Project Managers touch down

After a busy week for the Field Base team getting everything ready for the onslaught of the main expedition, the rest of the Project Managers have now reached Malaysia. They were welcomed to Field Base yesterday with a fantastic lunchtime curry, followed by a slideshow of the last Sabah programme in late 2007, giving a little taster of life on the projects.

With 25 people now living under one roof, Field Base is suddenly bustling – and already featuring a few gentle introductions into expedition life, including roll-mats for sleeping on the floor and bucket showers. The next few days will be a whirlwind of training and inductions, as we find out all about camp craft, operating the radios and generally equipping ourselves with all the know-how to make sure the programme is a big success.

A major part of the induction process is a three-day stint at Jungle Camp. On Thursday (tomorrow), the whole staff team will troop off to an outdoor activity training centre close to Kota Kinabalu. As well as getting to know each other better and no doubt playing lots of silly games (pictures will be posted here afterwards!) we’ll be receiving training and advice direct from the local experts, who will teach us essentials such as how to put up our hammocks without them falling down, and how to whip up sumptuous feasts using only a little stove and some dry rations…

So, watch this space for another update next week, when we’ll be back from Jungle Camp and full of stories of our adventures so far – and excited about adventures still to come!