Day 11: Project GREASE in Terengganu News!

We are in the papers again! It is about Project Grease workshop we learnt from RGS during pre-event. Orion Team taught the villagers how to make soap from used cooking oil.

Signing off,
May Lwin

Day 11: 1 Part Cement, 3 Parts Sand

95% completed and we are good to go for a relaxing trip to Redang Island. With nothing else to worry us except for the weather and our worry for our Singaporean “comrades”, those are down with the H1N1 virus.

Time: 3pm (local Terengganu time)
Surprise, surprise! Mak Uda...

The team decided to give Mak Uda, whose house was one of those that we renovated, a big suprise. We bought furnitures like drawers, stools and table. She became Muhd Isa’s 'Godmother'. Haha.

We had a good laugh about it and no doubt these people really cook good kampong cuisine. Especially for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If you ever drop by Kampung Mangkuk, you will notice only 3 houses with very bright and outstanding colours. We call Mak Uda’s, Green House, because it was painted lime green as to represent this Project Orion. Actually, the colour was picked on a unanimous voting style.

New furnitures were all over the place to the house that we gave our help to. We could see their faces shining and smiling throughout the rest of the days.

The other renovation project was doing very well though there were hiccups along the way. We succeeded in overcoming obstacles and the walls about 7-8 feet high were erected with the help of team mates that was doing it with their sweat and without taking their lunch.

Half of the Orion Team went to visit the scouts in school. They played about 4 classic games ; dog and bone, 'duck,duck, goose' , 'chop chilli chop' and the very classic Simon says. They were glad that we all came back for a 2nd round of fun. They replied with their classic campfire songs that caught us by suprise. Even Cikgu Sahara, a scout leader, enjoyed it very much and was smiling throughout the session.

He treated us by bringing us to the 'Best coconut drink' shop in the kampung. And we tasted some of the finest and common delicacy which is their very own fried "Calamari".

We came, we made friends, we accomplished it..

Signing off,
Isa

Day 10: Night Beach Patrol

After dinner, i began my beach patrol with our ranger at Kuala Bahru beach. As the ranger could not understand much English and I was unable to communicate in malay, we trekked the beach in silent darkness. It started to become monotonous when we spotted a dark figure from a distance away. As we approached we spotted a set of terrapin tracks and as we hurried closer, we were pleasantly surprised by the sight of a terrapin sand-bathing on the beach. Amazingly, the terrapin did not shy away from us, and we proceeded to retrieve the terrapin eggs from its nest. Seeing this great opportunity, i proceeded to take a few quick pictures of the terrapin.

The ranger quickly got to work, and we began to retrieve the eggs from the nest. There were twelve eggs in total. This terrapin was really large and I was really lucky, not just to be able to see it, but also to take some good pictures of this terrapin.

After we had finish collecting the eggs, we began to carry on with our patrol. Normally terrapins would move away at first sight of humans, but this terrapin remained fixed to the spot even after we had moved away from the nest.

On the way to the hatchery, we met another fellow ranger and we proceeded to the hatchery to place the collected eggs. We carried on with a second patrol shortly after our rest at the ranger’s hut, but there weren’t any more sightings of the terrapins.

It was a lucky night for me to be able to spot a terrapin, as they will usually shy away from any human activity like fishing boats which are common around Kuala Bahru. Even though the trek was a little longer, but it was a great experience to spot a terrapin sandbathing.

Signing off,

Nicholas

Day 10: Almost done!

The house development still continues.... The team spent the whole day trying to complete the repairs and construction. We are still at our best!

An overview of the toilet construction progress.It's reaching my eye level...

Melissa, Nicholas and me! It was scorching hot!

At house repair: Oliver and Isa cementing the bricks.

At house repair: Demolishing the ground tiles.

Both group left about 75% completed! We hope to finish off by tomorow. After our dinner, we decided to have a Twister game before showering! Some of the kids, Nurul and River from WWF joined in in the fun as well! It was so much fun and laughters!

The guys were twisting around with their limbs.

We also had a few rounds of Taboo game. Thanks to Nurul and River, they offered to drive us to have nearby supper after that. I had teh terik and prata bom. It was superb! Yum yum~

Signing off.

May Lwin

Project Orion in the News again!

Day 9: Bob the Builder

Today is the start of the villagers' house repairs and construction works.

The team is divided to into 2 groups: House repair and toilet construction. We set off for work after our breakfast!

The house repairs include coating on a fresh paint, built-in windows and doors, remove old tiles, and demolish the old ones for replacement. Toilet construction included adding on brick walls, installed the toilet bowl seat as the owner of the family members are having difficultues squatting down. The family of six has been showering in an open area for a long period of time.

Oliver is learning in process to nail the plywood.

The guys were hard at work to bring the 50kg ring down the trench. The purpose is for waste to travel into the ring as it was asssumed that the waste will seep through the earth groung and dispose. It was six feet high! This is something i had never seen in Singapore before.

Muscular Isa helped to dispose the excess earth soil and underground water from the deep deep 'well'.

This is our first time to experience construction work. It was really not easy as it seemed to be.

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Before i end off, i would like to share a great piece of news to Orion readers! Project Orion Team is featured on Sunday's Sinarharian newspaper!! It is regarding our hand-in-hand work together with the Terrenganu Rovers and local Scous on our conservation project.

Can you spot us?

Signing off,

May Lwin

Day 8: The Jewels of Setiu River

Day 8 beckoned as we had a number of activities to attend to. Firstly, it was the continuation of the mangrove planting at Setiu River. We had a blast of a time as we planted close to 400 mangrove and palm tree seedlings together. The morning sun was at its scorching best but we duly persevered and managed to pull through today's first goal. Even though the tide timings were not on our side, we managed to finish the job at around 1115.

After lunch, we commenced renovating the selcted households. We were split into two groups where one group had to replace the old walls with new plywood ones and also to put a new flooring while the other group had to build a new toilet for the residents of the other household.

The first group started to demolish the walls to make way for the new ones. Working together was great as it was a first time for most of us in renovating a house. The main things other than demolishing the walls were nailing the wood to the frame of the house and getting the right measurements for the plywood. It was a first day that went well for the first group.

For the second group, we engaged the help of carpenters and and the male owner himself, who constructed the other parts of the house. It too was a first time building a toilet from scratch for many of us. The carpenters helped to mark out the area where we were to build the toilet and guided us on the preparation of cement. After that, we started to lay out the bricks for the wall of the toilet.

Halfway through our house renovating session, we went to the Setiu River to witness the release of several 3-year-old painted terrapins. This was under the kind invitation of River's friend, Alex. During the session, we learnt that this group of conservationists reared the painted terrapins for 3 years before releasing them into the Setiu River. After returning from the painted terrapins release session, the two groups carried on with their reparation works in the respective houses before heading for yet another sumptous dinner at Kak Tah's house.

Signing off,
Ashok and Melissa

Day 7: Heal the World

Project Orion Supports UN’s Billion Tree Campaign!

The team aims to plant 1000 trees in our Scouts of the World Voluntary. A total of 60 scouts from SK Mangkok, Kumpulan Latihan Kelanasiswa Malaysia (KLKM) Rovers and Project Orion were involved in the replanting session. The crew started to transfer the tress from WWF nursery since 7.30am to the planting ground. In our first session of tree planting, we manage to plant 400 trees which we started at 8am till 10am.

After breakfast, second session starts and we managed to plant another 200 trees before the Friday prayers. Tree planting program attracted Sinar Harian Newspaper whereby the community event will be published in their newspaper tomorrow. Mr. Hj. Rosdi , State Commissioner KLKM, also joined in the planting session and he was very glad to be involved with the local scout community. Phase II will start tomorrow by PO Crew as early as the sun rises - towards planting 1000 trees!

After lunch the team cycle back to Pink House for a break. 6pm sharp, the team heads to the turtle hatchery for the excavation session conducted by Kak Nurul. New things we learnt, new experience gained, new happenings …

After our delicious dinner at Kak Tah’s house , Kak Nurul received good news – “50 hatchlings, with origins from Telaga Papan 2 just emerged.”. So the crew end up the day with releasing the baby turtles at Telaga Papan 2.

Signing off,

D. Arvind

Day 6: Project Grease 'Lighting'

This project was brought to us by girls from Raffles Girls School. This project is about turning oil to soap which can be used after it has been filtered correctly. We attended the Project Grease workshop before this project in return, trying to experience how soap making process is. For our convenience, readymade bar soap is out there for our use.

We shared this experience with the villagers, Pewanis, hoping that this knowledge could lead to some growth in their business and revenue. We hoped it will be widely recognised and introduced to other villagers too. The soap has been clinically "revised” with its ingredient.

This soap making may be a trade for a learning experience that some of us might not even forget about.

About 10 housewives were actively involved in soap making. Overall, they enjoyed the entire process. They were grateful to us to teach them in gaining some learning experience.

Day 6: Paint the Children's World

After yesterday's long hours of sketching on the mural wall, all of us especially myself were anticipating today to paint and finish the mural wall. However, the world crashed down on us after our hearty breakfast! Our hopes were dashed due to certain unforeseen circumstances.

Nevertheless, we still carry out our plan to draw the design into 2 separate walls.

Sijie in action, drawing the coconut tree

Interaction with the kids there!! They were very friendly and cute!!

The theme of the mural design was meant to gave an outlook of Setiu Terrenganu. Though it was an exhaustive day to finish the mural painting, it was a worthwhile experience for all of us to contribute our part to the school. The mural painting gave the school a vibrant look. We were glad that the students are happy and kept chanting, 'cantik' which means beautiful.


The tough part is here. We had a difficult time washing away the paints and clean the dirty brushes. We also have to clear up the rubbish and the stains to keep the school clean.


Upcoming for Project Orion's next mission....

Signing off,

May Lwin

Threatened sea turtles have Thai navy for protection

Papitchaya Boonngok, Reuters 22 Jun 09;

KHRAM ISLAND, Thailand (Reuters Life!) - Sea turtles have to battle humans hungry for their meat or eggs and fungal infections to survive, but in Thailand, the endangered species have the navy on their side.

Every year, dozens of mature sea turtles come ashore on Khram Island, an isolated island known as the biggest nesting site of sea turtles in the Gulf of Thailand, to lay their eggs.

The turtles born out of these eggs will also eventually return to the same island, some 30 km (19 miles) from the tourist beach town of Pattaya, when it is their time to lay eggs.

But the survival of these eggs, and the hatchlings, is under constant threat, which is why the navy has been protecting them for almost 20 years.

"Sea turtles in Thailand have not reached a critical endangered level," said Captain Aran Jiemyuu, Deputy Director of the Thai Navy's Sea Turtle Conservation Center which was set up in 1992.

"But that's because of our efforts. At Khram Island, we found green turtles, from 15 to 17-years-old laying eggs. It shows that the turtles laying eggs here may be turtles we nurtured and released to the sea or natural-born turtles on the island."

Sea turtles are recognised as an endangered species by International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

But Aran said the number of sea turtles in Thailand has increased since the project was set up.
Five species of the sea turtles have been found along the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman sea coast, including olive ridley turtle, green turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead turtle and leatherback turtle.

On the island, navy conservationists use a sharp metal stick to find nests. These are then encircled by protective pens.

The conservationists also put tags on each pen to identify the number of eggs, the date of nesting and the expected birth date. It takes between 45 and 60 days for eggs to hatch.

"We observe the sand. If the sand is softer, we will dig it. If we find turtle eggs, we will move all the eggs to the front beach for further nurturing," said Commander Tosporn Osathanond, chief of staff the conservation center.

Once born, the new baby turtles are collected and moved to tanks where they are fed minced fish and scrubbed to prevent fungal infections.

Some 15,000 green and hawksbill baby turtles are housed at the navy's conservation center each year. The newborns are kept in tanks and once they are strong enough, after about six months, they are released into the sea.

Sea turtles in Thailand are often killed for their meat or eggs, which are regarded as a delicacy. Many sea turtles also die when they are caught in fishing nets.

Killing the creatures and collecting their eggs is prohibited by law and violators risk a fine of up to $1,160 and jail.

Some environmentalists have praised the navy's efforts, saying its only right for the turtles to get human protection since the threats they face are largely man-made.

"Because humans destroy nature, natural conservation practices should begin with humans," said Captain Winai Klom-in, sea turtle specialist.

Day 5: Thunders, Lightning and Action!

We woke up still feeling very dizzy due to yesterday’s experience. It was like survivor. We were stranded in our tent and a lot came to our mind. We were worried that our tent would somehow collapse and sink into the sea of rain .Luckily River, whom was driving the “Bat-Mobile”, a jeep that night saved us from the thunderstorm. We cracked jokes about what if the heavy rain could swept us away into sea.

We headed back to our campsite at Penarik Inn hoping that it was not really flooded or even blown away. To our surprise, the tent survived the torturous night. We dismantled everything that was set up. The sun was up on our head soon after we finished laying all the stuff on the dry surface. Our new campsite was the “Pink House”.

The project has to continue so some of us headed out to the small town, Permaisuri about 45 mins drive from Mangkok, to purchase materials for the mural and house repair.
Four Rovers went down to the Sekolah Kebangsaan Mangkok to start sketching for the mural. We managed to finish the sketch by dinner time and all was running as planned till it rained again.

We couldn’t continue for the night and the rest is history...

Signing off,

Isa

Project Orion's New Domain!

Here is our new domain for easy access: http://www.projectorion.sg/

A big thanks to InfoSpace!

Day 4: Another Record!!

Day four began on a pretty good note, we headed down to the designated beach for our cleanup, after 2 hours of cycling, we reached the site. Without much delay, we splitted ourselves into the respective small groups to collect the rubbish. Out of the things that were collected, we were shocked to pick up a bag full of baby diapers. After collecting the trash, we set aside time to split the rubbish into plastic, glass, metal & styrofoam. After spending about 2 hours for the cleanup, we headed back to the turtle hatchery to fix the shelter by weaving fishing line together.

Lunch was AWESOME! With our full scout uniform on, we proceeded to the school nearby for the exchange session that was planned. We were then welcome by the kids with their wide smiles, before having a chorus speaking presentation by the boys & girls. We then taught the kids some interesting action songs, which they seemed to be very interested in. In a nutshell, everyone had their share of fun, including the teachers & the scout master. But all good things have to come to an end, when we had to bid farewell to the kids. Well, we might get to see them again when we head back to the school to paint a mural on the school's wall.

After dinner, the group were splitted into beach patrol teams, wherby Nicholas & myself were supposed to be on patrol, along with Arvind and Oliver. We gathered our "Barang Barang" before heading down to the beach. Initially, there were streaks of lighting flashes which lighted up the nightsky, but sadly, it was followed by a heavy downpour. It was due to this tormenting rain, which resulted in having to be under the nearest shelter for close to 1 hour & a half.

So here's come the main event of the day, we set off once again after the rain had subsided, and continued with our patrol. Nicholas's & myself were amazed when we saw this rock-like creature making its way back into the sea. We both could not believe what we saw, without any hesitation, we took out the camera to try to get a good snapshot of our "friend". After speaking to the ranger who were with us on patrol, we learnt that the turtle was the largest green turtle sighted in Setiu. Based on its tracks, we managed to locate our first nest of turtle eggs, which numbers up to 157. We did what was necessary, before handing the eggs over to the WWF's personal, in order for them to be at the hatchery on time.

It was really a lucky night as to see the largest green turtle in Setiu wetlands and to encounter two nest in a single night. Total egg count added up to 233 eggs. Even though we were both drenched to the bone, I must say it was truly a great experience and unforgettable one!

Signing off,
Parry

Day 3: Firetastic Fireflies

Waking up to the majestic sunrise was the best way to start of the day. First thing on hand for the day was to settle the programme for the remanining of the whole trip at River's place. River is a community liaison officer with WWF Maaysia and had offered his place for our sesion. We decided the dates for their mangrove clean-ups, renovation of the houses and our team bonding sessions. Soon after lunch, we made our way to the first house where we will be doing our renovation.

A lot of work would have to be done in the house. That was how bad the shape of the house was. If strong winds and heavy showers come, it would be a disaster in the house. Flooding would occur and living conditions would deteriote. We would have to fix new doors and windows, building of brick wall and also major works to help make their life better. Giving our best is definitely our main priority.

After having a stomach fufilling dinner, we went for a boat ride to have our look at fireflies! To many of us, it was our very first time seeing this wonderful looking insects at their natural habitat. All in all, it was a fruitful day and from here our journey continues and perservering is one factor we truly must have.

Signing Off,
Ashok

Day 2: NEW RECORD!!!!!

Day two started out amazingly to the beautiful sunrise of East Malaysia. The sun’s rays shone down on my tenet as we awoke to the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore. Cycling and walking were to be our main mode of transport during this trip and we continued with them as we made our way across the beautiful roads of Setiu to our various destinations.

We were involved in our first community project today as we helped to touch up the WWF Information Centre, aka the Pink House. We had a really fun time painting the patio and touching up the railings of the house. Though it was messy and paint was everywhere on our clothes, but we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

What was to happen next really made our day. The team made their way to the turtle hatchery to fix a couple of new nests for new clutches of eggs. To our amazement, one nest of eggs started to hatch and hordes of little turtles started to rush out of the soil. It started with one, then two, then ten and twenty. The little guys were rushing to the fences that surrounded their nest, trying to force their way to the ocean. The interns who were with us, rushed to measure the turtles and transferred them to a container that was to be used for the release. Then out of nowhere, another nest of eggs started to hatch. The same thing happened with the tens of turtles out of the sand. It was an amazing sight and an extraordinary experience, one I would cherish forever.

Later that night, together with the WWF staff and hatchlings, the team cycled to a beach five kilometers away to bring them back to where their eggs were originally found, to be release into the ocean. Eventually we set the little ones free to embark on their arduous life journey to adulthood and perhaps one day to return to their beach of birth. Day two was definitely a day to remember and a great start to the Project.

Oh. and yes! As for the new record, this is the first time that the hatchery in Setiu has ever seen 2 batches of hatchlings emerging in the same day! (The norm is only one batch per day) Lady luck is smiling on Orion!

Sign off,

Oliver

Team Leader