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In the big wide world A day in a life of ben!

Jungle Cubs

MALAYSIA | Tuesday, 6 October 2009 | Views [781] | Comments [7]

This is really one of the things in your life that will stay with you for ever & make you who you are today!
Basically the story starts I went to Tamen Negara in Malaysia, one of the largest jungles in the world. Its 130 million years old & just insanely big beond belief. On the first day of being there a met these two Germans, Maggie & Doninic. Doninic thought it would be a good idea to go on a two day hike, about 14km there & 12km bk, fucking long by anyone's standards really. Anyways I though it would be good to have a proper jungle tour, rather than just walking though a little one on a Island. We got some supplies, like food & water & heading into the jungle. We got the boat to the entry point at bout 10am & started are long, long trek. It took us about 6ish hours on heavy terrain though the jungle, crossing streams & hills. Got bit many a time by leaches, & if you have ever been bittern by them you will know they thin your blood, so you bleed a lot when you take them off, & I mean a lot!
Maggie left us at the so called resort 1.5km by are very basic hut we stayed at. The resort was abandoned there was only a few locals living there, that gave us some water, because by that time we were clean out of it. The hut we stayed at was a viewing point for animals, on account that there was a salt water pond there. The hut its self just had plain wooden bed with no mattress & was very uncomfortable all I had was my jacket as a pillow & a spare T-shirt I brought with me.
The next day we started are trek back to the main land, but along the way of following the trail something went horrible wrong & the trail was blocked quite a few times by fallen trees, which wasn't the uncommon but made it more difficult to see the correct trail. We were walking & suddenly became apparent that the trail had gone! We tried to follow it back but couldn't find it, so we tried to find are own way back as there was nothing else we could do. After a while of trying to find the trail again, we decided to follow the steams back to the river so we could find are way back home. We couldn't follow the streams on the side of the bank because the jungle was to think, so we had to just walk though the streams, which fucked up my walking boots proper bad but we had no other choice. After a a good few hours of doing this, we though its going to get dark soon & we wouldn't make it back in time. So by this point we were deep, deep into the jungle & we made a hut out of sticks & many big leaves, it was quite a good hut we thought it did the job of keeping us dry & giving us somewhere to sleep. The only choice was that we would have to build a boat to go thought the river as it was to deep to walk in. So the next day we started on are Noah's arc without the animals. We made this out of bamboo & vines to tie them up, using nothing else but a rock as are only tool to brake them up. This was a long & hard task to do it must of took us about six hours ish & after all that it was more like a submarine, it could only take the weight of are bags & we had to just hold on top the side of it as we swam down the long river. The water was so dark that you couldn't see what was init, which was probably a good thing. The water lever kept on changing from one foot to six foot within a couple of steps. The was so many rocks & logs in the water that you couldn't see that you kept on smacking you legs on & swearing to high heaven, its not like anyone could hear you anyways.
After a few hours of doing this & shouting for some one to hear us & only getting the reply of fucking bird calls, a tour guild passing wassailed back, which at first we just thought it was another fucking bird, but the we noticed them coming from the bushes & just felt such relive that we're not going to die. The first thing he said was "what the hell are you doing in the water" which was quite funny, now we were safe & able to get some food, as we hadn't eaten hardly anything for two days!
This is why you should never go into the jungle, NEVER!!!    

Comments

1

hey it was scary to be lost in the jungle. but glad that u are ok. u should go to Borneo it is beautiful and different from this part.have a great trip!! :)

peace,
Win of KL

  Win Oct 6, 2009 8:59 PM

2

OMG, so glad your safe ben..........turns out that horrible feeling I had after not hearing from you in so long was perfectly justified!
Look after yourself, I would really like you back in one fully functioning piece!
The children send you their love and hugs x
We miss you loads back home (yes Ben, only for the free babysitting!!) and look forward to next thrilling instalment of Bens World (party on dude, excellent!)
love ya
xxx

  Mum Oct 7, 2009 7:39 AM

3

hi mate,
what a plonker you really are!! it could of been worse tho, you might of bumped into Ant & Dec!!!
not surprised really, you still struggle to find your way round Wokingham!!
glad to hear you're safe & well, customers & drivers have been asking after you.

enjoy.

all @ WBS

  Sean H Oct 7, 2009 5:18 PM

4

Ben.... way to go to make your mother even more worried now than she had been for the previous 10 days!!

Look after yourself and never trust those Germans again!

x

Oh and your mum says stop swearing!

  Katy Oct 8, 2009 12:41 AM

5

Ben mate just read your jungle adventure could only happen to you . Tom Hanks is auditioning for the film as we speak, you sure your friend wasn't called Wilson!
There we were worrying if you you had gone to indonesia and all the time you were getting lost in a jungle in Maylasia, you didn't need an act of god to get into trouble you managed it on your own!
Be safe mind how you go in future.
PS did you leave Jordan your book of excuses for being late as he has started to use them.Ray Williams said he is going to Italy if you want to meet him? He said its alot more civallised there.
Look forward to your next adventure.
All at WBS

  Terry Oct 8, 2009 1:24 AM

6

Great to hear from you finally - sounds like a real adventure - you want me to start hawking your story with the tabloids over here..........

Take it slightly easier for a bit eh..........

  Uncle Gary Oct 9, 2009 11:49 PM

7

Well done Ben ,you are now finding the meaning of life.
Enjoy your adventure, take a risk or two(or in your case to many)
Come back safe and fulfilled and tell us all about it .
Keep all those pictures in your head,
Live and love life ,but bloody come back safe mate

  grandad bob Oct 12, 2009 8:47 AM

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