A Recce Trip

I dont know why, but after my 4WD outing, I felt so recharged, so energetic...like when I was young again...well, not to say that I am old now...maybe the correct word is younger..."like when I was YOUNGER". Hmmm that's more like it. I felt fantastic, terrific. Maybe I had found my fountain of youth perhaps? Is that true? Read on to find out the answer....

The night after my 4WD outing, I had drinks with my close JPAM buddies. Everyone had their own specialisation, me (water & medical), Awal (rope & SAR), Azzat (SAR), Tuan SK (hmmm..mengarah kot haha). We were discussing about our upcoming Rope Rescue Technician course, the training scenarios mostly. Then I suggested we make a one day recce trip the next day. So the next day, there were 6 of us in the JPAM vehicle, happily on our way to the training location.

I had everything with me, my camelbak, my Petzl helmet, my Petzl harness, my walkie talkie, my DSLR, my GPS, my cool shades...everything except...sweets or some energy replenishing stuff. I only realised this half way up, when things got a bit hazy...haha. At first I thought..hey why this jungle getting dimmer and dimmer?. Then I realised my body was giving me some warning signs. Azzat was saying "sikit lagi bang, balik selekoh tu je". When I got there, he said "Hmmm alamak salah selekoh la bang. Depan sikit lagi". Grrrrr I had the inclination to send this dude down a ravine somewhere...but then...I think he meant well...at least that's what I like to think.

Halfway up, the forward team (2 ppl) contacted by walkie talkie, " letupan satu". So Azzat lit a firecracker (a louder version of a normal firecracker) threw it and ... boom. I thought it was for the wild boars, only later back in KL, they told me "bau hamis tersangat kuat", which normally indicate the smell of a tiger. By the intensity of the smell, it was very, very near. Hmmm no wonder I felt like I was being watched since I was the last man but lucky for me, our 'esprit de corp' are strong, so the others compensated on my 'condition' and slowed down.

When we reached the waterfall, and after a short rest, the rope specialist guys started climbing and exploring the waterfall, which was to be one of the location for training scenarios. As for me...well I was the person in charge of safety, so I just stay at the bottom and catch anyone that falls...while having coffee & maggi...hehe. At 5pm it began to rain and we headed back down.

On the way back to civilisation, I received a phone call from CaTz. The slew of questions came almost non-stop. Reason? She couldn't get me on the line nor on the "Friend Finder". Aha...she knew where I was going but in her panic state, she overlooked the fact that there might be no coverage there. Duh! But I guess that shows how much she adores me, worrying her pretty head for no reason...hehe. I was tired, wet and hungry, and wasn't in the mood to argue. So I asked her "Have you had your dinner babe? Wanna have dinner with me?". That stopped her coz she didn't expected that one coming from me. Haha.

Today, I woke up a different person. As I had difficulty walking coz of my 'over-used' thigh muscles, I realised that the 'super' feeling were gone. After a few months of inactivity due to my medical condition, my muscles weren't as toned as they used to be. So I guess, that fountain of youth thing was just a myth.

Now where did I put that 'minyak tomoi' of mine......