Today was a fresh, beautiful day for a Nature Appreciation Walk. We were extremely fortunate to be able to see a wide variety of both fauna and flora. We saw the resident Eland, some Red Hartebeest and warthogs. Yuet Man Sin of Hong Kong said that it really felt “ like being in National Geographic when we tracked the animals by their footprints.” And for some, like Katlego Moeketsi of South Africa, it made her realise that she would “make a really good ‘Woman of the Wild’.”

The walk proved to be invigorating, especially the climb to the top of the mountain, but the view from up there made it all worthwhile! Pin-Yu (Perry) Chang of Taiwan saw the rocky road as “a great challenge” because when they reached the top “all the hardship paid off. The more hard you worked, the greater the sense of achievement.” To Ngoc Huy Dang of Vietnam it was “like standing on top of the world looking down on the pearl of nature,” because the view of the Olifants River Valley from up there is spectacular.

Many comfort zones were tested today: from the walk to the T-Game to Night Orienteering. The T-Game challenges your ability to Trust To Tell The Truth. “Emotions flew high, laughters blossomed and the truth about yourself revealed,” was how Lerato Sepotokele of South Africa expressed the group’s feelings.

 

Night Orienteering was a highlight of the day. Teams were blindfolded and led by their leader (not blindfolded) through a series of obstacles. A lot of care for each other was shown and trust was vital. Then, following clues and navigating with a compass, which Lindsay Jolly of South Africa described as “interesting” and “the challenges pushed us out of our comfort zones”, the teams found their way around, arriving eventually at an old “haunted” church. “We looked into the window of the church and saw a woman in a weird costume sitting inside! We screamed and ran about don’t know what to do...then we realized that they were only officers! They laughed at us and we laughed at ourselves too!” explained Yue Yang of China.

“Each day’s like an open door, we don’t know what’s waiting for us, but we’re all eager to discover – TOGETHER!” This is the spirit of the group and Thuy Hang Pham said it best.

 

The Bush Blossom hat is given each day to the person who has done the silliest thing, according to the group, for that particular day. No-one wants to be awarded with this “prize”, until the last day because the last Bush Blossom goes home with its wearer. Today’s Bush Blossom was worn by Khuditse Moloele of South Africa because she was left with the least number of tokens at the end of the Yes/No game during Icebreakers on Day 1. Each delegate received 10 tokens and each time they answered a question using “yes” or “no”, they had to surrender one of their tokens. Khuditse was left with only three!

 

Pakistan, South Africa and Hong Kong shared their rich cultures, diverse beliefs and wide knowledge of their countries.


Malaysia prepared a hearty meal for everyone: Nasi Lemak (Coconut milk with prawn sambal), Rice, Kerabu Timun (Cucumber Salad) and Peaches & Custard. This was expertly and meticulously prepared by Ing-Chuen Daniel Wu and Leonard Tio.