Hare: Wolfgang Druba
Location: Ladang Sungei Jernih, near Kerling
Co-Hare: Herr Knut, Dave Wilson (sweeper / rescue)
Scribe: Dadahman
2012! That was going through my mind as I viewed the scene of a devastated bamboo forest that lay before me. How/why did the Germans recreate a set from a disaster movie in Kerling? Complete with a genuine looking refugee who looked like he had given up and passed out on top of that devastated hill (sorry, don't know name lah but it was a white haired/bearded European gentleman - luckily Dave W was able to convince him that life was worth living and the bamboo was "crossable", Dave accompanying him out as the last survivor from the run). Anyway my mind flashed back to all the disaster/end-of-the-world movies I had seen, Like Towering Inferno, Twister, Armageddon, Deep Impact, War of the Worlds etc but it there was one that stuck to my mind. Apocalypse Now but instead of one crazed American, it's a remake with two crazed Germans officers and one English POW.
Enough of German bashing.. To be fair, the bamboo forest was destroyed in the days prior to the run when the Germans weren't looking. And to cut your way through that much bamboo is serious work, I'm glad to see Wolfie and Knut still could move their parang arms after the run. I stepped on a bamboo and expletives flew out of Katherine as that bamboo slammed down on her fingers. When I gallantly tried to move a bamboo out of her way, another flew out of nowhere and slammed her on the face. Not a good day to be a boyfriend!
Still it was better than Rambo who got a gash across his forehead. He couldn't take a proper dump on the crapper that night as every time he tried to do the grunt-and-groan, blood would spurt out of his forehead. Dave Wilson did save the day for me though when Katherine fell through a hole in the bamboo mess and got stuck. Dave did his best Sir-Walter-Raleigh impression by diving under her so she could climb down his back. The English are well trained.
I got a thorn stuck deep in my finger climbing the last big of swampy hill near home in the dark. Had a torch but gave it to Kath, who complained about how small and dim it was. Listen it's not how big or bright your torch is, it's how you use it. I think we were the second last coming out in that dark night.
Opinion, run a bit lengthy with a good mix of jungle and palm, and of course a great view from the hill. Taking the run at an extremely leisurely pace these days had it's advantages. Dave W reset the paper on Herr Druba's instruction to cut out a bit of the hill climb. Lucky Dave swept. After the hill climb, there was a lot of confusion in my group at the bottom check. We cleared that only after Dave arrived. If correct, I heard that first runner was Daniel Pangrazio at 1hr 40min. Way to go, my namesake (we're both Daniels remember).
Can't report much of the going-ons at the circle due to our late exit. Was called to the box by the big guy Carlo P for not going to the estate managers house for a visit. Listen, I feel a little uneasy visiting him. Have a strange feeling he might have run out of petrol after dropping me off at the runsite in that other run. It's not easy pushing your car 20km back home especially if you have to do it kitted out in your Malaysian jammies i.e. sarong.
No report from the makan afterwards too as I had to dash down to find a doctor in Rawang to dig out the thorn in my finger. Not much fun that really, I was in a half faint on the doctors table with him and two nurses cutting into my anesthetized finger going "Do you think I should cut deeper? Wonder if I've got it all out?" NOOOOO…… But the cut healed well. Better than my last Hash finger injury treated by Doc Jagjit and his big rusty drill. Just joking Doc.
On-on - Dan