Raleigh - Borneo Expedition, October - December 2008

That's all folks...

2008-12-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

Emotional goodbyes were said yesterday as the venturers headed home or onwards for more travelling. Their final party was held at the beautiful beach of Bukit Naga, a few hours outside of KK. Beach games, a modified water slide (made from a tarp), body surfing and the unforgettable tunes of DJ Gerard were all part of the celebrations – giving the venturers a chance to relax and celebrate their accomplishments they achieved.

And speaking of accomplishments, in the past 10 weeks, venturers and staff have trekked more than 650 kilometres; carried more than 21 tonnes of wood, concrete, sand and rocks; transported and laid five kilometres of cable and pipe; dug four kilometers of trenches and built over 100 metres of boardwalk, completed nearly 50 river crossings and finished three bridge foundations.

All of this work has brought Kg Buayan closer to its goal of environmentally friendly power, fresh water to Kg Mananam, greater access for rangers and scientists to study Imbak Canyon and the community of Batu Puteh one step closer to a sustainable source of income.
And we can’t forget all the new friends we’ve made, obstacles we’ve overcome and new skills we’ve learned and will continue to learn. Well done, everyone for making Borneo 08H a success! It may have not always felt like it, but we’ve all made a difference!

Enjoy the pictures from the Hawaiin-themed EndEx party!

Visit to Kg Buayan

2008-11-28T21:24:00.000-08:00

Alpha 1 has perfected the human chain in transporting materials (sand and stones) up to their worksite, making great progress on the micro hydro-electric system. The hard work is paying off, as the pipe bridge is nearly finished.

The team was greeted by the Loop with treats – cans of fizzy pop and fresh food; a rarity indeed for the remote project site. Paddy even made the trek up ‘Hell Hill’ carrying a watermelon, which was much appreciated by the PMs and venturers.

It was a quick visit, but the Loop team was to help chop firewood in the morning before they said their goodbyes. Alpha 1 was left with good weather and high spirits for their last week at Kg. Buayan.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

Alpha 3 and Field Base will both be celebrating the American holiday today as they both have American members of their team (Saphir and Lisa, respectively). Alpha 3 will be dressed as turkeys, rather than eating them and Field Base will be treated to a holiday meal of chicken, potatoes and greens, with the plan to ‘dress American’ as a tribute to the traditional day of feasting.

The first Loop is back after visiting Alpha 4 at Batu Puteh and Alpha 3 at Imbak. Venturers and staff are keeping very busy, but still have time for laughs. Amongst carrying wood and completing the boardwarlk at the Eco Lodge, Alpha 4 has had time for Karaoke as well as preparing gourmet meals. The Loop were treated to the dulcet tunes of the venturers with their impromptu versions of Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl’ and ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ by Steps. We also received the royal treatment of a meal of hummus and fried bread with a tomato salsa and macaroni cheese. The group is also seeing their fair share of wildlife with multiple orang-utan and macaque sightings, as well as an unexpected visitor in Alana’s basha – a mouse! They were heading out for a day out when we left – a visit to the Sepilok Orang-utan sanctuary followed by an afternoon at the pool at Hotel Sandakan – a well deserved break (and shower) for the hard working venturers and PMs!

Alpha 2 hamming it up for the camera

Tyrone and Will fan the flames

Washing on the jetty

Following our short stay in Batu Puteh, we made the journey over bumpy roads and through rivers to Imbak Canyon. We arrived in time to enjoy the shower of the stunning Imbak Waterfall for a wash and to swap stories with the venturers and staff. They are clearing trails to improve access in the canyon for rangers and scientists and had already completed one and half bridges, which they have named the Penang Bridge and the Golden Gate after their more famous counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia and San Francisco. The remaining two bridges they are in the process of finishing will be aptly christened Tower Bridge and Sydney Harbour Bridge. In their spare time, the venturers are building the ‘Imbak Tavern’ at BBC camp complete with bar stools and a sign for the kitchen area . When it’s complete, the venturers and staff will be able to ‘order’ drinks such as mocochocolate (milo and coffee) and tropical breeze (orange and mango squash).

Imbak's own 'Penang Bridge'

Enjoying a waterfall shower

Life at BBC Camp

The loop staff was also treated to more lovely food at Alpha 3 – chicken curry with rice and chocolate bread – as well as an extra day in the canyon! We spent Tuesday working with the team to transport planks and beams of heavy ironwood through the jungle so the last two bridges can be completed. Our farewell dinner included amazing pizza, pasta and chocolate peanut brittle.

A slightly wet loop staff after our triumphant river crossing saying goodbye to Imbak.

The Alpha 1 loop set off today, so we’ll have more news from them soon. The trek groups (Alpha 5 and 6) are doing well – Alpha 5 has a complete set of qualified divers and Alpha 6 will leave the jungle behind for the dive island on Monday. Well done to everyone!

Message from Alpha 3

2008-11-26T03:45:00.000-08:00

Message from Amy Holmes:

Dad,
Good luck with the op. Hope you are up and walking quickly.

Thinking of you. Take care.

Loads of love,
Ames xx

Loopsie Daisy…

2008-11-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

The Raleigh Loop heads out tomorrow for the last visit to project sites of the expedition. We’ll be visiting Alpha 3 at Imbak, Alpha 4 at Batu Puteh and Alpha 1 at Kg Buayan. We’ll come back with stories, photos and full bellies – apparently some of the Alpha groups started planning their Loop meals on Tuesday of this week!

We look forward to the journey and sharing the news upon our return.

Our trek and dive phases are faring well -- Alpha 5 finishes diving today and will tackle the challenge of their 12 day trek starting tomorrow. Alpha 6 continues their journey through Long Pasia, trekking 4 -5 hours a day, keeping high spirits thorough rain, leeches and river crossings. They will begin their dive phase on the 30th.

Message from Chris B

2008-11-19T05:10:00.001-08:00

Hello to Mrs. Billington -- your son, Chris, would like to wish you a very happy birthday! Best wishes and enjoy your day!

And they're off...

2008-11-17T19:05:00.001-08:00

After second changeover at Borneo Paradise this weekend, the new alpha groups deployed bright and early yesterday morning to their final project phases. It was a weekend of special VIP guests, including Raleigh CEO, Stacey Adams and Colin Merr, CEO of Raleigh project partner, Bridging the Gap. Stacey and Colin spent their time interacting with venturers and staff and learning the inside track on our expedition.

Raleigh CEO Stacey Adams delivers

inspiring words

Colin Merr addresses Borneo 08H

They delivered words of welcome, thanks and inspiration to all of the participants in Borneo 08H and enjoyed the entertainment of the Alpha group skits. The competition was tight, but Alpha 1 and Alpha 3 were declared the best skits of the evening – Alpha one for their bizarre delivery of life at Kg Buayan, complete with Josh and Sophie’s ‘Anchorman-esque’ delivery of their narration. Alpha three gave a nod to ‘Grease’ with their medley of ‘Raleigh nights’ that had the audience be-bopping along to the catchy tunes of life at Imbak Canyon.

Alpha 3 and Alpha 1's winning skits (above)

The judging panel watching intently

Becs and Sarah enjoy the entertainment

The final allocation of groups and departures yesterday was bittersweet – hard to believe the third and final phase has already begun! The next three weeks will no doubt fly by and we will all be reuniting for the last time at Borneo Paradise before the final goodbye celebration at the end of expedition!

Alpha 1 - Kg. Buayan (in no particular order): PMs - Becs, Mostyn and Chris B. Venturers - Rebecca Stanbury, Laura Thompson, Polly Flaxman, Emilie Deiters, Roel Vogels, Dale Oates, Josh Salter, Marc Harmeling, Josh McIntosh, Matty Davis, Woon Chin Farm, Fadzylie Dullie

Alpha 3 - Imbak Canyon (in no particular order): PMs - Amy, Pete, Mark Fernando. Venturers - Shelley McDonald, Dennis Gan Chye Sheng, Lee Lee Chai, Tom Carter, Vivian Mohr, Ilona Hamilton, Alison Walker, Camilla Loat, Saphir Glynn, Joost Vermeijden

Alpha 4 - Batu Puteh (in no particular order): PMs - Em C, Claire, Perkins. Venturers: Alana Ingham, Heidi Manning, Ryan Stidi, Lu Ying Yap, Kiki Janssen, Zhi Yong Cheong, Will Harvey, Katie Hartshorne, Emma Hankinson, Tyrone Timm

Alpha 5 - Dive/Trek (in no particular order): PMs - Sarah Y, Andrew. Venturers - Selene Ng Shih Ling, Lewis Hone, Ollie Peirik, Florine Scheer, Will Thompson, Kate McQueen, Laura Gaskarth, Luke Dorey

Alpha 6: Trek/Dive (in no particular order): PMs - Doc Em, Dave, Jo. Venturers - Mei Ng Hui, Annie Hodge, Lee Grimsley, Jessica Henderson, Aimee Farrar, Job de Beer, Sophie Deed, Will Newell, Josh Lambert, Emma Kingdon

And finally, a complete staff photo...

Including our newest arrival, Mark 'can you hear the drums' Fernando, pictured here upon his arrival to Field Base

Turning on the tap

2008-11-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

Alpha two celebrated the opening of the gravity water feed with the residents of Kg. Mananam on 12th November. The official opening ceremony included a display of traditional dancing by the villagers, speeches from project partners, PACOS and a local government representative and from Raleigh’s own Laura Gaskarth , Caroline Perkins and Mac McCarthy. Lee Lee Chai and Mei Ng Hui translated the presentations into Malay for the community.

Mac and the government representative cut the ribbon to officially open the water feed which was met with cheers as a small fountain was filled with water from the new system, sprung to life.

The system will provide clean water to 17 houses throughout the community, which means about 250 people will now have fresh water directly piped into their homes. Thank you to both phase one and phase two alpha two groups; our project partners, PACOS and HSBC for its sponsorship – the project would not have been a success without everyone’s support.
In other community news, alpha two’s football team was defeated in a penalty shoot out in the finals against the local Kg Mananam team. A valiant effort, Alpha two!

Mystery letter received

2008-11-12T19:19:00.001-08:00

Blog readers -- if you have sent a letter from the UK, postmarked 14 November with the address written in green, soluable ink, can you please let us know? The name of the recipient has completely worn away, so we have no idea who to pass the post onto. Other identifying marks include a stamp with a picture of the wicked witch from Snow White. Let us know who it's to, so we can make a venturers day! Thank you.

Message from Alpha 1

2008-11-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

Pete Broomhead would like to say 'Happy birthday' to his big brother, Paul! Pete says: "Hope you had a good one. Hello to all the family and friends, as well!"

We're ba-ack

2008-11-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

The Loops are back with stories and photos to share.

Alpha one has been working hard lugging pipe and cabling up the steep path to their worksite. They have cemented the foundations for the bridge that will allow the water pipe to travel to the engine house for the hydro-electric system. It’s not all hard work for the group, though, they enjoyed impromptu break at the worksite last week that involved a mud bath of sorts. Slipping and sliding, the Alpha 1 venturers managed to get completely covered in mud – not exactly clean, but definitely good fun for all of those who participated! (watch the blog for photo updates on the mud baths) Alpha one welcomed the loop with an impressive bonfire and a lovely Malaysian meal, Raleigh style!

Alpha two is busy preparing for the opening ceremony of the gravity water feed system on Wednesday of this week. They have completed the project and are now painting a mural on another wall of the new school. They still managed to fit in their own karaoke night to celebrate Chin’s birthday. The loop was treated to a lovely three course meal including hummus for starters, pasta for the main course and crumble for dessert. Here are some photos from Alpha two this phase:

Members of Alpha three welcomed the Loop on Bonfire Night, choosing to Remember, Remember the fifth of November not by burning the traditional effigy of conspirator Guy Fawkes, but of our own Mac McCarthy! Luckily Mac was in good humour and took part in laying ‘the Mac’ on the bonfire to kick off the celebrations. The loop was also treated to homemade pizza and bread and butter pudding for their evening meal. Have a look at photos from Alpha three:

Alpha five continues to trek in Long Pasia, enjoying the scenery and the challenge of the terrain and jungle conditions. It is an arduous, but rewarding journey and Alpha 5 will no doubt be spending a good deal of their time at changeover enjoying the modern conveniences of Borneo Paradise this weekend washing the jungle out of themselves and their clothes! Photos from Alpha five so far this phase:

Alpha six has completed their trek and is setting off today for Mamutik dive island. Tired, hot, but triumphant after 12 days of trekking, the group stayed at Likas hostel in KK last night where they were able to shower, eat a KFC meal and sleep on beds for a night! Stories of many leeching, three-level bashers and rainy nights are already coming out from the bruised, scratched, but excited venturers and staff. Watch this space for Alpha six photos!

'Loops, I did it again...'

2008-11-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe we’re already halfway through phase two! The first Raleigh loop left in the wee hours of yesterday morning to visit Alpha two at Kg. Mananam and Alpha three at Imbak Canyon. Armed with fresh fruit, fizzy drinks, sweets and post, the loop will be welcomed with open arms by the groups and treated to smiling faces and (hopefully) culinary delights!

The second loop leaves on Saturday for Kg. Buayan. The trek in doesn’t stop us delivering the post and little luxuries to the hard working Alpha one -- we look forward to sharing a night with the project team.

The loops return tomorrow and Sunday evening respectively, so watch this space for more photos and stories from your family and friends out and about on their Raleigh adventures!

Spooky news

2008-11-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

The members of Alpha five celebrated this weekend, as they passed their PADI dive courses with flying colours. The group now has 10 qualified open water divers, one advanced diver and two PADI rescue divers!

Before setting out on their trek, Alpha 5 had a Hallowe’en party complete with games, coconut husk lanterns and costumes made of leaves, gaffer tape and hammocks. A good time was had by all.

Speaking of Hallowe’en, a number of the Alpha Groups enjoyed Hallowe’en fun on Friday:
The Field Base team had a party which mainly involved consuming copious amounts of sugar, silly hats, bobbing for apples. We even played a game where we ate doughnuts suspended from string -- without using our hands. Hilarious results ensued.

Alpha three’s celebrations included Raleigh Ration-based treats and spooky masks and decorations made from the materials at hand. Everyone dressed up and the PMs played their part in the costumes by turning up the ugly stepsisters from Cinderella.

Alpha one paid tribute to the holiday by scaring everyone on this week’s Radio Raleigh with a spooky laugh and voice-over reporting on their latest activities. While we have not Hallowe’en news from Alpha six, they’ve let us know that they are continuing to make progress through the jungle and learning new ways to trek, live and entertain themselves!

Alpha two’s VIP visit

2008-10-31T18:47:00.001-07:00

Raleigh Borneo, PACOS trust and the community of Kg. Mananam welcomed YB Datuk Peter Pang En Yin, the minister of Youth and Sports, Sabah on a visit to the village this week. The trip was a success and the Minister’s first opportunity to see a Raleigh project in action. He spent two hours at the kampong, seeing the project in action and speaking to members of the community, project partners and Raleigh staff and venturers.

“The progress of the gravity water feed here at Kg. Mananam illustrates how successful Raleigh is providing valuable support to the community – both through the project itself as well as the cultural exchange,” said YB Datuk Peter Pang En Yin. “I am pleased to see young people actively learning from each other and the community.”

Here is the story in pictures:

Raleigh venturers and the community

await the Minister's arrival

PM Caroline and Lee Lee on stage

Katie and Lee Lee share their Raleigh stories and experiences

with the Minister and the community

PM Sarah points out the pipe Raleigh Alpha 2

has laid to the Minister

The Minister turns on the tap at Kg Mananam with

Katie, Sarah, Jim, and assemblyman Masiung Banah

Raleigh and the Ministry pose for a final photo

Entering phase two

2008-10-27T20:23:00.001-07:00

Changeover was full of Raleigh spirit! Venturers and PMs returned tired and buzzing about their last project groups – excited to catch up with their new friends in other groups and exchange stories about their adventures. Alpha six won the skit competition with a musical rendition of their adventures trekking including favourites ‘Is this the way to Long Pasia?’, ‘It’s raining again’ and ‘The lion sleeps tonight’. Their revue beat out the poetry of Alpha two and the frenetic dancing of Alpha four’s gorilla song.

The new groups were announced on Sunday morning and there were the bittersweet goodbyes to friends from first phase combined with the excitement of new groups and projects for phase two.

Alpha one: Alison Walker, Sophie Deeds, Ben Harris, Florine Scheer, Lewis Hone, Selene Ng Shih Ling, Josh Lambert, Zhi Yong Cheong, and Tyrone Timm will be joining PMs Becks, Pete and Sarah F at Kg. Buayan. The group will continue work on the micro hydro-electric system which will bring clean, safe power to the remote community in the Crocker mountain range.

Alpha two: Heidi Manning, Emma Kingdon, Laura Gaskarth, Job de Beer, Lee Lee Chai, Vivian Mohr, Will Thompson, Katherine Hartshorne, Shelley MacDonald, and Jessica Henderson will join PMs Caroline Perkins, Sarah Mostyn and Clare Herbert at Kg Mananam. The Group will complete the gravity water feed this phase and continue building community relations through teaching, sport and completing the mural decoration of the new school.

Alpha three: Roel Vogels, Joshua Salter, Lee Grimsley, Luke Dorey, Mei Ng Hui, Laura Thompson, Will Newell, Kate McQueen, Annette Hodge, Aimee Farrar and Olivier Pierik will join PMs Amy, Chris B and Emily C in the remote Imbak Canyon. The alpha group will continue working on the suspension bridge to the conservation area with the goal of completing the second foundation site this phase.

Alpha five: Marc Harmeling, Matty Davis, Polly Flaxman, Millie Loat, Lu Ying Yap, Kiki Janssen, Josh McIntosh, Ilona Hamilton, Stephan Glynn, Fadzylie Dullie and Woon Chin Farm will join PMs Sarah Y, Ian and Owen in this dive and trek adventure phase. They will spend the first five days earning their PADI open water or advanced diving certification and diving off the beautiful Mamutik Island, helping with the area’s underwater conservation efforts. Following their dive, they will trek for 12 days around Long Pasia – setting up a new camp every day and learning how to live in the jungle with a minimum impact to the environment around them.

Alpha six: Emilie Dieters, Emma Hankinson, Dale Oates, Thomas Carter, Ryan Stidi, Joost Vermeijden, Alana Ingham, Emily Greco, Rebecca Stanbury and Will Harvey will join PMs Dave, Emily R, and Paddy on the trek and dive adventure phase. They will do the same programme as Alpha five in the reverse order, so trekking first, followed by diving.

Before you can blink, the three weeks of phase two will be over and we’ll all be back at the Borneo Paradise ready for the final phase of Raleigh 08H!

All change...

2008-10-23T20:09:00.001-07:00

The first phase is complete and the alpha groups are spending today cleaning their campsites and heading out on their long journeys back toward KK for the first ‘changeover’ that all kicks off tomorrow. The groups will arrive with an air of excitement and anticipation at the Borneo Paradise hotel. For some, the two day ‘break’ will be the first opportunity for a proper shower they’ve had in three weeks!

The venturers and staff will spend the weekend getting clean, catching up with everyone, splitting into their new alpha groups and preparing for departure to their second phase projects.

Photos from Alpha 6

2008-10-23T00:41:00.000-07:00

We caught up with Alpha 6 on the dive island. Here are photos from the trek:

Messages from Alpha 3

2008-10-22T03:12:00.000-07:00

The following messages were collected on the Loop from Alpha 3:

Pete says hi to all his family and friends. Hope you're all doing well. Sorry for not having too much contact, not easy when you're living in the jungle! Can one of my family or friends reading this please post a message with the name of my 3 week old nephew?

Take it easy,
Pete

Hi Adam,

It's me boyo. How you doing? I am okay, having a a great time here in Malaysia. Can't wait to see you when I get back in the 'Diff. C U soon boyo.

PS how's uni going? What've you been up to with life without me? I'm missing you, but when I return we'll have fun believe me boyo!

C U soon,
Matty

Hi Mum and Dad,

It's Matty. I'm alive and well and excited to be here in Malaysian Borneo. Having an amazing time and it will be sad when Raleigh comes to an end. Hope you're both okay and can't wait to see you when I get back to Cardiff. The letter is in the post. Love you lots. Take care. Be safe.

Love,
Matty x

Phasing out...

2008-10-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

Lots of news and photos to report from the front, as the Loop is back, along with Comms Officer Lisa, who has spent the last two weeks visiting and working with Alphas 3, 2 and 4. Lifting and transporting materials has been the main focus of the projects for phase one. Whether its river rocks, sand, gravel or wood, the Alpha groups have been hard at work getting the necessary materials to their project sites. The teams have also been getting stuck into their camps -- making them homey, interacting with the locals and cooking up some gourmet treats.

The work has been hard, but rewarding at Alpha one in the Crocker Mountains. The group has finished moving the sand for the powerhouse for the micro hydro-electric plant. They are now digging and lowering the path to connect the pipes to the dam. It's not all hard work, though. The team has been building community relations -- teaching English, playing football with the locals every night and even teaching them to play a bit of rugby.

Alpha one photos:

Alpha two has made good progress with the gravity water feed at Kg. Mananam -- damming the river, moving and laying pipe and shovelling concrete. To unwind from a hard day's work, the team has football matches most evenings and is helping to coach athletics to prepare the school children for an upcoming competition. The Raleigh team is also leaving its mark by helping to teach English two nights a week and painting a mural on the new local school with an underwater theme that the children are really excited about!

On the homefront, Alpha two enjoys daily swims/baths in the local river to cool off and get clean. They have also experimented with Raleigh rations to make bread and doughballs to the delight of the visitors to the camp!

Alpha two photos:

Alpha three is making good progress at their worksite and to their living quarters at BBC Camp. After spending days transporting river rocks, sand and gravel to the foundation sites of the suspension bridge, the team started mixing concrete and filling in the foundations -- a job they hope to finish today.

Back at camp, they are enjoying showers in the waterfall and making improvements including a private changing room, railings and clothes lines to hang all of their work-worn clothes. In the kitchen, Alpha three is definitely flexing its muscles -- they have so far made bread, chocolate bread, crumble, custard and bread and butter pudding! Not to worry, though -- they are supplementing these sweet treats with a healthy balance of rice, noodles, veg, meat and beans!

Alpha three photos:

Alpha four is truly enjoying the wildlife and sites of Batu Puteh. Last week, many of the team members were lucky enough to see an orangutan in the wild, just outside the EcoLodge. Workwise, they have shifted at least seven tonnes of ironwood to the EcoLodge to help finish the boardwalk, walls and lattice work. They also cleaned the site in preparation for a visitng group and spent the day at the MESCOT centre giving it a good spring clean, which resulted in a water fight to cool everyone off.

When they aren't working, Alpha four is playing -- ping pong and volleyball with the local community as well as a series of card games. They've also taken part in a river cruise, spotting proboscus mokeys and macaques as well as hornbills and herons in the wild. As a treat, they visited Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre on Sunday and enjoyed an afternoon off at the pool (complete with showers!).

Alpha four photos:

Alpha six completed their trek on Saturday and is now on the beautiful island of Mamutik, off the coast of KK. The group is finishing their PADI training with an open water dive today, while the divers who are already qualified within the group earn their advanced and rescue diving certificates. Alpha six finished the trek on Saturday. They are one of the only Raleigh groups in recent history to reach the 1700 metre summit of Mt. Senipong, so a great accomplishment for the team!

Photos of Mamutik Island:

Due to being always on the move, we don't have any photos from Alpha six yet, but watch this space for pictures soon!

Here We Go Loop De Loop!

2008-10-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family, it's time for a little update of what's going on here in Raleigh Borneo!

We're now just entering into the third week of Phase 1 and a team from fieldbase has started their Loop trip in their trusty Landies on Saturday and will have driven through all four project sites in Kampung Mananam, Kampung Buayan, Imbak Canyon and Batu Puteh by tomorrow. They are delivering kit, supplies and of course, the all-important post!

When the team is back we will definitely have more updates on the goings-on of Raleigh Borneo and then before you know it, the teams will be at changeover and getting into their new groups and projects for phase two (this weekend)!

Blog message from A1

2008-10-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

The following message home was radioed in to fieldbase yesterday from Alpha 1:

Happy birthday mum!
Love Will Newell (A1)

Opening Ceremony Photos

2008-10-16T02:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a selection of photos from the Opening Ceremony at Likas on 6th Oct taken by the Sabah Support Group who work in Sabah with Raleigh to recruit local Venturers. The photos show the main activities of the evening, the food, the exchange of gifts and the dancing. As you can see Staff and Venturers had a great evening prior to the early start for project deployment.

We want your comments

2008-10-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

Family and friends of Venturers and Staff.

It is great to get all of your comments on the blog and we will ensure that Venturers and Staff get to see them all at Changeover of Projects. Please be aware however that all comments need to be read and approved by us first so will not immediately appear on the blog. Therefore you only need to send your message once.

Please also write to Venturers and Staff at

Raleigh International

PO Box 14182

88848 Kota Kinabalu

Sabah

Malaysia

We will get another blog up soon but for now please see some more photos from Induction/Jungle Camp week.

Phase 1 has deployed

2008-10-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

After a fun packed week of jungle life, river crossings, basher building and pretending to be blindfolded sheep the venturers finally found out what projects they are on for Phase 1 on Sunday and got to relax (for a short while anyway) and sit and talk to their Project Managers to find out about their life for the next 3 weeks.

On Monday we all set off for Likas where after packing all clothes, food, equipment, and the writing of many letters home the Venturers and Staff were treated to a spectacular evening’s entertainment – the 08H Opening Ceremony. All guests indulged in an amazing buffet and barbeque of gorgeous Malaysian food (and some tried to eat enough to keep them going for the next 3 weeks) and listened to speeches by the Raleigh Country Director Jim Clements and the Minister of Youth and Sport Sabah, YB Encik Peter Pang En Yin who officially opened the 08H expedition.

The highlight of the evening however was the Malaysian dance group which performs dances by the many different tribes living in Borneo, Venturers gathered round to watch, enthralled at the skill displayed by the dancers and many even joined in by doing some of the famous Bamboo dancing which involves jumping over bamboo, gracefully and rhythmically, as it is knocked together by other dancers.

Left: Alpha 6 trying to get tyres in numerical order on a post in silence

Right Alpha 2's team in the 'If it ain't raining it ain't training' Raleigh Olympics

After the Monday night excitement all Staff and Venturers were up early Tuesday morning eager to deploy to project. Between 0600 and 0800 all 5 Alpha groups loaded up buses and cars and were waved off by Fieldbase staff and all successfully and safely reached their locations during Tuesday day.

So the big question – who is in which Alpha group???

Alpha 1 – PMs Chris B and Rebecca - micro hydro-electrical system Kampong Buayan; Lu Ying Yap; Dennis Gan Chye Sheng: Ollie Pierik; Kiki Janssen; Alana Ingham; Aimee Farrar; Tom Carter; Annie Hodge; Saphir Glynn and Will Newell.

Left: Alpha 1 doing a teambuilding task

Centre: Alpha 2 cooling off with a paddle in the River Kiulu

Alpha 2 – PMs Caroline, Sarah M and Chris C - gravity water feed system at Kampong Mananam: Mei Ng Hui; Ryan Stidi; Joost Vermejden; Will Harvey; Ilona Hamilton; Emily Greco; Emma Hankinson; Luke Dorey; Lee Grimsley; Kate McQueen and Camilla Loat.

Alpha 3 – PMs Amy, Pete and Ian - suspension bridge at Imbak Canyon; Selene Ng Shih Ling; Fadzylie Dullie; Job de Beer; Emilie Dieters; Josh McIntosh; Polly Flaxman; Matty Davis; Jess Henderson; Will Thompson; Dale Oates and Laura Gaskarth.

Bottom: Alpha 3 discuss life in Imbak Canyon

Left: Trekkers Alpha 6 do more teambuilding

Right: Alpha 4 do PM Emily's famous 'Double Thumbs' pose

Alpha 4 - PMs Clare and Emily C - Eco-lodge at Batu Puteh; Woon Chin farm; Rebecca Stanbury; Sophie Deed; Marc Harmeling; Emma Kingdon; Josh Lambert; Florine Scheer; Ben Harris and Lewis Hone.

Alpha 6 – PMs Dave, Sarah Y, Andrew and Anna - trekking and diving; Lee Lee Chai; Jonathon Zhi Yong Cheong; Roel Vogels; Vivian Mohr; Tyrone Timm; Stacey Manning; Alison Walker; Shelley McDonald; Katie Hartshorne; Laura Thompson and Josh Salter.

We at Fieldbase are wishing all Venturers and Project Staff a safe and productive phase 1 and are looking forward to hearing all the news from the project sites and seeing everyone at first changeover where the excitement of who goes where next will build all over again.

More new arrivals!

2008-10-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

Raleigh Borneo welcomes its own new member of staff, Yolanda Graham, along with the remainder of the venturers. Yolanda started her full time job at Raleigh Field Base on 30th September as the Host Country Venturer Coordinator. She will be responsible for developing relationships with organisations throughout Malaysia and recruiting venturers from within Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. We are thrilled to have Yolanda on board! She brings diverse experience to the role. In her previous job, she was the editor of the Sabah tourism magazine. Yolanda also volunteered as project manager for Raleigh Borneo in 2007 and is a qualified English teacher.

The gang’s all here!
Following airport runs at midnight on Tuesday and throughout the day on Wednesday, the Raleigh staff team has now greeted all of the Borneo 08H venturers. After the last plane landed in Kota Kinabalu, we all boarded buses to TAC, where the venturers are currently living and undergoing their induction and jungle training.

The venturers take it all in a TAC: listening, learning and practicing skills and energisers with Jim (bottom left). They still get to enjoy a bit of time off to paddle and wash in the river.

With days packed full of practical skills training, camp craft, swim tests, medical talks, first aid scenarios and energisers, it is understandable that the venturers are a bit tired. Despite this, they are full of enthusiasm and ready to tackle the challenges ahead! Over the next two days, venturers, their VPMs and local guides will be heading into jungle camp in small groups. Come rain or shine, they will learn to set up their hammocks and bashers so they can stay dry when they sleep in the jungle. They will learn the basics of outdoor living and how to survive 'comfortably' in the jungle in preparation for the projects on which they will be working.

The projects:

All this training and activity is keeping everyone busy while they eagerly await to hear which projects they will be participating in. Will it be:

Alpha 1 with Chris B and Rebecca on the micro hydro-electical system Kampong Buayan? Raleigh participants will team up with long-standing charity partner, PACOS Trust, to bring power to a number of remote communities within the majestic Crocker mountain range. The project will include building the system’s engine house, erecting telegraph poles, connecting cables and laying pipe from the water source to the engine house. The community has long desired an environmentally friendly energy source to replace its current limited, generator-driven power supply.

Alpha 2 with Caroline, Sarah M and Chris C on the gravity water feed system at Kampong Mananam? Located in a remote area in central Sabah, the community has approximately 1,000 inhabitants of Sungai Makiang origin living in traditionally built long houses. In this project, Raleigh volunteers will work alongside the community to install a gravity water system to supplement the current water sources of rain water and the Kinabatangan River. In addition to constructing the water feed, venturers will have the opportunity to learn about the local culture and assist with teaching in the kampong school. This project is being part sponsored by HSBC.

Alpha 3 with Amy, Pete and Ian on the construction of a suspension bridge at Imbak Canyon? Imbak Canyon is has been described as possibly the largest untouched rainforest in Borneo, if not the world. The region is home to a variety of wildlife including elephants, orang-utans and hundreds of rare bird species. Raleigh volunteers are helping to build a new suspension bridge at the entrance of the canyon to allow scientists access for research purposes. The project will help to protect the future biodiversity of the whole area and the work will also include trail improvements to and from the canyon.

Alpha 4 with Claire and Emily on the Eco-lodge at Batu Puteh?
In this beautiful area, Raleigh volunteers will be working with the Sungai people of the Lower Kinabatangan River to help complete the development of an Eco Lodge that will promote sustainable tourism and provide an alternative source of income for the community. Venturers and staff will live in an environmentally sound jungle camp, not only working on the ongoing construction of the site, but also developing trails and planting trees.

Alpha 5 with Dave, Sarah Y, Andrew and Anna trekking and diving? Adventure project teams will trek in the south-western corner of Sabah on the Kalimantan and Sarawak border, starting from the small village of Long Pa Sia. The area is one of the richest plant diversity sites in Borneo in particular for orchids, rhododendrons and pitcher plants. There are many ancient legends passed down through the generations which make this a fascinating place to spend some time as well as being thick and untouched jungle.

Additionally, Raleigh volunteers will be involved in a diving programme on Mamutik Island which includes completing a certified PADI Open Water Diver course followed by 1 or 2 days of conservation work.

The suspense is buliding amongst the venturers and they are looking forward to Sunday when all will be revealed!

The first venturers arrive

2008-09-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

After weeks of preparation and training, the Raleigh staff team warmly welcomed the first venturers today. Arriving from Kuala Lumpur (KL) and locally from Sabah, eight of the nine host country venturers joined Field Base staff for lunch and headed straight off to TAC to begin their training.

Tonight they’ll get into the spirit of Raleigh with a cooking competition on trangias with the rations they’ve been given for the night. Emily and Yolanda are eagerly awaiting their role as judges which allows them to taste all of the tantalising delights the venturers whip up using pasta, curry sauce, kidney beans and chick peas.

The venturers are anxious and excited about the adventures that await them on Raleigh and look forward to getting to know each other, as well as the rest of the staff and venturers who will join them at TAC tomorrow.

Healthy competition?

2008-09-30T03:05:00.000-07:00

Photographic evidence and GPS positions were produced and much deliberation took place to determine the result of a draw in the competition for the first Raleigh Borneo 08H ‘leeching’. The tie was between medics Emily and Andrew, representing the trekking and Imbak Canyon projects respectively.

The spirit of the Olympic Games travelled to KK on Sunday as we held our own ‘Raleigh Olympics’ after a hard day’s work. Events included the three legged race, wheelbarrow races, mini bowling, ‘Eating Nemo’ (aka a sardine eating contest), and the ‘Kiora Polo challenge’ which involved eating an entire packet of Polo mints followed by drinking several litres of Kiora orange drink. The latter produced some sore stomachs, but the teams were all still able to flex their muscles and put their strength to the test with the uphill Land Rover push!

A sporting chance

2008-09-26T02:29:00.000-07:00

Leeches are a part of Raleigh life in Borneo, especially in the jungle canopy. While they are not the most pleasant of our forest-dwelling friends, it is predestined that most of us will encounter these invertebrate blood suckers at some point during our Raleigh expedition. In true Raleigh spirit, the volunteer staff have turned a potentially negative situation into a positive one by instigating a competition around the first person to get ‘leeched’.

It is already being hotly contested by the VPMs who are currently out on their project planning visits. Field Base has already had leeching times and grid references from a few of the groups during their regular radio communications. The final decision will be made and a prize given to the winner on Sunday when all the VPMs return from their reccies.

Welcome to the Jungle!

2008-09-22T02:24:00.000-07:00

The entire Raleigh Borneo 08H staff team arrived hot and VERY sweaty back at Field Base yesterday afternoon following an intense two days of training. We spent Friday at the Traverse Adventure Centre (TAC), a ‘luxury’ camp on the edge of the jungle – the same place we’ll head in a week’s time to welcome the venturers and get them semi-acclimated to the jungle environment. We practiced skills and scenarios such as radio communications, river crossings, outdoor cooking, basher building and the all important long drop (see glossary) digging! In true Raleigh style, a day of hard work earned us a bit of play time and we all enjoyed a refreshing swim in the river.

The Raleigh volunteer staff enjoy a swim in the river at TAC

After a night outdoors at TAC, we all put our newly acquired skills into practice bright and early on Saturday, loading rucksacks full of all the kit and food we would need and headed over the river into the jungle canopy. We arrived safely at jungle camp after a hot, sweaty and steep two and a half hour hike and proceeded to set up camp for the night – a new experience for many of us! Finding a pair of trees the right distance apart and actually constructing our bashers with tarp, hammocks and mossie nets required a lot of trial and error as well as help and support from our fellow Raleigh volunteers. All valuable skills that we’ll now be able to use and pass on to the venturers for ‘comfortable’ jungle living. Setting up camp proved to be sweaty work and after preparing and fixing our lunches we all headed to the river for much needed baths and some chill out time!

Jungle camp from above

As we’re only just North of the equator, we were basically in total darkness from about 6.30 in the evening, so we all worked in teams to prepare early dinners at dusk. We then took some time to discuss our experiences from the day and to look ahead to the expedition before heading to bed for an early night.

The trills and diphthongs of insects and critters composed a symphony of loud jungle sounds which, combined with the heat and the odd light from a head torch in search of the long drop, made for a somewhat disrupted sleep for many of us. Fatigue eventually kicked in and we were able to catch a few winks of sleep before an early start the next morning. By 11.00 a.m. we had taken down camp, cleaned up and were already back at TAC and on coaches heading back to Field Base. Upon arrival queues for the showers were out the door in an effort to wash off the bits of jungle we had taken with us. We all managed to get cleaned up, count our mosquito bites and enjoy a well- earned afternoon off, finishing the day with an evening of Chinese food and traditional Bornean dancing at the Port View seafood restaurant in Kota Kinabalu.

Volunteer Project Managers arrive

2008-09-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

Organised chaos descended on Field Base today with the arrival of the 11 Volunteer Project Managers, rounding out the staff team to its complete 23 members. Amidst the adventures of minor flooding and the trickling arrival of the VPMs off their delayed flights due to rainstorms, the day was chock-full of induction exercises with Mac and Jim and with Field Base leading the foray for tonight’s feast of roti at one of Raleigh’s local haunts.

The entire staff team will be heading out into the field (err, jungle, that is) tomorrow for a crash course in jungle life to prepare for the venturers’ arrival in two week’s time. We’ll know no doubt have some stories to share after jungle camp, so do keep your eyes peeled on the blog for more pics and anecdotes as we get to know the ropes of Raleigh life – and each other!

Advanced field base staff

2008-09-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

The advanced Field Base team is off and running – some of us, quite literally, but more on that in a minute. Still battling jet lag, and becoming acclimatised to the humidity, we are getting into the swing of things at Raleigh Borneo's Field Base in a house just outside Kota Kinabalu. The site is buzzing as the advanced staff are learning about our new roles with Jim and Mac and kicking things off, laying the groundwork for what promises to be a great expedition!

A fit field base staff is an effective one - or so we hope! Dodging dogs and winding out way round the suburban streets of Sabah seven of the team started the day with a Field Base morning run – hopefully the first of many.

Who’s who at field base

Country director – Jim Clements

Country manager - Mark 'Mac' McCarthy

Logistics - Chris Chamberlain, Owen Illingworth, Sarah French and Simon Whittle

Admin staff - Sheila O'Neill and Jo Grey

Medics - Emily Rowbotham and Ian Fraser

change a tyre on the Landrover

Finance - Patrick Harvey chills out before the morning run

Communications(Comms)

Lisa Henshaw (yours truly) post run

And Lolly -- our Field Base chef with two handfuls of bananas