In July 2007, a party of 10 girls spent 4 weeks in Borneo on an environmental and service project organised by the school.

The expedition started with a stay in a remote village, where the party helped to build a kindergarten facility - living and working with the community.  The second part of the programme included a four day trek through the rain forest, a visit to the orang-utan sanctuary at Sepilok, a trip to Poring Springs and a trek up Tresmadi mountain.

Here are some extracts from reports from the party, made during brief opportunities to use an internet café in Kuta Kinabalu.

22 July 2007

We arrived in Borneo and spent a few days in Kuta Kinabalu preparing for the trek and getting used to the time difference. We then travelled 3 hours by bus and nearly 6 hours by 4x4 to reach the village where we were to be based while we helped build the kindergarten. It was much bigger than we thought and the houses were very basic. The 13 of us were in 6 different houses, where we ate and slept.  Every morning we trekked approx 4 km to Long Mio – a much smaller community - where we worked with the villagers on building the kindergarten.  The trek was up and down very uneven ground and we thought, at the time, that it was pretty tough in the heat!  We finished the building but it rained so badly on the last night that we couldn't get back to open it, so this was postponed until the day we left.

We then set off for the 4 day trek.  We trekked with a 15kg backpack in sweltering temperatures through 16km of the most dense primary rain forest. When we finally hit camp it was on a hill with the river 50m away down a steep slope.  We had a job to set up our hammocks and were hungry and exhausted.  Getting up in the morning was very challenging, as we had to put on wet clothes and set off to trek again through the jungle for 12km.  This camp was much better and the river was beautiful.  We washed in the river in little rock pool areas and had a really good evening.  The next day we trekked for another 15 km and reached our best camp yet.  It was a challenge to get there as we had some vertical climbs to make and we stopped at an amazing waterfall. The camp was by a fantastic wide river and we had just started to wash when the heavens opened.  When it rains here it really rains!!  Henry, our Borneo guide, treated us to a folk lore story and dance before we went to bed, just 10m from the river - a great way to go to sleep. The final trek back was over two wide rivers (great fun - wading thigh deep through the water), through rain forest for 2-3 hours, then down a deserted logging track, and we had a great time stopping to look at flowers, butterflies and fruit.  We were hungry and tired and when we saw Long Pa Sai we all cheered.  We have some great photos, and can't believe how dirty and tired we looked.  When we got back we had a cup of tea - I never knew it could taste so good!! - and then washed our clothes in the 'wash room' and took a 'shower'.  What seemed so basic a week ago now seemed like luxury - funny what you get used to!!!

We then went to Long Mio for the opening ceremony which was very emotional!  Our kids made a speech and sang to the kids and the village kids sang to us.  We then exchanged presents and cut the ribbon.  The building wasn't completely finished as we has run out of money but we have pledged the rest and are sending it once we are back.

The next morning we made the long journey back to Kuta Kinabalu, where we had a rest day,we splashed out and took a boat to the most beautiful little island and spent the day on the beach and shopping in the market.

27 July 2007

We're back in KK for a couple days to prepare for the trek up Tresmadi mountain, which is apparently really tough - we have a 7 hour climb on the first day alone! 

We have been to Sepilok, the orangutan santuary and it was great to see them really close up.

We then had a change of plan, and headed for a project in a fishing village. Moments after we arrived, we experienced the biggest storm of our lives – a bit scary but fantastic!!  We had an evening river cruise and saw wild orangutans, monkeys and crocodiles.  We went back to our home stays and got ready for an evening of 'cultural music'.  We put on traditional costumes and then watched the dancers.  For the last dance they pulled all of us up to join in - all the girls were great fun and we have some great pictures!  We went to bed really tired but were kept awake by the noisiest load of toads on record!  At 5am the cockerels started, followed by the start of the Muslim morning prayers.  The next day we had another river cruise at 5.30 in the morning, followed by a jungle trek, and the girls then had a Malaysian cooking lesson and cooked us lunch – which was delicious!  We ate with our families that evening and the next day we travelled to Poring Springs. They weren't quite what we had expected as they were manmade springs but we had a good time anyway.  We saw an enormous flower - the Rafflesia - that only blooms once in a blue moon and smells of rotting flesh!  The locals put signs up when it's blooming and you can go in the 'garden/jungle' and see it.  

We are off to the beach tomorrow for a rest before our huge climb!

31 July 2007

On the next stage of our Borneo adventure we set off for the mountain climb in Tresmadi and had to catch another bus for a 2˝ hour bus ride. then 1˝ hours in 4x4s. We stayed the night in an old long house.  There were no windows or doors so we cooked on our camp stove and slept in our sleeping bags on the floor!  Up at 5am to set off by 6am, we walked for 7˝ hours with only a few stops.  It was uphill, uphill and more uphill through a maze of trees, roots, mud and rocks - rainforest isn't quite so beautiful when you’re in the middle of it!  Within 10 minutes of leaving we had to cross a river.  As there aren't many bridges out here, you get your feet wet - great trekking all day in wet boots!

At last we reached our camp spot - a very small area on one of the summits, covered in roots and not big enough to swing a cat, and pitched our tents.  We ate pasta and mushroom soup that the kids cooked - funny how such things can taste so good when your cold, tired and hungry!  Then it started to rain … and it rained, and rained, and rained!  We went to bed (4 of us in a 3 man tent - warm but rather cramped) and woke at 4am, ready to leave at 4.30 - only we didn't.  The weather was so bad that visibility was really low and it wasn't safe, so we waited, and waited and waited.  At 8am it was decided that trekking the last 200 metres (200m measured straight up - but we would probably have had to walk about 1000m, zig zagging up) was not a good idea.  We would see nothing but clouds and there was also a narrow ridge to climb so there was a health and safety issue.  So we packed up camp and set off down the mountain - a little bit disappointed.  5˝ hours and lots of sore knees later we reached the bottom. (We sprinted through the 3 rivers on the way back - amazing where you get the energy from!)  We took off our wet socks (and rung them out), emptied our boots and jumped in the jeeps.  Half an hour into the drive back I felt a pain in my foot.  When I lifted it up, I had a leech on the sole.  I screamed so loudly that the driver nearly crashed the truck!!  We eventually got back to KK at 7pm, found our hostel - not as nice as the Borneo Lodge but it was dry, warm and leech free!!

Now we are getting ready to go white water rafting!  It's level 3/4 so I hope I can do it!  Everyone's really looking forward to it, and the pictures should be interesting!  We are then off to Pula Tiga, a really beautiful island with an amazing beach (we just found out that the Survivor TV programme was filmed there!!)

It's been a long 3˝ weeks but it's been a great adventure!