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Report name	Old Swinford Hospital School Borneo 2009
Date submitted	Aug-09

Old Swinford Hospital, not actually a hospital at all, but a school visited Borneo from 27th June to 23rd July 2009. Sixteen sixth from boys and one brave girl arrived at Kota Kinabulu after a mammoth but interesting flight around the world. A brief stop in in this vibrant and rapidly growing capital gave us a flavour of the city and its fantastic cuisine. This includes a wide variety of seafoods caught directly from the South China Sea.

Relocation to one of the nearby tropical islands gave a chance to adjust to the heat and an opportunity to sleep in hammocks. Kota Kinabulu has some of the best sunrises and sunsets in the world and gently rocking in a hammock provided an excellent viewpoint.

From here the school travelled to Sepilok Orang utan Sanctuary. Here the objective was to make a contribution to the running and environmental infrastructure of this world famous centre.After viewing the orang utans feeding we were privileged to be located a work area very close to the younger primates. We were visited several times by orang utans – as curious about us as we about them. The weeks objective was to construct a bridge and boardwalk in the jungle area close to the centre. This would enable visitors to view the amazing biodiversity within the rain forest. This task proved to be good honest work in a challenging environment. The practical skills, engineering expertise and general common sense were all extensively tested.

After plaques were erected and opening ceremonies complete the group moved to the Kinabatangan River. This area abounds with wildlife and we were fortunate to see a great deal of it. A night walk through the jungle revealed a vast variety of life. Two river trips – one late afternoon and another at dawn revealed even more of the fascinating wildlife. Proboscis monkeys and wild orang utans were amongst the wild life seen. Crocodiles often line the banks but were hidden on this occasion due to the rising river. The same could not be said of the brightly coloured Mangrove snake hiding up a narrow tributary.

Moving on from here a journey was made to the Darum Valley Field Centre. This world renowned centre for conservation is remotely set in the rain forest. Here the wildlife is especially prolific and much work is carried out on many aspects of biodiversity. Information and a presentation on the area was given during the visit. A night drive using a 4 x 4 revealed a variety of wildlife not normally viewed by the casual visitor.

By now we had completed a physical tour of almost half the island – the worlds third largest. We had also reached the chronological half way point of our visit. An internal flight took us back to Kota Kinaulu and saw the sad departure of the school staff member – Dr. Richard Heaton. His replacement – Paul Paternotte, however, was soon integrated into the team. A spell of retail therapy in the extensive markets of the city gave opportunity to recharge batteries.

After this nutritional and cultural pit stop the group of young people made their way to Long Pasir. This small village is deep within the jungle interior of Sabah. The village, however, is not set in a conservation area and hunting, trapping and food gathering are still traditional activities. We were very fortunate to have Hanry, our local guide, in attendance throughout our trip. Hanry actually hails from Long Pasir and has a house and family there. To say that the village is remote would be a vast understatement. 120 kilometers of rough steep dirt road eventually lead to the settlement. A day of heavy rain heralded our arrival and our 4 x 4 drivers displayed considerable skill. Located in traditional long houses the group enjoyed the local hospitality and food. A jungle trek, led by Hanry, followed for four days. Many aspects of survival in this environment were covered. Each day terminated in a camp as the group became progressively more proficient and independent. We all expected to be challenged by this aspect of our expedition. In various ways this proved to be the case but our progress was vastly helped by the dry weather. In more typical conditions this jungle journey may have to be shortened. Nevertheless, under the guidance of local people we ate food gathered from the jungle and made tools from materials found in the rainforest's. Each evening we gathered on benches made by the students – our food safe on a high table, again home made. Drinking from bamboo cups and eating with carved spoons a direct link to our environment was made. Completion of the trek saw the expedition back at Long Pasir eating a traditional meal, again with a local family. A dry journey on dirt roads provided much needed traction for our vehicles and the trip soon passed. We found ourselves back in the city with all its attendant comforts.

A day of relaxation followed with a trip out to Sapi Island – again one of a number of tropical island within easy reach of the capital. Swimming and snorkeling in the warm waters proved unsurprisingly popular.

Suitably refreshed the group set off for Kinabulu National Park. We had ambitions on the highest summit in S.E. Asia – Mount Kinabulu – 4101 metres high. This granite sentinel rises above the rain forest with impressive grey slabs supporting the summit pyramid. After a comfortable night in a nearby lodge our trek began at 1588m. We climbed steadily throughout the morning and early afternoon to our mountain hut at 3270m. This rest house was very well appointed in all respects. After food, relaxation and a little sleep we awoke in the early hours of the next morning. A light breakfast followed before we stepped out into the darkness. Slowly but steadily the row of head torches made their way up the mountain. One of the group had been unwell for a while and this climb was especially challenging for this individual. The rest of the team, however, were very clear that we were visiting the summit that morning and we were doing so together. As dawn began to break it was indeed the whole team that stood on the highest point. Photographs were taken and a long and sometimes hard descent ensured to Kota Kinnabulu.

A final morning was spent white water rafting on the Kiulu River and this proved poplar. One the post rafting BBQ was eaten we returned to our hostel to pack and plan the final evening dinner. This proved a fine meal eaten in one of the local restaurants full of fresh food – much of it from the sea. Our final morning dawned to complete packing and last minute shopping. The end of a fantastic and very varied expedition saw some sad faces leaving Borneo. This is a tremendous adventure destination and Old Swinford Hospital entered into the spirit of the venture and put enormous effort into all aspects of the expedition.