My old schoolmates and I went on a really outrageously tiresome but quiet camping trip to Sungai Congkak, somewhere in Hulu Langat. Fwoar that place ar. seriously, it's like a BIG kampung. not until like rumah papan, but like they have schools and busses without air-conditioning, and rest stops right outside their plantations (means those harvests are ULTRA FRESH, NO QUESTIONS ABOUT IT) and average facilities etc.




We had this giant idea, so Pei Lin attempted to gather as many participants as we could, but only 7 of us were dedicated enough, to do mindless rough camping, for 'civilized city folk' like us.

So we started of with:

Alvin
Kien Khong
Marcus
Yoke Yan
Hun Yee
Pei Lin
Me

and after 3 pure hours of exhausting river trekking throughout the afternoon... Alvin and Khong had to leave during dinner. and well, it got lonely at night. Hmm.





Yea so it was kinda sweet to remember all the crazy activities we used to do during our scouting days... building towers under the scorching sun, sweating out gallons of salty water while doing push ups and tying knots around bamboo stilts, crawling through mud and shouting at juniors who don't use their brains (ok sorry, I know now you're all intelligent and witty beings, so it's alright now), and cuckoo things like that.


But after awhile, the fatigue started to kick in, and we were soon wondering.





I actually asked Hun Yee,


"eh."

"what?"

"why do we like to go camping ar?"

"well coz it's fun!"

"but..."

"and we don't get to do these kinda things everyday, ya know. "

"but don't you think it's -"

"and it's so soothing! peace and quiet, out in the woods... nothing like a good getaway from technostress in the city! "

"ah."





After we trekked upstream, and back downstream (holy shit man, believe me, downstream is so much more difficult like FIFTY TAOHSERN TIMES more tiring and wrist-breaking than going upstream. We couldn't really understand why as yet, but yeah), we took a shower... started with preparing dinner in our good 'ol trusty banged up, burnt messtins... lovely equipment! so simple to use and carry..





Ah yes, we actually drove right up to where we pitched the dome tents. Darn city folk... so pampered.





(and vain)





(and lazy)





So dinner with a wok of mee hoon. umm, I can't really find the words to describe how dry and unappetizing the mee hoon was, (I'm really sorry Pei Lin, but this is what a blog is truly for - to express your deepest emotions) but I frickinnngggg could not understand whyyyyy, of all the knowledge we've gained in the past 5 years since our last camp when we cooked this sorta thing... whhyyyy in the worldd do we have to end up with sper dry, rubbery, almost-tasteless, dull, and boring MEE HOON.


FARK MAN.

DRY RUBBERY MEE HOON, YOU KNOW.


Eat raw nestum also better man.

But anyway, I tried to improvise abit la (Yes, it was MEEEE, so I will appropriately credit myself in relation to the event, as I actually DID make the

DRY RUBBERY MEE HOON

taste better) by rummaging through the food basket and finding other food stuffs, anything that can be cooked with that

DARN RUBBER

and wow. luckily we found corn, lady's fingers, salt, soya sauce, eggs and... beef burger patty!




Can't really see the corn, lady's fingers and eggs in the picture above, but IT REALLY DID HELP OKAY. I THINK I SAVED ALL OF OUR DAYS that time okei. Coz the nearest mamak was at least 4 miles away.





And well, yea I saved the day/evening once again, by preparing the butter chocolate fondue. With lovely strawberries, biscuits, apples, bananas and whatever we could throw into the pool of cocoa sauce. w00t





As the night fell, we talked crap and ate snacks all night. But there was one highlight I'd like to emphasize on. which was the bloody SANDFLY BITES.

can you imagine all night, not sleeping comfortably, having to change into long pants halfway through the night, scratching and scratching and beating and whacking and slapping and scratching violently and bleeding and... nola not bleeding. but scratching and scratching... omg it was a really UNIQUE EXPERIENCE if you ask me. I don't know about the others but up till today, I still have these sandfly bites itching like madness all over my legs and arms and I can't stop scratching. Oh Lord, grant me peace and calm, and abstinence from finding pleasure in pain through scratching. Oh Lord, grant me steadiness and... ARGHHH!! LORD, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. can you imagine like 20 of these all over my body



Wah fark, that one like disease man. Nola, not that bad. like little tiny red pricks la, maybe 10 or so on my legs.

BARGGGHHHH.

ok I think my descriptions are making me disgusted and geli myself. Not thaaatt baaaad lah. Just a little annoying. I think the funniest part throughout the camp was when Hun Yee was getting something from inside the dome tent and she screamed so hysterically until it was like ear-splitting. I quickly glanced at her,

"Hun Yee! You kena rape ar?!"

"A wasp stung me la!"

Hahahaha. kena rape by wasp konon. But it was serious though. She had to take a jab at the clinic coz the sting swelled up her thigh so bad. Good that she's alright now.




Ok yes, there was another highlight. we had Backwood's cooking the next day. Backwood's is a sorta style for 'cooking in the woods' as they say it, using natural material and ingredients as equipment and utensils. For the most basic example, using firewood, twigs and leaves for fire, using coconut husks to cook rice, and banana leafs as plates, etc.

That was the most gruesome afternoon in my entire year. I may look happy in that picture, but the ash in my eye, and the bites on my leg, and the FRIGGING INCH-AND-A-HALF-SIZED ANTS IN THE TOILET suggest otherwise.

So yeah. camping is fun.






"Jon Ming ah,"

"Yes, Hun Yee?"

"Umm...Why do we like to go camping?"