Loola Earth Excursion Trip (Part II)

In August, I joined an Earth Excursion trip to Loola Resort in Bintan, Indonesia. On the second day of the weekend trip, we woke up at the crack of dawn to plant mangrove trees. This was the main appeal of the excursion for me as I have always hoped to participate in reforestation efforts.

Firstly, we selected healthy saplings and loaded them onto wheelbarrows.

We carried the equipment and walked for a short distance along the mudflats to the designated plot of land.

To ensure that the saplings do not get washed away by strong tides, saplings were planted in groups of five for support. As we dug through the mud, the sun slowly rose and greeted us with brilliant golden rays.

Through our concerted efforts, we accomplished the task of mangrove planting efficiently.

As we headed back to shore, half of us decided to explore the mudflats while the tide was still low. I lagged behind as I had to head back to the chalet to change into water booties. The mudflat had threatened to swallow my hiking boots.

I enjoyed viewing and photographing marine creatures which were exposed by the low tide.

We traversed the mudflats to a small island where I spotted a Malaysian Pied-Fantail.

As the tides returned, we headed back to the resort.

It was free-and easy after breakfast and I took some final photographs of the resort. Before the bus arrived to pick us up, we had coconut climbing and skywalk activities. I had not experienced the pleasure of clambering up a tree before and I wish I did not grow up so sheltered in Singapore. The skywalk involved jumping off a rope tied a few storeys above the ground. Although the rush of blood made my head throb with pain, the loss of gravity was thrilling.

Soon, we headed to the ferry terminal for the afternoon ferry back to Singapore. I managed to snag a seat where I could view the sunset, but it was not as spectacular as I had hoped due to cloud cover.

Overall, it was a weekend well-spent, especially since I helped to plant so many mangrove saplings. During the whole trip, I did not use my smartphone and fully immersed myself in the resort experience. I got a good break away from the city hustle and spent my days meaningfully.