I had a fantastic summer break this year. I had done a lot of different activities, for example, a trip to Thailand, camping, swimming, baking…etc. Among all these spectacular activities, my favorite activity was my three-day, two night camping trip with my brother.

This camp is called “Summer in the Wild”, it was held from 14/8/2023-16/8/2023 in
Sai Wan. We did many different thrilling activities around the sea, for example, coasteering, canyoning, SUP, swimming…etc.

On the first day, we went to Inno Centre to gather up. Then, we took an hour bus ride to Sai Kung and a 45-minute hike to Sai Wan. We were all super-duper exhausted since every one of us was carrying a gigantic backpack. Finally, we arrived. The first thing we did was go to our dormitory to put down our things and settle down.

After we settled down, the instructors guided us around to let us know more about the site. Next, we changed into our swimming suits and did the water safety in the sea. We had to rescue an instructor by using “Shout, Reach, Throw and Go”, the four water safety steps. Then, we played an Earthquake game on the SUP. It was so exciting when I lost my balance and fell into the water.

After the game, we went back to our site to take a shower. The most special thing was that it was a big shower area but with no partition between the showers, that meant we had to shower with the other girls, that made me extremely embarrassed.

Before bed, we learned about the seven principles of Leave No Trace: “Know before you go”, “Walk on durable surfaces”, “Scoop the poop”, “Take nothing but pictures”, “Fire responsibility”, “Respect wild life”, and “Peace and bye”. Every principle even has its own action. Since I was worn out after the whole day playing, I could not really concentrate. Luckily, we got to sleep after that. I put my sleeping bag and a mat on the floor to make myself comfortable. That night, I couldn’t fall asleep at all. Two other girls and I stayed wide awake until midnight. (We weren’t supposed to sleep in dormitories, we were supposed to sleep in tents, but because of the unstable weather, we had to sleep in dormitories.)

The next day, we woke up, got dressed and ready for that day’s activities. We did coasteering first. Coasteering means walking on rocks and into the water beside the sea. I did not know where we were going until we got to a cliff. Turned out that we were going to jump off a cliff that was 4 meters high! I was actually scared of jumping from heights and I did not want to jump. In the end, it was my turn. I hesitated. I did not know what to do. I wanted to face my fear but I just wasn’t brave enough. Luckily with the instructor’s encouragement and a little push, I faced my fear and jumped. Splash! I made it! I was so proud of myself. However, after I got into the water, I realized we had to swim all the way back to the shore. It was not far if you take a boat or for an athlete, but it was a far distance for me.

After a million minutes, we got back to shore. We had lunch and went canyoning. We had to hike on rocks this time. After coasteering (it was actually a warm-up for canyoning), it was just a piece of cake for me. When we arrived there, there was a big pool and a tight rope to walk on. I fell into the water several times when walking on the tight rope. Overall, it was fun.

A few hours later, we went back to the site and took a shower. That night was special. We had a barbecue. We had to collect wood and start a fire by ourselves. After a lot of tries and help with some materials that can be burnt easily, we started a fire. Next, we started putting food on it. I ate sausages, meat, fried rice…etc. Everything was scrumptious. After the barbecue, we brushed our teeth and went to sleep. I slept really well that night.

The next day was the last day there. We did our own morning routines and changed into our wetsuits for our last water activity. We did a SUP race. We had to lie down on the SUP to paddle. Despite my group losing, we all had an amazing time. After that, we went back to the site and took a quick shower and started to pack up and tidy the room. (I also had time for an ice-pop. It was delicious.)

At last, it was time for us to leave. This time, we did not have to hike out. We took a speed boat back to Sai Kung and a tour bus back to Inno Centre.

I had a spectacular experience through this camping trip. It was not my first time doing these activities, but it was my first-time leaving home by myself and camping. I hope I will have another chance to have a real camping experience that sleeps in tents in the wild.