KIRSTY'S SENT US THIS EMAIL AFTER A FEW DAYS RECOVERING AT HOME...

Hi Raymond

I can't thank you enough for funding my trip to Borneo, it was an amazing experience which I will remember for the rest of my life. I really learned a lot over there - both skills and values which will stay with me throughout Uni and there after. I am so grateful for your help and also the t-shirt's were great, thanks :)

We started off our trip with the long plane journey arriving in Kota Kinabalu for a 3 day orientation phase, getting used to the climate and the time difference and also finding our way about the city. I was the leader of the group for the first 2 days and so I had the job of phoning and confirming all of our planned activities for the coming week.
The next phase of the trip was the jungle phase where we trekked into the primary jungle to Miki's Jungle Camp where we spent 3 days and camped for 2 nights. We slept on a Bamboo floor and hung our mosquito nets from the roof and we made walls to shield us from the wind using the leaves of a jungle tree. It was great falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle. We went on jungle treks to learn about the plants and wildlife of the jungle. It was amazing! We also got a chance to use blow pipes and sling shots trying to hit targets and were also shown about 101 uses for bamboo! We made a bamboo cup using perrangs and traps for fish, snakes and frogs and many more things. It was incredible to learn all about jungle life and experience it for myself.
The project phase was next which was in a small village called Kampong Kuala Monsok. This was my favourite part of the expedition. We stayed in the houses of the people in the village which was a great opportunity to learn about Sabah culture. The people of the village were all so kind and welcoming and the children were adorable. Our project work included painting the community hall in the village, building and painting shelves, dismantling old bamboo shelters, painting murals which would teach the children English and planting trees around the village. Although it wasn't all work as we had picnics with our families, football games and cultural evenings. The time spent here was amazing and when the time came to leave everyone at the village, it was heartbreaking.
During the second week I was in charge of transport and accommodation and so I had to phone different hotels to try to find accommodation for us during our time at Sepilok and also transport to our next destination. This was a stressful task as it is not easy to find accommodation for a group of 16 people which had to be within a specific budget! However I feel this responsibility has prepared me for future life.
The next part of the trip was the part that I was most apprehensive about. The mountain phase. The first 2 days were spent doing warm up treks in the lower trails in the national park to prepare us for the 4095m climb the next day. I had never climbed a mountain before and so didn't know what to expect. We set off the next morning in high spirits to tackle Mount Kinabalu. I was given the job of being medical officer on the mountain and so had to make sure everyone was drinking plenty and keeping energy levels up to avoid getting altitude sickness and just generally making sure everyone was okay. It was a tough climb constantly uphill with steep steps and rough terrain. We reached the mountain lodge (7km up) at 4pm that day where we had a nice meal and a bed for a few hours kip before we were up and raring to go at 2am to reach the summit for sunrise. There was a great sense of adventure as we set off in the middle of the night in pitch blackness, with our head torches coming in handy! Near the summit the path turned into a terrifying vertical rock face with only a rope to haul yourself up! Reaching the summit was an overwhelming sense of achievement and the views were breath taking. The way back down the mountain was horrible as everyone was exhausted and drained. We arrived back at our hostel for a well earned rest, but unfortunately a freezing cold shower!
It was then time to cross the country to Sepilok to chill with the Orang-Utans. It was great seeing them swing from the trees and we saw them at feeding time when they came for bananas and milk. It was awesome! We also did a river cruise down the Kinabatangan River where we saw lots of Bornean wildlife like proboscis monkeys, macaques, a monitor lizard and were even within touching distance of a viper snake! I really enjoyed this as I love seeing animals in their natural habitat. While we were in Sepilok we had the chance to relax watching DVDs in our rooms and general chilling out, which was great after our very busy and tiring past few weeks.
Travelling back to Kota Kinabalu felt like returning back our home town as this is where we started our trip. I was very excited to be going white water rafting as its something that I've always wanted to do. We took a very different style of transport that I have ever seen before. It was a wooden crate on a train track which we sat on and a guide pushed us along using a big wooden stick! We reached surprisingly high speeds on the track, it was really fun. We arrived at the river bank, kitted up, safety briefed and were ready to hit the rapids. We paddled down rapids called; The Headhunter, The Washing Machine, Big Mamma, The Corkscrew and others. The rapids were so good and it was a really great day.
Finally it was time to hit the beach for some serious rest and relaxation! We camped on the beach on the gorgeous TAR Islands just off the coast of KK. Sun, sea, snorkelling, and sandcastles - all that is needed for a great way to finish off a brilliant month. The snorkelling was amazing, with hundreds of tropical fish living in the coral reefs which surrounded the island. Walking into the sea was like stepping into a warm bath! It was amazing!
We headed back to the mainland for our final day which we spent souvenir shopping and had our last meal together as the Borneo family. We walked around the night market one last time and then were on our way to the airport. Arriving back in Glasgow Airport was an emotional time for everyone as we were leaving the team we had grown so close to over the month. We had a group hug to mark the end of a brilliant expedition which we will all remember for years to come.

I have attached some pictures of the trip and will have some more soon.

Thank you again for making this trip possible for me. It has been the best 4 weeks of my life and I am very grateful for your help. :)

Kirsty