Borneo Challenge - April 2009
Whoever called it ‘The Ultimate Charity Challenge’ wasn’t exaggerating! In ten days we flew 8,000 miles, climbed the highest mountain in South East Asia, cycled over 100 miles through a mountain range and tackled the rapids of the Padas River. But what an experience!
The mountain climb involved two days of hard physical slog that at one stage saw us climbing in the dark using head torches and hauling ourselves up using ropes that were lashed to the granite rock. It was cold and miserable, and the air was so thin that it felt like a huge weight pushing on your lungs every time you breathed. But the sense of achievement when you finally reach the summit is like nothing else I have ever experienced.
After a day exploring the jungle via a tree-top walk (it was supposed to be a rest day!) we set out in the searing heat on our two-day cycle ride. It was very hilly and very hot, and there was a real danger of dehydration and heat exhaustion. Fortunately we had a fantastic support team following us with paramedics on standby and constant supplies of water and energy food. The scenery was a spectacular mix of jungle and mountains. The locals were the friendliest people I have ever met, waving to us from their paddy fields as we rode by, and the kids would all rush out to cheer us on or stop for photos.
After all that the third challenge, river-rafting, just seemed like a nice day out, even though there was a real danger that you could be thrown from the boat and bash your head on the rocks! It was another physical challenge: we had to paddle like mad when we hit the rapids to stop the boat from capsizing, whilst bracing ourselves against the sides of the inflatable to stop ourselves being thrown out.
None of us had ever done anything like this before. The expedition was incredible from start to finish; it was physically and mentally exhausting, but there was a real feeling of camaraderie amongst us and it felt as though we had all done it together. Every day there was something unexpected, whether it was the field of butterflies by the railway, the close-up encounter with the orang-utan or the spectacular views from the top of Mount Kinabalu, Borneo is a truly amazing place. And we’ve raised about £50,000 for charity too!
Mathew Forshaw
