along the road on the way to Geraldton. All taken in Western Australia, September 2010.

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

Freshly caught fish glistening in the sun at a market in Manado, Indonesia in 2004

Esther and I are avid divers and whenever we have a chance during our dive trips, we would visit the local fish market at our destination. It’s interesting to see what type of local dish are caught and sold. This picture was taken in the wee hours of the morning when the fish are laid out before day break. That’s when masses of people from the local restaurants, hotels and residents come down to savour the fresh catch.

In Manado, Indonesia – which is famous for its great diving – the sea life is abundant due to the rich volcanic sand of the Lembeh Straits. This market is the best and biggest wet market in Manado and is known as Pasar Bersehati Manado. Go visit if you have time to spare and be pleasantly surprised by the friendly fishmongers.

~ Jeff

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