Page 39 - br-july-2020

July 2020 July 2020

visit the world famous Mulu Caves (renowned for a
erupted in to flames with another high wind.
massive daily bat exodus) and also the adventure
caves in the same complex. But back to May ……..
th
The expedition will include a wildlife safari in Sabah Tuesday 26 May
on the Kinabatangan river, staying in a
combination of local homestays or riverside lodges Still firefighting going on. Met friend Jenny up at The River Piddle on bikes and had
and jungle camps. a picnic in the forest up Hyde end with great menacing Military Ospreys flying
overhead and disturbing us.
There will be some unique and unforgettable
opportunities for our expeditioners during their We cycled to see the other firehose and the pump at Bere Stream. No one on
month in Borneo. A trek into the rainforest to stay duty which I thought strange. Huge piece of kit to be left unattended.
with the Penan is likely to be an experience never Wednesday 27 May
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to be forgotten. The Penan tribe have only relatively recently begun taking in
visitors and our trip organisers are the only teams going there, so this promises to All quiet ….. the Bere Road still closed. The Fire Village still up the road keeping an
be a unique and rewarding cultural exchange. eye on everything and hosing down the ground to try and prevent another flare
up. Continually working on flare ups and hosing deep into the ground to put the
However, as we have all become aware in recent years, the forest around the smouldering roots out.
Penan people is gradually being logged, so it will be a salutary experience for our
team to see these open areas of devastation, the spread of palm oil plantations Fire Appliances lined up all along the road and fire hose in every direction….
and the efforts of the villagers to re-seed logged areas with new trees. This was a Hence …. Fire Village!
project that was initially funded by the charity Moving Mountains (associated to Thursday 28 May
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our expedition organiser), and our explorers will be able to see the tree nurseries
and visit the areas which were replanted some years ago and are now becoming Still hosing down and fire breaks being made.
primary forest again.
I rang the Control Room number as I felt really strongly that we were not being
Sarawak’s rainforest is a nature lover’s paradise and boasts of one of the most informed about what was going on.
diverse ecosystems in the world. The rainforest is a safe haven for uncountable
species of flora and fauna as well as being a sanctuary to various species of wild Took myself off on a 5km walk avoiding the scrutiny of the Fire Service!
animals, including the incredibly shy silvered leaf monkey which lives on flower Friday 29 May
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and fruits. This expedition not only allows a unique opportunity to witness some of
this rare and endangered flora and fauna, but also some of the hundreds of Met with Liz today for a walk in her area…. Lytchett Minster.
different species of mammals, birds, snakes, lizards and amphibians.
No more dramas but the wind was strong so a fire risk today.
During our trek to the Penan area our explorers will be using fly camps, and the
th
expedition will be travelling self-sufficiently, using hammocks and any natural Saturday 30 May
resources they can find in the forest. This is expected to be one of the great The road was still closed today so my escape to the New Forest to meet David
experiences of the trip - sleeping under the forest canopy and listening to the Kate and Bodhi was via Wareham. Not ideal!
jungle all around them. In the villages, the team
will be able to sleep in the homestays of the Delightful day with them ….A good walk and saw a Whinchat and had yummy
local Penan people, built from materials found in pancakes made by David in the Motorhome. Bodhi walked such a long way.
the jungle.
The road just opened as I returned home again via Wareham! I probably could
Finally, our expedition will end up with four days have used normal route!
on the island of Pulau Tiga. made famous as the
A huge amount of work carried out today by Fire crew clearing away the hoses
island used in the 2001 “Survivor” TV show.
and trying to restore the area back to normal. I actually felt that this clear up was
We are currently encouraging all the participants a bit premature!

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