Marine Conservation | Malaysia
MY TRIP TO MALAYSIA
Where did you go?
I went to Sabah, Malaysia...more specifically Pom Pom Island(or Bum Bum in Malay). Sabah is the Eastern part of Malaysia in the region of Borneo.
What organization did you go with?
This non-profit group called TRACC, Tropical Research And Conservation Center.
What were the other volunteers like?
First and foremost, amazing and incredible people. We had volunteers and staff ranging in ages from 20 to mid-40's and from countless countries all over the world. Some countries people had come from include the U.K., Canada, Belgium. New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Everyone was very enthusiastic and had such a big willingness to help out and get going on projects. It was really
comforting and easy to get along and talk about everything under the sun with everyone without the need to hold back, no topics were off limits and it was all just good fun. I got to learn about a lot of different cultures and how different countries ran. In all, everyone was really friendly and open towards each other which created a very loving atmosphere that I didn't want to sail away from on my last day.
What sort of work did you do there?
I mainly did on-land work since I was only a snorkeler. Some of the projects we had going while I was there included:
I slept in a tent, within a group of tents towards the back of the campsite and the middle-ish of the island. The tent came with a fan, which turned on (from the generator) roughly between the hours of 8PM and 8AM, which was perfect for sleeping. The showers and
toilets were in a wooden framed bathhouse covered in what looked to be tarps attached tightly to the frames, one toilet was flush-able and the other was flushed using a bucket of water to wash it down. Although the water from the well (for showers, toilets, washing dishes, and brushing your teeth) was salty, I barely noticed and wasn't even phased much by the presence of a little salt. A very nice thing that the campsite had was it's own two local cooks for lunch and dinner, dinner that usually consisted of rice, noodles, some sort of vegetable, watermelon or pineapple, and maybe tempeh or beans. I adjusted extremely easily to all of these things and didn't have any problems, even when I was constantly sandy (but I mean, who would complain when they're view for weeks is a gorgeous beach)
Did you see any cool wildlife?
P.S. everyone should read this blog my friend, Nick, wrote on the effects of sunscreen on reefs: http://nickharman.uk/sun-cream-killing-coral-reefs/
If you have anymore questions, add a comment below and I'll add it to my post
Where did you go?I went to Sabah, Malaysia...more specifically Pom Pom Island(or Bum Bum in Malay). Sabah is the Eastern part of Malaysia in the region of Borneo.
What organization did you go with?
This non-profit group called TRACC, Tropical Research And Conservation Center.
First and foremost, amazing and incredible people. We had volunteers and staff ranging in ages from 20 to mid-40's and from countless countries all over the world. Some countries people had come from include the U.K., Canada, Belgium. New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Everyone was very enthusiastic and had such a big willingness to help out and get going on projects. It was really
comforting and easy to get along and talk about everything under the sun with everyone without the need to hold back, no topics were off limits and it was all just good fun. I got to learn about a lot of different cultures and how different countries ran. In all, everyone was really friendly and open towards each other which created a very loving atmosphere that I didn't want to sail away from on my last day.
What sort of work did you do there?
I mainly did on-land work since I was only a snorkeler. Some of the projects we had going while I was there included:
- Improving and helping create a shark release enclosure to safely move the benthic sharks into our waters
- Creating bottle reefs, so that later we can plant them in the water and attach hard corals to them in order to promote coral growth on our reef.
- Making "biscuits" with loose coral fragments in hopes that they will continue to grow and can later be placed in the bottle reefs.
- Placing netting with soft corals on the slope of the reef system in order to stabilize it and to prevent further erosion and deposition on top of corals below.
- Beach clean-ups, to get rid of all the plastic that washed up on our beaches :(
What were your accommodations?
I slept in a tent, within a group of tents towards the back of the campsite and the middle-ish of the island. The tent came with a fan, which turned on (from the generator) roughly between the hours of 8PM and 8AM, which was perfect for sleeping. The showers and toilets were in a wooden framed bathhouse covered in what looked to be tarps attached tightly to the frames, one toilet was flush-able and the other was flushed using a bucket of water to wash it down. Although the water from the well (for showers, toilets, washing dishes, and brushing your teeth) was salty, I barely noticed and wasn't even phased much by the presence of a little salt. A very nice thing that the campsite had was it's own two local cooks for lunch and dinner, dinner that usually consisted of rice, noodles, some sort of vegetable, watermelon or pineapple, and maybe tempeh or beans. I adjusted extremely easily to all of these things and didn't have any problems, even when I was constantly sandy (but I mean, who would complain when they're view for weeks is a gorgeous beach)
Did you see any cool wildlife?
I saw....
- A dog, named Joey
- Another dog, named Monsoon
- A pup, Gino (Who passed away recently, but will become part of the reef system)
- A cat, named what only I can spell as "PUUUU-CHHAANNGG"
- Two turtles, swimming a little ways from me
- A small sting ray
- A bunch of chocolate chip starfish
- A bunch blue starfish
- A TON of sea urchins
- A couple barracuda
- LOTS of corals
- Many, many different types of fish
- oh, and a couple huge, scary centipedes
Were you sad to leave?
So, so sad. I didn't want to leave the great friendships I had made all the way across the world. Although, I know I will be making a visit to see them in the near future. Pom Pom was beautiful, and
a place where I naturally woke up and fell asleep with the sunset and rise all while not having to worry about to-do lists and responsibilities. You just woke up in the mornings, got some breakfast, and thought "hmm, what should I do today?" then just did whatever was available or happening at that time. Island time isn't planned or rushed, it's a continuous flow and isn't demanding. I wasn't there for long, but adjusting to the rush and hustle of thing back home is proving hard.
P.S. everyone should read this blog my friend, Nick, wrote on the effects of sunscreen on reefs: http://nickharman.uk/sun-cream-killing-coral-reefs/
If you have anymore questions, add a comment below and I'll add it to my post
