After a welcome good-night’s rest, we woke to a beautiful day. First on a fun-packed day, was a boat trip out onto the lake to see the famous fish kraals of the area. Fish kraals are enclosures made of sticks and scrub bush in which fish are trapped and are then speared by fisherman in the early morning.

The boat trip was definitely a highlight. “We got on to the boat and went across the lake. It was thrilling!” said Mat (Masayasu) Okamoto of Japan. We were very fortunate to see hippos in the lake, many Reed Cormorants and a stunning African Fish Eagle doing what he does best – fishing! We also spotted a water monitor lizard basking in the sun on the bank. The water in the lake is crystal clear and we got to see it “up close and personal”.

Upon arriving at the fish kraals, we disembarked from the boat and had to walk a short distance in the water to the bank. Many of the delegates were afraid to get their clothes wet, but they soon realised that this was a futile concern… having to walk out about 100m to the actual kraal. Some were waist-deep in the water, but this did nothing to dampen their spirits.

Delegates were given the opportunity to spear a fish for themselves, and honouring a long-held record, it was one of the girls (Ka Ka Ng from Hong Kong) who caught the fish. Zainab Chouhan of Pakistan had this to say: “ The spear fishing was something very new to me. The whole place they had to trap the fish was also exciting and new.”

After this hearty meal, we prepared for toiletry bag investigations. For this, delegates have to investigate just how environmentally friendly they are with their “beauty” products. Naomi (Sin Ying) Chow of Hong Kong was proud to share her recycling tips and the procedures that are in place in her country to relieve the problem. So many delegates were shocked at how much that is recyclable; they were prepared to throw away. Kayla Ponting of South Africa noted how the dustbins here “would be overflowing” if only her small group threw away their few items.