Canadian International School of Hong Kong Survives Khao Sok National ParkIn November of 2011 a group of 26 highly charged high school students along with three very enlightened teachers from CDNIS visited Khao Sok with PaddleAsia to participate in a one week survival training adventure.
After arriving at the floating bungalows, we had an evening discussion on prioritizing survival necessities with stress on the importance of putting the safety of your immediate location in question, followed straight away with the necessity of acquiring a lot of water. It was then pointed out that we would be focusing on real survival skills, not the ones seen on Man vs. Wild or some of the other made-for-TV entertainment shows. Real survival is boring as it is all about conserving energy and not taking chances. It is as much a mental exercise as a physical one. At the start of our first full day, the group was split into two. One team went for a sunrise wildlife-spotting paddle and the other went into the jungle to look for water and to start getting familiar with knives.
Next, we headed up further to find vines that contain water. That did not take long. Uncle Wind, our senior Thai jungle survival expert, found us some vines and the students took turns drinking the fresh, slightly cool, pure water. After that, we gave the students their first crack at chopping with a Thai jungle knife. Each student, after given instructions, was afforded the opportunity to chop a small diameter piece of wood. Most did it on the first attempt, some required another try. Heading up out of the creek ravine to find some bamboo next, we were seeking more sources of drinkable water. Bamboo sucks up and stores water in the separate chambers. This water is perfectly suitable for drinking. Luckily, wherever you find a stand of bamboo there is usually also some small diameter bamboo from which you can fashion a drinking straw. The students took turns finding and acquiring drinking water from bamboo. They seemed quite pleased to learn this new method and happily drank what they found.
The other group went with me to the viewpoint. They were all strong and fit. We made good time, that is, until we got near the top and it started raining. The viewpoint summit is a rocky outcropping with very sharp rock. Having been impressed with the students’ levelheadedness and ability to show personal responsibility, we pressed upward. We took our time and pointed out the need to have three points of contact whenever in a precarious place. They did brilliantly and were rewarded with a stunning, though misty, view of the reservoir. Heading back down proved to be even more time-consuming, but safety is, of course, much more important than speed. Each student helped the student above them with foot placement. Survival-wise, this was a lesson in moving a team together through the jungle and in helping in other out to assure the wellbeing of the group. The afternoon was spent on the rope swing and on playing mentally and physically challenging games. On day number
three, we switch the groups around and did the same thing as the previous
day. When finished, we worked out how to start a fire in the restaurant…
well, not in the restaurant, but on aluminum trays… using a
fire striker and a Vaseline-impregnated cotton ball. This isn’t
easy, but it’s a surefire way of producing a flame and something
that every survival kit should include. Unlike a lighter (another
good kit item) or matches, the striker can get wet and still work.
Cotton balls can be put in small Ziploc bags (double bagged is best)
so as to be kept dry. Small strips of inner tube rubber are also a
good idea as they can get wet and still work as the next step in building
a fire. We also worked on learning how to sharpen various knives. I brought a selection of knives ranging from small folding (locking) knives, to Rambo-sized fixed blade knives, to various traditional Thai jungle knives. We had a medley of sharpening stones in various grits. As with everything else, the students were very impressive with their safety awareness. Another skill we learned was knots. I demonstrated several worthwhile knots. The students all got a piece of rope to give them a try. Some folks are naturals at knots; others seem to struggle a bit. Those who struggled were naturally given help by those who ‘got it’. We learned the square knot for starters. We also learned the double half-hitch, the clove knot, the bowline and a few others. Some in the group really got into it and I showed them some more complicated knots, such as the perfection loop and how to tie a bowline with one hand. It was a lot of fun and the teachers mentioned that it was almost like meditation… a bit of a Zen experience just sitting with a piece of rope tying knots over and over. I could not agree more. In the evening, Jonny, Rob, Matt and I sat under the star-filled sky to plan the next day. These three teachers were extremely into their jobs. They truly impressed me with their authentic love of each and every student in the group. The students are extremely lucky to have such caring teachers.
Uncle Wind taught us how to make a bamboo hammock from a single piece of bamboo using just a knife and a saw. He can do it with just a knife, but the saw makes it a tad easier. After the first to cuts, the saw is not necessary. The students were split into teams to see if they could do it after merely watching Uncle Wind do it... and making it look easy. They did a wonderful job and every hammock that they produced actually worked. On the next morning, we simply told them that we were all going out together. We brought the two groups together and told them about their challenge. We suggested that they chose a team leader and figure out how to share in the chores so that everyone was being productive. We stressed getting a fire started right away so that they could boil some drinking water in a bamboo container. Everyone was excited to accept their task. A quiz decided who would get to chose the potential camp site that we were in. The team that won chose to stay there, the other team simply went up the hill a bit further. The teachers and I decided to give it a go too, so we found a spot I knew about. For the teachers’ group, I went to collect some water is some large sections of bamboo. Rob and Jonny started building the shelter. Matt started gathering material for the shelter and then started on the fire with me. There was a nearby
creek where I also found some large bamboo. I cut two sections and
scooped up some water. It was probably close to a gallon. Upon my return, the shelter was already taking shape. We got a fire started. It had been raining, so the jungle wasn’t exactly dry. The kids from one team got their fire going right away… very impressive. The other team, remembering what I stressed about getting a large amount of material ready before actually attempting to start the fire, was working with fervor on shaving dry bamboo. They had a very remarkable amount of tinder ready before attempting to make a fire. What they were lacking was the necessary amount of kindling to keep the fire going. This was a valuable lesson. Their fire did not last. Still, I was extremely pleased with the care that they took in the first step. They, of course, got a fire going through their determination. The team that had a fire going early also had their water reach the steaming stage fairly quickly. You do not have to bring the water to a roaring boil to kill the potentially harmful pathogens. Bringing it to the point where you see steam coming off of the surface and letting it stay at that point for at least ten minutes is sufficient. After this, we got together as a group and critiqued the camps. Everything and everyone was positive and rightfully so. They had both done a skillful job of producing a shelter, starting a fire and making safe drinking water. We disassembled the camps and took the bamboo back to the longtail motorboats. We wanted to use the bamboo later.
The next day was arguably the highlight of the trip, a visit to the Nam Taloo Cave. The kids were pumped as were the adults. We started out with a group photo. Shortly down the trail, we came upon a Fishtail Palm. I explained that the core of the tree offered a wonderful coconut-like food source. The skin in the upper reaches of this tree produce an almost cotton-like fiber that’s perfect as fire tinder. The leaves are big enough to work as shelter shingles. We progressed, crossing a stream several times. This is the indicator for the water level in the cave. This same stream goes through the cave. If at all high, we simply do not go into the cave. It was low. We got to the mouth of the cave and got ready. Within minutes of being inside, we started seeing cave spiders, cave toads, crickets, Tailless Whip Scorpions, Roundleaf Bats, catfish and barbs. No one screamed. We got to the
tricky part of the cave where it narrows and drops. Evidently, at
some point during the rainy season, there was a strong enough flow
to modify the biggest drop. This is a place where you normally have
to scramble down. Some big rocks had moved. Now, it is a very narrow
drop. One student got her big hiking boot stuck between two rocks.
She was amazingly calm about it. She wasn’t really in any danger.
She simply took her boot off and Tom, my lead Thai guide, retrieved
it. I was really impressed with her calmness… very impressed
indeed. Shortly thereafter, we exited through a small hole. Big smiles were on everyone’s faces and rightfully so. We meandered back down the trail; we were squeaky clean from the chilly cave water and feeling rewarded by the whole experience. I should mention that one evening I had a special treat for dessert. Moo went out one night and collected a bunch of grasshoppers. She fried them. Thinking this might gross-out the students, to my pleasant surprise, when offered, they all jumped at the opportunity! Was there nothing I could throw at these kids to challenge them? Apparently not. Our final challenge of the trip was to build a raft suitable to transport one person from the floating bungalows to a remote floating log and back. Each team was given seven pieces of bamboo, a few pieces of string/rope and a couple of knives. Obviously eager to get started, the teams started brainstorming. With a time limit given, it proved to be challenging in more ways than one. As thoroughly expected by this point, all teams did a wonderful job and took the challenge very seriously. Let’s just say it was a close finish. This was the largest group I had ever taken on a survival course. I was a little bit concerned about managing such a large number of people. Within no time, I realized just how special these young adults would be. I cannot say enough about how impressed I was with every aspect of their characters and personalities. Given the quality of the teachers, I’m not surprised that they were all this way. In a world where it is getting increasingly more difficult to feel optimistic, these truly enlightened young adults have renewed my faith in humanity. There is hope thanks to this generation. We miss you guys already.
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Without
a doubt, these youngsters were properly prepared for what was about
to transpire. They were energetic, full of enthusiasm, youthful exuberance,
and more than willing to attempt anything that was put before them.
We
went to a cascading creek and stopped at one point so I could show
how to attract tiny shrimp and small fish by simply taking my shoe
off and gently putting my foot on the bottom of the creek. Within
second I had both. Within a minute several students did as well. 
In
the afternoon, after some free time to abuse themselves on a rope
swing, one team went into the jungle with Uncle Wind to learn how
to build a shelter. We brought bamboo with us from Phuket for this,
so we wouldn’t have to cut down a lot of it in the park. The
students learned how to lash bamboo together to make a frame and they
learned how to make a roof. Their finished products were very impressive
and perfectly suitable for a night in the jungle.
Rubber,
though not the most environmentally friendly thing to burn, is an
excellent addition to a survival kit. It’s easy to tuck away
quite a bit of it in a kit. It burns sort of like a candle.
We
decided that it was time to give them a real challenge: both groups
were going to have to build a shelter that was big enough to sleep
one person. They had to start a fire with a fire striker, cotton ball
and a small piece of rubber. They had some knives. This was not going
to be told to them until they got to the site.
We
then, en mass, went on a little hike to the creek where I had gathered
water. This was a creek with some fairly steep sections and unsure
footing. The goal was to travel as a large group, staying together
and helping each other out. As fully expected, they did a superb job.
