Quite possibly my most difficult ever jungle trip - incredible fatigue, MUD, breakdowns, stranded rescues but above all the charity work completed on schedule. With a revisit coming up to complete the outstanding work.
The project install power in a remote Orang ASli village in Remote Kelantan sing self sustainable method.
It was done 23/24 September the install weekend. 2 convoys the first 2 leaving 2pm and will setup camp 50k into the jungle for us. Second convoy leaving Kuala Lumpur 6pm for the 360kilometer drive.
4pm I get a call your YEllow Troopy is ready. Damn I can swap everything from Blue (the baby Landcruiser II) into the Troopy and give Blue to Tapah to drive. 8pm Tapah and the Hilux arrive at the workshop and the tranfer of goodies is done in 15 minutes and TROOPY also takes kit from the Hilux. I have dinne and then head Home I go to finish the remaining packing Well. 10.23pm we are all rolling from my place 4 hours 23 minutes late - it's goind to be a long night. We have also lost MAX he is leaving in the morning after doing an urgent salvage job 2 hours south of Kuala Lumpur.
Then we get the news the early convoy has left late also they arrive Gua Musang only 9.00pm
We lope along I play catchup and finally catch the group at Gua Musang 4 hours later at the big Petronas. News from Daffy and RObo cop is they have setup camp 50k into the jungle as the first camp site is a dangerous elephant area and its raining.
No time for food a quick chat and we are ready to rock. Little did any of us know we were about to get in serious shit!
The Yellow wagon beaten and bashed but still moving.
Vehicles
Jeep (Kewes) - Annuar and Dendy
Hilux (Currylux) - Alan and Ong
Landcruiser II (Blue) - Tapah and Sofi
Landcruiser Troopy (Yellow) Dave and Joe
Hilux Surf (Daffy) - Paul
Hilux (Robocop) - Paul
D90 Landrover - Max and daughter
We leave details for MAX in the D90 to catch us up and to collect the BULBS from the guardhouse at the factory we have forgotten the bulbs.
2:35am we enter the jungle 50k to go to camp - about 2 hours drive. Then we realise the track is slippery as.
4.50am I get a flat tire no spare its on the back of RED in my driveway - first mistake so take a spare of the Hilux a 31" tire sigh and it's BALD. Winch off the currylux to assist in the tire changing. Eventually back on road and climb the hill from the log bridge which signifies we got a 400meter climb ahead and reach for my camera - cannot find - damn musta left it at flat tire zone. Turn back and search nothing. 45mins lost then find it on the dash of Yellow.
The flat sigh.
7.00am we have about 4k to the big "Y" turnoff and still 20k to go. Then we reach the hill they told us about in the satelite fone call. The SIMEX currylux struggles as does the jeep. Then TAPAh gets a long way up and then has to be winched up. Then my turn takes me 8minutes to get the 300 meters up the slope with many reverses and climbs. The lockers work overtime.
The first "Y" is then reached easily and the 3k downhill starts. The next uphill it's a balltearer we slip and slide our way up then there is an uphill "Y" full of mud the Jeep goes left and eventually makes it. Then it rains. Yellow is next and doprs into the "Y" and never moves the lockers make not one bit of difference. Winch time pull the cable out and something gos wrong without the winchy seeing it the cable flips over the Terminal and arcs out the wire no one sees it the wire just dies then comes back to life. I see the frayed cable go out and stop and pick it up burn my hand damn then I work out what happened. Lost 75' of cable and new knot is made. Hook up to the JEEP and winch out slowly pulling JEEP backwards. Curry lux meantime tries right land gets about 5 feet and is stuck fast. Winch that sideways. Then its Tapah in the Landcruiser. We are all hooked up to hold the Landcruiser and pull the Currylux cable clean out of the winch - CRAP! We are all tired so the mistake is easily made. 30 minutes are lost getting me out in Yellow.
Arriving at the uphill "Y" at about 500 meters up.
The Hilux and the Landcruiser stuck at the "Y"
Recovering Landcruiser at the "Y"
Arriving at the uphill "Y" at about 500 meters up.
JEEP owner gloating as he had 3 Toyota's on the back of the JEEP the jungle was about to bite his arse.
More slippery uphill mud after the "Y" for another 500-1000meters took forever to get up. Then the airline BURST on the lockers crap.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/[youtube]http://youtu.be/63klFghd6A8[/youtube][/youtube]
9:50am stagger into camp 8+ hours late
little Joe at camp
Joe and Grandpa me
Breakfast
The mudcamp
Dog tired all of us but we have a mission 15-18k to go. Then we see the busted suspension the brand new shock and arm on the hilux from the previous trip has failed again within 5k of the previous failure. Unload the Stricken Hilux everything into Yellow. Daffy has a knock and can only travel at 10KPH its also travelling emptied also.
Busted and now empty Hilux
By now the track has dried out and it's sweltering.
Just before 1pm we cruise into the village and lay the plan out and the goodies
Damn its 1.00pm when we pull into the village. Deliver the 4 toilets and 300kg of cement in Blue. Out with the pico hydro then explain what we are going to do. Then we get about 50 assistants offering us help.
The lightless community hall about to have a power board and lights installed.
We split into 3 teams - Water Pipe repair team - Power Cable Laying - Power Board. The 4th team heads off to make camp and do the dinner preparation at a nice camp spot some 10k away.
The water team have the most fun soaking wet we take a huge dip out of the pipe and straighten it up and walah we have 62PSI of pressure enough to generate power.
The crude bench - we have a steel table currently being built as part of our turnkey plans
Then we had power being generated over 300volts from a 3000kw generator
Then I run down and assist the wire team and we have 100 meters of wire from the generator to the power board strung up and ready to rock. 4 hours all done. Tomorrow we connect.
The view on the way to camp
We leave the stricken Hilux at a place for "MAX" to find as he is on his way in with the bulbs along with a MAP of how to get to camp.
Camp is 690 Meters up in a cold place.
The DAFFY hilux issue is found a front shock mount has ripped of the chassis.
Dinner is served 9.00pm we still not been to sleep since Thursday night some of us are exhausted. Dinner is roast lamb and potatoes and peas.
We get on the sat fone and find MAX he has turned back he took the wrong turn. We arrange to meet him 45+k back down the track at 8.00am he has the light bulbs.
I'm in bed 10.30pm
Sunday
Awake admire the view and breakfast is 1 cup of hot chocolate and Annuar and myself jump into the mighty TROOPY and head off 2hours drive to go.
9.30am we reach MAX in the D90 and commence the return journey along with the precious cargo of light bulbs.
11.30am we are back at the village and max drops the bulbs off as the community hut is now wired up and ready for switch on it just needs bulbs.
1.15pm all done mission a success so I go fishing with little Joe and I will be back 2.15pm to head home. Daffy and ROBOCop have gone already escorting the sticken DAFFY out of the jungle at 10kph.
Fishing for Sebarau and Tengas
2.06pm Disaster strikes as returning to the village - there is a THUD and a BUMP and a wheel rolls past downhill into a gully. I give Joe the radio run to the top of the hill and radio our situation meantime I go get the wheel
The damage is the spare hilux wheel has ripped off the wheel studs sigh. I send Joe off witht he radio to climb to the top of the hill and radio for help. However he is more concerned with retrieving the wheel from the ravine and telling I'm too old to be climbing down ravines. He is scolded and runs off to do his task.
Eventually we get someone on the radio - TApah in Blue is coming to assist the other broken Hilux and MAX and the JEEP are heading out escorting the other busted hilux along with my flat tire to be repaired and they have to buy 6 new wheel stucds.
Repair time I have 3 wheel studs spare
6.30pm its all fixed and we are ready to roll just as the thunder storm lashes us making the track from HARD to SLICK and dangerous.
7.15pm it all goes to crap when doing about 2kph downhill there is a THUD and BUMP and we drop again this time the TROOPY just stops deads.
Ok serious time TAPAH comes back new PLAN - Take Joe get him back to the orphanage. Collect the spare tire and the studs and come back I will camp in the truck. Only 106K each way.
9.30PM after getting my emergency bag out and prepare bed on the top of the back seat and emergency lighting. I hear a cry and see a torch off in the distance. TAPAH! The track is blocked by a fallen tree and BLUEs batteries are flat the alternator is not charging.
We will sort it out in the morning it's still too wet to do anything.
The 4 of them sleep in the Blue truck 100 metres down the bottom of the hill.
MOnday
5.30am I am woken by a lights as a loggers HILUX squeezes past at huge speed. Fall back asleep.
Dawn brings the reality out. Ok we are all late for work.
We have breakfast I share my emergency box of food and suddenly I'm down 4 days of food by sharing it. I have however 40 days worth of hot chocolate and I have a water filter I'm ok.
We make Yellow safe at the bottom of the hill by putting a log under it winching it tight and driving it downhill
Then we remove the batteries and put them in Blue collect 18 litres of river water in the water filter and then off they go when they will be back I assume Tueday.
I confine myself to preparing Yellow cleanout the mud and remove the hub ready for the spare parts and have a drink every few hours.
Afternoon I prepare a fire and light in before dark ensuring it will burn all night.
Nightime kip in the back of Yellow. I'm too big and the Troopy too small lol.
Tuesday
Morning 9.30am I'm preparing another drink when a Landcruiser appears at the bottom of the hill it looks familiar but it's not. Then I see the smiling face of VQ, KGB and out jumps Tapah and Sofi.
Then I get the story as I make them all a hot drink
But before the story is told the village chief turns up on a scooter he's heard that gecko is stuck in the jungle and is most concerned for my safety as I'm in a notorious tiger zone then he see's the fire still burning and grins and in forms the guys he knows I'm ok and in control.
Then the story
The Blue Landcruiser on the way out meet the JEEP with a busted rear axle (and it had the repaired spare and the new wheel studs) they had been there all night since 9pm and surrounded by Elephants feeding not 20 meters away. So Tapah towed the JEEP out of the jungle took hours.
Alan in the stricken HILUX took the tire an forgot about it till he was 45 minutes past Gua Musang and had toreturn and left it in a tire shop to be repaired and collected.
Then he could not get the alternator repaired on time so VQ and KGB decided to come from Kuala Lumpur and participate in the rescue they drove into the jungle at 11pm. Then the BLUE landcruisers batteries cried ENOUGH and they all jumed into VQ's landcruiser. They stopped 3am somewhere and slept in the Landcruiser. Then they woke up and continued driving to get to me.
Tapah almost ran out of fuel and a logging kongsi gave them 3/4 of a tank of fuel.
9.30am Naturally I was a little shocked to see this strange Landcruiser drive up to my camp then I realised it was VQ and KGB and Tapah and Dendy. Hot drinks all round then time to put the new wheel studs in and put the repaired tire on all to the background music of an Orang Asli chant from the phone of Dendy most surreal.
11.30am the flat batteries from Blue are put into Yellow to charge a quick pull start and Yellow is Mobile again. k later we stop to pull the wheel nuts tight for the final time all looks ok.
3.30pm out of the jungle and messages to all concerned that we are safe.
Drop the BLue truck in for a alternator repair and hose the trucks off while we have a much needed normal meal laughing at all the shit that just happened over the previous 2 days.
6.30pm go back and watch the alternator repair honda civic alternator inards into a Toyota alternator then suddenly it's charging low but its charging.
7.15 refueled and back on the road 270k to Kuala Lumpur. Home in 3.5 hours.
1 hour in it pours then the radio cackles Blue is pulling over battery is flat. Oh Shit.
Swap batteries again with Yellow and Inspect and I find a broken wire from the alternator that explains why the alternator light does not come on. Fix it and we have full charge again.
2.00am Pull into the driveway exhausted the journey over. Next morning contact work and go on 2 weeks leave as all I have left is a compulsory 2 week block leave left. I rest for the day and then start preparing for the weekends 25+ corporate team building trip to the jungle again.
Lessons learned
Every vehicle needs its spare wheel.
Every vehicle needs it's own food supply whether trip is catered or not
Every vehicle needs its own tarp and poles
Every vehicle needs to carry its own beds
I must remember to ensure the YEllowBrick connection is checked before each trip
My Satelite phone has to be upgraded.
My evac bag is also now upgraded with 3 new safety blankets and one poncho and a 3rd fire starting kit and I'm building one for Joe my constant jungle companion from the Kids Home.
The final DAMAGE Score
Yellow 6 broken wheel studs and one pucture
Currylux Hilux - Left front suspension collapsed again
DAFFY ripped off front shick mount
Blue one alternator
JEEP one dislodged rear axle (tow truck to Kuala Lumpur ($1200rm)
