FRIDAY FLYER-Issue 189

It was a ridiculously early morning. The birds were silent, the cats were still snuggled in their beds, and the owls were still awake. I wondered: why would I wake up at a time like this? Then I remembered … Today is our Gopeng trip!

I bolted out of my bed, bursting with excitement, and got ready with the biggest smile on my face.

Some time passed by, and eventually, we arrived after an exhausting bus ride full of wrestling and snacks. The environment had a spectacular earthy feel to it, and once we got to the main meeting place, we were separated into four groups, each given a tour by our respective guide. My group warmed up with a game to introduce ourselves to our guide. After that, we were shown the Raft Shed (where they store the equipment for activities), the river, the Makan Place (makan means ‘eat’ in Malay), and lastly, the Bouldering Zone.

We placed our luggage in the Bouldering Zone, put on our insect repellent and sunscreen, and dove straight into our very first main activity: Tapioca Farming! When my group entered the garden, the main instructor told us where to find tapioca and why we had to find it (we were going to bake a cake with it). He said it grows on roots and that we had to dig deep for it. Indeed, we had to, and it was rewarding: we found the tapioca jackpot, five bunches of tapioca all on one root!

We went back to the Makan Place with our harvest and split up into smaller subgroups to make the fire for the cake, prepare the unbaked cake, and make coconut shavings to add a final nice touch to the cake. I learned how to start a fire and discovered my hidden talent for using a fan to make a fire bigger. It was a surprisingly calming experience, starting a fire for the first time. Once we had made our fire enormous, the instructor made a furnace, and we gently placed the cake the other groups made inside it to bake.

While the cake was baking, the instructor led us to our dorms and the dining area where we would be eating. I was truly astonished by the beauty of the dorms! There were so many bunk beds, and there was a fresh smell of recent cleaning. The dining area had a lemonade station and many, many, many fewer mosquitoes than the Makan Place where we ate.

After this, we had free time, and we had lots of fun, from baseball to hide and seek in the dark. It was chaotic, but I enjoyed it.

We then had dinner, ate our cake, and finally got some well-deserved sleep after the long day.

The dawn of the second day lit our dorms as we woke up still tired from the activities of the previous day. Day two turned out to be even harder on us and was the toughest day.

We had the challenge of some intense water activities all while in the fierce water currents of a river. This set of challenges included: crossing the river, swimming safely against the current, avoiding dangerous objects in the water, and the most daring of them all: saving someone from drowning.

These water activities were a blast! I passed all of them effectively because of the amazing guidance by the instructors. It was so fun, but I couldn’t wait for the next water activity. It's one of my favourite things to do on vacation: water rafting!

My group was very cooperative. We paddled in a synchronised motion, cooled each other down, and had some fun at the same time by splashing each other. We even stopped together once in a while to see monkeys fooling around. It was pure relaxation on the river.

After all the paddling and swimming, we decided that it was not enough. We wanted to go crazy on the dance floor.

So the amazing staff took in some song suggestions and hosted a disco night! We all definitely needed this, as we found the random dancers in the spotlight very amusing. We all left entertained and felt sad that we had to leave when the night was still young.

The sun rose in my dorm on the last day. Everyone was absolutely pumped for the day’s activities, even from the start of the trip.

We were going to mountain school! It's full of adventurous climbing, frightful jumping, and soaring through the skies—all the best things in life to make you feel truly alive.

My group’s first activity was ziplining. It seemed very spine-chilling at first, especially when I went up the many high flights of stairs, but when I finally did it, it was so calming and graceful as I zoomed through the air.

The next activity was rock climbing, but on a real mountain. This one was actually scary, as a result of this activity putting you so high with the rope feeling like it's not even supporting you (don't worry, it is!). The rocks were also so sharp and some were loose, which raised our anxiety levels. Many of us still passed the hard level, though not without many rough difficulties along the way.

The toughest challenge was the Giant’s Ladder—climbing a gigantic ladder by yourself isn’t easy, so they let you use the power of teamwork and go with a partner. This was too tough, and not many passed this level. I'd even say it's the hardest thing I have ever tried. This one is a must; you can use it to test your limits.

The final activity of the day and trip was the Leap of Faith. This one’s self-explanatory. You jump off a high place and trust that the rope will save you. I loved seeing people do this one because they had that happy smile on their face after doing it, knowing that it's one fear they have conquered.

This trip was a wonderful refresher on how beautiful nature is and what fun you can have without screens.

These three days have been the experience of a lifetime. It was like living life to its fullest, one joyful moment at a time!

Written by You Qian, Year 6