Royal Rangers Selangor 7

From Commander Darren Teoh.

The heat was stifling. You could feel the moisture stick on your skin like a wet suit. Rays of the sun filtered through the dense foliage of Malaysian jungle lighting up the brushes with streaks of a deep yellow. The kind of yellow you only get from the mid afternoon Malaysian sun. I found myself standing at the last outpost between myself and civilization and the great wilderness of the tropical forest. It took me awhile, standing there right before the rickety old bridge absorbing the atmosphere, soaking in the electricity of anticipation. It’s going to be a good day, I grinned to myself, letting the beads of sweat glisten on my face like a shore of pearls. Onward, the short march to destiny.

Sounds like a maniacal warrior on the war path? A deranged soldier left behind by his friends and family (read Rambo)? No, no, not even close. It’s me, Commander Darren going for his first survival camp in three years. Yes, he misses it so much even the faint scent of rotten meat in the air seems sweeter.

This will be my fourth excursion to the Sg. Sendat falls but my first as a campout. What campout you wonder will require for you to go out of civil society’s way and park yourself in the middle of a forest reserve to spend the night? THE EXPEDITION RANGERS SURVIVAL CAMPOUT ring a bell? For the sake of narrative, I’m only going divulge this information. A great waterfall, 9 ER, 6 Commanders, 1 bunny. Now that we have the formalities out of the way let’s talk about the camp.

By the time I arrived there most of the shelters were already pitched. Building shelters were part of the requirements that we set for the ER to do. It was obvious that they did need a place to sleep if they were going to make it through the campout. But more importantly it was a requirement for the Wilderness Survival Silver Merit. Although they did build shelters, I do not mean they were liveable. Some built next to fire breathing red ants while some thought that a roof wasn’t necessary in this 1 meter of rainfall a year country. Others maximized on their resources and used ponchos to build their shelters, a great idea if only they managed to cover all the walls of the shelter. No they weren’t up to the ER standard but that was easily rectifiable. A quick discussion with the various teams and the commanders and like busy little bees they scurried around to make the necessary modifications and extensions.

The afternoon was wearing away and the Rangers were READY to get to the most important segment of the day – DINNER! The skin tingled with the prospects of the evenings menu. If you find yourself wondering what the big HOO HAH is about just another meal. I can assure you, you have never been to a survival camp. The survival camp dinner is the highlight of the camp, for me at least. This year we did away with the traditional chicken and brought 3 varieties of live animals. Catfish, Tilapia and a rabbit. You heard me a poor inky winkly WABBIT! The boys were for a lack of a better word, exuberant to slay the mammal for their sup, and being the gracious commanders that we are, stood around to supervise butchery. What happened? That I will leave for another story. Needless to say they did a good job, executing the demise of the said animal with the accuracy of a seasoned ninja.

The girls opted for the more conservative meal, the fish. Slipping and sliding between the grasps of their hands the aquatic vertebrates jostled for freedom from their impending doom. Not on this day and definitely not with this group. When men are driven by the primal instinct of hunger it is amazing to see the extent of their creativity. Given example were the skill displayed by these ladies as they “effectively” plonked the fish with a club that would make Conan run home to mummy.

The sun was set and warm fires were burning, the crackle of the wood slowly being licked by the dancing flames of the fire, the sizzle of fresh fish being slowly roasted and the amiable chitter chatter of friends remind us of God’s blessing and grace. After a good meal I lay down on my camp bed, and I look at the stars and I could see the day’s activities play again in my memories. The Rangers did a great job with whatever task that was handed to them. Most failed at first but with resilience they picked themselves up and tried again. I was very proud of them. It isn’t about how good a camper or how much you know more than the next guy that matters. It’s what you do when it matters that counts. Many of them could have said, “I quit!” But they didn’t, instead they found strength in their alliance and surged on. Sleep was calling and the stars came back into view. What a great God we serve. Yes this was a good day. 10th to 11th February 2007 – Expedition Rangers Survival Campout.

See more Pictures of the camp here.