First Attraction – Paddy Field
Firstly, we went to the paddy field. Paddy we had seen was yet fully mature. There is a small road for us to get along the paddy field and enjoy the picturesque view of it. Coconut trees are right beside the paddy field, whisking the deepest hues of green and yellow green. I believe that most of us always neglect the beauty of the paddy field and give no attention to it everytime we pass through it. Hence, this trip gives us a chance to truly have a look at it. The explanation was given by the farmer in Bahasa Melayu, and was then translated to English by Ms Anu. According to the farmer, there is a river called Sungai Kelit right along the paddy field, hence, it is convenient for the farmer to carry out an irrigation system to water the paddy. They will stop the irrigation system 20 days before they harvest it. It takes 100-110 days to cultivate rice. During the cultivation, the farmer uses pesticides to kill bugs, insects that breed in the paddy field, as well as the wild grass grown around to ensure that the paddy grows well, without receiving any damages by them. After the cultivation, they will harvest it and send their crops to factories in order to produce rice. Better quality paddies collected will be used as seeds for the next cultivation. There are a few conditions which are very crucial to ensure that the paddy grows well. Firstly, the paddy requires 30-32 degree celsius of sunlight. Secondly, it needs 2000 mm of rainfall. The farmer also stated that the best harvesting time for them is in January since it rains more frequently from June to December.
After the explanation, students walked leisurely along the paddy field, and took photos with their friends to record down this memorable experience. Overall, this is a great experience for us to take a step in to learn about paddy fields. We usually learn about the function of the paddy field in our textbook, however, this time, we were able to listen to a more specific explanation and data on how paddy grows by an experienced farmer, which I think that we had achieved one of the objectives of having this field trip.
Second attraction – Waterfall
We visited the waterfall and we had our brunch there as well. Some of them enjoyed the Nasi Lemak, but some of them think that it is too spicy for them. The waterfall had staircases that led to the top. Sadly we did not get to climb all the way up the stairs, as it was too dangerous and risky to do so. After we had our brunch, Thephila, Xin Ru from class J2E1 gave us a brief explanation on the formation of the waterfall, while Wong Yun Zheng from class SE11 talked about one of the erosion processes, attrition after that. Then, Ms Anu showed us where the plunge pool is at. Everything went smoothly, but an incident happened that broke the peace. One of the students accidentally dropped his water tumbler, and was eager to get his tumbler back. He thought that the water was shallow, so he jumped into the river. Out of his expectations, the water was deep, and he wet himself.
This gives us a lesson, we should never do something without permission during a field trip. Other than that, everything went well.
Third attraction – Bee farm
We also visited the bee farm. There we learned how the farm was set up for the bees as well as how bee houses were made and how bees make honeycomb: They will first sip the nectar as food, then produce honey in their stomach. At the same time, they will collect young leaves to build their house, forming “containers of their honey.” and build a roof for their house. It takes 1 month for these bees to form a full box of honey. The owner of these bees will collect honey from these houses and sell it to earn money.
Students heaved a sigh of relief when they heard that all those are stingless bees, and tried to approach them out of curiosity. The owner of the bee farm even let us sip the honey directly from the honeycomb. Some of our teachers did that, but some just refused. There, we get to know some facts about honey.
Fourth attraction – Prawn farm
In order to reach the prawn farm, we had to walk along a slope. The prawn farm had 60 ponds and totalled 60 hectares. Some of the ponds were dirty, others were dry but most had water inside. The prawns were around just 2 to 3 months old but they would be harvested every 5 months since they are fully mature by then. Prawns are nocturnal, hence, we can’t really see the prawns during daytime. However, these prawns will float on the surface of the water at night. Even so, detailed explanations and demonstrations on how they harvest these prawns were still given by the farmer. We got the opportunity to have a look at the various types of prawns and take photos of them. Everyone was so exhilarated to have a look at it. All in all, despite the disappointment on the condition of the prawn farm, we’ve learned a lot from the farmer and appreciate the opportunity to learn.
Fifth attraction – Coffee plantation and river
We had our lunch in the area around the coffee plantation. There was a river where we also carried out two experiments, i.e. the experiments for the velocity of the river and the depth of the river. After the experiment, we also had chicken rice there. Meanwhile there were also bicycles provided near the river, and some of them enjoyed riding the bicycles with their friends. Meanwhile the coffee plantation also provided us with an explanation on how the coffee beans were prepared and how the coffee was made. The coffee beans were dried for 6 months before they were fried for 30 minutes until they turned blackish brown. As for how coffee is prepared, they first fry sugar for 30 minutes. Then fry the coffee bean in 40 degree celsius for 30 minutes. Then they grind the coffee bean to coffee powder. The owner also prepared a mug of coffee and poured it out into cups and gave it to teachers. Teachers responded that the coffee was nice.
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