LOST for 6 days on a Cambodian mountain

[Camrysfa]

He kept a cool head but he did not mention NS helped . . . .

 

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=319201:lost-for-6-days-on-a-cambodian-mountain-i-kept-going-becos-i-didnt-want-my-parents-to-cry-26-yr-old-spore-trekker&Itemid=4#axzz37FeGJSDc

 

 

He thought it would be a simple day trek.

So Mr Sanjay Radakrishna, 26, decided to scale the highest peak in Cambodia on his own, taking only a 1.5 litre bottle of water, 20 pieces of biscuits - and a graduation gown.

He wanted to take a selfie of himself wearing the gown on the summit, which he managed to do after a five-hour trek up Phnom Aural. It stands 1,813m above sea level.

But the descent took a turn for the unexpected that caused the National Institute of Education undergraduate to end up lost for six days.

As Mr Sanjay was heading down in the afternoon, it started to rain and he decided to jog down the narrow trail. But he tripped and fell down a slope about 10m from the trail.

When he tried to get back to the trail, he realised that he had lost his bearings. And so began his adventure in the wild.

The Singaporean had arrived on June 26 in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, where he met a friend.

He had been planning the trip since the beginning of the year with the aim of climbing the country's highest peak.

On June 28, he was pillioned on a motorcycle to Srae Kan 3, a village near the foot of the mountain.

But he aborted his plan to climb Phnom Aural the next day as it was raining.

At 7am on June 30, he set off up the mountain after notifying the people at his homestay, and his girlfriend via text message.

Clad in a red shirt, shorts and sports shoes, Mr Sanjay had a watch with compass and altitude functions, a mobile phone, torchlight, camera, mini-tripod, and spare camera batteries.

Taking up most of the space in his backpack was a graduation gown he had purchased in advance.

"I wanted to take photos in my graduation gown at the summit," he told The New Paper yesterday after he returned to Singapore the day before.

"It was a normal climb and I reached the summit after five hours," said Mr Sanjay, who said he has scaled 39 mountains in such countries as Malaysia, Nepal and Croatia, since he was 15.

By then, he had run down his phone battery from using its GPS function.

Then it started raining, so he decided to jog his way down the mountain trail.

SLIPPERY

He said: "The path was slippery, and around 1.30pm, I slipped off the trail and fell down a slope for 10 metres into the woods."

He could not find his way back to the trail.

"The trail was as good as gone. Everything, the trees, looked similar," said Mr Sanjay.

His shorts had also been torn in the fall so he decided to take them off.

"There was nobody to see me anyway," he said with a laugh.

After two hours of looking for the trail, he gave up and took a nap.

"I realised I wasn't going to return that day and needed to get into survival mode.

"It is not a difficult trek for someone with experience. But the place is not a popular trekking destination so it was quite isolated."

That night, he slept "under some rocks". It was about 18 degrees Celsius, so his graduation gown came in handy.

"I slept in a foetal position with my gown as a blanket," he said.

For the next two days, he waited at an open clearing, hoping for help - perhaps in the form of a helicopter - to come. He was out of luck.

So on Day 4, he decided to climb down the mountain by following a stream.

"I climbed through the rocks in the river and walked through terrain if the waterfall got too steep," he said.

He drank water from the stream but had no food as he had eaten his biscuits on the summit.

HUNGER PANGS

"I didn't want to risk eating a poisonous plant," said the vegetarian.

"When I got hunger pangs, I drank water. But as long as I kept active, I wouldn't think about it."

"I wasn't too scared of death. It's okay to die if I was meant to die. Everything happens for a reason," he said.

Battling against thick vegetation and insects, he suffered cuts, rashes and bites on his thighs, calves and arms.

"I trekked from 6am to noon until it started raining in the afternoon, and slept from 6pm to 6am because it was dark.

"I thought it would take 10 to 15 days to reach the bottom. I kept going because I didn't want my loved ones to cry.

"When my cousin passed away two months ago, I saw my parents crying so hard, and I can't imagine how they would cry if it were their own son," he said.

Mr Sanjay lives with his father, 64, mother, 60, and two older brothers, aged 29 and 36.

After trekking for six days, he finally reached flat ground last Sunday morning. He kept walking for an hour and saw a stationary motorcycle. He waited another hour for the owner to return.

The man gave him an unripe banana and took him back to Srae Kan 3 village.

There, he was given rice and vegetables to eat, as well as pants to put on.

The Cambodian police drove him to a town, Kampong Speu, where his brother, Mr Premnathan Radakrishna, 29, was waiting with members of the Singapore embassy in Cambodia.

They flew home on Monday afternoon, and Mr Sanjay visited Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for a check-up.

Mr Sanjay admitted: "I didn't have a worst-case scenario planned and thought it would be a simple trek.

"I didn't do special preparations because I always stay fit and healthy, running daily and trekking up Bukit Timah weekly."

Mr Sanjay, who is on a gap year at NIE, said: "This has made me stronger and believe more in myself and my willpower."

On whether he would still climb mountains, Mr Sanjay said: "You don't give up just because you failed once."

Family, friends worried after he missed flight

Mr Sanjay had left some belongings in the Phnom Penh house of his Cambodian friend, Mr Kelvin Hieng, who studies in Singapore. So when he did not return and missed his flight last Wednesday, his friends got worried.

Mr Hieng informed the Singapore Embassy in Cambodia and his other friends, who notified his brother, Mr Premnathan, 29, on Thursday morning.

"My family was very worried when we found out, but we were also unsure if he was really missing or still climbing after starting last Tuesday because of the rain," said Mr Premnathan, a director at an F&B vending machine company.

But Cambodian police confirmed that Mr Sanjay had started off the day before, June 30.

Mr Premnathan said: "My parents were very worried, especially since Sanjay is the youngest son."

Mr Premnathan flew to Phnom Penh on Saturday to search for his brother.

"The people at the embassy were really helpful, and even got 10 local villagers to search the mountain near the trail on Sunday morning," he said.

But by that afternoon, Mr Sanjay had reached flat ground some distance away from the trail, and met his older brother later that day.

On whether he would allow his brother to climb mountains again, Mr Premnathan said: "I scolded him when we came back, and let him know that although he is confident, he has to behave responsibly, prepare better and inform us of the details beforehand.

"But this is his passion, and I would not stop him." -Asiaone

Full article: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=319201:lost-for-6-days-on-a-cambodian-mountain-i-kept-going-becos-i-didnt-want-my-parents-to-cry-26-yr-old-spore-trekker&Itemid=4#ixzz37FgATKdM
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[Toothiewabbit]

Wow! Though it was risky to go alone, I respect his efforts.

 

A personal journey he will remember for life

[Ktglfc]

His own mental strength and the will to survive made him alive :)

Kudos to him :))

[2BDriver]

Wow! Though it was risky to go alone, I respect his efforts.

 

A personal journey he will remember for life

他 是 一 个 不 平 凡 的 新 加 波 儿 子 足 够 胆 量

[Toothiewabbit]

他 是 一 个 不 平 凡 的 新 加 波 儿 子 足 够 胆 量

same thoughts, Unker Fong, same thoughts

[Wt_know]

wow ... remind me of this true story movie

like to go for extreme adventure alone

 

there is no force more powerful than the will to live

Edited July 12, 2014 by Wt_know

[Kiadaw]

You should not scale a mountain alone. In any case, happy to know he is back.

[Sosaria]

Cool teacher! At least now he has an interesting personal story to entertain the school kids...

 

Being an experienced climber, I'm surprised he still went ahead alone. Very dangerous thing to do. And without backup GPS, batteries or alternative power for his electronic devices.

 

It's also advisable to carry a portable emergency locator beacon to alert rescuers.

 

Anyway I admire young people nowadays don't mind taking gap year or time off studies to go doing something interesting or 'dangerous'. During my time, everyone was more in a hurry to quickly get the studies over with and start earning money!

Edited July 12, 2014 by Sosaria

[The_Bear]

For all you know, he is PES C9. Just saying...

[Evillusion]

For all you know, he is PES C9. Just saying...

hahaha....cialat lar u....gibe him face de!

[Vid]

wow ... remind me of this true story movie

like to go for extreme adventure alone

 

there is no force more powerful than the will to live

 

 

 

127 hours. Excellent movie. James Franco was superb in this one man show.

[Kangadrool]

hahaha....cialat lar u....gibe him face de!

many fit people are unfit during ns. No surprise. Am not saying he is in that cat.

 

It could also mean ns never teach him topo properly. ð Nevertheless, not all are trained fully in ns. Some are posted for other vocation.

[Watwheels]

He got gps navigation in his phone but still manage to get lost for 6 days?

 

He holland king or what?

[Mustank]

Buying a satki watch with a thousand function now!!!!!

[Watwheels]

many fit people are unfit during ns. No surprise. Am not saying he is in that cat.

 

It could also mean ns never teach him topo properly. ð Nevertheless, not all are trained fully in ns. Some are posted for other vocation.

 

During my training for topo excercise soldiers who are so called trained to topo or navigate also can get lost. Sure got many of them. And the worst will come at night as many will be lost. Me included. LoL....

 

I think at night is the worst time ever to navigate. Everywhere you turn to is a silhouette of a tree, sometimes you can't even see your hands. Use torchlight will kenna punished for exposing your location. Best is to sleep at night and navigate during the day in the forest.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Watwheels

[2BDriver]

He got gps navigation in his phone but still manage to get lost for 6 days?

 

He holland king or what?

I guess he is Mount Faber King

Buying a satki watch with a thousand function now!!!!!

Please save your monies for rainy days, just for 1 kopi-o, I can teach you to read Night Sky Stars

[Watwheels]

I guess he is Mount Faber King

Please save your monies for rainy days, just for 1 kopi-o, I can teach you to read Night Sky Stars

 

If me I throw away that phone liow. LoL...

[Camrysfa]

 

127 hours. Excellent movie. James Franco was superb in this one man show.

 

watched it at a theatre in NEX; ya, a movie with few actors!

there was a scene where he had to cut off his hand in order to free himself from being stuck.

i closed my eyes - it was too scary!

For all you know, he is PES C9. Just saying...

 

Ya, think of it, NS (most times) merely makes a person bring out his abilities.