Horizons Week
Horizons Week – Cambodia
Day 1: Penang – Phnom Penh
Met at Penang International Airport at 10.30a.m. for check in and boarding. Arrived Phnom Penh airport at 4.10p.m. Bus to Angkor Mithona. Check in to hotel, to get unpacked and had an early night!
Day 2: Phnom Penh Sightseeing
An early start, bus to the killing field and then S-21 where we learnt about Cambodia’s history. A visit to central market in the afternoon. Had a scrumptious dinner opposite the River Front
Day 3: Phnom Penh Sightseeing
Went to the magnificent Royal Palace and Sliver Pagoda in the morning. A visit to lighthouse orphanage where we get to socialize with the orphans.
(Credits To Fong Yee Meng)
Day 4: Phnom Penh – Siem Riep
Day 4 was a traveling day. Our bus trip across Cambodia from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap took about 8 hours. Check into 4 stars- hotel Angkor Holiday Hotel.
Day 5: Siem Reap Sightseeing
An early start! Visiting the outstanding temples just outside Siem Reap by tuk tuk in the morning. After lunch, we went back to the hotel for some free time and had a dinner in. After the dinner, we had the chance to look round the Pub Street.
Day 6: Siem Reap Sightseeing
Woke up at 4.30a.m. to watch the amazing sunrise in Angkor Wat. After breakfast, we proceed to ‘flight of gibbon’ and spent the rest afternoon there.
Day 7: Siem Reap Sightseeing
A visit to pottery in the morning and had some free time for shopping.
Day 8: Siem Reap – Penang
Coach transfer to Siem Reap airport at 12.00p.m. (Cambodia’s time) and reached Penang at 9.00p.m. (Malaysia’s time). End of trip.
My impression
It was an astonishing trip to Cambodia. A small country filled with amazing culture, warm smiles, scenic spots and a thousand stories to be told and we were lucky to meet one of the survivors in S-21. The palace that I like the most was a land of mystical wonders which is home to the world-renowned architectural marvels, Angkor Wat. This trip will always be special to me because I got to see different culture and had many entertaining experience.
Written By: Kellie Sim (8S)
Examined By: Khoo Xin Hui (8S)
Horizons Week – Bintan
For the horizons week trip which was from 16th of June till 20rd of June, Mr. Yorain and Miss Yeeling were the teachers in charge of the trip. There was a total of 14 student that went on the trip which consisted of 6 boys and 8 girls.
On the first day we had to take a flight to Singapore then take a ferry to Bintan and finally a bus to the resort. We did not have any activities on the first day as we had spent most of the day traveling to Loola resort
On the second day,the first activity we did was community service which we helped with their water supply. After finishing with community service, we went for a swim in the ocean. We saw many coral and a few animals such as crabs and fish.
On the third day, We went for a hike in the mountains. Since it was raining on the morning before we went for the hike it made the ground on the mountain very slippery. A few student had difficulty hiking up the mountain because of that. After the long journey up and down the mountain we then had a nice walk back to the resort. In the evening, we went for boat expedition and flying fox. For the boat expedition, we had to jump of the boat and land in the sea. There were nets to keep us near the boat. There were two different heights for the students to jump from. After the boat expedition we went for the flying fox. Everyone went on the flying fox except one student as he (Xing Huong) was afraid of height.
On the fourth day, we had four activities. We started with the skywalk. This is when we climbed up a coconut tree and walk on a pole to the centre before we jumped off. Every student took part in this activity except for one student as she(Amanda) was afraid. One student even overcame his fear of heights and did the activity. After the skywalk we went for rock climbing. Many students had races to the top and Mr. Yorain was declared as “Spiderman” of the trip. After the rock climbing every student had to learn how to kayak and dragon boat. The student were very competitive and always tried to be first at everything. The guides made us sing, stand up and sit down while being in the dragon boat or kayak. The last activity of the trip was archery. We were split into two separate groups and we would try to shoot the board to earn scores for their group. The final score was… 0 to 0. It was a tie!
On the final day we left Loola resort at 7am and began our trip back to Penang. The trip was amazing and all the students had lots of fun and had also learnt something new. I feel like a trip like this has to be experienced by the person in order to get the full effect of the trip. The experience we had can’t be put down on a piece of paper.
Goh Xing Huong
Horizons Week – Perhentian
For the Horizons Week trip to the Perhentian Islands, we started our journey on Monday, the 16th of June, at the ungodly hour of 5:30 in the morning. We also had to face 9 hours of travelling, but despite our reservations, the journey went very smoothly, with nobody getting carsick enough to throw up! The (very) frequent toilet breaks helped too, and for some of us, we got the experience of having to pay to use the toilets.
When we reached the island after an extra hour’s boat ride, we were all spellbound by the clarity of the water and the atmosphere of peace and serenity the island had. It truly was something out of a travel book. Admitedly, when we first got our rooms, some of us were mortified by the fact that our bathrooms didn’t even have a proper shower head, just a pail and a tap. But, we did grow to love our rooms very much, after having to sweep the floor and sand our sheets every 3 hours because it just seemed like sand got everywhere. Needless to say, we all learnt the skill of using a broom.
For the next 4 days, we went on a constant daily rotation of snorkelling and scuba diving. Our instructors were fantastic, and all so informative and professional. It was a real pleasure to get to work with them over the days we went diving. Diving itself was an experience that most of us had never had before, and were very, very excited about actually breathing under water! The sea life, which included turtles, sharks, stingrays, a huge variety of fishes, hundreds of living corals and so much more, left all of us speechless, and if we didn’t have a limit put on us by the oxygen tanks, I’m sure we would’ve stayed 7 meters deep all day long. We visited around 7 beaches through our whole trip, and each one seemed more beautiful than the next, with water so clear you could see your toes even chest deep in the sea.
Apart from the diving and snorkelling, we did so much more. We jeti-jumped, banana-boated, hiked up a hill, played countless beach games, learnt that some of us really cannot play Rounders and also went to see a fire show. Each of these kept our days so full that by the time we got back to our rooms at night, we were out like a light switch. When we did have free time, the teachers made it a point to mention that we shouldn’t be on our gadgets, and we should be appreciating the company we have around us. Following that statement, we could be heard very clearly telling jokes, playing card games, teasing each other and engaging in very interesting conversations in just how good (very good) the food the resort provided was. On the last night we were at the resort, the owner of the resort came over and gave a presentation on coral life and how we, as students, could help keep the corals and sea life healthy and alive. The most important thing we learnt that day was do not litter, because that destroys the sea life. After seeing the beauty of the ocean with our own eyes, the thought that it could be hurt made us all realise the importance of preserving its beauty, so everyone can see it.
On the second last day, we packed up our suitcases and said goodbye to the resort we had all grown to love for its rustic personality. We then hiked across the island and went to a campsite to camp for one night. After the talk we had the prior night, all of us instinctively started picking up whatever litter we found on the beach, without even being asked. For me, that was one of the most heart-warming moments of the whole trip. On seeing the toilets we had to use, some of us decided that maybe camping really isn’t our outdoor activity. The whole day, any tourist would have seen groups of us playing beach volleyball, relaxing with a book, splashing around in the crystalline water or just taking a snooze after our week of intense activity. That night, we had an excellent barbecue of octopus, stingray, chicken and much more, which then gave way to a bonfire set up by our instructors. After having a fire dance and roasting marshmallows, Mr Duncan announced that since it was our last night, we needn’t have to sleep in our tents, but could all take our mats out and camp in the sheltered area instead. That suggestion was met with the most enthusiastic response, basically because we didn’t really want to squeeze 4 people into one tent…
The next day, we very sadly bid farewell to our instructors, and headed back home. Despite our sadness of having to leave the sweet haven they call Perhentian, we all left happy, knowing we’ve created new friendships with the unlikeliest of people, and having brand new adventures to tell our envious families and friends in Penang about.
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