The Greens, The Mountains, The Mud --- BRUNEI

it is the toughest 2 weeks i have ever experienced all my 19 years of human life
never had i climbed mountains that high with heavy load all over me
never had i walked in the rivers and mud for 4 days consecutive
never had i felt so weak before


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we started with navigation exercise
for our team of 8, there was no instructors
which means we navigate all the way ourselves
a map, a compass, a counter, a GPS (Global Positioning Satellite)
that's all we had to make us safe

it is the 1st time we ever seen a leech
disgusting creature that simply won't go away
unless u burn it or smear something prickly on it
and leaves behind a wound that doesn't stop bleeding

it is our 1st time we sleep in hammocks
hammocks r the cleanest place to hide in amongst the dirt n soil
n the 1st time we trust our groundsheet
cos it sheltered us from the torrental rain that lasted 1hr or so everyday
keeping us cosily dry in our cosy hammock
i promise next time i go beach, i'll bring a hammock with me
i fell in love with hammocks thereafter

but walking 4 days consecutive in the forest is not wad a normal cityman can take
every step u take, u feel the mud
sometimes, walking in the murky river is our only choice
river that is waist deep
and having the illusion that leech might be crawling in our boots
it isn't a nice experience at all
other than the fact that our concept of river have changed
and our level of experience in navigation has increased

by the 3rd day
i was missing home
i was telling myself i'll bring my mum n sis for a good meal once i reach home
n i was asking myself
what the heck n i doing this for
putting myself in such discomfort and disorientation
fighting with the haunting leeches
meddling with mud
surrounded by funny creepy crawlies
is it really worth it
does it contribute to "defending the nation"?

the day i took the helicopter away from the forest
i looked down into the thick, vast greenery
n i told myself
i never want to go into that maze
that disaster land
never again
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