ER Survival Camp 2008 - Part 1 By: The Boss No comments

Hello friends, rangers, and of course...survivors!!!

Yes yes...finally, after many nights of preparation and hours of suffering, a total of 10 new E-rangers finally earned the mini-bragging rights to be officially called 'Survivors'. Yeap...Survival Camp 2008! Boy oh boy...what fun and drama we had this time around. I can still remember the last camp we had way back in 2005...I'm telling you, every camp has its own share of drama mamas, talking points, and crazy points! This one definitely goes into my favourite book shelf collection!

From the 13th - 15th of March, the Expedition Rangers of Selangor #6 organized a Survival & Lepak Camp, which was attended by 10 rangers and 8 commanders in total. A 3-days & 2-nights camp to fully test the limits of the rangers...one was for endurance, and the other... have fun till you pop! But hey...since there's so much to write about, I'm going to split this up into a 4-part series...hmm, maybe 5 if you're lucky. For part 1, its gonna be all about the Survival Camp. Trust me...its gonna be good (as always!). I'm gonna' share the story with you thru pics for this part. Videos will be up in the next post, so stay tuned!

So sit back, grab some peanuts, and enjoy the story! Photos are courtesy of Cmdr Reuben, Daniel Seliong and Sheila Yong! If you wanna see the entire collection, give them a buzz...:)

Everyone gathered anxiously in church by 8.30am, not knowing the fun and surprises that was in store for them. And as usual, the commanders came slightly late...like MBs and VIPs. :) Well, after loading up our essentials and given a short briefing by Outpost cmdr, we were good to go. Cmdr Gideon prayed for the team, asking God to give them the time of their lives! :) And so, we finally made our way to the camp...but of course, this camp wouldn't be complete without our customary Survival Camp 'Last Supper' scene...

Just like the previous camp, its a usual custom to have a good, hearty breakfast at the BBK mamak (formerly known as Restaurant I Love You). Yes, I agree...what a cheesy name! And so, the rangers began to stuff themselves down with all the roti canai the shop could offer. Some went the extra mile and treated themselves with Nasi Lemak and ayam goreng...man, I'm beginning to feel hungry thinking about it! Well, just like an old saying...these guys and girls ate like there's no tomorrow! Especially Su Vien, Daniel Seliong and David Wong...

Here's the ladies looking all happy and ready for a testing time ahead! Its like one of those days where you dont really know what to expect...so the only thing to do was to eat!

There's nothing like a hot roti canai 'empat segi' and a cup of milo ais to get you going!

Here's the trainers having a good time too. Just in case our own cooking doesn't work out, its better to play safe and stuff ourselves too with food to last us the night. Dan, William, Reuben and Kevin...the veterans!

Dan (Mamak) and Dan (Iban). And the Daniels doesn't stop here...there's one more!

We arrived at Kem Laman Bistari, KKB at around 11.30am, and after unloading all our belongings, it was finally time to officially begin the Survival Camp. The commanders then carried out a body search and pouch inspection on the rangers...you never know what these rangers are up to these days eh? Mixing pepper with their salt, hiding that extra chocolate bar, can drink, or even a burger in their clothes...:) Just kidding. Cmdr Kevin then gave them a short briefing on shelter building, and explained to them the vital points for making a good and solid shelter. After that, off we went into the forest! And low and behold...we had some 'friends' waiting for us...anxiously and hungrily....

Ahhhhhh!!! LEECHES!!! My goodness, these little fellas were EVERYWHERE! You look here, there's a few. You look behind, there's 10 more. You look to the left, there's 15 of them. And then you look at your feet, you know its time to run when you see almost 20 of them on your feet! Oh boy...I never had this much fun removing leeches and roasting them with my lighter! Did you know these little dudes are pretty die-hard and fire-proof? Their body composition is almost 90% fluid, and these guys surely take some time to burn and fry! Trust me...I tried it. :) But of course, we thank them for the fun and freaky moments we had during our close encounter!

Here's Peter, Kok Foong and Daniel in the process of gathering the essentials to survive the night...

Here's what their shelter looked like upon completion...and I must say, it looks pretty impressive! It even has a back door in case you wanna do your....erhmm...pee pee. :)

Here's Melissa and Kelly (left) testing out the air in their shelter. This time around, its big and spacious...

Kelly giving us that 'Dont-mess-with-me' look...:)

Sherlyn, as seen from the back of the shelter, via the back door entrance....just when we're about to have a house-warming ceremony, the rain came and cooled our party...

But then, fear not! Presenting you, the whacko...Su Vien!

When she realized that part of her brain was falling out, good thing she held it in place...:)

Her hey...guess who's in da house!!? Yup...the Lee's are in town! Led by the natural jungleman, Cmdr Gideon Lee!! Look how happy he is being one with nature...its like coming home to 'tanah tumpahnya darahku'.

Aww...isn't she simply adorable??? Elena dropped by to say hi too!

Here's some of our survivors together with Serena and Elisa! Man...they look really cute in their multicoloured ponchos!

The boys and the man...

Everyone kept their heads high, never lost heart, maintained a good team spirit throughout the camp, which I was particularly proud of. Despite our difficult circumstances, we made it through.

The best time of the day: Chicken Slaughter House!! Here's Cmdr William (seen here with his headless friend), leading the way and giving us some interesting tips on how to cut and clean the birds. Interestingly (or rather unfortunately), 3 out of 5 chickens died during the journey to the camp. What a waste!! A live bird would have provided us with more points laugh about at night...

Here's David Wong and Jordan doing a tag-team on the chicken...cut, slice, pull!

Ta daaaa! Once you've beheaded the poor fella, its time to go for the guts! Now that's some really nasty stuff, I'm telling you...not for the weak-hearted!

David Wong getting the 'spare-parts' party started, using his brand new survival knife...that makes Rambo look like an amatuer...

Up next, it was time for the ladies...here we have Dorothy, Kelly and Melissa! All 3 were waiting anxiously for their turn to do some beheading...

Melissa, Sherlyn and Su Vien...these 3 girls...they gave me the most memorable time ever! Once Part 2 of this camp story is out, do make sure to check out their chicken-slaughter video....you'll definitely feel sorry for the chicken...and its head.

The Body, Head and the Blade. Nice combination...Su Vien looks as thought she's gonna puke at any moment....

A gorgeous night scene shot at their survival shelter. Looks kinda' cosy, eh? There's nothing like spending time in the forest, and having a small flame next to you to light up the night...gives you that warm feeling inside...

Here's Su Vien playing hide-and-seek in the dark with herself.

Day or night...rain or shine, that's not going to stop the ladies from posing for the cam! Cmdr Sheila with the ladies...

Oh...that candle is for the leaders, btw. Gladly, we slept at the nearby meeting hall...far, far away from the Survivors...and everything else that wants to eat us alive! :)

A beautiful shot of the morning scenery at Laman Bistari. There's cmdr william, in isolation. Probably shaving his leg hair...

And so, after a totally exhausting day and a cold, humid night, it was finally time for the Survivors to come out from the forest and get some much-needed sleep. Everyone did well and earned their right to be called Survivors.

Silent night...

Holy night...

All is calm...all is bright...Many thanks to Su Vien for the orchestra show! She played the Concerto in B minor excellently...

I absolutely love the morning mist and scenery...being surrounded by lush green forest...just gives you that peaceful feeling!

Time for some food...glorious food! Prepared with love by Cmdr Kenny, Sheila and Grace (I think...). She looked busy around the kitchen area...but not sure if she cooked anything at all. But I did see her do lots of food testing and tasting....:) And as usual, get the one and only camper who looks like a mamak fella to make the drinks! Thanks, Dan Raj!

When you're hungry...everything looks gourgeous to eat! Su Vien showing off her 15th round of sausage...

We should love animals...they taste good! :) Thank God the survivors didn't bump into this cat during the night...if not, surely Cat steak was on the menu...

Now that everyone's stuffed with sausages, egg, bread and milo...all can smile happily for the camera!

And if you ate more than enough, you'll be smiling even more!

Pity the boys...they still look so stoned even after breakfast. And here we see Daniel Raj giving himself a good dose of vitamin D. Or was it E? Ahh...either one la.

Man...the girls just couldn't stop posing for the cam. Its like...they can sense when there's a lense pointing at them! And instantly they line up for the pose...

See what I mean? Anyway, from left (back row to the front)...Kelly, Grace, SV, Sherlyn, Melissa and Cmdr Sheila.

And so, after a fun night of surviving and going through all the hardship and mud and leeches and rain and bugs, it was time for the rangers to pack and move on to our LEPAK CAMP! Woo hooo!! After a tough time, everyone deserves a break...and as rangers, we certainly know how to have a good time in the outdoors!

Lesson & Reflection of the day:

Everything we need to survive the night can be found in the jungle. This is, after all, God's creation...which is perfect and complete. All we need to do is to stop, think and look around, and we'll realize that everything we need is right there before our eyes. God's creation is simply magnificent and beautiful, and without a doubt...perfect.

We thank God for helping us through the night, and most of all...for keeping each one of us safe...both trainees and commanders! Its been a memorable night for all...

God bless and stay tuned for Part 2...