Beach Walk In Borneo

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BOD

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Hello All,

I am planning a beach walk / paddle along part of the North Borneo Coast and would appreciate the BCUK community’s input into the venture. All advice, criticism, recipes and questions welcome.

The trip is in 2 main parts – a beach walk with several river crossings and a long paddle along coastal mangroves.

Since I dislike weight I will try to be minimalist and would like to carry as little as possible - tarp, hammock and mossie net for sleeping; a billy and spoon for the kitchen and 2 sets of clothes. Some rice, stock cubes and Tabasco sauce are the cooking basics and I will try and supplement this with foraged food. Some tins of dog food for the dog as well.

There is crab, prawn, marine snails (telescopium) and fish in the rivers for protein. The only dependable carbohydrate I can identify is screwpine (pandanus) and occasional coconut.

Apart from a starting 4 litres, the water requirement will have to be obtained from the rivers, which will mean walks upstream to get beyond the brackish water.

A couple of photos are included to give you an idea of the beach part of the walk and a photo of the snails.
Crocbeach1.jpg


Telescopium.jpg


StreamandCrocbeach.jpg


There is a short section of low cliff which I expect to be able to pass at low water and a major river which will have to be paddled. High tide will some times force me into walking through the ‘kerangas’ a depleted soil forest that looks like the Aussie bush. Camps, ideally will be near streams but on the beach to take advantage of sea breezes to keep mossies and sandflies away.

Looking forward to your help.
 

Swissnic

Member
May 16, 2006
29
2
52
London
Wow - Can I come!!! :D :D

Have you eaten the snails before? (Not sure if that's your photo or not). I had a plate in KL, Malasia a few years back, cooked with tomato and garlic... They cut the pointy end off so you can suck the snail out of the shell. Works well, but they don't taste too good in all honesty!

Hope you have a great time, and I cant wait to hear your story when you return!!!

Chgeers, Nic.

:You_Rock_
 

Cairodel

Nomad
Nov 15, 2004
254
4
71
Cairo, Egypt.
Stuart said:
available palms should provide you with a reliable source of carbohydrates, mmmm palm heart :cool:

Only problem with that imho Stuart is, you now have a dead tree.... :confused:
The locals over here only use those that are infertile, not those bearing fruit.
Anyway BOD, looks and sounds good - have a great time. ;)
 

BOD

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Thanks. Please keep the suggestions coming. I definately am looking for advice especially with the coastal mangrove section.

I am also hesitant about cutting down a coconut tree for the heart as they are not too numerous on the sea coast and are such useful trees. I would happily cut nipah palm as they are so numerous in the rivers though.

Screwpine has the advantage of having several "heads" as this photo shows. As long as you leave a flowering branch intact.

Screwpine2.jpg


The "heart" is located at the join of the leaves and the stem.

screwpine.jpg


As for the snails, it is my photo and the Tabasco is for the snails baked on hot coals. No place in the kit for a wok!

I was thinking of bringing a "jala" - cast net - but wonder if the weight is worth it. A very inexpert thrower, I would not like to carry it for a 100 km if it doesn't bring in any food. I have never tried to use them in the surf. When I tried in the streams the fish just laughed!!
 

stovie

Need to contact Admin...
Oct 12, 2005
1,658
20
59
Balcombes Copse
I have nothing practical to add BOD, as it's way out of my realm of experience, but it sure looks idyllic. Can't wait to hear about it when you get back. Keep us posted.
 

george

Settler
Oct 1, 2003
627
6
61
N.W. Highlands (or in the shed!)
Hi Bod

I've spent a bit of time in places like this, mostly around Sulawesi and a little island off the end of Sulawesi - Karakelang.

If you find coconut palms it can be very tempting to use the water inside them as a main source of drinking water - great up to a point but I wouldn't drink more than two of them a day. You might find yourself loosing more liquid to diahorrhea (sp) than you take in if you do!

I found that one of the best things for gathering protein was a fish spear and a torch. Lamping for fish and prawns in the rivers that come down through the mangroves was usually the best way to get meat without too mush effort. A few lines set out overnight as well should see you with some fish for breakfast.

Personally I would take a few slabs of dried noodles with me just to make sure I had some carbs - they weigh very little but you'll be glad of them. I used to make up a soupy stew at the end of the day with whatever I could catch, three litres of water and a slab of noodles with loads of salt and chillies - I used to look forward to that hot salty broth sooo much!!

Pandanus and Nipah will be good if you can find them and remember that you may find stands of bamboo further upriver - you can eat the shoots and they're pretty good.

I would probably take some dried powdered meat as well (dendeng) - just a few pinches in a broth make it taste of something.

Remember lots of salt and chillies or some "sambal" will make otherwise bland stuff edible.

Don't know what it's like for salt water crocs near you - but remember they like to hang about on sandbars near rivermouths so be very careful crossing.

Hope this helps.

George
 

BOD

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
george said:
Hi Bod

If you find coconut palms it can be very tempting to use the water inside them as a main source of drinking water - great up to a point but I wouldn't drink more than two of them a day. You might find yourself loosing more liquid to diahorrhea (sp) than you take in if you do!

I found that one of the best things for gathering protein was a fish spear and a torch. Lamping for fish and prawns in the rivers that come down through the mangroves was usually the best way to get meat without too mush effort. A few lines set out overnight as well should see you with some fish for breakfast.

Personally I would take a few slabs of dried noodles with me just to make sure I had some carbs - they weigh very little but you'll be glad of them. I used to make up a soupy stew at the end of the day with whatever I could catch, three litres of water and a slab of noodles with loads of salt and chillies - I used to look forward to that hot salty broth sooo much!!

Pandanus and Nipah will be good if you can find them and remember that you may find stands of bamboo further upriver - you can eat the shoots and they're pretty good.

I would probably take some dried powdered meat as well (dendeng) - just a few pinches in a broth make it taste of something.

Remember lots of salt and chillies or some "sambal" will make otherwise bland stuff edible.

Don't know what it's like for salt water crocs near you - but remember they like to hang about on sandbars near rivermouths so be very careful crossing.



George

Thanks George for the suggestions especially lamping for fish at night. I hadn't thought of that though I was thinking of bringing my "gidgie". It's an underwater one so I'll have to disconnect the rubber tubes. haven't used a gidgie on the surface since I was a lad so some practice is in order.

Spices and condiments will be around. This trip is to be done in a leisurely fashion to have fun, relax and practice in a real situation a couple of the bushcraft skills that I "mastered" in the shed on Sunday afternoons.

I'll bring some comfort food and my home made "bat wing' jerky as well since this is not meant to be exttreme survival. If fish and crab fishing is good, I won't spend time on snails!

You mention crocs. The beach in the photo is called Crocodile Beach. It will be the first campsite. I have never seen crocs there though a fisheries officer doing a night dive a couple of years ago says he saw a 4-5m resting around the headland. The dogs will be around for picket duty.

There is one major river mouth I have to cross by surf ski as its too large and home to a known population of salties some to over 7m. :aargh4: I'll be paddling hard and fast. If I wimp out, I get a fisherman to take me across.

There are several streams/creeks which I have to cross and 2 are known to have crocs around and I plan to cross at low tide making use of the sand bar as much as possible which is how I cross the one in the picture. I rate the risk on the sea coast section as low.

However another part of the trip involves about 50 km of paddling along coastal mangrove and I am worried about camping overnight in the mangroves. There is no ground so I think it tree living but crocs can leap out of the water so I'm not sure if that's a realistic option. Sleeping on the surf ski is out :eek:

Frankly I have no experience of camping in mangroves. I have spent day time in or near them but never at night. Looking for suggestions.
 
BOD said:
Animals eat them but I have no idea how!

They are so hard. Do you think they are pounded and soaked or roasted?

I was dreaming about using your turmeric and redwine recipe with the snails :)

Don't know how to crack the nuts. But I've been told they're definitely edible.

The snail repcipe is very good indeed, maybe you will find the occasional bottle of Bordeaux washed upon the beach?

In the mangrove, fishing should be dead easy, or you can run after the of mud crabs. Crock is very tasty too Had it in old Kourou (French Guyana) but that's a different species (aligator). It's very good stewed.

Easy to catch near beaches (reef protected ones, don't know about mangroves, is trepang (beche-de mer) you can eat them fresh.
 

BOD

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Ketchup,

At first I thought a bottle of red was far too much trouble and it was just day-dreaming on my part but then I realised I could carry a foil / mylar bag of red wine from inside a box of cask wine and once the wine was gone (hic!) use it for water storage!

So I am far keener now on the idea of telescopium as a meal (with wine of course) than I initially was.

Coincidentally, when I first found locals gathering the snails, I asked them how they were prepared. The reply was "masak dengan kichap (ketchup)".

Serendipity.

There is a lot of beche de mer on the reefs but not inshore.

And are you asking me to rastle an aligator?? :eek:
 
BOD said:
At first I thought a bottle of red was far too much trouble and it was just day-dreaming on my part but then I realised I could carry a foil / mylar bag of red wine from inside a box of cask wine and once the wine was gone (hic!) use it for water storage!

As a friend (gastronomical journalist) always says: "You're better of having to warm yourself with caviar than be down to eating charcoal for a meal"
 

BOD

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Ketchup said:
Don't know how to crack the nuts. But I've been told they're definitely edible.

.

Found this on the net.

"PANDANUS spp.: Screw pine (E. Ripe fruits may be eaten raw, or cooked for storage and later use. Uncooked fruits are quite tasty; to extract the juice and pulp from the tough fibers is difficult (!). Boiled fruits are a squash-like vegetable often mixed with grated coconut meat. Pandanus flour and paste enveloped with Pandanus leaf-rolls may be stored for years. Fruits to be made into paste are cooked for a long time in an earth oven and then scraped. The pulp is collected on leaves, dried to a sticky consistency, and then rolled into the leaves. To make flour, fruits are cooked for only one hour, pounded, sun dried, and further dried over heated rocks. The resulting dry cakes are pounded to a coarse consistency. The flour has more fibers and more calories than the paste. Calcium oxalate crystals present in some varieties are destroyed by cooking. Apical meristems of tender white developing leaves are edible, like the stems and leaves, when white and tender. Green leaves are used to wrap fish to be cooked. Root tips have sustained fiber for temporary cordage, as do leafe strips. During World War II, American Armed Forces in the Gilbert Islands used Pandanus trunks, split down the middle for temporary construction. All parts of Pandanus are combustible when dry, but the apical ends of discarded drupes provide a very hot and relatively smokeless fuel, like coconut shells. A substitute for cigarette paper is provided by the thin eipdermis of the leaves. Male inflorescences are used to scent coconut oil."

Almost as useful as the coconut palm!
 

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