date : 1-3 february 2008
venue : rps betau
organised by the titiwangsa rover scouts
day 1
touchdown as early as 4am! yes, freaking 4am and started pitching tents just before it started to rain. darn! that morning we had ice breaking where we got into 4 groups which are distributed fairly. got our life jackets and whistle before we head on to the first round of water confidence.
we had to float in a line of about 8-10 people. not easy. some got floated away from the stop as the water current is very strong. by right, we have a second round of water confidence but the current got stronger because of the rain in the morning. it had to be cancelled! we ended up having reflection, football session which ended up under the rain with mud slides from the players on the field and more chit-chat session before we prepare to go for sewang that night.
sewang - it's a traditional rite i would say. it begins with a chant and seeking for blessings from god before everyone jumped right into the "dance floor". here, apparently, a girl cannot turn down a request from a guy to ber-sewang. hope i got my facts right. the bamboo floors of the house looks like it is about to collapse when you have about 20-30 people doing the sewang. it's a little jumping and skipping i would say. interesting. thank god the floor didn't crack or gave way.
day 2
rakit handling demo and a short river try out before the big day the next day. the water was calm. and i got my sunburnt. the picture below was taken while waiting for the demo to begin.
second round of water confidence under the rain. we had to. no choice. under the rain we go. i almost drown. the end of the floating was marked with a rope. i held on to the rope however i couldn't stand because the current was pushing me. the water was shallow, until my chest. but the currents really gave me a hard time. if it wasn't for oli who was next to me and loges saw us two trying, i think i would have really drown in a way.
that night, band boy betau (yes, the orang asli have a boy band and apparently that have an album. they entertained us - a very unresponsive, tired crowd that later sprung after god-knows-who gave them booster shots and they started sewang-ing, jumping, dancing, head banging, and singing. fun!
day 3
the big day! everyone packed everything that is needed which includes food (lunch was on the raft) and mind you it is an estimated 8 hour bumpy ride down the river. i had 3 guys on my raft. strong ones and experience ones. i just sat throughout the whole bumpy ride until we reached a clearing, and that's when driver abg kumin (an orang asli) said to me, " ni hah, tukar driver!" (here, change driver!) haha, i got to 'drive' the raft! darn syok and i thought i won't be getting the chance.
the day ended with a closing ceremony with good food and certificates presentation. we left at 10pm and everyone was sound asleep 30 minutes later, i think cos it was really quiet.
it was fun. really. the ride was great. one experience just before the chinese new year. given a chance, i would like to go for another round!
more pictures available at
sponge's fotopages
