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Project GeckOAid - 4 Recce

Just as we recced GA-1 and GA-3 (GA-2 we followed someone else in) we went and re recced GA 4 last weekend here is the quick diary. It started out as 3 day trip with a relaxing sunday to be spent it Pos Simpo doing nothing and heading home monday morning for a relaxing drive. It started out badly with torrential rain causing us to take 6 hours to travel the last 47k of 4x4 track to Pos Simpo and some 7 hours to do the return 47k as we repaired the areas we got stuck in on the up trip. Then to cap it all of the Mat Salleh ened up in hospital for 3 days with severe food poisoning after eating out very late monday on his return home. Lim and Myself (Mat Salleh)departed KL early saturday monring to Travel to Gua Musang .

Friday, July 22, 2005

We slowly but surely tootle along the highway, The MatSalleh and Joycelyn in their little red LCII and Neil in his Toyota Hilux.

We were missing our other Gecko, Jida, who had mysteriously pulled a ligament in her ankle "sitting" at dinner earlier in the week (sounds unbelieveable, but it's true). We are slowly being pursued up the highway by Adzhar and Abu in their "warrior" Landcruiser. Finally we arrive at our usual Friday night camping spot of Ulu Chepor (200k North of Kualar Lumpur our starting point) and meet with Lim and Amy, Pika, Kerwin & Teck Him. Adzhar and Abu show up after about an hour. We relax with a much-needed cold drink from our coolers and talk until 2.00am when we decide it's time for bed as we have to collect the Doctors in 5 hours.

Saturday, July 23, 2005

6.00am rolls (more likes snoozes) around very quick and we are all awakened by the various mobile phone alarms going off. Arriving at the hospital, we find the original crew of doctors from GeckOAid1 - Sheila, Reuben and Cham and a supply of medicine. Finally, we head off towards Kampung Beswok (GPS N nn nn.nnn E nnn nn.nnn) some 70km away and roughly 40km off the tarmac, in the Perak Jungle.

We have "teh tarik" (and breakfast) at a local stall first before heading off. Finally, we are in Lasah, then off the blacktop, but only after we get smashed and crashed about the cabin as the tarmac disintergrates into a war zone. Ahhhh, luxury! We finally hit the dirt track. It is easy, or is it? Some 20km up, we pull over for sweep Lim to investigate a "noisy wheel" in Kerwin's Ford Ranger. After 10 minutes, Lim tells us over the radio that the wheels are coming off. We turn around. to go look. It's not an injury our Doctors can fix. It needs a Ford Doctor. The front left wheel bearing has done its final turn. We go ahead and relax (for 30 mins) whilst the luggage is off-loaded into another vehicle. We are off again. The sick Ford, escorted by Lim and Pika, will join us later at the clinic after having new bearings fitted.

Kg Beswok appears after we bouncing up the last 20km of deteriorating rocky track. We are finally at Beswok, only 30 minutes late at 12.30pm. It's strangley quiet. We ask for the Headman (Mohamad Daud) but he is now living in Ipoh. We set up the clinic. No visitors. It appears we have arrived at lunch time. Then the locals have their baths and get dressed up for the clinic. We wait for them to approach us while they watch us. Is there a standoff? Sidah of WildAsia does some fast talking with the girls. The men are away hunting and the wives will not do anything without their permission. Also, it seems that some very large families have moved away with the village chief. It takes another 30 minutes but, slowly, the people arrive. We also discover that the remaining villagers are mostly illiterate, including the new headman. There is also no schooling for the children. Finally, it's busy - mainly infant and their mums. There are few men, they are either away hunting or working in the factories. Nothing serious for the Doctors to treat. Abu and Neil are the chief orange distributors. They give out extras to the kids (see the little kid with evidence of several consumed). Good part about this job is we get to keep the soft ones and eat the good bits ourselves. They're delicious. These oranges are expensive at RM65 per box this month. Happy kids run around eating biscuits Alice has been handing out, kids are crying as the docs squirt the deworming stuff down their mouths, innocent babies hang on their mothers' backs. Some of the girls are not yet out of their teens but are already mothers with 2 or 3 children. They have been married since they were 14 or 15. The lack of a school, a teacher and dental care is bugging the Mat Salleh. It continues long after the trip is over. It's a strange scene compared to the last vist. The kids are healthier, the headlice have almost dissappeared and we have our suspicions confirmed - there have been more medical visits to the kampung.

Dental care seems to be a major issue. The Jungle Geckos will be taking this up as an additional part of Project GeckOAid. Equipping a portable 4x4 with dental equipment is the next goal. Anyone want to assist? We hear a diesel - Lim's 1KZ (Toyota). He arrives with a status report on the Ranger - The axle has been removed and is in Sg Siput being repaired. Hopefully, they will be able to join us at camp by 5pm. Lim and Amy stay an hour to give us a hand.

Finally, it's time to wrap up the clinic and camp 20m below the village on a flat area. Our total number of patients is not as large as the last time, some 68 families but the good news is health has improved and skin diseases reduced. Joycelyn, the resident Jungle Geckos gourmet chef, has prepared a treat for the doctors with 3 stoves. The menu is Pasta, Curried Chicken, Chicken Liver, Bread, Cheese, cold drinks from the cooler we retrieved the Ranger. The sick Ranger and its escort of one Pajero (broken axle from last trip) and the ever faithful Lim in his Toyota finally arrive at about 6.00pm. The rest of the evening is spent buying custom made blowpipes from the locals including one which is finished overnite and chatting and relaxing after a hard day in the sun.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Up early as we have to go to Kuala Mu some 20km back down the track and then 20km up another track. But it is definitely not as bumpy as the Beswok Track. 9.30am and we are ready, on schedule. Reaching the "log" bridge (the MatSalleh had an incident here a week later and almost drowned in the river). Only 20km to Kuala Mu. After the first steep climb, the Pajero starts playing up - it is having fuel problems with its recently-fitted tank. The suspicion is that the tank is dirty and the filter is blocked. We persevere on, then the sick Pajero is towed up several hills first by Neil in the trusty Hilux. then Kerwin in his Ranger. Then, when the Ranger was at the back of the convoy, we hear a distress call over the radio: "MY WHEEL HAS COME OFF".

Lim and Pika (Pajero) drop back to assist (it's confirmed; the "repaired" wheel axle and all have come completely off and the Ranger is sitting forlornly on 3 wheels, blocking the track). The rest of us continue to Kuala Mu. We set up the clinic in the Petronas-sponsored medical room. The Mat Salleh only has concern for the old man he treated a week earlier. This was the main reason we were there - to check on the old man's foot.

Finally, the MatSalleh hears that the old man is walking to the clinic. Running off, he escorts the elder back to the clinic - neither can communicate with each other but it does not stop the elder from happily chatting with him in Bahasa the entire way. His foot is going to be okay but it is a long process and the suspicion is (from last week's trip) that he is diabetic and it is slowing down the healing process. The little clinic is crowded inside and out. Adzhar plays bouncer. He controls the incoming crowd while Abu sits outside distributing oranges. There are many orchards at Kuala Mu but the durians are not ready to eat. Everyone there is sick of the coconuts and they freely give them away, the rambutans (the Mat Salleh's favourite) are not ripe yet so the oranges are a welcome addition to their diet. Jackfruit trees also adorn the village. Lim and Pika arrive and clean upm they stink of diesel and petrol. They have fixed the Pajero's fuel problem and wander off to the waterfall to have a wash to clean off the fuel they are covered in. Kerwin is heard on the radio - "I need two highlift jacks to lift my 4x4 to put the wheel back on." Lim and Pika finish their waterfall wash then head off to assist Kerwin. Meanwhile, we are at least another hour from finishing the clinic. Finally, we have given all the medicine, seen all the patients and given the oranges and clothes out. Time to go home. But first, we need to visit the Kuala Mu waterfall for a refreshing swim. Then we must see how the Ranger repair is progressing on our return trip. We cruise the 2km back and discover the Ranger across the track, blocking all traffic. The axle is back in and welded on as the circlip was lost when the wheel and axle flew out. The brake caliper is in pieces, shattered by the force of the wheel falling off. The brake line is crimped over, leaving it with 3 braking wheels. Finally, we highlift jack the Ranger up and put on the wheel minus the hub, leaving the Ranger with 2wd low and hi range only. Having to get the doctors back to Ipoh on time, convoy once again splits into two groups; the doctors in 3 vehicles and the Ranger with an escort of the remaining vehicles to pull and lower it up and down the hills for the next 17km until they reach the easy part of the track. It's getting dark when we emerge from the Jungle and stop for lunch (we were so busy we forgot about lunch) and teh tarik in Sungai Siput. As we finish our meal, the Ranger crew radios us to inform us that they have safely exited the jungle and are traveling at a happy 60kmph with the wounded Ranger. Goodbyes are said to our wonderful doctors at the Hospital and we then prepare for the long 200km drive back to KL. Driving slowly, we reach the warmth of our beds at 12.16am. The other convoy arrives in KL at 1.30am. Already planning the next Project GeckOAid trip (9-11 September) and wondering if it will as adventurous as the previous two. Thanks to Kerwin (broken Ranger), Lim (ever faithful Landcruiser II), Tek Him (Landcruiser Prado), Adzhar (Landcruiser II), Pika (Pajero), Neil (Hilux) and of course Siddah from www.wildasia.net.