Raffles
August 17 at camp

At about 21:00 we arrived at a hill that would be the location for us to spend the night. Yes we arrived at the camp site. Tarpaulins and tents of various sizes have been prepared and there are already some people waiting for us. They rushed down to the highway knowing that we had arrived. One by one we got off the truck and started rushing to pick up each other's bags and walked towards the campground. The moonlight is brighter than it was on the trip. Plus the lighting from electricity connected through an electric pole on the side of the highway, so we can charge the phone.

It was late but we were still not asleep. Some people after arriving at the camp decided to clean themselves up immediately, and a surprising thing happened here. There was no bathroom near my tent. To be able to clean ourselves, urinate or take a shower we have to go down. Below there is a flowing river and said Mr. Rolan has been made portable wc for mck purposes there make use of river water.

With a flashlight on my head, I and a few friends went down to the river to clean themselves up. Watch out for slippery roads, exclaimed one of the friends who walked the front. We descended one by one the stairs made of the ground with great care. As we cleaned ourselves, most of the other campers decided to have coffee and enjoy the air tonight.

Ah fresh taste after washing your face with river water earlier. We had to go to sleep because it was getting late. Tomorrow morning we have to wake up and help prepare for the 17th of August.

It is true that we will celebrate August 17th this time at this camp. The tents began to be quiet because in the end one by one was asleep in each dream.

The morning came quickly.After tidying up our tent helped the men to prepare breakfast. Today's activity is the release of the twisted beak into the forest, because the forest is a natural habitat for the animals. Initially the birds were injured or exposed to snare hunters or confiscation from the surrounding residents who were quarantined first before being released to nature. Once conditions improve and it feels strong enough to return to the environment, the birds will be removed and monitored through a computer.

After breakfast, we attended the ceremonial release ceremony and then descended into the forest to release the birds immediately. After the release, we followed the planting of trees in the forest. This time there is a regent of North Halmahera who participated in the activity because on this day we also celebrate National Nature Conservation Day.

Today passed so quickly.Preparation for the August 17 ceremony tomorrow is over. We took a shower and cleaned ourselves and went to dinner. From what I heard, the 17th ceremony tomorrow will be attended by the people of the hinterland here. According to the story they are the original Halmahera tribe who still inhabit the forests in this area and they can eat humans (cannibals).Well, it's very scary then I said to a father who told us about the tribe.After satisfied talking we decided to sleep because the night was getting late. Tomorrow morning we have to prepare for the 17th ceremony.

The morning has come. We are getting ready for the ceremony. The invited guests have been many who have come since, as well as the hinterland tribes who were invited. They came with spears and no feet. Today we will take part in the August 17 ceremony on this campground hill. There were some reporters from local TV stations who came to cover our activities today. One more thing, the regent who came yesterday also there today plus one more special invited guest, namely the daughter of North Maluku tourism who was also present.

When the new gladi remembered it turned out that no choir members would sing the song during the ceremony. Through the initiative of Mr. Rolan, some of our students were selected as choirs. I am one of them. We started training and then the ceremony started.

Just this first time I felt the atmosphere of the August 17 ceremony in a different location than usual.

This time the celebration was more fun. We were covered by local TV and with us there were people from the Moluccan hinterland. They did look scary at the beginning, but over time they also mingled with us. After the ceremony is over, then enter the entertainment event. We sang some eastern songs and that added to the excitement of the event.

The midday of the 17th show is over. We also had lunch together.The invited guests have returned.After this lunch we will discuss the schedule of activities that will begin tomorrow. Yes tomorrow our real expedition activities will begin. We are going to the forest tomorrow, so we need careful preparation and today we will discuss it together.

The discussion begins. We start by choosing which forest area will be the location where we conduct activities. This is because our time is limited, so it is not possible if the entire forest area we explore. Second, not all forest areas have easy access. Some of the areas we have to travel by water while operating ships are not always there every day, because they only rely on wind and waves.

After a long discussion then finally selected the location that we will come tomorrow. Some porters who had been appointed by the office immediately headed to the location to prepare our camp there. Those who left were local youths who served as porters for this activity and according to the story they only took 3 hours to get to the intended location in the forest. They are already used to doing that, even though in the forest they only wear flip-flops as footwear.

After the discussion was over, we cleaned up all the items that needed to be brought tomorrow and would be returned to the resort office before we went to the forest. To save energy and minimize excess, we re-sort luggage and bring only a few indispensable items in the field.

Carrying all the items in a carier bag will only slow down our journey tomorrow.After all we do not need everything in the forest, such as enough clothes only 2/3 pairs only, anyway, because we won't change clothes often later in the forest. That is the life of the field child.