Earthwatch - Borneo Rainforest
OK guys, this is it. Fact is, I have been busy as a bee, bumbling and buzzing around for stuff I need to survive prepare for this volunteer expedition that I would be going with Earthwatch in a few days time.
I will be spending 9 days studying the effect of climate change on Borneo’s rainforests. I’m hoping to learn how sustainable issues are being handled on-the-ground by putting myself in a real situation, with a real problem and contributing by supporting scientific research to come up with a real solution. I have been told great tales from people who had returned from the same expedition. If you are thinking of traveling with a purpose and return home with great stories about how you helped made the world a better place than it was, while having fun in places not many people would have visited, this is the thing for you.
While ecotourism is as a way to contribute money to needy communities or ecological protection of an exotic natural heritage, visitors have little/no control over how the money is spent (would it be spent on something meaningful?). Going on Earthwatch expeditions however would mean getting your hands dirty, knowing that you had done something to contribute directly to a worthy cause.
I’m spending 9 days in Borneo’s rainforest. I am as excited as a kid entering a candy store for the first time. Or those grinning reality TV show contestants you watch in the first 10 minutes of each season premier episode before the drama kicks in. I was mucking around the idea with a friend earlier today and we dismissed the idea that this expedition would be like Survivor, even though I will be spending days in a location that wild animals live. There’s no voting people out, immunity challenges and annoying rituals every few days (er…is there? I hope not!). It’s about a small group of people living together in a new environment and trying to get some work done. Sounds familiar? Jersey Shore anyone? Before you think further and probably too much, the comparison ends here.
