Thursday 10 November 2011

GapBreak volunteers leave Borneo with great memories

'Team Borneo' have just spent the last 2 weeks at the final camp - BongKud. Camp Bongkud is located in the heart of the small village and is surrounded with magnificent mountains and an amazing view of Mt Kinabalu - so along with comfy hammocks and delicious meals, we were most definitely always in our element. We've all made the most of our remaining time on the program with a 5 day jungle trek, involvement in construction projects within the village and in enjoying the cultural side of Beautiful Borneo. On arrival at the camp, we were immediately welcomed with the warm hospitality of the staff and village members and were given a dance performance which of course we joined in and impressed many with our amazing dance moves.

One of the biggest challenges yet most incredible experiences of the trip was unanimously agreed, the jungle trek. The trek follows that of the Death Marches trail - a path in which huge amounts of British and Australian soldiers were once forced to walk in poor conditions, resulting in over 2500 deaths, a tragic moment in history. We began the trek in Bongkud and completed it with our final destination being the Sabah Tea Gardens near Ranau, a place where we visited a war memorial and were given insight into the loss of lives within the death marches and the importance of remembrance.

Everyday during the trek; we would walk in the sun, climb steep uphill and tumble down steep slopes and clear a path through dense vegetation - so it is obvious that it proved a struggle for everyone. Along with this, we carried our backpacks, heavy with clothes, food and a hammock and tarp necessary for 5 days of roughing it. Although each day was hard work, we were rewarded with the sights and sounds of the jungle and also with a daily swim in the beautiful river. On the trek not only did we stretch our levels of fitness, but we also stepped out of comfort zones involving insects. With alot of screaming and whinging, we became at one with the mosquito, fire-ants and the group's personal favourite, leeches. We got through each day with the assistance of our trusty guides, the thought of mealtimes of noodles and baked beans and of course, trekking singalongs. On completion of the trek, we spent a night at the Sabah tea gardens longhouse...hot showers and a mattress were most definitely a blessing.

Whilst at Camp Bongkud, we took part in two major construction projects within the village. We put work into hand-mixing cement for the village community centre and also spent time clearing a sight for the construction of a large communal water tank. This was also hard and messy work, but most definitely rewarding at the end of each day.

In Bongkud, we also spent a day at the traditional markets, where we brought four baby chicks for the campsite. We spent a relaxing day at the Poring Hot Springs - taking part in a canopy walk above the trees, bathing in a waterfall and taking advantage of the slide pool. One of the highlights was our last meal at camp together as a group, followed with rice wine celebrations and the learning of a traditional malay song.

At the completion of our time at Bongkud, we said our goodbyes and went ahead in enjoying our last day in Kota Kinabalu together - going to the markets, enjoying an amazing lunch and soaking up the last of our Borneo experience. We waved each other goodbye with a mix of tears and joy, reminiscing about our memories from the past two months and the amazement at how much we have done. Finishing with the most corny of lines from a past Gapper, but which I am sure all of us would agree so very true..... 'Summer dosen't last forever, but memories do.'

Do you want to visit and volunteer in Borneo? What about teaching English overseas? Antipodeans Abroad specialises in gap year ideas and educational travel. Visit the website at www.antipodeans.com.au.

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