19 Nov - The Beginning
The eight of us took the 10 p.m. coach from Golden Mile Complex to Hentian Bukit Gantang in Perak. The 9.5 h journey was rather uneventful and everyone tried their best to sleep despite the oncoming vehicle lights and the stops at Yong Peng, KL, Ipoh.
20 Nov - Alone in the dark with sandflies for company
After having breakfast in a coffee stall in Ulu Cheh, the lot of us was ferried to the base camp where equipment and rations were distributed. Wow, everyone was issued a parang - instant Rambo!
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| One of the instructors demonstrating how a bamboo water bottle is made. Everyone was supposed to make his/her own water bottle because we had to use it for the rest of the course or go thirsty for 4 days. For novices like us, it took us more than an hour to make an acceptable water bottle. | Hairy Clidemia (Clidemia hirta). Suffering from cuts and bleeding wounds? Simply put some leaves in your mouth and chew, then spit out to rub on your wound. Tried on a bleeding leech wound and it seemed to work. Talk about jungle medicine! | Our model of the year, with accessories - parang and a recently dug ginger in her hands |
21 Nov - leech armies, drenched clothing and furious waters
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| Shelter for the previous night. Made from the Bertam Palm stems and leaves. A real hassle to work with as the plant is full of thorns on the stems and leaves. | Carrying firewood from the Meranti tree to the next campsite. Meranti can burn very well as it contains flammable resin within the wood. | Rafflesia. One of the biggest flowers in the world. Very rare! |
22 Nov - More fun with plants
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| Trail making in the jungle. Lighter side of the leaf is supposed to face the observer so that he can follow the direction the leaf is pointing to. Useful for guiding rescuers to your location if lost | Bamboo noise trap. Trip the twine and the bamboo snaps shut, creating a rather loud noise. Great for giving an advance warning of approaching humans or animals. Have to test the system first though as it may not work as designed. | What do you do when your bamboo noise trap sounds? Grab your bamboo spear of course. Ah, the multiple uses of bamboo... |
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| A dip in the river after a hard day's walk. | After all the above strenuous activities, it's chow time to replenish all those lost calories. Cutting open the Bayas Palm to get to the edible heart. Unfortunately, the one we cut open has a rotten heart and there was no way to tell beforehand. Just had to cut down another Bayas and try again. | Dinner around the campfire. Dinner menu included rice, Maggies noodles, sardines with onions, Anchovies in belachan - not too bad considering we are in the middle of the jungle with no one around for miles. | Bleeding from leech bites. Real nasty creatures. If you pull them out while they are still feeding, the wound does not close and you continue to bleed for hours. Quick, grab some medicinal leaves! |
23 Nov - Counting bites - leech, tick or sandfly
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| Tongkat Ali. Supposedly good for men... and women. The Orang Asli also used it as a medicine against malaria. Chew the root to flood your mouth with bitterness. Highly sought after by people for its medicinal properties. | Drinking water from liana. Water tasted either slightly bitter or fruity. Proper identificaiton is required as there are more poisonous lianas than drinkable ones. | Back in base camp. Returning all our backpacks, parangs etc. Back to civilisation and all our work waiting in the office. Hmmm, is that really a good thing? | Showing off bites and bruises |