I found this book at the bookshelves which used to be my Dad’s possession. This book was first published in the 1970 and reprinted again in the 1977.
There were some points that I like from this jungle handbook that fits with my adventure values. Here I would like to share it with you, in the hope of enhancing your meaning of adventure.
There were some points that I like from this jungle handbook that fits with my adventure values. Here I would like to share it with you, in the hope of enhancing your meaning of adventure.
A. The Mental Approach
• Objective
• Objective
“If the purpose of your expedition is to seek fame and get your name into the papers, the chances are that you will do just that: in the obituary column!”
You have to know your objectives when you’re going for an adventure. Although, it is already a trend today, but if you are going to have fun only to make the place dirty and disrespect the nature and culture, you are definitely making a disadvantage not just for others but for yourselves.
If your point for adventure is to gain fame, I hope you would practice more then what you speak inside your social medias. Walk your talk please!
Here is my theory of adventure, everyone was born with an adventurous soul. To have that, the more adventures you have, the adventurous feeling inside you will grow. Once you grab firm at it, you will be a wise person. And every journey will be worthy because it is going to be a very meaningful one if the aim is to seek the journey within oneself and to become a better person.
• Choosing Your Companions
“One thing is certain; you will surely have to put up with your companions and possibly have to depend on them a great deal”.
“The world of expeditions is just the same but with a small difference; the “expert “on an expedition, who is phoney, seldom enjoys the fruits of the journey: he usually breaks his neck, or even worse, causes someone else to break his. It is much better to go along with people you really know and can rely on, than with a smooth talker who makes out he is an expert.”
“There is the possibility that you might meet a genuine and bona fide expert, in which case count yourself lucky and learn all you can. If this does not happen, I recommend that you go with your own friends even if they are as inexperienced as you are; at least you know you will get along together and, provided you take proper precautions, plan wisely and recognize your limitations, you should enjoy many pleasant journeys together.”
I agree with this very much. You have to choose the right friend to travel with especially when you are going for an adventure or an expedition. Because once you’re out in the mountains or jungle or any kind of specialized remote area, you need a team that will actually takecare of each other. A team that will support you when you feel in doubt, low energy, lost faith and any situation that will put you down. With the right friends, you will gain confident and burning spirit to keep moving and most importantly to stay alive.
Experts are needed, when your team couldn’t handle the expedition, especially in a special kind of adventure activities or techniques that are required or they are not familiar with the area yet. The rest, I would trust the locals because they are the inhabitant and would know their area much better than us such as, topography, path, local wisdom, myths, stories, animals, plants, and many more that would support our adventure mission and it would be far more safer for our adventures.
• The Size Of The Party
“This is a controversial question and really is a matter of taste.”
“I prefer small parties for several reasons, not the least of which is that I do not like crowds. Large parties are unwieldy and make for lines of stragglers; if things go wrong there is the possibility that differing factions may form within the party; the problems of feeding and camping are greater; and above all there is a hindrance to mobility.”
“To sum up, choose your companions carefully, make sure they are all capable of completing the journey, and do not get involved with too large a party.”
I have to agree with this point again. I rather go with a small group of people then go with a loud big group that would distract a lot of things during the travel or in the wild. It is better to stay focus and conscious with our surroundings. Pay attention to what the wilderness will give you. It is beautiful when you get in touch with the nature rather than being distracted to a large group of people.
• Foolhardiness And Bad Advice
“There are some people who just love to impress others and will go to any lengths to do so; there are some who dash into things with no regard for the possibility of failure and disaster; and there are others who get themselves on committees or join a society and think that this makes them authorities.”
“Go easy at first and learn to walk before you run; the tougher, more difficult, and more exciting trips can be undertaken as you gain more experience.”
“Do not bite off more than you can chew and remember- the hills and jungles are there to be enjoyed, not “conquered” or “assaulted”. Go dashing in like a fool and a fool you will be proved, maybe even a dead one.”
I remember how I became an adventurer. It took a long process for me to be in my shoes today- The adventure soul that I have grew within me for years. Because it doesn’t come through trend or when the travelling world had become a mainstream. It is about you connecting with a lot of elements and living the true life. Unleashing the attachments you have and just ‘be’ – a human being where morality and ethics were once practice and studied as a higher level of living.
I started off going for soft travelling. Then after I have learnt from every travelling that I had been, I try to take it to the next level which are harder travelling called adventure. Besides that, basically I am a curious character. So, with that additional factor, I keep on learning, trying, and eager to open up my horizon about any kind of adventure activities. Since then I became adventurous and I feel connected with the nature. I become mature as a person and the most important thing is to know ‘who’ you are and knowing the truth what is out there.
B. Hygiene
“Get into the habit of camping on high standards and always leave your site clean and tidy. The jungle will grow over any mess you may leave but there is no harm in having some pride in your camping. Having been granted the privilege of being a guest in the most luxurious of nature’s gardens, the least you can do is leave it as you found it.”
This section is very important. I thought, I should be excited when the travelling world became a viral. But the impact has given a huge downside for the nature. The number one issue that we are facing in the whole wide world in tourism field is ‘rubbish’.
It means their adventurous soul are still lacking. They don’t understand that we are all linked to one another. Nature and human beings. Human beings and nature. We are one. We are together. A balance of life and the universe. The relationship between human beings and nature are understood by those only who are already in the state of their higher self. To be in that level, we have to keep on learning from our adventures not only using our body but also our mind and soul. If we practice that three important element then we would achieve our higher self, our higher level of adventurous soul. Then we won’t dare to harm the nature. Always keeping it as it is.
It means their adventurous soul are still lacking. They don’t understand that we are all linked to one another. Nature and human beings. Human beings and nature. We are one. We are together. A balance of life and the universe. The relationship between human beings and nature are understood by those only who are already in the state of their higher self. To be in that level, we have to keep on learning from our adventures not only using our body but also our mind and soul. If we practice that three important element then we would achieve our higher self, our higher level of adventurous soul. Then we won’t dare to harm the nature. Always keeping it as it is.
C. Preparation
I decided to put this section, just in case it could be an additional reference for your travelling that I quoted from ‘A Jungle Handbook’. So, here it is:
I decided to put this section, just in case it could be an additional reference for your travelling that I quoted from ‘A Jungle Handbook’. So, here it is:
a. Clothing
“The following is a list of clothing which might form the basic essentials to take into the jungle:
• Good jungle boots or similar footwear
• Light gym shoes or Japanese slippers
• Socks (at least three pairs)
• Trousers (two pairs)
• Two long sleeved shirts
• Sweat rag
• Hat with a good brim
• Underwear if you want it
• Sarong or shorts”
“The following is a list of clothing which might form the basic essentials to take into the jungle:
• Good jungle boots or similar footwear
• Light gym shoes or Japanese slippers
• Socks (at least three pairs)
• Trousers (two pairs)
• Two long sleeved shirts
• Sweat rag
• Hat with a good brim
• Underwear if you want it
• Sarong or shorts”
b. Equipment
“List of these requirements:
• Suitable pack
• Water bottle
• Parang (keep it sharp and preferably covered)
• Compass
• Maps
• First aid kit and sewing kit
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Mess Tin
• Belt to carry bottle and parang
• Sum of money
• Small notebook and pencil
• String
• Eating implements and a sharp knife
• Can opener if you carry tinned food
• Soap and towel if you wash
• Toothbrush if you have teeth
• Whistle and torch with spare batteries
• Tent, poncho cape, or plastic sheet.”
• Water bottle
• Parang (keep it sharp and preferably covered)
• Compass
• Maps
• First aid kit and sewing kit
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Mess Tin
• Belt to carry bottle and parang
• Sum of money
• Small notebook and pencil
• String
• Eating implements and a sharp knife
• Can opener if you carry tinned food
• Soap and towel if you wash
• Toothbrush if you have teeth
• Whistle and torch with spare batteries
• Tent, poncho cape, or plastic sheet.”
c. The First Aid Kit
“This should be compact and not too heavy or complicated, and as a guide you should find the following a good basic kit:
• Good waterproof container
• A sterilized needle, kept in a sterilized bottle of antiseptic, stuck to inside end of the cork stopper
• Good large triangular bandage
• Couple of small roller bandages
• Iodine or acroflavin
• Antisan tablets
• Plaster and Elastoplast
• Gauze and lint
• Small scissors
• Asprin or Codeine
• Sulphaguanidine tablets
• Clean, sterile razor blade
• Anti-malaria tablets
• Foot cream and powder
• Small bottle of brandy (for morale purposes)
“This should be compact and not too heavy or complicated, and as a guide you should find the following a good basic kit:
• Good waterproof container
• A sterilized needle, kept in a sterilized bottle of antiseptic, stuck to inside end of the cork stopper
• Good large triangular bandage
• Couple of small roller bandages
• Iodine or acroflavin
• Antisan tablets
• Plaster and Elastoplast
• Gauze and lint
• Small scissors
• Asprin or Codeine
• Sulphaguanidine tablets
• Clean, sterile razor blade
• Anti-malaria tablets
• Foot cream and powder
• Small bottle of brandy (for morale purposes)
Note from The Adventuress:
Always stay as a Conscious Adventurer with The Adventuress spirit of Peace, Love, Adventure, Nature, and Positivity or PLAN+ in short. With that, you wouldn’t want to harm the nature and destroy it. Rather you would want to explore the earth to learn its beauty as your private experience that will teach you to be a better person each day and value the wonderful creation of God.
Peace & Light,
The Adventuress