More than 6 months of planning, weeks of meetings, hours in prayer and footprints of faith is what it took to make Camporama 2009 a reality. 10-12 churches and 700 people from all over Malaysia participated in this awesome experience. If there were more bunk beds, there wouldn’ve been more people! Kudos to the camp committee for making Camporama 2009 a lifetime experience.

I’ve grown up in Rangers for as long as I can remember and Camporama is one of those camps I look forward to whether rain or shine. There’s almost a 100% guarantee that it’ll be mind blowing, this time it’s no different. 700 people made up 4 cities – Australia, India, China and Japan.

Since we were team India we spent 3-4 months reading about the country, culture, culinary spread and people. We visited Indian Street in Klang several times and made umpteen trips to the Global Indian Fair at Mid Valley. We went on a shopping spree for bangles, bells, oil lamps, lanterns, sarees, punjabi suits, jeepas, Bollywood movie posters and tupperware full of Indian sweets. With professional help from engineers and self made architects we build an archway made of steel and screws, lined it with hand drawn posters and wooden boards and lited it with running bulbs. We even had our very own lifesize Taj Mahal made of frigde boxes and pipes. The energy and life in our city was contagious – dance broke out every minute or so, food was served to every visitor, laughter roared as “Indian” stand up comedians took the stage.

Above all, at camps like this – the night rallies are always filled with a sense of expectancy. When I was a Ranger my very real experiences with God were always at camp. Now as a leader – it is undoubtedly so that I pray the same prayer for rangers who come. God showed up in a very real way to many of the young ones. I have been extremely touched to see God being real to the Adventure Girls (the ones under my care)… at 13, 14, 15 they’re being filled with a relentless pursuit for God. And I know that this experience will last them till eternity.

Seeds were sown and a declaration of faith was made – that this NOW generation will recognize their position and destiny in Christ and they will do greater things!

Pictures on the life and pulse of Camporama 2009… here!

I’ve been camping for most part of my life but only recently did I come across the term “responsible tourism (RT)” – or “responsible camping” in my case. Not only did I stumble on RT, I now have to wrap my brains around it to get a handle of RT for Wild Asia’s Responsible Tourism Award.

As rangers it was ingrained in our heads that camping should always be friendly to the environment. Throw waste in the garbage, carry the garbage with you until you see a rubbish bin. Don’t chop down trees and branches, use fallen twigs to build fires. Leave the campsite better than we found it. Well now I know that there’s actually a term for it – Responsible Camping!

This weekend a bunch of us are off for another outta-this-world kind of adventure. We’d be kayaking from mainland (PD) to a little unknown island, then parking our kayaks and staying the night on the island. No electricity, no toilets, no water source (except from the sea), no luxury of bed or mattresses – it’s back to the wild!

Since reading up on RT, I thought I should share some interesting pointers on how to camp responsibly leaving minimal impact on the environment.

• Camp on durable surfaces and place tents on a non-vegetated area.  Do not dig trenches around tents. (In Malaysia however, it is sometimes unavoidable since rain gets everything drenched in the dense rain forest)
• Don’t create new routes or expand existing trails.
• When building fires – use existing fire rings. Use fallen twigs & branches. Do not cut standing trees. Clear a 6ft diameter area around the site by removing any grass, twigs, leaves and extra firewood. (Rangers taught us well – we’ve been doing this since we started camping!)
• Detergents, toothpaste and soap harm fish and other aquatic life. Wash 200 feet away from streams and lakes.  (There are a lot of environmentally friendly washing agents out there)
• Pack out what you pack in. Carry a trash bag and pick up litter left by others.
• In areas without toilets, use a portable latrine if possible, and pack out your waste. If you don’t have a portable latrine then bury your waste.  Dig a shallow hole 6-8″ deep at least 200ft from water sources. Cover and disguise the hole with natural materials. Pack used toilet paper and carry out!
• Keep noise to a minimum especially in the early morning and evening hours (Oh! this has been hard especially with when camping with children!)
• Avoid “spooking” livestock and wildlife you encounter and keep your distance (The only wildlife we ever “spooked” were the nasty monkeys that crept into our tents!)

It’s astounding how much of the Malaysian culture is hidden from the public eye. Although I’m not entirely new to the kampong lifestyle or even interactions with the indigenous people (orang asli) – this particular visit to Pulau Carey last week shed new light to the Malaysian indigenous culture.

Having grown up in the city, kampong life is far from reach. My exposure to kampong life rides mainly on the many mission trips I’ve been to in the past. However my knowledge or experience on the festivals they celebrate is quite limited. Hence my excitement when the opportunity was offered to witness the colourful Hari Moyang celebration observed by the Mah Meri people at Pulau Carey.

We were greeted by naturally decorated archway of pandanus leaves ushering us into an open space with several shelters in place. The Mah Meri people are incredibly friendly and this particular celebration usually brings bus loads of tourist. In cases like this individuals have taken the responsibility to monitor the flow of outsiders to protect the privacy and culture of indigenous groups.

I was there to learn about the culture and not merely join in the celebration. This small group of people is incredibly skillful with craft work, their weaving skills are seen showcased in the neatly woven skirts, headbands and sashes worn during the celebration.  Mah Meri people are also great craftsmen with an inherent skill of carving intricate wood pieces.

The celebration started with an upbeat mask dance featuring a man donned with a big artificial belly hidden under a shifting skirt. He held an intense looking mask and thumped to the beat with hit feet as he moved in circles. Then a group of women joined the dance with synchronized dance moves around a woven center piece. Tourist stood still watching the dance unfold as the whole scene was quite mesmerizing, reminding me of the New Zealand Hakka dance.

After several rounds of dancing, we were invited to join in – and we did! It was so much fun as we moved in circles, waving hands in the air, stepping to the beat of the drums. The dancing soon adjourned to feasting as villagers swamped the buffet table filled with snacks and local delights.

Slightly to the right of the buffet table was a shelter hut where I believe the spiritual leader of the indigenous group sat. Behind him displayed an array of offerings. He sat cross legged as people journeyed up the steps to seek blessings from him. Tourist beamed at the idea of cultural blessings. The spiritual leader would pronounce a blessing and then he would smear white paste on the arms and forehead. We watched but did not participate – was quite a sight.

Another exploration – this time to Ampang Lookout Point. It’s quite secluded and I don’t think much people know about until and unless the word gets around. I found out about this place when some friends surprised my sister on her 20th Birthday. Ray (my sis) started raving about it and finally decided to suss it out for ourselves.

It is quite far off about 40mins from PJ and the directions are quite misleading too. We got lost initially but managed to get back on track. The drive was worth the while. For avid photographers who are looking for mid-aerial views of KL city scapes – this would be a snapshot haven for you. For those who want a different dining experience with fresh hilly air and a starlight panorama of the city – this would be a unique gastronomic experience. If we have friends visiting from overseas, this would be a great place to bring them.

We strolled our way up the hill and there to greet us were 2 restaurants. One was serving some steamboat Chinese cuisine and the other a fusion of Mediterranean and Italian. We chose the latter called Bread & Olive.

To help our stomachs digest the heavy meal, we climbed up the watch tower and Terence got busy camera. The weather really helped as visibility was close to perfect and we could literally see every street lamp on the road. KL is beautiful to behold!

It is extremely ironic that I’ve yet to fully explore KL city when other cities intrigue me to the core. I roam the streets and alleys of Hanoi, whistle my way through the blocks of Melbourne and New York and exhausted my steps in the tiny city of Perth – yet I still don’t remember major roads in KL city! Quite a pity I reckon.

Since it was predicted that CNY would leave the city roads clear of traffic, we did some exploring by foot and wheels. We drove to Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve where our 2 hour hike would start. The terrain is mild and easy on those looking for a stroll in the forest. We attempted the shorter trails first then the longer ones. There was one that took us right up to Menara Kuala Lumpur. We walked up to the base of the tower and since it was still quite early – 8.30am, not much was happening.

Then two corn cob shaped building caught my eye. KLCC was just a stone throw away, we decided to walk there instead of driving there. The familiar feeling of slipping our feet back into tourist/travelers shoes set in. We were exploring our own city now because it felt so foreign. Signs we don’t usually look out for somehow seem to be staring in our faces. All my life I had this prejudice about KL signages. KL will be the last on my list when it comes to good signages. But I found that quite untrue for this particular part of the city we were exploring. It was actually pedestrian friendly with arrows pointing us in the right direction. Thumbs up to DBKL!

We initially wanted to get tickets to the Sky Bridge since we were already there. But to our surprise the queue was already catterpillaring when we got there at 850am. Instead we had a long relaxed breakfast and headed back on foot to Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve and lingered awhile at the mini zoo at the base of KL Tower.