IT AIN’T HALF HOT
Twenty intrepid cadets and six adults swapped the north east
summer for two weeks working in the steamy jungles of Brunei.
Pre-exercise selection and training was conducted over four weekends in the more temperate,
if midge ridden climate of Otterburn, focussing on team building, fitness and survival and jungle
tactics. Lying some 11,213kms from home, Brunei involved several long haul flights, a new
experience for most of the group, and body clocks were all out of sync. However on arrival, our
hosts the 1st Battalion Royal Ghurkha Rifles provided excellent support. To aid acclimatisation,
guest appearances were made by a number of species of spiders, snakes, lizards and scorpions.
Nothing was too much trouble and their
assistance made things run as smoothly
as we could have wished. Initial
briefings in Sittang were followed by two
nights of jungle training; sleeping in
hammocks, cooking local fruits and fish
and steaming rice inside bamboo –
delicious! We expected a long first
night in the jungle, but most slept better
than expected, despite a visit from a
wild boar!
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