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The Salt Trail: Trek and Treat Mission |
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Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
By Dr. Arad Jelon
When I received an e-mail on The Salt Trail: Trek and Treat Mission from MERCY Malaysia’s headquarters, I immediately called the volunteer department and confirmed my participation for this mission. At this point in time I had no idea what to expect from the mission and was hoping that my three years’ experience working in Sabah as a dental officer might help. I booked an Air Asia flight to Kota Kinabalu the very next day. The mission would take five days.
I arrived in Kota Kinabalu on the 22nd of January 2007 and stayed one night in a hotel in the city. There I met other staff members from MERCY Malaysia’s headquarters. Dr. Helen and members from MERCY Malaysia’s Sabah chapter gave us a briefing on the mission. We were very excited to be participants, but at the same time, we felt a bit nervous.
The next morning, we gathered at the car park of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). There were 21 volunteers consisting of medical officers, specialists, dentists, nurses and non-medical volunteers. Our mission team was accompanied by highly qualified rangers, guides and porters. We left QEH at 9 am and arrived at Kg. Tikolod in Tambunan two hours later where we immediately set up the first medical camp. That day itself, we carried out general health check-ups, PAP smears, deworming and dental treatment. We were very fortunate to have the Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah officiate our mission.
Our team left Kg. Tikolod around 5 pm and reached Molungung, at around 7 pm. We slept in a huge tent that was set up by Sabah Parks staff members. The tent was pitched just a few steps from the river. Some of us were lucky enough to have our own “sleeping partners” – in the form of leeches! Despite this, we had a good rest and slept well throughout the night.
The next morning, we woke up early before sunup and had breakfast. We were in the highest spirits to continue our journey for the day. We were told that the trip from Molungung to Kg. Kionop would take an average of 10-12 hours. Before we set out, the team was divided into 3 groups. We were advised to stay in these groups for safety reasons.
We left the camp at about 7 am and started trekking on gentle terrain. As we moved further, the terrain became tougher but we really enjoyed it and were fascinated by the view as we crossed the Crocker Range. We arrived at Kg. Kionop around 3.30 pm, and stayed at the community hall. The medical camp was set up the next day at 8 am, and we worked through till 10 pm.
We continued trekking to Kg. Buayan the next day which was the 25th. The trail was even more fascinating especially when we crossed the Papar River. However, tiger leeches were waiting in anticipation of us all along the trail. We should have been given a certificate for donating as much of our blood as we did to feed the leeches! All in, the journey took about three hours and we finally arrived at Kg. Buayan at 1 pm, set up our medical camp at 4 pm and provided medical assistance to the villagers till 6 pm, continuing the next morning as well.
When we were done at Kg. Buayan, we left for Kg. Teriang at 12 pm. Luckily for us, this trail was easier compared to the previous day’s and the best part of it all was that there were no leeches to feed! The journey took about three hours and we struck another lucky chord as all of us arrived together on time just before the heavens opened up and rained on us like cats and dogs.
Once the rain had subsided, our medical camp was set up and operational from 6 pm until 9 pm. And the next morning which was the final day of our mission, we completed our last day of jungle trekking, arriving six hours later at the Inobong Substation.
Personally, and I am sure for the other members too, this mission was extremely wonderful, challenging and rewarding. The experience gained during The Salt Trail: Trek and Treat Mission will never be forgotten and will instead be cherished for a long time to come.
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