Volunteer Diary - MY2
Added to website: 31 March 2005
After we had completed science week, we went on our first camp. We went on an overnight trek to Deng Dong Hill. It was a good introduction into camping life in Malaysia. We had to trek over the hill, which was covered in forest; it was pouring down with rain and the hill became very muddy so I soon learnt how to slide effectively down a hill on my bum. Then we reached a beautiful tropical beach, but it didn’t quite have the same effect in the rain. I thought the trek was over and I could relax and change out of my muddy clothes, but we were faced with one or more obstacle, a river that we had to get over. We all walked through with our bags over our heads and water under our armpits. Then put up tents in the rain on the other side, which was the icing on the cake for my first trek. It was hard work surveying, and I did sweat a lot, which was a good thing as it meant I got used to the foul stench of Coral Cay camping life.
I thought I was used to camping life until I reached my second full week camp where, after a very hard morning survey, we took a lunch break and the girls queued up to get their eyebrows plucked by the Science Officer; even the expedition leader was in the queue to get the done. This was not what I was expecting on the edge of a Malaysian rainforest, but it was a nice break from surveying.
ADAM CLARK
