the 2010 camping diaries (part 1)

jumping off high places. strangely fun.

i always start camping trips on a high note!

i am always excited, i am always joking around,
and generally speaking i am thrilled at the fact
that i will be spending the next few days
far away from the hustle and bustle of the city
and into the warm cradle of mother wildlife

ok fine, i'm kidding. i friggin' hate the outdoors.

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one of the things i always look forward to on bus trips
is the promise and anticipation of group sing-alongs!

for some reason i view this as a rite of passage for travel,
where happy campers will join hands in singing
and we would all hold our hands in the air
and wave it around like we just don't care!

instead i am treated to grumpy faces
and mind-boggling silence throughout the bus

even my friend is ignoring me. despite sitting next to me.
and even shrugs off my offer of sharing my curry puffs

oh, the abang bus is blaring bollywood songs.
i feel as if i'm back on my nightmare uni bus trip,
and to make things worse, it's a 2+ hour trip

what an excellent start.

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like any good organizer, the fun activities
would not only be at the venue itself only,
but during the bus trip as well

i am thrilled to hear that we will be having quizzes!

as i think back to all the teke-teki i know of,
my thoughts are interrupted by the announcement;

“...ok, our quiz will be about oil and gas industry facts!...”

so much for thinking whether chicken or egg comes first.

==========================================

once the oil and gas industry facts quiz
mercifully comes to an end, the lady announces
there will be one more fun activity before we reach camp

sudoku. on a friggin' bus.

she is super duper ecstatic about it,
and shows sooo much passion about
writing down numbers in boxes

she’s probably the only one.

==========================================

as we reach the *aherm* resort, we grab and drag our bags
out of the bus and into the rather crowded reception area

a while later we are told that we're at the wrong place,
and apparently our reception is somewhere else,
and we would hafta walk a short distance away

great. so now i am treated to the sight of 60 people
chugging their luggage aaaaaall the way to the other building

in the hot afternoon sun. great.

==========================================

i quite enjoyed the opening ceremony,
it isn't very often you are treated to a safety briefing in malay,
as well as the hilarious sight of our mc trying to translate
for the benefit of our non-BM speaking colleagues

BM : sekirenye berlaku kebakaran, tolong jangan panik
dan jangan sekali-kali terjun daripada bangunan

BI : if there's a fire, don't jump out of the building!

BM : jangan simpan bahan mudah terbakar dalam bilik
dan jangan mulekan kebakaran dalam bilik anda

BI : don't burn down your room!

that REALLY made my day 8-D

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our 1st activity is to go to the jungle-ish area,
apparently there are low ropes and high rope activities!

but here's the thing; it's miles and miles away,
so i am treated to another fun filled activity
of walking. under the sun. again.

my mind goes back to the agenda.
tonight there is a jungle walk.
yup, another walking treat

i really think we should rename this as
"...ektiviti bejalan kaki beramai-ramai 2010..." instead

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the low rope activity is an obstacle course
which involves you running over swinging bridges
and swinging over tyres and jumping around
and climbing more ropes and having a sense of achievement

i manage to camouflage myself amongst the crowd
and i have succeeded in escaping doing this crap,
all the while pulling off a tired expression
and keep drinking the water like others who have done it

i am filled with the sense of achievement

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we move on to the high ropes now,
and i am shocked to see that the rope is suspended 20 feet
or so in the air and we are expected to cross both sides

i decide against committing suicide and plan to use
the same camouflage tactics as before heheh

...until my friend points out i haven't done anything yet!

i contemplate strangling her at that moment,
but there are too many witnesses around for that now,
so i buckle up and feel resigned to my fate

magically i manage to pull it off!

siap sempat gelak2 and borak2 lagi ngan orang2 kat bawah,
jumping off the high rope downwards in the end was fun!

i contemplate going for another round just for kicks,
but i remember grandma teaching me to be humble,
so i decide against it, and go for this statement instead;

"...saje je takmo buat low rope, buat high rope udah lerrr..."

kehkehkehkehkeh

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before i went off here, kakak told me to buy supplies
of mosquito repellent and sun-block for protection

since i have no idea how to use them,
i am faced with the dilemma of not knowing
whether sun-block and insect repellent could be mixed,
since we're both in a jungle and in the hot sun!

so i decide to use sun-block on one side
and insect repellent on the other side

coming back to the room, i discover that the left side
of my face and arms are a bit dark and red,
and on the other side is filled with bug bites

i look like some monster experiment gone wrong.

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the one big issue about this *aherm* resort
is the inability of the *aherm* resort to accomodate
the electrical needs for large number of occupants

it keeps blacking out!

on a positive note, i have learnt a new skill;
macam mane nak mandi dalam gelap

it involves careful hand coordination
to mandi and sabun and shampoo segale
with the art of pressing butang kat henfon
yang dok diletak di atas toilet, supaye ade cahaye sket

and over dinner i hear a blackout joke;
"...seronok jugak mandi dalam gelap ni,
you never know what you're gonna rub!..."

i think that is absolutely hilarious 8-D