Farewell Sungai Gabai: Legacy of Training Camp
Stretching from Friday to Tuesday, the 5-day long Training Camp at Sungai Gabai has finally ended!!! For the full story, please buy the "Sungai Gabai Unleashed" book by the TPLs...now retailing at RM20 only.FRIDAY- IT BEGINS
As I think back of the camp, my memory of Friday was happy in the evening; tired by nightfall and already homesick by midnight.
I stepped out of the bus, thinking about the gadget plan. By the time we had hiked all the way to the top of the waterfall, I could only concentrate on the slippery stones and narrow paths. ATL Lik Sheng finally stopped at a tiny space deep in the jungle. It was bats' campsite. We TPLs quickly claimed our weapons and got ready to chop wood. I took a shiny golok, with the writing elee clearly emboldened on the side.
By nightfall, we brought back 4 woods; already exhausted by the hour-long chopping. The Form Ones had set up the dome tents for us and the Form 6z. There was only enough space left for something slightly bigger than a ground tent. We panicked. The wood was not enough, our remaining campsite was tiny and the other Form 2s had not returned from chopping bamboo. Plus the TPLs were about to be fell in at the seniors campsite; meaning we had to stumble back down for another half an hour. The whistle was blowed and we rushed down. I slid down two boulders; slamming into a shrub. As I reached out for support, Kumer appeared from the left, splashing water in my eyes. By the time I stood up, the other TPLs were way in front. So much for unity.
As it turned out, we had to wait ages for the ATLs anyway. We were then told to resume chopping wood and then start digging the holes. Yawning by now, I made my way through the path once again, searching for suitable wood. Cries of "TIMBER!!!" and sounds of wood being chopped echoed through the densely-packed trees. Finally, I came across a perfect tree. Gripping my golok in one hand, I swung at the tree over and over again. As any experienced VSG will tell you, the axe is MUCH better than the golok when it comes to chopping wood. Mainly because its not good for anything else. By the time I had cut halfway through the tree, my wrist snapped backwards; finally succumbing to the jarring. Clenching my teeth, I dealt a few more blows; finally leaning on the tree until I got a "timber".
Night at the campsite. I instructed a fire to be lit while Pooven and Andrew discussed the raised bed plan. By 10, everyone had eaten except the three TPLs. We were still talking about the raised bed plan. Hole-digging resumed. By the time Mun Keat and Timothy had fell asleep, it was 11. All the holes were dug and most boyscouts were yawning drowsily. We let them sleep and built a fire. After eating(a puny maggi hot cup for me), we spread out a flysheet and fell asleep.
HEY SATURDAY
I jolted awake at 4 in the morning. The other Form Twos woke up at 5. By that time, I had washed my elee golok and cleaned the bamboos. We woke up our boyscouts at 6. After a quick dip in the river, the ATLs fell us in for the morning exercise. The morning inspection followed.
12 o'clock. The marketing boys had just left and we were busy working our asses off. Some were making pegs, others were collecting stones and the TPLs were measuring the woods.
2o'clock. The marketing boys had returned with less than half of the ingredients needed for the lunch cooking com, resulting in a disappointing loss.
After the 3-point defeat, our spirit was low; also because of the fatigue and sleepiness. The TPLs set off to chop wood again. I cleaned and sharpened my golok at every opportunity. Every boyscout worked, but their hearts weren't in it. We TPLs ourselves were making plans on leaving. The evening inspection arrived and we trailed further downwards by another 10 points.
The water games started. Cenereus won the river rafting competition. Halfway through the water gun competition, a water snake appeared. Most people were too tired to be scared. The water games were stopped and we were rushed up to our campsites.
10 at night. Though my eyelids weighed tons, I continued packing in the staffs. The jungle was awake with creepy noises and all the Form Ones were "laluk"ing to the extreme. I decided to turn my sleepiness into strength by doubling my energy. Everyone had fallen asleep, leaving me packing furiously alone.
12 at night. I had already burned out and was fast asleep.
SUNDAY
haih............
3 in the morning. I woke everyone up and started measuring the support staffs. Andrew went off to chop wood while Pooven instructed the cleaning up. We managed to lash on the support staffs, bring back enough wood and bamboo, clean up the campsite and take a bath all before the next inspection. We beat them by a satisfying 3 points. Though we still lagged behind by 10 points, I could feel my body being renewed with energy. Everyone ordered burgers and the new marketing boys brought back two bagfulls of stuffs.
2 in the afternoon. We started the backwoodsman cooking com. The main dish was shanghai rice(tomato rice steamed in bamboo). Other dishes included "alien eggfest"(three differently-cooked eggs), fresh cordial( sunquick with water and sugar) and the group special, Barbarian Outkast(like roti lilit but the bread is only in the middle). Suprisingly, we lost. By then, the TPLs' spirit was mashed, grounded and shredded into tiny pieces. Our only hope was to beat them by 20 points in the next inspection and our boyscouts were muttering things like, "It's impossible" and "Let's go back, we've lost".
4 in the afternoon. Everything for the raised bed was finished, other than the platform. For the first time throughout the camp, the tpls sat down for a short rest. I cleaned my elee golok until it shined.
5 in the afternoon. The water games resumed. We were told to get a tripod stand ready.
6 in the evening. The tripod egg cooking competition started. We lost. I think. After that was the individual underwater breathing using a bamboo pipe. I went in for 3 minutes 26 seconds, losing only to Pong.
8 at night. We went back to camp, preparing for OBH. It was cancelled, to our relief.
10 at night. Andrew begged us tpls not to sleep.
12 midnight. Pooven and I lashed the platform on. Andrew was sleeping in the dome tent.
posted by Wayne. @ 4:09:00 AM
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