This morning Azmi and I decided to take advantage of the unexpected lull on Sunday from our rain forest kayaking trips to explore the coastline from Kg. Buntal to Damai. However our misjudging of the tide levels left us with no suitable put-in as the receding tide has left behind nothing but large expanse of mudflats - so we decided to proceed to Damai Beach Resort to put in from the beach there instead.

After getting permission from the duty manager there (thanks Christina!) we unloaded our kayak with our gears and portage the 300 meters or more distance from our van to the beach. Phew.

One with the sky and water - what separates us? 6th April 2008

We paddled from the beach at Telok Bandung and when we reached Tanjung Sipang where there is a light beacon, we decided to turn back as the sea wa getting choppy with the wind picking up. It reminded me too much of our ‘night kayaking’ at Lake Toba for comfort! We covered a distance of approximately 15km in the round trip and I took a number of photos along the way but unfortunately my old Pentax Optio 43WR had some trouble writing to my new Kingston 4GB SD card and I manage to recover only a few of the shots. The above is the most interesting photo from the lot. Pity. But it’s a good thing that new stuff can still be written into and read by old brains. Whatever. Have a productive week ahead.

Back view of expedition newbie Elke with no turning back for her - not that she’s got much choice on this matter in this situation …

“Huey was delusional (still is) - and the rest of us were just plain stupid!”
FH2o laments in his blog … not!

I suspect that Huey is worried that instead of me doing him some bodily harm that I may instead choose to ‘demonize’ him in my blog; and that’s why he beats me to the punch quickly with his version of our ‘night paddling experience’! I am kidding. Taking on the thankless task of being our expedition leader we were in a sense putting on lives in his hand - leaving him to work out and plan the expedition routes and making the decisions with regards to our daily paddling distance, etc. I had paddled with Huey before together with JB on our Chiangmai Ping River Expedition and we trusted him implicitly although at times we doubt the state of our mental health.

“Do you know where the frankfurt are we heading?”, Chan asks Halim a nonsensical question in the middle of the lake in the midst of an approaching storm.

Even in the middle of the lake feeling wobbling from being bounced about by the waves in my lovely but delicate Cooper (and wondering which of the aluminum tubings would have been detached itself from the crossframes or ribs if I had forgotten to cable tie them down - Folbot are you listening?), blinded by the driving rain (we couldn’t really see in the pitch darkness anyway but the light sticks) and sitting on 2 or more inches of water swooshing about inside your folding kayak; and physically exhausted from not only trying to keep my balance but my kayak on course from the quartering waves after an entire day of paddling - I was at no time in any doubt that we would all make it across the lake and onto dry land that night. I just knew. And we did.

After 15hours of paddling - exhausted but elated at reaching Muara at last. Mindy, Lee Ali & Melvyn start searching for their dry gear and sanity. 21st March 2008

Here are Huey’s lucid accounts of our first night out on the lake in the middle of a storm which looking back now was the ‘highlight’ of our trip. I know - we are insane!

1. Storm Over Muara

2. Lights of Muara

3. Muara

Note: All photos in this post are stolen from Huey’s blog - he deserves a greater punishment than this.

Lee Ali powers past me when I paused to take it all in. Lake Toba, 21st March 2008

Although I love to indulge in sleeping in once in a while, I love mornings. And I’m fortunate in that often times I sleep well (like a pig actually!) and I get up refreshed particularly if I’d had a hard day like when we did on our kayaking expedition at Lake Toba, North Sumatra.

Magic light breaks over Lake Toba - how it feels to be alive. 21st March 2008

On the first day of kayaking we were on the water for about 15 hours and by the time (and after we had paddled through a storm in pitch darkness) we were able to reach shore to find suitable accommodation for the night it was close to midnight! And on the second and third day, again we were forced to paddle well past after sunset!

Geoff Foote paddles and peers into the light in a striking pose of grace and harmony. 21st March 2008

However we were blessed with good weather and light and I managed to capture some quite stunning (well I think so anyway!) morning shots on our first day of kayaking and so here are they. Enjoy them and enjoy the rest of the working week.

A beautiful and peaceful moment in time @ Lake Toba - sheer magic. 21st March 2008

Threatening skies and cutting it closer than we would have liked before our 15km open crossing an hour before sunset to Muara @ Lake Toba, North Sumatra, 21st March 2008.

I don’t think its post expedition depression but the past couple of days at and during the company’s corporate ‘retreat’ which instead of making us feel uplifted, motivated and fully charged-up was anything but. I find it hard to stomach proclamation(s) that ‘people are your greatest assets’ to be followed by a humiliating ‘dressing down’ (politically correct term for anal-fucked) in front of your peers. It didn’t happen to me (I would have given it right back man!) but it was unprofessional and distasteful regardless of whom it was dished out to particularly when it was not justified but just plain bullying.

Reflecting on dark waters and the darker side of human behavior.
21st March 2008.

I’ll get over this soon but meanwhile please bear with the temporary interruption to this usually cheery and uplifting blog. Now get back to work you slackers!