Expeditioners set foot in Borneo

COUNTRY: Borneo
PROGRAM: Expeditions
PROJECT: Teaching & Environmental Conservation
WRITTEN BY: Borneo Expeditions Volunteers

Coming to Borneo, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. At first I had no interest in coming here but honestly, I'm so glad I did. The culture, the people, the atmosphere, is all so amazing. The camp staff are beautiful no matter where you go and the locals are just as nice, despite the language barrier.

Our first stop was Tinangol, the best place to go for our large group of 10. We had no clue who anyone was but we were going to be living together in a traditional long house. It became our home and the place we bonded. It wasn't just the close living quarters that brought us together as a group but the whole camp. The camp leader, Kenny, was enthusiastic about everything and just the nicest guy we could ask for. Because of this we felt we needed to step up our game and work incredibly hard.

The project site was a 45min walk from where we were living so we were exhausted before we even started any work, but we took it as a warm up. After a 10 minute rest we would be up ready to smash out either the kindergarten, nailing and cutting bamboo or to mix hefty wheelbarrows of cement and level out soil. We wanted to do something for this community, and we did just that. Not only did we use all the cement the camp had but we did far more than Kenny had planned. It felt fantastic to really see that as a team we could do something.

As part of our project we also were able to teach the kids we were making the kindergarten for. Now this was an experience. The kids were the loudest bunch I have ever met but when you sit them down and find something they love doing they'll do it for hours. We first went in for only 45 minutes and had them running around hanging off us and giving them piggy back rides, so we ended up leaving there sweatier than when we left project work! After that we were all a bit scared to head back and teach but when we did, they loved it. We read the books, drew them pictures and even taught them a few animals- it was such an incredible experience. After meeting them it made walking around in the community so much more fun as we would laugh and greet them every morning, 'Salamat Pagi!'

The last morning in Tinangol was emotional; we had formed a bond with each other in that place and also with Kenny so we really didn't want to leave. However, Kenny's last words inspired us to keep adventuring: "Follow you're dreams guys and just enjoy!"

After Tinangol we headed to the most confronting experience so far, the homestay. This is where our really close friendships helped us a lot. Hellie- the girl I was staying with- and I did not have the best first impression. We were tired and all we wanted was to feel welcome and sit down with the family. Obviously this would be hard at anytime due to the language barrier, but we were also exhausted from our 8 hour trip to Bath Petuh, however we found it extremely difficult as we were thrown right into the deep end and sent to a ceremony with the youngest daughter of the house (Sophia, 10) in traditional dress. It was quite intimidating walking into a house with over 100 people in it, all of them staring at us. Not only that but we were unable to communicate with them. Unfortunately we ended up leaving early from this ceremony but we were able to attend a second one before our time was up.

The work at Bateh Puteh was extremely laid back compared to the cement mixing and gravel laying of Tinangol, however it was still really enjoyable. We travelled on an amazing river on the way to the eco camp, we saw all kinds of monkeys, birds and even crocodiles! This camp was all about bringing back the rainforest from the devastation of palm oil plantations. Not only were we working in the jungle but we had a night sleeping in hammocks there too. This was one of my favourite days so far. After setting up the hammocks we were allowed to roam freely around the jungle. This was amazing, we were following elephant footprints and butterflies it was amazing. The only blemish in the trip was when a group of three had to be hunted down after getting a little lost in the jungle. The guides kept a very close eye on us during the night walks, where one group saw the second slow lorris of the trip and my group saw many gorgeous paradise birds.

The second ceremony of this stay was much more enjoyable, but very culturally shocking. All 10 of the group were invited to this, however the boys sat in a separate room to the girls. The men then proceeded to pray for half an hour, while the woman sat in the back room, with all the food in front of us. However as this was a Muslim community the men had to be served first, not only that but they ended up eating all of the rice so the women had to wait longer for food. This was extremely shocking for us as our culture is completely different and a lot of the girls in the group struggled to understand and were getting quite frustrated. Just to elaborate- we got to this ceremony at 6:00pm and ate at 9:30pm!

Our stay ended on a positive note, however, as we all dressed up in traditional clothing again on the last night to watch the locals sing and dance, joining in ourselved at the end. Leaving Bateh Puteh was hard for us as we knew it would be the last bus journey for 6 of them. As a group of 10 we had become a family, we had the worriers, the foolish brothers, the responsible sisters and the immature kids, when they all left it was the first time I felt homesick. At first it was hard to imagine the trip continuing without them, but continue it did. And for an update, well… you're going to have to wait for the next blog!

Aussie Day and a foot massage in Kota Kinabalu

COUNTRY: Borneo & Cambodia
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Building & Conservation
WRITTEN BY: Maddy King

The weekend back in Kota Kinabalu was enjoyable for all the gappers - we had two birthdays (Tom and Duncan's) so to celebrate we went out for dinner to little Italy, having pizza and pasta was an amazing treat as although we weren't entirely missing our western food (and were trying to be tough) it was a nice variation from the usual rice and noodles.

The next day Molly from Antips and I tried a local foot massage 'reflexology' the whole way through it We were in hysterics from it being too ticklish to bear or gasping in pain as the ladies told us which specific part of our foot was connected to an organ and what our reactions meant - I apparently had eye problems and was told I was tired, which after all the construction work I'd done was probably true.

For Australia Day all the Aussies headed to the local 'Aussie bar' for our fix of steak and beer - there was no 'shrimp on the barby' option which was a bit of a let down ... We all stocked up on vegemite an honey spreads as we'd not yet become accustom to the local coconut jam and we missed vege like crazy after it was confiscated from some of the girls at customs.

Our last night in Tinangol was a memorable one. We had a massive feast prepared by the lovely kitchen staff and then we all participated in Karaoke. It was so much fun! Man - a guy who lived next to camp and was related to some of the staff was an expert at karaoke it was his equipment after all. He sung some Malay songs - and some people joined in, though admittedly didn't stand a chance against Man's pro skills.



The next day it was time to say goodbye to Ramesh our camp leader - we'd grown to love Ram so much so it was really sad to say goodbye. It was the first of many sad goodbyes to come which I've learnt I'm not so good at ...

Next stop is Batu Puteh we have a loooong 9 hour bus journey ahead of us... So until next time. Maddy K from camp borneo 2013

Six Young Women have invaded Mauritius

COUNTRY: Mauritius
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Marine Conservation
WRITTEN BY: Emalyn, Jessie, Nikola, Amelia, Tash and Dani

Six young Homo Sapien females have recently invaded Mauritius, a tropical island off the south coast of Africa. Hailing from the far reaches of Australia, they converged at Perth airport last Sunday in order to launch a synchronized attack on Plaisance Airport.

Since their arrival these women, renowned for having an open nature, have formed a tight gaggle along with the recent addition of an alpha male.
Daily life of the six young women consists mainly of waking up mid-morning, constructing a semi-nutritious breakfast and making their way to Chanteau Vent to meet the Alpha Male for a break down of the day’s work. The line between work and pleasure is often difficult to discern within this species.

The gaggle of girls then proceeds to the vessel of love in which they will travel to the research site. On approaching the vessel a new underdog, with tattoos and a ponytail, posing as the vessel’s skipper, suddenly presents a new threat to the Alpha male’s position within the gaggle.

The research conducted by the gaggle takes the form of a 70 metre transect laid out on the reef floor, along which they snorkel leisurely in pairs counting particular fish species. The gaggle’s first attempt at this research method proves to be somewhat dismal, and this was not helped by the interference of a rival gaggle, posing as ‘tourists’ who mistakenly removed the transect as they believed it to be a pollutant to the reef. However their spirit is not broken and their will to carry on and make a difference continues.

After a few hours of this research and marine-based observation, the gaggle retires to land in search of food. The first group shopping trip proves to be mildly unsuccessful and disorganised (following in the footsteps of their scatter-brained Alpha Male), the gaggle returning with only copious amounts of liquor, chocolate and not a single vegetable in sight.

Aside from conducting transects, the educational experience of the gaggle continues through a visit to the seagrass meadow to study, examine and document photographically, the juvenile fish species in their nurseries. In addition to the seagrass meadow, a trip is made to Blue Bay’s marine reserve to witness the devastating destruction of the reefs. A mix of coral bleaching, overfishing, polluting and excessive boat use, stemming from a lack of enforced regulations within the protected area of Blue Bay, has undermined the integrity of the reef and destroyed its splendid submerged scenery. It is because of this destruction that the gaggle has decided to volunteer their time to interacting with previously established research and conservation group situated in Blue Bay.

Indulging their collective natures they expand their known territory to include the Capital Region of Port Louis, where they encounter the city’s fish market and put their newly acquired knowledge of the local fish species to good use.
All in all, the week ends happily on a rainy, hungover, Sunday afternoon.

P.S Gaggle encounters to initiate themselves into the local population:
• Sunday 13th: family dinner
• Monday 14th: Lagon Bleu welcome drinks on the beach
• Wednesday 16th: Dinner at the Steakhouse with members of the Lagon Bleu pod
• Friday 18th: Nest warming ‘Barbeque’ (at which they displayed the typical homosapien trait of drunken debauchery)
• Saturday 19th: Lots of mopping and an encounter with the invading Dutch student troops in the nocturnal institutes (nightclubs) of Grand Baie.

P.P.S
Meanwhile, civil war has erupted within the nest between the gaggle and the Common Mauritian Gecko, who have demonstrated their aggression towards the gaggle with silent ambushes, invasions of cereal boxes and untimely wakeup calls. More to come on this rivalry.