Bush-Craft with Orang Asli Semai, Raman Bah Tuin (4) Build Shelter 26 August 2015

After the previous lesson on buiding a shelter, today we try to build one with minimal help. 

The frame-work was low because that was the maximum height the tallest child could reach. 

The view under the shelter. 

The back view. 

Side view.

I helped out a little and found myself enjoying the process. 

Raman showed me "Selaput Tunggul" again, after I told him I still could not be sure of one when I see it. 

"Kapal Terbang" 

It has the same function as "Selaput Tunggul", to stop bleeding.

"Daun Senduduk" 

Papaya leaves juice cures dengue fever. In order to take away the bitterness, add "daun Senduduk."   

Bush-Craft with Orang Asli Semai, Raman Bah Tuin (3) Building Shelter 19 August 2015

Tongkat Ali. (Photo Credit to Martha)

There is so much you can find in the jungle. After three visits with Raman, I found myself scanning any area with plants much more than before, looking for something edible.  

(Photo Credit to Martha)

En and N helped with harvesting "daun Bertam" to make shelter. The leaf is filled with tiny thorns. 

There are three ways to weave "daun Bemban", according to Raman.

(Photo Credit to Martha)

The frame-work of the shelter. 

(Photo Credit to Martha)

The weaved leaves was tied with tree root to the frame-work.  

The side view of the shelter. It was kinda cooling sitting under it. 

The back of the shelter. Raman stacked it with more "daun Bemban", vertically.  

A venomous young female adult Wagler's Pit Viper  transitioning to full adult. In Malay, it is called "Ular Kapak". Orang Asli called it "Tunggu Bulan" (Wait for Moon) because it will slither away during full moon. The female is longer than the male and can grow to about 1 meter whereas the male rarely exceed 30cm. I may sound like a snake expert huh. :) But no, I asked Steven, the herping expert.  

This beautiful snake was resting nearby where we built our shelter. 

Bush-Craft with Orang Asli Semai, Raman Bah Tuin (2) Cooking 12 August 2015

  The path to the jungle classroom is filled with leeches. Every time, one or two of us will get bitten. 

Raman taught us to smoke the banana leaf over the fire to prevent the leaf from easy tearing during the food wrapping process. 

Smoked banana leaf. 

Mixture of wheat flour, brown sugar and water.

Wrapped the mixutre with "Daun Bemban" or "banana leaf. 

First two on the left were wrapped with banana leaves and the third one was wrapped with "Daun Bemban"

Stuffed the wrapped food into the bamboo.

Another way is to pour the mixture straight into the bamboo. 

The food that was wrapped with leaf was moist.

The food that was poured straight into the bamboo was drier. 

Demonstration on chopping a bamboo.

Look at the beautiful pattern created when Raman chopped it. 

Splitting the bamboo

Bamboo shaving which act as a tinder for fire. 

Banana Dip 13 August 2015

We were served banana with En's banana dip she made the day before. It was froze in the freezer overnight. The base of the dip was honey. 

She asked,  "Can honey be frozen ? "

First Aid Course with Maheasuran 1 August 2015

Kids and I attended a two days First Aid workshop with Maheasuran. Seeing the kids in the workshop, some worried if they would be scared to watch video with lots of blood. As a matter of fact, I am so much more a scaredy-cat than them. 

Thankfully, they didn't fidget at all during the dry theory session. 

A doughnut ring En made with a triangular bandage for wound with embedded object. The one I made was too big, commented our instructor. 

Hui's notes at the back of her first aid manual. Her notes are longer than mine.  

Hui cheered for almost everyone up when they did the CPR !!!  

En got her turn on CPR too.  

Immobilized the legs of Uncle Steven with triangular bandages.

Putting him on a stretcher. 

And carried him out of the building.

(Thank you EL for the opportunity)   

Cooking Oat with "Daun Bemban" 5 August 2015

With the "daun bemban" that Junina, our Orang Asli-teacher gave us, we cooked some oat with it. The oats was mixed with some honey. 

We wrapped it up the way we were shown during our first bush-craft class. 

Covered the wrapped oat with water and boiled. 

It is like heaven in my mouth !

Figure Skate Freestyle 1 program/test 27 July 2015

She choregraphed her program for the second time. This one is for her test. The elements are Forward Inside Pivot, Two-Foot Spin, Forward Arabesque, Backward Edges, One-Half Flip and Waltz Jump. Enjoy! 

The software En used to cut her song. 

Bush-craft with Orang Asli Semai, Raman Bah Tuin (1) Cooking 29 July 2015

One part of the walk into the jungle, required us to cross this tunnel with flowing water. From thereon, our shoes and socks will be soaking wet for the rest of the journey into the forest. En's hiking boots are waterproof and she has the driest of feet among us all. 

This part of the walk is just next to the Karak Highway. 

I saw this pathway from Karak Highway before and used to wonder where does it leads one to and who goes in there. And here I was, taking that pathway which answered my question. 

We were taught by Junina to wrap the rice with "Daun Bemban." It gives an unique flavour to the rice. 

The wrapped rice will then be stuffed into the bamboo.

Fill the bamboo with water and cover it with another piece of "daun bemban." 

Put the bamboo by the fire to cook. 

The yummy cooked rice.  

Junina also showed us how to harvest the right "Paku" (fern). 

From Left  - "Daun Bemban", "Paku" and "Bunga Kantan"

"Ketumpang Air"

"Sirih" which I thought was "Daun Kaduk"

"Misai Kucing"

"Selaput Tunggul"

 Hui had a leech bite and was told to crush this leaf and put it on the wound. Lo and behold, the bleeding stopped almost instantly.