Kota rainforest camp 08

australia posts still in process on the other blog.. must complete it asap. came back yesterday from the adventure camp, bringing back an experience of my lifetime and feeling stronger in a few ways. however, because of that event, a few others had to be cancelled, so the camp seemed so short, though the first night was very long.

12 mar (wed), woke up at 7.20 and made it to church at 8. scheduled meeting time is 7.30, but at 8 still got more on the way. we gathered and went up the bus when it came, sat at the back with the young boys and jeremy+dvd opposite. henry went around colecting passports and mine was still in the bag, so at the checkpoint there was a jam (cos of mas selamat) and that was the opportunity for me to get down and quckly grab my passport. my bag was at the bottom, buried in other bags, but lucky the passport was in the side pocket facing me, so i managed to take it out easily. the customs was cleared quite fast as theres not much other ppl.

we changed bus in malaysia, and there was a nice lounge at the back that i got to sit in. we played card games during the trip to the campsite at kota tinggi. it was relatively near compared to the previous kem kaizen. and to my relief, the place was many times better than kem kaizen. proper canteen that wasnt so dirty (other than a few broods of maggots under table legs.) not so much flies, ants and cats like KK. and we had proper chalets for accomodation; 6 to a room with aircon and proper beds and toilets for each room.

we had lunch at 12. food had little variety and not so good so i didnt eat much. then left for the waterfall expedition at 1, intending to return by evening. i didnt bring anything except a water bottle which ryan carried. dressed in shoes, t shirt and shorts.

first there was a long walk along a road, then off to the side onto a gravel path, and then had to go under a bridge (into a stream) to get to the other side that was fenced up from the bridge. that was when our shoes and part of my pants got wet. that was the start of our waterfall expedition, and the path ahead led into the woods.

after a bit of jungle trekking we came to the big stream coming from the waterfall, and we went along the side of it, sometimes having to cross it. the terrain was rather challenging and tricky. a few chances to demonstrate team spirit. it involved a lot of uneven paths, rock hopping/climbing, steep drops and climbs, fallen logs or other obstacles and stream crossing. the path could be rather slippery since it was wet and mossy rocks were especially tricky. ropes were used at certain parts that were too inaccesible. at one part there was even a vetical climb of like 10m, using just 2 ropes, followed by a steep drop down and a (my) knee deep stream cross, then another shorter climb up and a hop over a huge trunk subsequently. probably the most challenging streak.

on the way to the waterfall, it started to rain quite heavily. it rained and stopped about 5 times during the journey (not including those during the night.) and by the time i reached the waterfall i was totally drenched since i had no raincoat of sort and i had to go waist deep in water against the current at one part. i coped well for while, then shivered for awhile before my body got used to the cold and started producing more heat. on the way back the sky was startin to darken and rain continued to pour. the stream water level had risen which made crossing them more difficult. so ropes were deployed and a few guys had to stand against the current to hold it tight.

and then this is the part it gets interesting. at one point further back, the rain had caused a flash flood, turning the gentle stream into a deep raging river that is uncrossable even with a rope. the trainer who tried couldnt even get to the other side without almost being swept away to another country. we gathered and prayed, then the trainers returned with pleasant news that an alternative (not so frequently used) route was found. and it was a very difficult route indeed. there was a long uphill climb up some forested area, and then a narrow and VERY steep descend down. we had to line up and one by one slowly make our way down this muddy 50 degree slope downwards about 30m long, in the dark and rain. it had small stones in it, making it too unslippery to slide down all the way without getting sore butts, yet too slippery to walk. so i tried squat-walking, but was too tiring so i changed to crawling face up. nearing the bottom, there was a bright lamp shining and blinding me so i couldnt see the ground. sense of touch took over.

at the other end, our relief turned into another disapointment. the path after that was also blocked by the flash flood! this time no other route to be found. the trainers decided that we have to surrender to nature and camp overnight in the jungle near the river. wait for the next day when the waters subside and sun lights our path.

throughout the night we were like moths, gathering around the lamps like as if it were our life source. in a way it was, cos it provided a very little bit of warmth, and heat was our scarce resource then. it was there though that i received a poncho from ryan, which really helped alot. after wearing it for 10 mins i could feel the excess body heat radiating like when i finish a run. this heat generation was however gone after i fell asleep while sitting on a root for less than an hour. i was freezing after that. we were split into smaller groups who congregated in different areas around the place, each taking a lamp with them. i joined the group standing in the open for awhile (consisting joel, david, jeremy and some others) and listened to their crappnig away. then i went to a small cosy place surrounded by plants and their leaves provided a kind of roof, just tall enough for us to stand up. it was like a natural lounge. more than 10 ppl were gathered thr alr. i sat on a log that could sit 3-4 ppl, the rest sat on the soil. that lounge was so much wamer then outside and less rain got through, so we felt like staying thr the whole time.

random happenings: janelle was so cold she called for emergency saying shes 'freezing to death.' yufen also had the lack of ability to produce body heat, and was found curled up and shivering in a corner of the lounge. other cold ppl cuddled together and braced for the night. joanne suffered from some skin peeling thing on her legs and she got so paranoid, making alot of fuss and saying shes gonna die. david found a hardy plant and leaned on it... then let it to claudia. according to her, it "felt like heaven." jeremy came in and sat on the log. then trying to lean back abit, he tumbled off backward, leaving a hilarious stunned expression on his face. and the highlight: before finding the river, i relieved my bladder at some bushes. unexpectedly, ryan later went and slept there!

washig hands and peeing was both done at the river. (eew.) that was the only times i left the lounge. i tried many ways to sleep, but in the end the most comfortable way (though still very uncomfortable) was to lean on my own knees. i envied those who had a sheet to spare so they could lie on the ground. through the discomfort, suffering and boredom, time seemed to pass way too slowly. we kept asking the time, and groaned when so little had passed each time. i managed to fall asleep abt 3 hrs. when i got up at 4, it was raining again, and i had no poncho cos i let it to yufen earlier and she had fallen asleep. so i used a bag to cover instead, but still got wet.

at 5am, those in the lounge decided to go outside to wait out the last hour or so, with the open air group. it was then that kester sacrificed his poncho so 4 ppl could sit. but after awhile they left, so i laid down on it and slept almost instantly, waking at 7. by then, everyone had gathered around me, and the trainers announced that we were ready to go. the sun had risen and waters calmed. wow... it felt like i just awoke from a nightmare and everything was fine now. looking back, the experience was actually enriching and fun. the fun of testing my endurance and the sense of achievement from passing it. but... dont wish to go through again.

the morning dew had condensed on me and i was wet and cold. but nothing beats the sense of freedom. we made our way back to camp, and at the end of the gravel road, we were greeted by a sth we longed for - food! each got a packet of chocolate milk and cake. a van was shuttling from camp to pick some of us up at a time. reached back by 9.

back at our chalets, we were glad to see nice beds and facilites again. i had breakfast while waiting for my roomates to bathe, then i took my own sweet time in the shower, feeling all cleansed after that. next up was to have a good rest. those i had earlier was definitely not enough. got up at 12 for lunch. half were still sleeping so the canteen was quite empty.

later at 2+, the sleepers awoke hungry, but the food was alr kept away. managed to get out a little, and i had another round. i went around looking at the camp's animals... there were birds, pigeons, chickens, big lizards and a goose that keeps trying to bite me when i go near.

we had a debrief about the stayover in the jungle. some discussion session for comments and sharing. then some ppl from each group goes out to present. nothing much after that, except a short campfire after dinner. dinner was best meal in the camp. during campfire we did many lame songs and the fruit song turned out to be a favourite among some. joel yeo tried to pull me out to volunteer for the pikachu song. i resisted by swinging to the other side, causing him to fall on me and we both fell. but he was on top of my legs, imobilising me with his weight while my upper body was on the other side of the bench. by the time i got up, the trainer was in front of me and pulled me out. then i had to do the stupid pikachiu thing.

after the campfire we waited in the canteen for our ramlee burger supper to come. meanwhile we just played games like concentration among ourselves. other groups also played their own game and losers did forefeit in front of everyone. the ramlee burger was like a normal burger... just onions and patty and no egg. which makes it not ramlee anymore. at 12 i returned to my room. the young boys were playing cards so i joined them for a while after, but went to sleep before 1.30.

the next day, we had to rush to the pool for morning call. first group to assemble wins, and my group happend to gather a few mins earlier than the other 2, which won us a prize. after some packup and area cleaning, we received our best group medals and then boarded the bus home. first, having lunch at bamboo restaurant for a nice good spread. all the chicken feet went to me.

at the singapore checkpoint, i made a small mistake with apparently big consequence. probably due to distraction, i went off the bus leaving my passport in the seat netting. and i couldnt go in and get it cos the bus reached a restricted area. we called out to the bus uncle who tried looking for it, but somehow couldnt find it though its quite obvious. i was stuck at the customs. so i was brought to the office, where an officer brought me down to get it, but by then sum1 else helped me to get it and went back to look for me. =.=' so we met halfway and got it, then the officer was kind enough to clear my customs at a separate place so its faster. it was quite scary and worrying at first, but after getting back my passport i could smile again and forget the whole thing, but making me more aware next time and getting the thrill of it.

reached church by about 5 on fri. i feel we should get a refund for all those activities missed due to the overnight stay and rain.