Raleigh International Autumn 2007 Expedition

Airport Blues!

2007-12-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

The Australians departed the party to make the journey back to KK to catch their flight very early on the morning of the 10th December.

Unsuprisingly a there were a few tears shed, but once they arrived at the airport, memento's were exchanded and a combination of tiredness and excitement filled the very empty departure lounge as they prepared to make their way home with some fantastic memories and some amazing new friends.

Later that day a similar journey was made with the reamining participants, and again the tears were flowing - mainly courtesy of Josh, Jo, Suzie and Carly, but it wasn't long before the staff joined in!

It was an absolutely awesome expedition, and every tear was a reminder of some brilliant memories, leaving fantastic new friends and the experience of living here in Sabah for the last 10 weeks.

Well done guys - you survived!!!

Beach Party Madness!

2007-12-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

Buzzing from the previous nights closing ceremony, the staff and participants made their final journey across Sabah, to the stunning beach resort of Bukit Naga for the end of expedition party! They spent the afternoon chilling by the sea, playing the Alpha group games, and waiting for the barbeque and 'Pimps & Ho's' beach party to begin.

Fun was definatley had by all in the afternoon! And as the evening drew near everyone dispersed to get their kit on (and in some cases off!) for the barbeque and 'Pimp's and Ho's' party - and what a sight it was!

The group then parted into the wee hours of the morining before having to say their fond farewells to the Austrailian participants who had to leave at 2 am to catch their 6am flight!

Tears & Laughter Officialy Bring Autumn To A Close!

2007-12-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

The teams returned to Borneo Paradise on the 7th full of stories and 10 weeks of Raleigh rations - the teams were tired, but thrilled to be meeting up with all their friends again, and for the last time! As kit was being cleaned and packed away, the excitement was mounting as the big expedition event (the closing ceremony) loomed in less than 24 hours. The dancers were getting nervous, the organisers were getting worried, and everyone else was starting to feel a little sad as the end of the expedition was getting closer!

The closing ceremony was a brilliant event and everyone had a great time, and not just because it was being held at the 5* Pacific Sutera Hotel! The staff and participant dancers were absolutely brilliant performing the Samuza and the Mangutip (even more so because they had only had that day to practice!) and the slide show went down a storm - with everyone singing along to the music and most people shedding a tear or two!

The men of the Bamboo Dance - in full costume were Dom, Dave, Aaron, Joe, Ryan and Vincent.

Nick, Tom, Jon and Josh accompany Veronica, , Laura and Hen in the Samuza

Amy, Suzie, Bev, Jade and Ee Laine performing the ladies part of the bamboo dance.

Friz, John and Ronnie all gave touching speeches at the closing ceremony, along with the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Youth & Sport) Datu Rosmadi, and of course Rory, and Rory and Laura were presented with gifts to thank them for all their hard work done in their time here with Raleigh in Sabah.

The photogrpahy exhibition was also a big hit, with the 5 competition winners, James, Nick, Ee Laine, Jon and Joe's photographs all proving extremely popular. The exhibition also showcased Raleigh's work in Malaysia, highlighting some of the projects completed over the last 3 years, and the difference the projects make to the communities and the participants and staff.

Everyone one had a brilliant night, and made their way back to Borneo Paradise tp prepare for the beach party the following night!

The Last Loop of the Year

2007-12-01T02:25:00.000-08:00

It was that time again as Bravo 2 rolled out of the Fieldbase gates for the last time this expedition to embark on the perilous journey those Raleigh folk know as Loop!

The 3 intrepid explorers Tom, Mia and Kev, otherwise known as Santa’s little postman, departed into the unknown early on Sunday morning on the longest post round the world had ever known!
First stop was Imbak Canyon where our team were confronted with the dulcet tones of Suzanne Rooney as she sung us the script of the murder mystery we were to solve! Star turns by Tiri McCorriston and Rob Tomlinson helped the team to one of the most original welcomes I have ever seen on a loop! Cheers guys!

Time being of the essence the loop team had to beat a hasty retreat in the early hours of Monday 26th Nov, where they made their steady way on their trusty steed, Bravo 2!

After an early start (06:00 for goodness sake!!), Santa’s little postmen (and woman), made their way through the dust and heat to one of the most isolated project sites on the books this expedition, Danum Valley where our posties were met by a tired looking bunch who had been moonlighting as builders! Fresh from cementing posts into the ground we were welcomed into the fold just so long as we came bearing fresh fruit, sweets and post!!Thanks to our cooks for the evening BBQ, Joe, Ryan and Paul, who cooked up a storm for Carly and Chris’ birthday! 19 and 20 respectively! Happy Birthday guys!

A good feed had by all, especially Francesca and the other girls who decided to wear more of the cake than eat it, but definitely needed after the long day on the road for the fearless postmen!
Post safely delivered to Imbak and Danum, our fearless team made a more relaxed escape and started to make their way to Batu Puteh where a certain Project Manager by the name of Amy Gaulton was due to celebrate her birthday the following day. No mentions of how old hey, Amy!!
The best reception of the loop so far was lying in store for our road weary adventurers! Cheers and applause greeted us-just what we needed after 3 long days on the road, closely followed by a bucket of water over the head, first for Mia, then Tom and I’m sure Kev got wet somewhere down the line too!!

A big party was in store for us that night although I’m sorry to say some of the loopers were the first to bed after a hectic few days!

It was an early start again on Wednesday but this time a boat ride down the Kinabatangan river awaited us! We saw monkeys by the score, more Hornbills than we care to mention and after asking Jungle girl Bev to supply us with a crocodile, 2 appeared to satisfy out appitites! Cheers guys!
And then it was time to go home, all post safely in the hands of it’s rightful owners! The dream was over, and the postmobile Bravo 2 crept gently home towards Fieldbase . . . . .

Thanks Tom!

The final countdown - the teams revelaed!

2007-11-23T23:28:00.000-08:00

Alpha One - up at Kg Ambong with PM's Nick, Zoe, Claire and Nikki
Amanda Macadam, Zhi Yong, Nick Moffatt, Josh Bailey, James Robinson, Katie Mack, Kellie May, Rebekah Lindo, Matt Morgan, and Dom Desmond

Alpha Two - over at Batu Puteh with PM's Bev and Amy
Joanne Loveridge, Pang Yen Jun, Ben Vicarey, Zoe Sweeney, Gilles Louwerens, Stu Tinner, Friz Rung, Ibrahim McKenzie, John Shearman and Max Bin Mitter

Alpha Three - up in Imbak with PM's Kerry, Lou and Ben
Tiri McCorriston, Robert Tomlinson, Tom Jackson, Rob Humphrey, Kirsti Harrison, Suzanne Rooney, Alison Gowland, Ronnie and Suzie Pike

Alpha Four - over in Danum Valley with PM's Jon, Tom and Debs
David Bywaters, Chris Mowatt, Thomas Dixon, Ryan Nutt, Joseph Kingston-Lee, Juliet Hermansky, Jessica Haberley, Carly Wallace, Paul Smith, Veronica Waldthausen and Francesca Jackson

Alpha Five - down in Long Pa Sia trekking first with PM's Aaron and Matt
William Muir, El Laine Lim, Robert Aked, Hannah Parker, Laurence Pidgeon, Chloe Bird, Ishen Amara, Madeleine Jacobs, Palmer de Peyster and Vaughn Edwards

Alpha Six - over on Mamutik Island diving first with PM's Miranda, Hen and Ange
Charlene Robinson, India Sparshatt, Yousif Adnan, Jade Yates, Vincent, Joshua Pearson, Lois Allen, Thomas Rhodes and Rob Sibley

The Adventurers (including fieldbase!)

2007-11-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

Alpha 5 were the first to trek into Long Pa Sia this phase, and despite a quick KFC stop on the journey down have spent their time in the jungle living off Raleigh rations and the food the jungle has to offer. They have reported spending their time trekking, sweating, complaining about trekking and complaining about sweating – but are all having the time of their lives in the jungles of Long Pa Sia. They have however learnt a harsh lesson on jungle food when they collected and cooked up some mushrooms one morning for breakfast before setting out to Maga Falls – which they never reached due to the mushrooms getting their own back!

They completed their trekking with no further incidents, and more importantly no injuries, and have moved over to Mamutik Island this weekend to start their open water diving qualification – where I imagine they will dive and relax until they have to climb Mt Kinabalu with Alpha 6 at the end of the week.

Alpha 6 had the pleasure of diving first this phase and looked to be spending their first night in the idyllic island setting, it had been a beautiful day whilst they had been doing their classroom theory but as they made their way over to the island on the boat the heavens opened – in quite spectacular fashion. They were able to settle in for the night, and the next day completed the essential repairs to their sleeping area, as well as their first dive’s in the waters around Mamutik.
Everyone loved island life, and they all passed their open water and advanced diving exams before they had to leave for their trekking down in Long Pa Sia, where they have trekked to Maga Falls, and are preparing to join Alpha 5 at the end of this week for the Mt. Kinabalu climb.

Some of the fieldbase team have also had their fair share of excitement this phase. The loop vehicle, affectionately known to us as Bravo 2, is now the official Raleigh International Rescue (RIR) vehicle upon their return from the loop visit. Not only did the loop manage to visit Alpha’s 4 and 2 at Danum and Batu Puteh (and were fed with some top class tucker!) but they finally made it in to Imbak after days of heavy rain that almost prevented the team from getting to Alpha 3. Their excitement didn’t stop with the crossing of the Imbak river, the loop teams rescuing adventures started on their way to Ranau when they were first on the scene of an accident involving a family whose vehicle had gone off the roadway and down an embankment! -miraculously no one was injured, and the newly refurbished Bravo 2 medical kit contained everything they required to lend their assistance. They then made their way home along the Ranau-Kundasang road where the 2nd of the days incidents took place – a tyre blow out! The team quickly made the tyre change and were back on their way when they came across another road traffic accident – the team again sprung into action, assisting with general first aid helping where needed, before they unbelievably made it home without further incident – and just in time for tea!

The Environmentail Projects

2007-11-10T22:14:00.001-08:00

The team of Alpha 3 spent a couple of days trekking in their equipment and setting up their home at the BBC Camp, and have started moving sand, cement and cables for the bridge foundations. They have had some set backs with the river halting the progress at the work site, but they have worked like demons when possible to dig the anchor holes for the bridge foundations, collect the pebbles for the cement, and cleaning lots of tar from the cables ready for them to be set into the foundations. They have also been relaxing with swims in the river, and trekking in and around the canyon area.

The Alpha 4 group have been making improvements to the boardwalk around the site and moved water tanks, as well as trail clearing and preparing for the 2 day trek to the Raleigh Cabin to clear the helicopter landing site and the area ready for the work to begin there when the materials and plans are approved by the field centre management. They have also had a lot of fun down in Danum, and have done tubing on the Segama River, been swimming as well as organising Halloween and Guy Fawkes themed evenings and making some rather scrummy do-nuts that the loop particularly enjoyed!

While the majority of the groups trekked off into the jungle to the cabin site under the call-sign of Zulu 4, those that have stayed in camp have seem orang-utans, hornbills and various species of monkey in and around the site. They have also arranged a trip with the scientists out to a tree planting site, and a talk on the work the scientists are doing in the area.

The Community Projects

2007-11-10T22:12:00.001-08:00

Alpha 1 arrived at Kg Ambong and settled into camp, fixing up their bashers and stowing their supplies and equipment. The bulk of their work over the last couple of weeks has been working up at the water source on the dam, where they have completed the foundations, moved rocks up to the source and filled and cemented the rocks into the gabions.

They are taking a well earned day off on sunday visiting the market at Kota Belud and going on a fishing trip this afternoon – hopefully they wont actually break the jetty like the phase one group did!

Alpha 2 arrived at Batu Puteh village and spent the first afternoon setting up the camp and settling into life on the edge of the Kinabatangan River. Despite a few hiccups with the radio communications, the team continue to work full throttle on the eco camp. They are shifting seemingly endless amounts of wood and mud bags, as well as clearing the views out on to the lake around the guest bedroom platforms, and completing the rails, bridge and the pathways around the site.

It seems however that some of the local animals aren’t appreciating their hard work – whilst the team were at the site, a daring raid on the alpha group camp was in full swing by the local monkey troop and they stole eggs and bananas as well as leaving a message for the group on their dining table in the form of a rather large turd! The group remains undeterred, however a guard against further raids has been initiated.

Phase 2 - News from the Groups

2007-11-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

After the first week in their new Alpha groups, everyone is settling into their projects and thoroughly enjoying themselves!

In the community - Alpha 1 have finally managed to get work started up at the water source, after a rather frustrating week of lots of rain! They are currently damming the water source, and moving lots of stones and netting. Alpha 2 are continuing their work on the reed beds and internal structure of the eco-camp, and are still spotting lots of wildlife and birds along the river on their boat journey to the work site every morning.

On the environmental Sites - Alpha 3 have reached the BBC camp up at Imbak and settled in nicely – rather worryingly though their first big group conversation was a 1 hour debate on what the hose in the toilet was used for – thanks for that Ishen, and I’m not sure we want to know what the outcome was! Jo expertly created a pumpkin from a petrol – newshound, artiste, is there no end to this girls talents! They are having a brilliant time, and working hard moving and stripping the tar off the steel cable for the bridge. Alpha 4 are continuing their trail maintenance this week, and making repairs to the boardwalk at Mengaris Camp. They have also been out and about and have tracked red leaf monkeys, gibbons and orang-utans – we did check and they were tracking Danum primates and not just following their PM’s! They are in full preparation for the arrival of the loop next week and have a big party organised – the loop are now very excited about travelling the width of Sabah to see them!

Out on the Adventure Phase - The news from Long Pa Sia and Alpha 5 is that they are sweating, walking, complaining about sweating and complaining about walking – trekkers!! There have been reports coming back to field base of a rather nasty smell coming from the jungle – but Alpha 5 have confirmed that it is nothing to worry about and it is just their socks! Alpha 6 are thoroughly enjoying life on the island despite all the rain they have had this week, and Veronica reports that they have fixed the communal basher and are now enjoying a good nights sleep. They have all passed their Open Water or Advanced dicing exams and despite being separated into the 2 groups managed to communicate with a special underwater hand signal that brings the group back together – aww, bless! They are enjoying their last couple of days on the island before moving onto trekking on Monday.

Changeover Madness

2007-11-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

The alpha groups had started their long journey back to Borneo Paradise for the first changeover early last Saturday - and to those who had been sleeping in the jungle for the last 3 week paradise it certainly was! As Alpha’s 1, 2 and 3 rolled up to the entrance in the early afternoon, some of the trekkers of Alpha’s 5 and 6 were still making their way down Mt Kinabalu, and Alpha 4 were just reaching the half way marker of their mammoth journey across Sabah.

All the groups were excited to be seeing some of their friends, as well as the bright lights of Kota Kinabalu for the first time in 3 weeks. Alpha 4 arrived mid afternoon and the adventure groups arrived just before dinner. The excitement mounted as the teams settled themselves and put together Raleigh style costumes for the Halloween themed fun and games fieldbase, under the expert party planning hand of Hen, had arranged for them the following day.

After a good nights sleep, and an excellent breakfast everyone got on their Halloween costumes and made their way to the meeting room to find out their new Alpha groups and for the fun and games to begin! The new teams congregated outside the meeting room, for a showdown that would determine the champion alpha group for phase 2! The games started with donut eating, then was followed by apple bobbing, chocolate eating, insect hunting and the Raleigh bush tucker trials!! I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

The tension mounts for the first game - the donut on a string game!

I think that counts as cheating Dom - or is it Rambo?!

Aah!! Jelly eaten with chopsticks - a classic! - not quite how you are supposed to do it Josh!!

Apple bobbing in blood (sort of!) - I think its Zoe - but there are a lot of blonde's on the expedition!

When we said chocolate eating we didn't mean the wrapper as well Jon!!

Goodies in flour - although there looks more on the official, Chloe?

You are actually suposed to pick the creepie crawleys out of the blue noodles Stu - not eat it!!

Are you enjoying the Quails Century Eggs and cuttlefish in the bush tucker trials Tom?

The Newshounds Re-deploy

2007-10-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Newshounds have had a brilliant first phase getting the gossip and supplying fieldbase with pleanty of material to keep us entertained, and have now moved on to their next projects!

Sadly Rebekah has handed in her newshound pad and pen - thanks for you work - and Ishen Amara has stepped into her shoes. Also joining the newshound team is new boy Joe Kingston-Lee.

Welcome guys!

Ishen Joe

Now for where everyone will be reporting from this phase:

In the communities - Alpha 1 have a very strong team up in Ambong this phase, as they have the crack team of Tiri, India, Hannah and Laurence. Alpha 2 have the pleasure of new boy Joe and looking after him and sharing her expertise is Francesca - take care of our new boy in Batu Puteh!

Out on the environmental groups - Alpha 3 have the fabulous Jo in Imbak and she will be steering our other new recruit Ishen in the right direction! Alpha 4 will be kept under the ever watchful eyes of Tom and Vaughn in deepest darkest Danum.

In the jungle on the adventure teams - Alpha 5 trekking first and reporting from deep in the heart of Long Pa Sia are the jungle experts Amanda and Stu. Alpha 6 who will be diving in the South China Sea for the next few days are Kirstie and Veronica, looking forward to the underwater reporting!

Have a great time guys - you are all STARS!!

The Phase 2 Project Groups Deploy

2007-10-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

At the wee small hours of the 29th October, the first of the Raleigh Alpha groups started their long journey from Kota Kinabalu to their new project sites.

First to leave at 6am were Alpha 4 who would be making the long cross country journey to Danum Valley. They were shortly followed by Alpha 2, who were en route to Batu Puteh, and Alpha 3, heading Imbak Canyon, who shared the bus - Alpha 2 dropped Alpha 3 off in Telupid for the final bit of their journey to Ranger Camp in the heart of Imbak.

Alpha's 1, 5 and 6 managed a bit of a lie in as their buses left at 8am for various corners of Sabah; Alpha 1 would be making the 2 hour journey up to Kg. Ambong, and Alpha 6 made the even shorter journey, of about half and hour, in to Kota Kinabalu to do their classroom part of their diving qualification - unluckily by time they had finished their theory and were making their way to Mamutik Island, it was raining: Sabah style! Alpha 5 started their bus journey down to Long Pa Sia where would spend their first night in the hospitality of the local community before starting their the trekking on Tuesday morning. So without much futher waffle from me. Introducing the phase 2 alpha groups:

Alpha 1 - up at Ambong with Nick and Zoe are: Rob Tomlinson, Tiri McCorriston, Chris Mowatt, Hannah Parker, El Laine Lim, Rob Aked, Charlene Robinson, India Sparshatt, Laurence Pidgeon, and William Muir.

Alpha 2 - across at Batu Puteh with Bev, Amy and (we finally let him out of the office!) Tom Stewart: Ryan Nutt, Lois Allen, Chloe Bird, Palmer de Peyster, Yousif Adnan, Francesca jackson, Ronnie, Suzanne Rooney, Joe Kingston-Lee and Carly Wallace.

Alpha 3 - in the depths of Imbak with Kerry, and fresh from trekking Matt and Aaron: Jo Loveridge, James Robinson, Pan Yen Jun, Ben Vicarey, Ishan Amara, Maddie Jacobs, Jade Yates, Josh Bailey and Rebekah Lindo.

Alpha 4 - over in Danum with Jon , and joined this phase by Hen Ellis and Sarah Chan (2 more fieldbase escapologists!!): Josh Pearson, Vaughn Edwards, Vincent, Rob Humphrey, Tom Rhodes, Katie Mack, Zoe Sweeney, Dom Desmond, Kellie-Marie May, and Gilles Louwerens.

Alpha 5 - down in Long Pa Sia with Ben, and joined by Debs McMahon and Ang Warburton - lucky guy!: Rob Sibley, Jess Haberley, Matt Morgan, Alison Gowland, Juliet Hermansky, Stu Tinner, Amanda Macadam, Zhi Yong and Paul Smith.

Alpha 6 - over on Mamutik Island with mountain leader Will , and joined Georgina and Kev - fresh from adventures in Danum: Tom Dixon, Max Bin Mitter, Nick Moffatt, John Shearman, Kirsti Harrison, Dave Bywaters, Kristyanne 'Friz' Rung, Veronica Waldthausen, Suzie Pike, Tom Jackson and Ibz McKenzie.

The Phase 1 Project Groups

2007-10-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

Alpha 1 - in Kg. Ambong with Nick and Zoe

Vaughn Edwards, Jade Yates, Vincent, Robert Sibley, Rob Humphrey, Alison Gowland, Juliet Hermansky, Paul Smith, Susanna Pike, Veronica Waldthausen, Patrick Uanraate

Alpha 2 - in Batu Puteh with Amy and Bev

Ishen Amara, Madeleine Jacobs, Joshua Pearson, Thomas Rhodes, Jessica Haberley, Kirstie Harrison, Tom Jackson, David Bywaters, Thomas Dixon, Bradley Prince

Alpha 3 - in Imbak with Will, Kerry and Debs

William Muir, Charlene Robinson, Robert Aked, Ee Laine, India Sparshatt, Palmer de Peyster, Chloe Bird, Matt Morgan, Stuart Tinner, Nick Moffatt, Ibrahim McKenzie

Alpha 4 - in Danum with Jon, Kev and George

Lois Allen, John Shearman, Hannah Parker, Yousif Adnan, Amanda Macadam, Zhi Yong, Laurence Pidgeon, Kristyanne Rung, Max Bin Mitter

Alpha 5 - trekking and diving with Ben and Matt

Tiri McCorriston, Robert Tomlinson, Chris Mowatt, Ryan Nutt, Joanne Loveridge, James Robinson, Josh Bailey, Pang Yen Jun, Zoe Sweeney, Katie Mack

Alpha 6 - diving and trekking with Aaron and Louise

Suzanne Rooney, Ronnie, Joseph Kingston-Lee, Carly Wallace, Rebekah Lindo, Ben Vicarey, Dom Desmond, Kellie-Marie May, Francesca Jackson, Gilles Louwerens

The Adventures of the 'Ladies of The Loop'

2007-10-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

The exhausted ‘Ladies of The Loop’ returned to fieldbase after a mammoth trek that saw them battle torrential rain, circumnavigate impassable rivers, negotiate landslides, and make emergency tyre changes. And we can now officially reveal it takes 3 women 30 minutes to change a tyre in the rain!

The incredible journey started on Monday when Laura, Claire and Emma dragged themselves out of bed at 06.00 (far too early in the morning!) to make their way - via Kundasang for a quick Hari Raya celebration with Raleigh friend Sammy - on to Alpha 3 down in Imbak Canyon.

After the yawns subsided the mood lifted, the ‘girlie songs’ blasted from the radio and the ‘Ladies of The Loop’ made their way up the beaten track into Imbak Canyon, where they were met by the Alpha 3 welcoming committee of PM Will, Ee Laine, Charlene, Gordon, Ibz and Caroline (who was leaving to spend time with Alpha 2).

Preparations began for the trek to BBC camp, where the rest of the team were organising a Black-Tie dinner for the loops arrival, when the heavens opened and didn’t stop for the rest of the evening! Excitement turned to disappointment as it was realized the loop would not be attending the dinner with the rest of Alpha 3, and only a flying visit would be possible in the morning. Never the less a fabulous dinner was prepared at Ranger Camp and gratefully received by the ravenous group.

After a quick exchange of stories and an unexpectedly long game of draughts the group stranded at Ranger Camp made their way wearily to bed. An early rise for Will, Claire, Caroline and Laura (and a lie in for the rest - gratefully taken!) and a whistle-stop trek in to BBC camp to collect Caroline’s stuff and back out to be on the way to Daunm.

Unfortunately due to the torrential rain, the Imbak River was now a ranging torrent - well a bit high for Bravo 2! The back road out of Imbak would have to be taken if the ‘Ladies of The Loop’ were to reach their next destination of Danum by the evening. The undeterred group (now 4 strong) made their detour through Tawau (south-east edge of Sabah) not stopping for anything - even lunch! - and made it before dark to Alpha 4 in Danum Valley.

Greeted by the ’Danum Sentry’ Yousif and the group dressed in jungle ties and tiara’s, the Loop was treated to a phenomenal meal of homemade fish cakes - whipped up from Raleigh rations - to be followed with a special cake to celebrate the completion of the Rhino Pools bridge and its opening the following day. The group and their guests rose early to watch the sunrise over the river - unfortunately due to cloud cover the spectacular sunrise was clouded and it just got light!

Despite the lack of sunrise, the excitement began to mount as the time to trek to the newly completed bridge for the loop to officially open it drew closer. The trek finally got underway - a little off schedule and running at ‘Sabah time’ - and Alpha 4 and the ‘Ladies of the Loop’ made their way to the bridge. The ceremonial ribbon was tied and Laura said a few words before declaring the bridge open and photos were taken.

The group celebrated with a quick dip in the waterfall at Rhino Pools before the ‘Ladies of The Loop’ had to race back to camp to make their way to their final destination. Despite been a little behind schedule, and having to pass lots of logging trucks on the way out of Danum Valley they made their way toward Batu Puteh in Bravo 2. Lunch was again crackers and cheese on the move, and time was looking good when disaster struck - the left rear tyre was as flat!

We gathered together the tools, made a few phone calls and set to fixing the tyre with cars hooting their horns at us (took us a while to realize they were seeing if the 4 white women needed any help!!). In half an hour we were back on our way to meet Alpha 2 at Batu Puteh.

Kirstie, Big Tom and Fairy Tom were on hand to finally greet us upon our arrival, and escorted us through some rather soggy terrain, to the campsite alongside the Kinabatangan River. We were welcomed into the group and were assisted in making our beds for the night - Laura, Claire and Caroline’s hammocks were strung under the main sleeping basher, and Emma’s between a couple of trees on the entrance to the long drop - not as gross as it sounds, it was well out of sniffing distance!! Some expert use of the parang was demonstrated by Josh in getting the wood for our hammocks and stakes for the tarpaulin - if you need a woodsman, Josh is your guy!

A spectacular dinner of vegetable curry and spicy rice was prepared for us, followed by fruit cake, fruit and condensed milk - we were treated like queens! It was another early rise for the ‘Ladies of The Loop’ - but for pleasure this time. Escorted by Bev and Ishen - and of course the local driving the boat - we were taken on a river cruise, where we saw macaques, proboscis monkeys, hornbills, herons and of course leeches in abundance! We were taken to the Eco Camp in the most beautiful location nestled on an oxbow lake, and shown the work the team would be continuing.

We returned to camp where a phenomenal breakfast of sausages, scrambled eggs and porridge was waiting for us. We said our goodbyes to the team and started the long journey back to fieldbase. We were making good time – enough to pop in to the Kundasang War Memorial, commemorating the Australian and British soldiers who were killed on the Sandakan—Ranau death march of World War II. We climbed back in Bravo 2 for what we thought would be a simple steady run through the Crocker Range. But if one thing this loop had taught us it was this - if you’re trying to travel in Sabah, no journey is simple!!

We encountered not one, but two landslides! After sitting in stationary traffic for an hour - and somehow managing to break the radio! - We brushed up on our Raleigh games, playing many rounds of ‘the alphabet game’, laced with a dash of ‘hangman’ and a splash of ‘I spy’. We were finally on our way, and for the fourth night running arrived at our destination just in the nick of time! Our adventures over we raced for the shower, then enjoyed a well earned pizza - courtesy of the fieldbase crew - a welcome return!

News From The Projects - 12th October 2007

2007-10-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

The Alpha 1 team arrived safely at Kg. Ambong on the west coast, where they have started to work out the logistics of installing the gravity water feed system, with the assistance of the local community and the Rotary Club of Luyang.

They are settling in to the community despite an incident with an escaping goat! “We were cutting down bamboo and you have to walk through an area with a bunch of goats, one of them escaped and ran to the tiny village store and started eating rice. Patrick chased him away and through the village, but the goat double backed to the store and knocked over all the pots and pans so Patrick chased him all around the village again. Finally one of the villagers called the goat by its name and it went running back into the pen effortlessly!” reports newshound Veronica.

The team are visiting the water source tomorrow, and will assess what is required to begin work next week. They are all having a fantastic time and are all looking forward to teaching in the local schools after the holiday weekend.

Alpha 2 arrived at the community of Batu Puteh, after a long journey across Sabah to the bridge over the Lower Kinabatangan River. They made their way down to the camp beside the river and set about digging the long drop and moving all their supplies in to camp. They established camp and discussed with the community up at the eco camp what they would be doing during the next seventeen days.

Alpha 3 made their way into the interior of Sabah to the town of Telupid where they switched transport and continued down to ‘Ranger Camp’ deep in Imbak Canyon by four wheel drive vehicles. They spent the first night here with the rangers and then moved to the BBC Camp where they are will be based for the rest of the phase.

They are hoping to start moving the materials to continue the work on the suspension bridge, over the next week. They are settling well into life at Imbak, and newshound India reports they have already got a camp mascot, a grasshopper who they have named ‘Bubble & Squeak’, seen snakes, and enjoyed a very tense 2 hour game of, Raleigh favourite, ‘Mafia’.

They are expecting work to be at ‘Sabah time’ pace over the weekend as it is a national holiday from Saturday until Wednesday, so I image lots of games will have been played by the next update.

An epic journey saw the mighty Alpha 4 travel the furthest to get to the site at Danum Valley, and with the early departure of 6am from Kota Kinabalu, upon arrival the shattered group set up camp. Luckily the only incident so far has been a leeching, which got Ben!- Don’t worry mate, the first one is the worst!
The team are set to continue trail clearing for the next few days, before making a start on some repairs to the Mengaris Camp where they are currently staying.

The trekkers of Alpha 5 had a relatively short journey by bus down to Sipitang where they were met by 4x4’s to continue the journey to the village of Long Pa Sia. They are currently trekking south towards the Sarawak border, and despite trekking up and down lots of hills, they continue to be in high spirits.

The group is enjoying the adventure of the jungle and slowly adapting to trekking life, newshound Joanne reports “Josh woke up thinking it was morning and started taking down his mozzie net then realized it was midnight, so went back to bed.” The only other nocturnal murmurings were from Project Manager Ben who “had a bit of a panic in the middle of the night when he thought someone was stood at the end of his hammock only to realize it was his own rucksack!”

The group will continue to trek in a southerly direction for the next week down towards Sarawak before returning to Kota Kinabalu to start their diving on Mamutik Island.

Alpha 6 had the shortest journey to get to the start of their first phase project – it took them approximately 10 minutes to arrive at the training room of Borneo Divers where they spent the day completing their diving theory lessons!

Newshound Francesca reports “we managed to get all the gear on a very tiny boat and it didn’t sink! It was like we had arrived on the set of ‘Battle of the (Red Ant) Island, but everyone is enjoying it. We are all loving diving off the Island, even Jess who was repeatedly harassed by a jellyfish whilst diving!” It’s nice to hear the groups are making new friends of all shapes and species!

The team will enjoy another 4 days diving out on the island before starting their trekking down in Long Pa Sia on the 16th October.

Opening Ceremony – Selamat malam dan selamat datang. . .

2007-10-10T02:13:00.000-07:00

At 7pm sharp the staff and participants nervously took their seats in waited in anticipation for the arrival of Mr Chin Yen Sang from the Ministry of Youth and Sport, who would be officially opening the expedition.

As Mr Sang took is seat an excited silence spread through the audience and a rather nervous looking MC, Comms Officer Emma, started proceedings with a Malay welcome and Rory (Country Director) took to the stage to deliver the first speech of the evening. Rory’s speech was quickly followed by Mr Sang’s, before a selection of staff and participants were invited to join the VIP’s for a specially prepared Malay meal.

Those invited to dine with the guests were host country participants Ee Laine and Ronnie, Aussie’s Ben and Kellie-Marie, UK participants Ishen, Rebekah, Tom (Dixon) and Juliet, and international participants Gilles and Veronica. They were whisked off to the VIP room and joined by Bridging The Gap staff member Nikki, and Project Managers Zoe (Alpha 1), Jon (Alpha 4) and Ben (Alpha 5), where they enjoyed local dishes of chicken, fish and rice, and a rather bright green desert that we believe was coconut based!

The rest of the participants and staff were invited to eat their meal in the main area of the complex, where roughly 70 people ate enough food to feed 150 – the prospect of crackers and cheese for the next 3 weeks clearly made a few people a little nervous!

Everyone was then invited back in to the ceremonial hall where they were dazzled with a display of traditional Malaysian dancing. First was the Sambut Tamu, which means welcoming the guest, and is performed by several ethnic groups who’s different colorful costumes symbolize the unity of the people of Sabah.

The next dance was the Tarian Limbai, the dance of the Bajau people of the Kota Belud (and Kg. Ambong) area. The dance is performed at weddings and other social gatherings by three to four couples and it characterized by the gently turning movements of the dancer’s hands. This was probably the most elegant dance of the evening and was accompanied by the locals playing the drums and the gongs.

The third dance of the evening was the Tarian Sumazau, a traditional dance of the kadazan people of the Penampang District. Performed at religious ceremonies and social events, the dance mimics an eagle in flight with piercing cries punctuating the dance and the dancers spreading out their arms like wings. Staff and participants were then invited to join the dancers and try the Tarian Sumazau – some were clearly natural dancers and everyone had fun!

The penultimate dance was the Tarian Daling-Daling, a jovial and popular dance amongst the Bajau and Suluk people from the Semporna District. Performed by pairs of men and women at weddings and social gatherings, it is accompanied by a cheerful poem about love, life and happiness.

The final dance of the evening was by far the most spectacular. Tarian Magunatip, also known as the ‘bamboo dance’, is performed by many of the indigenous people of the interior of Sabah including the Kiningau and Murut groups. The dance involves many pairs of long bamboo poles being clapped and banged rhythmically on the ground while the dancers attempt to leap in and out of the space between without catching their feet.

The dancers made it look effortless, but a lot of concentration is required as participants and staff discovered when the dance was opened up to volunteers to have a go. Although slightly tricky, all those that had a go thoroughly enjoyed themselves and thankfully no injuries were sustained.

As the festivities drew to a close an excited buzz surrounded the staff and participants as they made their way to their beds; how much sleep was actually had that night will remain a mystery . . .

Introducing the Expedition 'Newshounds'

2007-10-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Each alpha group has its 'newshounds' and their job is a tough one this expedition as not only are the projects seeing them travel deeper into the jungle than before, they are also visiting new Kampong's and being part of opening ceremonies.

They eagerly volunteered during training to collect all the news and gossip from the project sites during the phase for the blog, their changeover edition of the Sabah Sun, and requests and shout outs for the weekly fieldbase broadcast of Radio Raleigh. So without any further ado, I shall introduce the superstar newshounds;

For Alpha One up in Kampong Ambong we have Veronica Waldthausen, all the way from the United States of America, and Vaughn Edwards joining us from Rockingham, Australia.

Alpha Two over in Batu Puteh, will be under the watchful eyes of another Rockingham native Kirsti Harrison, and Brit boy Tom Rhodes.

Deep in the heart of Imbak Canyon and reporting for Alpha Three we have the first of 2 all British newshound team of Stu Tinner and India Sparshatt.

The very privileged Alpha Four newshounds down in the place close to everyone's hearts, Danum Valley, is the crack team of Auzzie Amanda Macadam surrounded by Pommes Hannah Parker and Laurence (aka Alex or Lolly - crikey a man of many alias') Pidgeon.

The first of the adventure teams and trekking in Long Pa Sia first we have Rockingham's very own Tiri McCorriston and the lovely lass from the UK Joanne Loveridge, reporting for Alpha Five.

Last, and by no means least, we have the Alpha Six newshounds, and other all British team of brit girls Rebekah Lindo and Francesca Jackson.

Finally a big shout out to all of you who have volunteered to be my newshounds - YOU'RE ACE!

Jungle Book - Chapter Three

2007-10-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

The groups had reasonably uneventful nights sleeping in the first hammock they had put up – only two instances of hammock failure saw Gilles (one of the 3 Dutch guys) and Kellie (one of our Aussies) having to make minor repairs to ensure a good nights sleep!

Most of the participants were eagerly up at first light – some were a little more reluctant – and they were ready to break camp, tidy up and trek back to TAC with the promise of a well earned breakfast of porridge upon their return.

Once everyone had returned, thankfully in one piece, fieldbase staff, project managers and participants piled on to coaches to make their short journey back to Kota Kinabalu for a final night in “civilisation” at Likas hostel, and the grandeur and excitement of the official opening ceremony of the Autumn expedition . . . .

Insider information courtesy of Hen Ellis - excellent undercover reporting!

Jungle Book - Chapter Two

2007-10-09T05:41:00.000-07:00

Early in the morning, equipped with leech socks, DEET, parangs, packs as large as small houses and some tinned curry; the excited and slightly nervous alpha groups set off into the jungle.

Having negotiated the “Indiana Jones” style suspension bridge, woven their way through bamboo groves and rubber trees, survived the “ginseng taste test” and sweated up and down several hills they made it to jungle camp in time for lunch.

The afternoon was spent constructing their own “luxury 5 star” accommodation for the night; hoisting personal tarpaulins and slinging up hammocks and mozzie nets. Their new found skills were certainly put to the test later in the afternoon when torrential rain fell over jungle camp! The project managers also introduced the participants to the joys of the “long drop” (hole-in-the-ground loo facilities), wet and dry slops, and other basic camp essentials. Once the rain had stopped the Alpha groups hard work was rewarded with a dip in the beautiful, and fabulously refreshing river that flowed alongside camp.

As dusk fell, the groups had their first go at cooking the fabled “Raleigh Ration supper” on trangias with, let’s face it, rather varying degrees of success; “I for one was certainly grateful for the emergency chocolate in my rucksack” reported medic Hen, who was served a less than gourmet meal!

Afterwards, in the torchlight staff and participants were given a taster of jungle folklore and traditions; they learnt about the ‘jungle spirits’ and legend that says they cannot use Malaysian names at night, they must only call the rangers and Malay participants ‘friend’ or bad luck will befall them.

They where then treated to an amazing tribal song and dance, complete with jungle-made instruments and costumes, led by the rangers and followed (in a somewhat less elegant manner) by some eager participant and staff volunteers.

Jungle Book - Chapter One

2007-10-09T02:57:00.000-07:00

Bleary-eyed and confused as they staggered off their long-haul flights, the new group of UK, Dutch and American participants were met at the airport by the Raleigh staff team and whisked off to TAC (Traverse Activity Centre) where they would meet their fellow Australian and Malaysian participants for their “jungle training”.

As the Aussies and Malay’s met their fellow European and American participants for the first time, initial nerves were soon dispelled as the atmosphere turned into excitement and laughter – predominantly at the Project Managers who were organising the games!

The participants were placed in their Alpha groups and for next 2 days were taught a wide variety of new skills – as well as the small task of overcoming jet-lag and acclimatising to the stifling heat! Their training included sessions on camp craft, radio protocols, navigation, first aid, river crossing, cultural awareness and Malay lessons – in the words of Aussie Kirsti “crikey mate!”

The suspense of not knowing which project sites they would be deploying to was finally broken by the groups Project Managers who performed a range of skits that included them dressing as leeches (in the photo below), singing songs and throwing a lot of water over each other!

The excitement that followed was finally subdued as the realisation that their biggest challenge of trekking into the jungle and putting to work the skills they had learnt was yet to come…

Antipodean Invasion!

2007-10-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

Early on the afternoon of the 1st October 2007 twelve young people from Rockingham, West Australia, were met at Kota Kinabalu International Airport by Raleigh staff Tom, Tom (just to confuse them!) Rory, and their Bridging The Gap youth worker Nicci.

They clamed their baggage, some had a quick cigarette, and boarded the bus to take them to Likas Hostel where they spent their first night settling into the sticky heat of Kota Kinabalu.

Everybody was excited to be arriving in Kota Kinabalu, as well as a little tired from the journey, as they have a very unique bond with the capital of Sabah - their hometown of Rockingham is twinned with Kota Kinabalu.

After a night of ‘luxury’ they were whisked off to start their Malaysian adventure at ‘Jungle Camp’ - the scene of the staff’s intensive training just a week earlier - where they were met by four of the host country participants.

They spent the evening talking and playing games, and enjoying the relative quiet before the arrival of the Brits with the added spice of a few Europeans and Americans the following day.

Project Managers Visit A Success!

2007-10-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

Alpha One - Kg Ambong

Alpha One Project Managers Nick Bedford, Zoe Young and Claire Stuffins were escorted by Priscilla Oon of The Rotary Club of Luyang to visit the community at Kg Ambong where they finalised the plans for the projects in the village.

As well as assisting the community with the construction of the gravity water feed system, Alpha One will be assisting in the construction of bathing / washing tanks for the community as well as helping teach English at the local school and running conversational English lessons for any adults wishing to join in.

The staff and participants will stay in the heart of the village in the community hall which is currently in a very dilapidated state. A secondary aim of the project team is to work with the village members to improve the hall for community use. It is a truly exciting project with the potential to make a real and lasting difference to the community of Kampong Ambong.

Alpha Two – Batu Puteh

The Project Managers of Alpha Two, Bev Salmon, Amy Gaulton and Nicci Squires made the long bus journey to the banks of the Lower Kinabatangan River to visit the community of Batu Puteh.

They were met by Martin and Rosli of MESCOT, who they will be working alongside, as well as members of the community. They were shown around the Eco Lodge and discussed the tasks they would be involved in to complete it, which will include boardwalk construction, jetty completion and water tank strucutres.

They were also shown the lake and surrounding area where they will have the opportunity to assist with the clean up of Salvinia (an invasive weed) on the oxbow lake and reforestation in the surrounding area.

Alpha Three – Imbak Canyon

Kerry Stokes, Debs McMahon and Will Robinson, the very lucky Project Managers of Alpha Three began their mammoth trek in to Imbak Canyon with the resident rangers to assist in the continued construction of suspension bridge over the Kangkawat River - no small task I assure you!!

The group will stay at the Expedition Camp (where the BBC stayed to make the ‘Expedition Borneo’ television programme) and will use it as a base to move between the bridge construction site and out into the jungle of Imbak Canyon to do necessary trail maintainance.

The team will gain a greater understanding of the area and the importance of preserving it as a gene bank, an ideal site for essential research, and its integral role as part of the vital wildlife corridor connecting other conservation areas for mammals like Asian Elephant, Sumatran Rhino and Orang-utan.

Alpha Four – Danum Valley

Jon Watts, Georgina Moore and Kev Gambon travelled the furthest of all the Project Managers to visit the Alpha Four project site inside Danum Valley. There they met with the Danum Valley Field Centre manager Jimmy Omar, project liaison Khai Jail and head ranger Tity.

Based at Mengaris Camp, where they will complete some maintenance, the Alpha Four participants will survey an area deep in the jungle where they will start construction of a new camp for researchers to establish new plots, as well as clearing existing trails around the Danum Valley Field Centre and aiding research work that is ongoing at the centre.

The Danum Valley conservation area is a class A protection forest reserve and attracts high levels of interest from the international scientific community, including members of the Royal Society, and anyone with an undiscovered interest in forest research and conservation will have a magical experience whilst on project - and most people do fall in love with Danum.

Alpha 5 & 6 – Mamutik Island, Long Pa Sia & Mt. Kinabalu

Matt Mudford, Ben Price, Aaron Garside and Louise Baxendale of Alpha Five and Alpha Six combined forces to visit Mamutik Island where they established the area the participants would be living in whilst completing their PADI diving course. They also traveled down to Long Pa Sia where they discussed potential trekking routes with local guide Hanry & Noor. The teams will trek usupported through the virgin jungle of Long Pa Sia for approximately 10 days; they will explore new trails, be immersed in the rich traditions of jungle folk-lore and see many of the native jungle animals, including Mouse Deer and Wild Boar.

The Alpha Five team will trek in Long Pa Sia and then dive on Mamutik Island before meeting up with Alpha Six to climb Mt. Kinabalu, and the Alpha Six team will dive and then trek before the climax of climbing Mt. Kinabalu. For most of the teams it will be the most physically demanding part of the expedition, but rest assured it will also prove to be one of the most exhilarating.

Staff Jungle Camp - Part 2!

2007-09-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Day Two - Saturday 22nd September

As the slightly tired staff prepared their instant porridge for breakfast, packed the remainder of their group kit into everybody's backpacks, and split into 2 groups for the trek up to the camp, the realisation that they would be spending their first night in the jungle in hammocks they would be putting up themselves, the excitement grew.

Armed with a guide, plenty of water and high spirits the first group, consisting of Delta 1 and Delta 2 made their way at a steady pace into the jungle, to be followed an hour later by the remaining group of Delta 3 and Delta 4. The teams trekked for 2 hours to the camp site, over some pretty tough terrain - made all the more challenging thanks to the rain the night before. Spirits remained high despite many of the team slipping and sliding and getting covered in mud, and songs filled the jungle!

Some impromptu lessons were demonstrated on the trek in; courtesy of Delta 2's Medic George - showing us all how to fall safely and successfully cover yourself in as much mud as possible! - and Delta 1's Medic Hen - showing us all how to slide down a hill in a skiing move, whilst successfully remaining on your feet, and most importantly the 'hug-a-tree' method of stopping! Honestly its always the medic's!

A quick lunch, of whatever Raleigh rations they had left from the day before, and then to the real test - putting up their tarpaulins and hammocks for the first time on their own! Most people had remembered what knots to use and the best way to put your tarpaulin up, however the real test would be making it through the night remaining dry, comfortable and in the hammock! The teams were also shown the delights of digging the long drop (toilet!), how to avoid falling in the long drop (crucial lesson!), preparing the living area, and making wet and dry slops for food waste.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing, either proudly lazing in their hammock's or enjoying a very refreshing dip in the river. Dinner was prepared by each Delta group on trangia's - a skill and another first! - and the evening was spent discussing the arrival of the participants, how to manage the groups on project and playing a few games - just for a bit of fun!

People began to wearily make their way up to the sleeping area and the night passed with only one incident of hammock failure from Delta 1's Matt (believe it or not yes another medic!) learning the difficult way that the width of the tree is crucial in avoiding complete knot failure! Double knots all round after that!

Day Three - Sunday 23rd September

The trek out started early with Delta 1 and Delta 2 starting a little after 7am, followed shortly by Delta 3 and Delta 4. Their had been no rain the night before so the trek out was a lot easier - with no incidents of mud sliding or falling, although there were some wet feet as the teams crossed streams and small rivers to get out of the jungle.

The extremely weary staff gathered their tired, and pretty dirty bodies, and clambered on the bus back to the very welcome sight of fieldbase, and the promise of a well deserved rest and comfy beds!

Staff Jungle Camp - Part 1!

2007-09-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

Traverse Activity Centre, Kiulu River (aka Jungle Camp)

Day One - Friday 21st September

At 0700 hours (aka to flippin' early!) all the autumn expedition staff left fieldbase to face their first challenge of the expedition - surviving 2 days in the jungle on Raleigh rations! No mean feat I assure you! Armed with Ping Pong crackers, plastic cheese and greasy dregs, they bravely boarded the bus for the hour long journey to Jungle Camp.

The bus made it's way up the winding roads and down into the valley to arrive at beautiful surroundings of the Kiulu River, to reveal the setting for the staff's intensive jungle training. Here the staff would be taught the basics of living in the jungle (including a demonstration of the use of wet slops and long drops), navigation, first aid, and radio operation.

First up was radio training where the teams were taught how to care for and operate the HF radio's, how to speak on the radio, setting up the radio and the dipoles correctly (which included how to get the correct bearings to get the best possible signal to fieldbase) and how to deliver SITREP's and Radio Checks; the daily reports back to fieldbase the groups will make whilst out on the project sites.

The next element of the training saw the staff learning about navigation from expert trekker Will. They were taught about how to read bearings on a map, and how to use compasses correctly, as well as being shown how to use a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) and a GPS (Global Positioning System) - a very snazzy piece of equipment that appeared to do everything but cook your dinner for you!

The staff then had a break for lunch and the opportunity to trawl through their weekends issue of Raleigh rations for a suitable lunch, which in the end turned out for most to be crackers, cheese and tuna - THE lunchtime Raleigh staple!!

After lunch the staff learnt perhaps the most important lesson for the jungle in their Camp Craft session - how to put up your hammock so it doesn't fall down or get wet if it rains! They were taught by guides Jimmy and Floyd - who under the folklore of the jungle at night we were only allowed to call them 'friend'.

Once the team had learnt about basic tool safety, they headed for the first of their many first aid training sessions; where they learnt about basic life support, treating burns and fractures, shock and tropical diseases and general health and hygiene in the jungle - not too much to remember then!

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing their hammocks before it got dark at 6, preparing the evening meal of - you guessed it Raleigh rations! - and preparing their kit and bags for the trek into the jungle to put the skills learnt to the test! A reasonable nights sleep was had by most - apart from those who got wet either from running to the toilet in the torrential downpour - that started about 10 and lasted most of the night! - or those that got wet in bed as the rain drove in!

Introducing the Adventure Projects

2007-09-19T17:58:00.001-07:00

Trekking, Diving & Mt. Kinabalu

The trekking element of this project will see teams trekking in the south western corner of Sabah on the Kalimantan and Sarawak border starting from the small village of Long Pasia. The trek will be 10 – 11 days in duration and will involve teams carrying all their own supplies and equipment for the duration. Long Pasia is a very remote area and is steeped in tradition and folk lore. The surrounding jungle has been under threat for many years from logging and the community has suffered from a gradual decline in numbers as young people move away from the area. In order to halt this decline and re-establish the community as well as help protect the surrounding environment, WWF worked closely with the community to develop an eco tourism plan.

This has been going for several years but is starting to decline as new areas are opened up in Sabah. The area is one of the richest plant diversity sites in Borneo in particular for orchids, rhododendrons and pitcher plants. In addition the people of the area have an interesting history as fierce head hunters. There are many ancient legends passed down through the generations which make this a fascinating place to spend some time as well as being thick and untouched jungle.

The trekking will be across arduous and physically challenging terrain, which will often mean they are extremely remote and will need them to be fully self sufficient. Teams will camp wild near the trail, ensuring they have a minimal impact on the local surroundings which will include leaving nothing behind. Where necessary teams will assist local guides to upgrade the trail through the dense vegetation since the jungle very quickly grows back across trails. Teams will obviously have the opportunity to learn about the pristine rainforest environment as they progress.

All adventure groups will be involved in a SCUBA diving conservation program in Tungku Abdul Rahman Marine Park in partnership with Borneo Divers and Sabah Parks. The team will spend 3 to 4 days doing their PADI Open Water diving qualification followed by 1 to 2 days of an underwater clean up, where they will collect litter and other waste from selected areas of the marine park. During this time they will live on their very own paradise island from where the diving is carried out.

The adventure phase will finish with an opportunity to climb Mt. Kinabalu to watch the sunrise from the top of the highest peak in Southeast Asia. This exhilarating climb passes through five different temperate zones from a dense rainforest to a barren alpine landscape. The mountain is 4096m high and is certainly no walk in the park. It takes approximately 24 hours to climb to the summit and back down with a few hours of sleep in the middle. However exhausting it may feel at the time, the views of the sun rising on a clear day are amazing and well worth all the sweat and tears to get there.

Introducing the Environmental Projects

2007-09-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Danum Valley – Bridge and Camp Construction

Danum Valley is a highly protected world-renowned conservation and research area famous for its rich biodiversity and abundant wildlife. The 438 sq. km. Danum Valley Conservation Area provides facilities for research, education and wilderness recreation in one of the Sabah's last strongholds of undisturbed lowland rainforest.

Sited beside the Segama River, the Research Centre is located 81 km west of Lahad Datu and more than 20 km from any other habitation - a truly remote setting. Research efforts have revealed a tremendous variety of plants and the full range of Sabah's lowland fauna, including such rare and endangered species as the Sumatran rhino, banteng (tembadau), elephant, clouded leopard, orangutan and proboscis monkey. Birdlife is equally varied with some 275 species recorded to date in the area.

The project group will help complete the construction of a hanging suspension bridge started by a Raleigh team in late 2005. The purpose of the bridge is to increase access into the conservation area for scientists in order that they can carry out further research. The site is approximately 1 hours trek from the Danum Valley Field Centre and the group will live in a minimal impact jungle camp close to the work site. The other main project there is to build a satellite camp site near the bridge in order to allow scientists to base themselves there whilst conducting research.

This will mean that they will be able explore deeper and longer into the area. This will also involve developing further the trail network on both sides of the bridge. Additionally, the project team will assist international scientists with various conservation projects and receive rainforest education in this amazing jungle setting.

Imbak Canyon – Trail & Infrastructure Development

Imbak Canyon is the last remaining untouched and relatively unexplored area of Sabah. Less than 200 people have ever entered this virgin primary jungle area while the last research team discovered a new tree species. The region is home to wildlife including elephants, orangutans and 100’s of rare bird species. Yayasan Sabah (the concessionary) now wants to reserve this area as a natural gene bank to help protect future biodiversity of the whole region and has asked Raleigh International to play a major role in the development of this area.

In early 2004, a Raleigh International project team worked closely with the staff of Yayasan Sabah to plan the location and type of necessary infrastructure needed to protect and allow access to the pristine protected area of Imbak Canyon. The first stage included mapping the area to determine points of interest, possible trail networks, sources of water and best locations for a field centre.

The second expedition to Imbak in late 2004 started putting in place basic infrastructure including a Ranger’s camp, visitors’ accommodation and basic trails. This is the first permanent structure built as part of the master development plan for this conservation area. The infrastructure has been gradually expanded by a number of Raleigh teams during the two expeditions in 2005. In addition a new trail as been recce’d along the ridges and into the centre of the canyon by groups during expedition 05G in late 2005.

The next phase of this exciting project is to further expand the infrastructure including finishing the field centre complex, developing the newly recce’d trails into the canyon for researchers and upgrading existing tracks to a waterfall and jungle camp. In addition one of the key priorities identified was the need for a bridge crossing the Imbak River to the entrance of the conservation area.

In the dry season this river can easily be crossed by foot. However, during the rainy season the river often becomes swollen cutting off access to the conservation area. This would be approximately a 200ft span hanging suspension bridge to be constructed from scratch. This bridge will enable scientists to access the canyon for research purposes as well as enabling a gravity feed water system to be fed across the river into the field centre.

Introducing the Community Projects

2007-09-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Kg Ambong, Kota Belud - Gravity Water Feed System

Kampung (village) Ambong is situated approximately 90 minutes north of Kota Kinabalu, just short of the small provincial town of Kota Belud. It sits on the untouched coastline to the south west of Kota Belud and is a Muslim village made up predominantly of the Bajua ethnic group.

The Bajua are a very proud group whose history stems from the Philippines, have their own dialect, dances and are renowned for being excellent horsemen and seaman.

The community’s main sources of income are from growing rice in the small padi fields in the surrounding valleys and from fishing and fish farming. The population of the community itself is in the region of 1000 people, squeezed into a compact village with surrounding houses spread along the coastline. Currently water is collected by households from rain and stored in tanks. In addition there is a small well on the edge of the village where people collect water for washing – this water is cloudy and ideally not suitable for drinking.

Approximately 3 km away there is an existing water source (pictured right) which feeds a small gravity water system to an outlying household some 2 km from the village itself. It is intended to improve the dam at this source, put in several storage tanks there and run pipe into the village. This will require close survey of the surrounding area, avoiding padi fields but ensuring sufficient drop on the pipe to maintain a workable pressure.

The pipes will be laid around the village to pre-selected sites where further storage tanks will be placed for villagers to access the water in times of need. In addition it is proposed to build several bathing/washing tanks for the community to use, rather than the small swamp which is used currently.

The funds for the project are being provided by the Rotary Club, in particular the Luyang Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu who have a connection to the community. They are providing RM 35,000 for the project.

Batu Puteh, Lower Kinabatangan – Eco Lodge

For a millennia the indigenous ”Sungai” (River) people of the Lower Kinabatangan River have been living off the rainforest for food, medicine, household commodities and products of trade. This world changed dramatically from the 1960's onwards, with the advent of mechanised extraction of the forest’s timber resources.

The ensuing rapid reduction of traditional forest resources forced many local people into a spiraling trap of dependence on timber as the only remaining viable source of trade.

With the final conversion of large tracts of lowland forests of the Lower Kinabatangan throughout the 1980s into permanent agricultural crops, many local people were then forced to poach timber and other forest products to eek out an existence.

The MESCOT (Model of Ecologically Sustainable Community Tourism) Initiative was started in 1996 by a group of about 30 visionary and dedicated individuals from the different villages of Batu Puteh to create an alternative medium of income generation for the people of the area, while in the process protecting the last remaining vestige of rainforest and traditional indigenous cultural heritage.

Raleigh International have been working with the community since 2002 in developing this interesting and cutting edge project. The key objectives of the MESCOT Initiative are to develop an alternative path of co-existence with the remaining rainforest resources and generate a sustainable long-term economic path for income generation; the core activity chosen by the MESCOT group was eco-tourism.

It was hoped that this activity would be the key to raising income in this poor and remote rural community, increase the economic value of a depleted forest resource, and, in the process, raise funds to support the protection and restoration of the last remaining wetland forests and wildlife of the area. MESCOT’s scope was broadened in 1998 when drought induced forest fires ravaged parts of the remaining natural forests surrounding the village.

The MESCOT group voluntarily engaged to fight these fires and in the aftermath decided it critical to rehabilitate the degraded wetland forests and critical wildlife habitats and corridors. At the time, these steps were ground-breaking, as previously little was known about the complex floodplain forest tapestry and the different rainforest types of the area.

The mainstay of the eco tourism project is a lodge, now semi finished, which sits on the edge of a large oxbow lake formed by the former course of the river.

The Tungog Lake is of special significance in the Lower Kinabatangan because it is only one of three deep clear-water oxbow lakes within the floodplain, being totally disconnected from the main Kinabatangan River Channel, and is a natural sanctuary for more than 150 native freshwater fish species, and a host of other rare aquatic dependant birds and wildlife.

Major floods in early 2000 had a major impact on the lake, introducing an exotic weed to the Kinabatangan called Salvinia molesta.

Within two years this exotic noxious floating fern had totally engulfed the surface of the Tungog Lake, which stretches for some 1.5km in length. The devastation immediately noted was the disappearance of the rare diving water-bird the Oriental Darter and the three native Otter species. From all accounts, research and literature, the Tungog Lake was doomed to suffocate under the ferocity of the Salvinia blanketing, decaying and filling up the lake, starving the clear waters of oxygen.

This is a very ambitious and exciting project which has taken many years meticulous planning and it is only now that the community are starting to realise their dream. The group will live in an environmentally sound jungle camp on the edge of this small community, just 10 minutes up river from the main lodge/lake site.

The team will assist local tradesmen with finishing off the lodge, develop trails and bird hides as well as help the local community in its continual battle to rid the lake of Salvinia. In addition there is the opportunity for wildlife cruises along the rich banks of the mighty Kinabatangan river, where monkeys, crocodiles and an assortment of birdlife can be seen at close quarters. This is an exciting project, combining a unique environmental project with interaction from the community.

Project Sites Revealed!

2007-09-19T03:13:00.000-07:00

The Autumn 2007 Expedition sites were revealed today to an exited - and some rather jet-lagged - Raleigh staff team just moments ago in the slightly air-conditioned Sabah Suite of Fieldbase, Kota Kinabalu! Mr Rory Hall introduced them to the history and culture of the people of Sabah before announcing the projects to the team as the excitement reached fever pitch!

The least surprising reveal of the evening was the adventure projects of diving from Mamutik Island, trekking from Long Pa'sia, and finally the ascent of Mt. Kinabalu, but the enthusiasm reached dizzy heights as the view from the summit was revealed in an awe inspiring shot.

As the presentation gained momentum the reveal of the two community sites as Kampong Ambong and Batu Puteh sparked cries of "awww!" and "bless", as pictures of the local communities - and especially their children! - flickered across the screen. Wise words from Rory reminded everyone that "you can't take the children home!".

Last, and by no means least to be revealed, were the environmental sites of Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon, the two most remote static sites in Raleigh's Malaysian portfolio. These were met with open mouthed faces in awe of the breath taking scenery, until the first picture of leeches and a rather large spider turned the mood slightly - only one squeal was heard and that was quickly muffled by sighs of "wow" as pictures of the mist covered jungle filled the screen.

As the presentation drew to a close, a few people dashed off to the tandas while the rest reluctantly left to whisperings of "where do you want to go" and "I can't pick, they all look amazing!"; its safe to say everyone left excited!

A detailed description of the project sites and pictures will follow after a small interlude . . . . . . .

Welcome to Fieldbase!

2007-09-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is the famous Fieldbase and the base of operations here in Malaysia - here the advance staff will work their socks off to ensure the expedition runs smoothly and the participants have all the crackers they need!

The advanced staff have now arrived here in Malaysia and let's introduce the new guys to you: in the Admin corner looking after all your stationary needs is the very Scottish Tom; over in the Logs corner we have the invincible team of Miranda, Claire, Angela and Kev (lucky guy!); making sure we don't spend all our money at once our Accountant Sarah; and finally making sure we all stay healthy (!) our Fieldbase Medic Matt.

Well that's the new gang introduced - now for the old guard here at Fieldbase, who didn't want to go home at the end of the Summer Expedition so have signed on again (complete nutters!): the awfully talented (and writing the blog so she can say that!!) Communications Officer Em; and the man in charge of us the one, the only, Deputy Expedition Leader Tom.

Which only leaves 2 to introduce to you (and they think they are the bosses - but we know better!): our Expedition Leader, the lovely Laura; and the big cheese over here in Sabah, Mr Rory Hall.