Archive for July, 2009

I have done a jump from being @ Alpha1 to Changeover (where all the projects comeback in and the groups rotate) to being back at fieldbase… I’m at fieldbase for a week, before I deploy with Alpha5 (Dive Island & Trek) I will be meeting up with them on the dive island for a day before we deploy on trek. I will then be trekking for a week then returning to fieldbase (they will trek for 12days)

Back at Fieldbase… Day off… I think something has gone adrift on these blog updates, how am I suppose to maintain my randomness if I don’t post something of any real interest! Ironically, my day off wasn’t really filled with that much interest, however that’s what makes it more special… The more focused you are and having an objective the less inspirational you become. Today was a series of events….

Just to highlight that I have passenger sunburn arm!

Broken away from the Raleigh “Bubble” i’m lost without being told what to do and where to go!!! I’m confused… Can this be real?? where do I eat, how do I entertain myself?? I’m in KK for some tourist stuff… (Shocked Look)

I find food, what better than to smash down some of the colonel’s finest burgers (hmm as a snack)

In the lift to the food court… (Random Sign…) I glad I was reminded not to spit on the floor… just encase…

I get sidetracked onroute by the flashing lights of fun square!

Ooo and the fun rides…

Ooo and again…

Then a refreshing donut!

Very Messy!

Finally making it to a food court, getting what I think is good hot food (it looks ok)

But then tasting it, realising it was a stone cold buffet, the type where they left stuff out all day and it gets really cold and the beef I thought was Beef wasn’t Beef, it was Liver! (Cheers!!) Feeling gutted… I’m frustrated that I am out of pocket by a whole 1pound 40pence

I then bought a headband! Ooo in Pink! note the charming chav broach

Have my picture taken with a hot model!

Feeling a little thirsty after my mornings work, I think hard about what new drink I would try…

What better combo than a refreshing can of “kickapoo” and “milo” yes kick a poo, because we all love that! 

Passing the counter I did notice that Marmite is a dangerous product out here and needs to be kept away from kids! So therefore is safely stored behind the counter!

Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better!! A whole chocolate ice blend in coffee been and looking at all my new toys, including 2flags, 2 packets of fun snaps, 2 canned drinks, 3 headbands and my chocolate shake!

Now i’m still up at 01:00AM after the new Server arrived at fieldbase when I got back and I got carried away getting it all prepped for installation. Cheers Windows 2003 server for your built-in security features that made me waste my life on google, trying to work out what feature to turn off so I could have basic passwords!

Anyway! Arrrhhh I’m done! My day is now over as I off to Sleep!

Thanks for listening!

After A2 (Gravity Water System) it was a drop off at A1 (Kindergarten).

Mapan Mapan is a fairly remote Kampong about 2/3hours from Pinapak. I stayed there for three days and really enjoyed it. The PM’s awesome and helped a lot in getting everyone together in the photos and we had a good hour in the afternoon to strike a number of group shots and pose’s which looked pretty good. I ended up taking more group shots in one day than in 9days at A4, so it just shows how people “getting amongst it” can make the difference.

Most of the Mapan Mapan Kampong is built on the water and looks so different to normal houses especially when the tide is in. Unfortunately the locals don’t really care about the rubbish and pollution and therefore the shorelines are crammed stuff that the locals have just chucked away and over the edge into the water.

The local school kids are all egger to learn and some get up at 05:30am even when school starts at 6:30 and they only live next door!
All in all the trip to A1 was really chilled out and was interesting to see how the kindergarten building was coming on, especially when the design was exactly the same as the Sun Bear accommodation. It was like an ongoing comparison and battle to see who had done more.

Mapan Mapan Kampong

Kindergarten Building (just posts)

Mapan Mapan Kampong Houses

Rubbish in the Water

PM’s @ A2 Mapan Mapan

School Kids @ Mapan Mapan

School Kids @ Mapan Mapan

After the 4×4 incident, we finally arrived at Alpha2 for a short trip. Powering through the local river and up the hill to Kampung Pinapak.
With a flying visit, the loop sold some goodies, we said Hi to everyone, picked up “eddddd” (NZ comms officer) and headed on our way to Alpha1 Kampung Mapan Mapan.

Not many photos at Alpha2 – The River

Group Shot of them all

Pinapak was the destination, guided by a route card (this was a step-by-step guide on how to get to the site) unfortunately some cards better than others, Alpha2’s not being great…
We took several hours to try and navigate through the middle of a logging plantation with a number of additional tracks, unfortunately one track being too many as at 5:00pm we hit some mud and got grounded, departing to dig out with one spade, at first thinking it was funny, later seeing that the 4×4 was in the dead centre of where a stream hits and seeing the dug holes filling up with water creating a good suction. It was getting dark and Raleigh don’t travel after 6pm and as if by magic there was an old shack not 50m away, so we unloaded our kit and made camp for the night, with multiple jokes from Mac and I about being executed by chainsaw in the night as there were a number of chains hanging from the ceiling and the hut being too much of a coincidence.

Chainsaw hut

Night in the chainsaw hut

Stuck 4×4

The next day we headed about 750m to a logging camp to ask for a ‘pull out’ unfortunately after failed attempts by two 4×4 we waited 3hours for a local tractor to arrive which made easy work of the mud and pull! Soon we were back on the road to a2 but cut the visit short, said hello sold them some goodies, grabbed the comm.’s guy Ed (eeddddd) and headed back on the road to Alpha1 Kindergarten project at Mapan Mapan 3hours way…

4×4 pull out

Tractor pull out

Victory!

Arrival and Departure at A2

Last day here… it’s been a while since I wrote an update and today (18th) is when I said goodbye Alpha4 hello Alpha2. Sitting in the Bravo (4×4) on a 6 hour drive with the loop (supply run) to Pinapak I look back over the last few days…
After a recci we managed to find the road route into the jungle camp. A quick chat with the local resort and we had sourced a flatbed truck to take the massive wood supply from the log yard to camp. This took over 5hours included a flat tire, a complete truck change, moving all the wood, two trips and the driver falling off the cab back first an landing on a stump (he was ok but when offered hospital said “massage”) the Malaysia are pretty solid and just deal with it!
The wood loaded on this truck was unreal and would probably get you some prison time back home!

Saturday saw the opening ceremony of the Sun Bear Sanctuary, a planned out event for all the dignitaries, volunteers, project workers and locals. The highlight (not necessarily a highlight) was some old women dressed like the kkk (but in black) dancing around a fire before cutting a chickens neck, dripping blood everywhere and burning it on the fire (sacrifice for the Sun Bears) it’s a mad world but who is anyone to judge how mad we all are? To me the likes of Western Europe culture are the norm but maybe not to Malay with Eastern Asian ways.
The after party buffet quickly got demolished after A4 went back plate after plate to force in as much fresh cooked noodles and meat spring rolls. First in & Last out.

A4 at Sun Bear opening ceremony

Sun Bear opening ceremony at site

Chicken Sacrifice

Later that day was preparation for the loop. Basically tidying up the camp and hoofing some posts into the ground to at least make it look like some resemblance of a building was in place, this was also good for the teams moral! The loop team joined us for the evening meal (pasta, tomato puree & sweet corn) before a night in the hammocks, a wave goodbye in the morning and on the road by 08.15…

Loop Arrival & Departure