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Agile

Forager
Dec 27, 2006
179
2
Bournemouth, Dorset
BOD - have you heard of any courses in your area which sound good?

I'm planning on joining that region for about 4 months and so would like any local recommendations if possible.

Cheers,
 

BOD

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

How's the weather in Tianjin and how is your Chinese?


Agile,

The best civillian and longest established course I know is by Bushcraft Expeditions who run a jungle course in Brunei and Thailand. The main man is Andy Wood who is very competent, ex-UK SF and who still runs courses for the military e.g tracking for the Gurkhas. He is by no means a Rambo type, quiet soft spoken guy with a dry sense of humour.

Recently started is a jungle course in Peninsular Malaysia by Australian Bob Cooper, who is mainly known for his desert work. However, Australians can do anything and most of Bobs assistants are ex-SASR so will have experience in the jungle anyway. In Malaysia, he is assisted by indigenous people and ex- Malaysian SF. Bob like Woody, is quiet and soft spoken. A great guy.

Another place, which I cannot vouch for but which others have enjoyed, is JEST the ex-US survival school in the Philipines. Instruction is by the Aeta people, aboriginals who assisted the now long gone US military instructors. Member ZDP159 has been there twice and raves about it.

My advice is avoid courses that seem Rambo-like run by loudmouth types. You are more likely to learn actual bushcraft that way and in a more sensitive way to the local people and environment.

BCUK people occassionally run trips to this part of the world and you could enquire on the forum about joining them though this tends to be a full member / mod thing.

Hope that helps.
 

Templar

Forager
Mar 14, 2006
226
1
48
Can Tho, Vietnam (Australian)
Hey BOD,

I'm doing ok here, about to go back to Oz for a month, as for the weather her its been pretty mild even during the Games, not much of an environment conducive to Bushcraft here though, I live in a city devoid of nature aside from a couple of trees in the courtyard of my apartment block, even when I catch the train to Beijing there is little or no natural environment... as for the local skills to learn, (which was my intention while here) there are few willing to talk about it as it reminds them too much of the "bad old days" and few of that generation want to think about that.

As for my Chinese... it's still pretty bad but I can hold my own when I need to... :)

Cheers... Karl
 

Templar

Forager
Mar 14, 2006
226
1
48
Can Tho, Vietnam (Australian)
Hmmm time to update my location... lol

Now Im in Vietnam, slowly getting close to home... in a little place called Can Tho (just say Can Ta).
Its a bit of a backwater very rural so I might actually get to do something here, and since it is like that I might be able to learn more from the locals too...

Cheers for now,

Karl
 
Sep 13, 2006
3
0
62
Kent
I am based in Siem Reap, in Cambodia. been out here about 12 years, on and off. Would be interested in setting something up here...or VN?
 
Aug 24, 2011
7
0
South East Asia
Nimrod60c here from the Philippines!
Ive attended JEST twice, interesting skills the Aetas have.
Right now based up in the Northern part of the Philippines, Pangasinan
 

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