Ecoguide Graduation

We graduated the first round of Long Valley ecoguides today. These are local, indigineous people living in the area who have now been trained about the environment, heritage and value of Long Valley well enough to give tours to other people. This is a key element for the success of our Long Valley projects; finding ways to weave the social, economic and environment together.

First the ecoguides gave tours to others, directors of CA, special guests and a number of consuls that I invited. These included representatives from the Belgian, German, French, Russian, US, New Zealand and South African consulates. Then there was a brief ceremony and then we concluded the event with a special punchoi feast inside a large ancestral hall in the village of Ho Sheung Hung.

Poonchoi is a traditional type of Chinese food served in wooden basins instead of the porcelain or metal kind. It was cooked over a fire and had layers of food on top of the other. The locals found this meal very tasty and exciting. As for me and the other foreignors... well let's say we ate a respectable amount.