Camping at Kisakot Campsite at Malangkap
Tent
I broke one leg of my tent because I did not bother to read its instructions. The instructions are clear and pictorial. No way we can make a mistake if we bother to look at the one page of pictorial insyruction.
The most important is to pull the links when we want to bend the links.
When packing, bend the topmost links first. Need to remove pegs first. I did not remove my pegs so the links are difficult to pull. I need to pull bend the lower links first and that caused difficulties.
The good news is the broken link can be patched up and reinforced with an extra pole taped to the legs and through the leg fittings.
My attempts to fix the broken jojnts using superglue and epoxy failed. If the joints are made from PVC, we may be able to use PVC solvent, to join and reinforce the joints.
Raining
The tent by itself should be able to withstand showers. There might be some leaks but can easily be wiped with cloths. I brought 4 pieces of microfibre cloth to wrap around my tools.
A drizzle does not leak through the 3m x 3m flysheet positioned at the centre of the 2.4 m x 2.4 m tent, with all doors and windows open.
When the shower comes,a lot of rain leaked through and created a puddle by the time I closed all the doors and windows. It took a long time because there are two ties per opening, and the tie is difficult to untie in the dark. It is cheaper and faster to just use ribbon strings.
The position of the flysheet can be changed so that one door can be opened. I want to see the rain. Lights from outside can also enter inside.
My setup was the flysheet poles at the windows. Water drops onto the tent awning when the awning was open. Closing the awning, eas done by just slanting the poles. The strings were too tight so that I cannot close the awning door completely but luckily there was little water leak, so I left it slightly open.
By putting the poles at the doors, the flysheet will be offset towards the awning side and the poles may need to be bent towards the inner side of the tent. At least the rain water will drip towards the window side only. The door with the awning can be opened even during heavy rain.
The pegs supplied with the tents and flysheets cannot be used. I just used 4 in concrete nails. They were sufficient against the occasional strong wind. Not sure if there is a thunderstorm. I can just use more nails per location. Not sure if the flysheet can withstard a heavy storm.
The safest during a very strong thunderstorm, gale force wind, is to not use the poles. Tie all 8 ropes to the ground so that the flysheet touches the ground covering all the tent.
The lower part of the tent may be exposed and this type of tent does not have zips at the lower end of the covers. We can use duck / cloth tape to cover the lower part of the opening covers.
The top opening does not have any cover. You need to install the tent flysheet to cover the top but the flysheet is not tight so some water should get in.
When water gets inside the tent, they accumulate until there ia a puddle. We can use a water pump to drain away the water. A lighter and cheaper way is just to use cloth to absorb the water. A small amount of water can be drained using these washing cloths but they took too long. A faster way is to use small carpets such as prayer mats. I had a few in my car but did not use them inside the tent. These carpets are actually useful to absorb dirt but also water. We still need small cloths to wipe away small amount of water from the floor, walls or items.
The inflatable bed is useful to put away items from being immersed in the puddle created by leaked water. The pressure of the inflatable bed and pillow dropped when it is cold. Luckily they were still useable despite being unstable.
With so many items that need drying, it is good to have a cloth hanger. We can use the hook at the centre of the tent.
Headlamp
It is essential to have a head lamp. It allows us to work easily in dark places because our hands are free and we can easily direct the light to the location that we want to see.
Cooking
It is possible to cook inside a tent if you have good ventillation and heat proof mat. If the wind inside the tent is strong, you need to have wind covers, or just pieces from your items such as bags.
Never underestimate the importance of the heatproof mat because my tea bag handle caught fire when I put the flame to a high setting.
Cooking under the awning is not suitable because we need to open the mosquito net. Flies can get in easily. Even when I just go out and in, s few flies managed to get inside. I had to kill them using cloth. I should bring a fly mat. Useful also against mosquitoes.
Insecticides
Better still, insecticides. Aerosol insecticides are just too large. Water based insecticides can be useful. Just need a small spray bottle. That spray bottle can be useful for other things, such as washing. I saw sprayers that can fit to mineral water bottles but too large. Ironing water sprayers may be suitable. Insecticides could be useful if there are ticks. Fortunate, commercial campsites should not have ticks because they could spray insecticides inside their compound.
There are no mosquitoes even outside the tent. But while using my head lamps to look for water puddle, flying ants managed to fly over me. However, I cannot find any in my tent. Probably they flew out to the lights outside when I opened the nets in the dark.
Drinking Water
I noticed that the water from the tap of this camping site has debris that looks like organic matter. Fortunately I bought a water filter with carbon. I had already flushed the carbon at home but was not sure of the use for the syringe provided.
I drank cold water using my filter but used the tap water for the hot tea after boiljng them for more than 30 seconds. Once I realised that there were debris in the water, I tried to use the water inside my car but it was there a long months ago and could just be tap water also, but at least my tap water has filters installed.
The water filter comes with a syringe and hose. The hose fits into the inlet nozzle of the filter but its threat does not fit into our mineral water bottle. It is a pity that this flter does not use a standard filter thread. The syringe is a good alternative but the hose does not fit tightly to the outlet of the syringe. Pushing hard to the syringe provides a tight fit but water still leaks. The plunger should not be pushed too hard the first time. Once only a little water remains inside the tube, loosen the tube and suck air. Then push the hose hard again before plunging the air to push the remaining water through the filter.
Then put the syringe in water, to load more water. It was tiring so I only got around 50 cc for my tea with honey.
Food
Inlike Max Campsite there is no cafe in Kisakot Campsite. It is just a one night camping but it is good to bring some food because it is enjoyable eating in the wild. Even simple food should taste delicious.
Instant noodle is a good camping food because it is light but I do not enjoy them. Even when traveling, eating instant noodles was not my favourite. I prefer just hot coffee with milk.
I used to enjoy honey tea at an airport but it was expensive which gave me an idea for camping. I tried twice because they are light and honey can have a small dispenser. It tastes alright but my Sabah tea bags do not seem to taste and smell like a good tea. Probably the tea bogs are too old. They were many years old.
Hot beverages are excellent when we are relaxing and the weather is cold. After spending 2 hours packing my things in the morning sun, I felt so thirsty and longed for cold coca cola. I stopped at Tamparuli point to buy Asli Coca Cola but does not have the usual ohm. There is a Classic version that has more sugar.
Cold beverages are not easy to generate unlike hot that can use gas stoves. The alternative is to get it from the river. The tap water is cold but I do not trust it. There is a running river water but it is far from the campsite, more than 200 m away. If I stayed longer, I would take a bath and cool my drinks inside the flowing river water, after working hard.
For my usual short trip, I prefer to bring bread with cheese and jam. The cheese sandwich was delicious but I only brought 2 slices of cheese. I worry that they get spoiled easily. Jam lasts longer and good with hot drinks. I noticed that I got bored with jam quickly.
I brought 3 pieces of eggs because I ran out of eggs at home. I cut out a cardboard egg container for 4 eggs. It got soaked in water but I should let it stay inside its freezer bag. I had a few Ziplocks with sliding locks but all the locks are spoiled. Luckily my soya sauce and jam do not leak out and spoil my luggage.
The plan was to cook half boiled eggs seasoned with soya sauce and white pepper. I ended up with just hard boiled eggs. I felt busy during the camping. Too much work repairing the broken legs and installing the 8 pegs for the flysheet.
Eggs are also useful for French Toast, our favourite, even during sahur. But frying requires oil. I do not like oily taste. Butter is best but butter cannot stand heat. I need to find a special container for butter. Butter can be used for frying as well. Expensive for everyday food but it is excellent for frying anything. Even at home I fry my rice with butter or ghee, mostly leftovers in the fridge, so a little bit for camping should be good.
Cooking requires detailed endless studies. I shall experiment with more options, especially with rice. When at Kulambu, I joined the boy scouts with their barbequed fish and sea food with rice but I felt as though something is missing. Maybe it is to eat immediately after being cooked instead of waiting to be served.
Cold
During the day it is hot, 33 degree C under the shade. Inside the tent, it will be 40 degC without the Flyover. With the Flyover and all openings, the temperature can drop by 5 degC. Still higher than shade temperature. Only a high and large roof such as at the provided huts can we achieve shade temperature. These high temperatures should occur from 11 am to 3 pm. At that time, better hide under trees.
I was able to rest on my air bed even during mid day. There was strong breeze but inconsistent which made it unbearable. A constant flow of wind provided by fans will be more comfortable.
In a developed place like campsites, not easy to find a lot of trees but there were a lot of empty huts which I used to rest while packing and unpacking. At Max campsite, Kulambu beach, it provides a covered bench for groups of campers.
At night, Malangkap is very cold especially after such heavy rains. Luckily I brought a thick jacket and sleeping bag. Otherwise, I will not be able to sleep. At Kulambu beach, it was not this cold. Where there are lots of trees, the place should be colder. The higher the altitudes, the colder it becomes.
Sunsets and Sunrises
The beauty of camping is to be closest to nature. At hotels, I need to look at certain windows to get good views or get outside to the gardens.
At campsites, they are cheaper. Even at campsites, they offer hutd with roofs. I noticed that the roofs and pillars obstruct a lot of views.
Compare the views with my view inside my tent. At Ksakot Campste and others at Malangkap, you can hear the white noise of the river flowing. The noise did not disturb my sleep, just like rainfall.
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