A journey to 'the place of rest' in South Africa

Cathay Pacific has sponsored more than 200 young people from across the Asia-Pacific region and South Africa since 1994 to attend environmental programs at Lapalala Wilderness School. The Jakarta Post's reporter Budiman Moerdijat was invited to participate in this year's program at the school, located about 300 kilometers north of Johannesburg.

WATERBERG MOUNTAINS, South Africa (JP): A four-wheel drive safari truck stopped and the park ranger pointed at some conical- shaped soil with a rock on top of it.

To the surprise of a number of journalists, some of whom had flown halfway across the globe to reach this place, the ranger said the rock had been lifted by a colony of ants.

"Within years, the mixture of soil and the saliva of the Schwarzenegger ants can lift up that rock," the ranger said, adding that the ants were named after famous Hollywood action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger for their astonishing strength.

Shortly after that, the ranger pointed at a branch with some ugly flowers on it laying in the dirt.

"It looks dead and dry, but if you put it in water or give water to it, it will bloom the next morning. That's why we call it the resurrection flower," he said.

Those are only two of the many wonders in the Lapalala Wilderness, a 37,000-hectare private nature reserve in the Waterberg Mountains in the Northern Province of South Africa, some 300 kilometers north of Johannesburg.

Another wonder is the unique Lephalala River, which runs through the reserve for over 77 kilometers, tumbling over rapids, through spectacular gorges and spreading into pools bordered by water lilies.

One of Lapalala's park rangers, Xander Combrinck, once told a group of visitors not to hesitate to fill their canteens with Lephalala's water.

"The water is even better and cleaner than mineral water," Combrinck said, and he was more than right.

The reserve can be visualized as a large plateau with an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level, dissected by many drainage valleys.

Makaldubane (Sotho for hill of steep sides), also known as End Mountain, in the northwest corner of the reserve is the highest point at 1,252 meters.

Rangers said Lapalala meant "a place of rest", and it was at this nature reserve that Clive Walker -- one of the South Africa's best-known conservationists, wildlife artists and writers on natural history -- founded the Lapalala Wilderness School in 1985.

The school, which is administered by the Wildlife Trust of Southern Africa -- a nonprofit non-governmental organization also founded by Walker -- was established with the objective of teaching young people about conservation, ecology and the protection and appreciation of the country's wild animals, wilderness areas and natural resources.

Over the years, the school, which provides facilities for up to 40 scholars in a rustic stone and thatch building within the reserve, has been attended by thousands of students and teachers from all over the world. A number of the school's attendees have been sponsored by the Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways.

Cathay's sponsorship has allowed more than 200 people between the ages of 16 and 18 from China, South Korea, New Zealand, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, South Africa and Indonesia to participate in the program since 1994.

Three Indonesians, Kanya Panda Cittasthira, Muhammad Suryanegara and Muhammad Arsyi, were among the 48 delegates and journalists from 12 countries taking part in this year's Lapalala Wilderness Experience from July 14 to July 23. .

"At Cathay Pacific, we accept our responsibility toward the environment. That is why each year we sponsor a group of specially selected people to the unique African wilderness of Lapalala," David Turnbull, Cathay's deputy chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

To qualify for the program, students must be proficient in both written and spoken English, as the course is conducted in English. Hopefuls then must write a two-page essay on an environmental topic, after which candidates go through a selection interview.

Among the activities the delegates experienced at the Lapalala school was an "interpretive walk", where they learned wilderness survival skills.

During the walk, which was held as the opener of the five-day course, the delegates were taught to become aware of their value systems and how these values impacted their immediate environment.

The walk was "pleasantly" disturbed by the shy appearance of a hippopotamus and a crocodile.

Before returning to camp, the delegates were taken to the top of a some 100-meter vertical wall called the Baboon Rock, where they were able to enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Lapalala wilderness.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the course was the evening meal, where delegates from each country took turns preparing a traditional dish from their homeland and explained how the food should be eaten -- with hands, knives and forks or chopsticks.

Fun was also had by all during the mock wedding, where each delegate demonstrated what weddings were like where they came from.

On the next day the delegates took part in a fun, tension- filled game called the treasure hunt, where they applied the knowledge and skills they acquired during the course.

During the game, the delegates were divided into two groups, the "hunted" and the "hunter".

The hunted left a trail of clues and the hunters tried to unravel the clues and catch the hunted and seize their treasure within two hours.

However, it was not to be for the hunters at this year's Lapalala Wilderness Experience, as they failed to find the "treasure", which was a bag of marshmallows, before the deadline.

Hanneke Van Der Merwe, one of the teachers at the school, told the students on the last day of the course, they should think about all of their actions. "Everything you put into the environment, it will get back to you."

Cathay said in its statement "it has faith that the delegates will not only make new friends from other diverse cultures, but will also go out and spread the word about the irreplaceable value of the environment".

I came here with nothing and left with everything, I didn't expect such freedom. It is so lovely to be in this place, the ultimate place of rest.

I only asked for fun but I got a lot in the end. Now that I am a different person, I am so happy to be able to meet with so many, wrote a Malaysian delegate, Neoh Hor Kee, 16, in a poem.