me family and part of me section mates at the airport prior to departure

back from thailand! im glad the overseas exercise wasnt as scary as i had imagined it to be. definitely an eye-opening experience for me. but do i want to go back there again???heheheh...

the environment

i guess it would be pretty hard to describe this part. our bunks that we were housed in for the 3 weeks is pretty special. it is basically a loooong building, two stories high. i stayed on the first level in a bunk for 32 men. simple settings. shared bathing area. everyone was allocated a bed and a locker. it was a bit of a squeeze but it was also quite cozy at the same time. small creatures sometimes invade our bunk. we have had a tiny python, a centipede, some lizards (the centipede and lizards are all at least 15cm long) and a whole lot of insects. some of my friends had fun catching them.

even going outfield feels different. the terrain is definitely more varied that in singapore, and the sceneries are much, much better xD

higher mountains, different forms of plantations here and there... the plants tend to be more thorny, and you get to see a lot more species of insects.

traveling on the streets gives me the feeling that im in a sub-urban area in malaysia - it looks that similar. the difference? you see thai words all around instead of malay words. and you see temples instead of mosques as well.

the food

i thought i would be eating 3 weeks worth of thai food over there. however, our cookhouse prepares food just like what you get in singapore, which i find a huge relief. the camp also has i canteen where we can get to buy local delicacies. i dont have a liking tom yam soup, but i gave it a try and found it acceptable in taste. people told me that pad thai (a fried kwaytiao-like dish) is a must-try in thailand. i bought a plate but it the grounded chili in it was too spicy for me to taste anything else.

the weather

it was predicted that the weather would be much hotter than in singapore. lucky for us, temperatures didnt soar to that height. still, the difference can be felt. you can break out inperspiration even though you are doing nothing under the shade. it can be the same sometimes at night. theres also the occasional rain, usually heavy but brief.

over in thailand, daytime is relatively longer. the sun is already up at about 5 in the morning. last light comes some time after 7 in the evening, something similar to singapore.

the training

erm... training intensity is rather acceptable...

if i tell you any more, im afraid i might have to close down my blog xP

the rest and recreation!

for the end-of-exercise tour, we went to:

1. river kwai tour, to learn about how the prisoners of war were forced to construct a bloody long railway during world war two.

2. a safari, where you see animals in captivity rather than in big open areas. there was a crocodile show, featuring restless crocodiles that barely wanted to move even when the trainers forced them to.

3. a snake farm. the farm was closed at that time, so we merely went there to have lunch.

4. a small floating market. surprised to see vendors selling our local food like grass jelly drink and minced pork noodles

5. SHOPPING! im not a shopaholic, but this is seriously the best part of the tour.

i think we actually spent more time road than at the places of interest. perhaps half the time was spent watching movies on the buses, most of which were violent films Oo

whats next? i will be spending two full weeks in camp (including the coming weekend) before graduating as a third sergeant!