Overseas R n' R
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Anyone has stories to contribute?
I'm particularly curious with what the Ex Lancer people did. The one time I went to Brunei, my R n' R was confined to camp somewhere in/near the Capital (downstream from Temburong) & doing area-cleaning for 3 days. -
What u expect from Lancer? All Ger also cover face, except their eyes...nothing to see also. I got one night off and "walk" to their so called shopping centre (Bestway similiar)...
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i tink starlight will be the most happening...
ask them???
my ecounter in cresendo is a fraud...
the r n r sucks -
comparing starlight r n r with lancer r n r is like comparing a seafood dinner with combat ration...
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Do they still conduct "guided tours" for those on Starlight, as opposed to "free & easy"? I remember they enforced this sometime during the 2nd half of the '90s, following some RnR mishap. No, I dunno what happened; my 2 ROC trips took place in the earlier half of that decade.
Taipei was fun - heck, Touliu itself was a pretty freewheelin' place (kinda like border-town JB) which, as part of my self-autonomous recce group, I was luckily able to drive around & explore. In fact, I recall seemingly always running into Singaporeans in Touliu: bumped into a former unit gunner who set up business there after NS; met another oldtimer who let us use his rooftop for field surveying; one of my reservist buddies had a mistress nearby (& got kicked out of the unit after AWOLing a field deployment to spend the night with her); & another reservist famously romancing a local hairdresser (I met her - very "chio" - but dunno who he was) during nights-off & paid for her trip to Taipei to join him for RnR! -
what do they do in cresendo? as in the training?
i heard there's a 9days outfield or something.. -
i heard there's a 9days outfield or something..
Quite normal, lah. Local ICTs can spend 11-12 days out in the field too, compared to the longest (5 days) I've spend when active, excluding Ex Lancer.
When overseas, the main logistic obstacle is that the deployment grounds are very far away from base camp, & thus it's quite impractical to systematically organize details to go back to bathe during the midst of training.
Usually the RQ & CQ will plan for regular changing of uniforms (every 3 days or so) as an alternative, while commanders also have the prerogative to arrange for ad-hoc showering with nearby farms & such. -
I had a 4 days R & R in ROC following some trainning. I had just finished covering 2 groups of trainees as an MO. Definitely worth looking forward too after being in the field for about 30days! Of course there was the run of the mill guided tours but it was really until the nights that were really enjoyable. I remembered bring my medics to the night markets and later to pubs and nightclubs. Of course there was suppose to have the 2359(i think) curfew but well.......... you know.
Anyway the most "exciting" occured when 6medics and 2 signalers had followed me to a pub in Taipei. It was "late" so officially we were suppose to be back in the hotel. Anyway I remembered there was this table of 3 local men who were getting very "pissed". In fact they were harrassing the waitresses there and getting fairly rowdy. Sensing potential trouble I told the guys that we should settle the bill and head off to some other pub. It was then that some other waitress tried to convince us that there was no problem and that we should stay. Unfortunately those 3 guys on the next table overhead the incident. They started shouting at us saying that we were unreasonable to leave because them. Well I asked all the guys to just stand and leave anyway. After most of us had left the premises. I noticed one of my medics still being harrassed by the waitress. I remembered promptly going back to get him out. This was when all hell broke loose! My medic recieved one on his cheek and I got one blow to my face! Trying to avoid further confrontation, the 2 of us backed off. Unfortunately those idiots actually continued to chase the 2 of us. For some reason, I managed to run to the other guys but my medic could not. In fact he was cornered and being shoved around. This is when I kinda thought enough is enough. I proceeded to order the rest of the men to go and aid our guy. So 9 guys in total against 3...... you kinda can make out the rest. Anyway eventually the 3 Taiwanese fled when they knew they were grossly outnumbered. The incident created quite a scene and even the local police showed up
Fortunately the incident had passed and we just pretended nothing had happened and walked.
I remembered after thinking what drama from a potentially enjoyable night. The next day I mentioned the incident to the other officers and WOs. Of course they started teasing me and even asked me why I had not called them! They were all testosterone charged and said they would have all showed up with their "parangs" and stuff Oh well........
Saabster -
Ex Lancer will get a half day guided R & R...
Moving off after lunch, first they go to the Royal Museum, then the Technological Museum and something something Museum. Buffet dinner at hotel before going to Jerudong Park for free amusement rides. If weather is bad, then they will go to Gadong where the locals and ang mo hang outs. -
seems exactly like my r n r... which unit r u from?Originally posted by Dalforce:Ex Lancer will get a half day guided R & R...
Moving off after lunch, first they go to the Royal Museum, then the Technological Museum and something something Museum. Buffet dinner at hotel before going to Jerudong Park for free amusement rides. If weather is bad, then they will go to Gadong where the locals and ang mo hang outs. -
dunno abt u guys, I remember our first exercise in lancer, it was a section TOPO and I was 84 so with the company HQ section.
so anyway we were asleep on a very steep knoll somewhere in the jungle and into the second day of the TOPO exercise. Our company 2IC who was the commanding officer for our section as well a real TOPO KING was getting worried that he couldn't find his way, we searched & searched for it the whole of the previous day but couldn't even find our first checkpoint while other teams were already starting to search for their second or last checkpoint, we could all see that it was starting to be a real embarassment for him. So once it was daylight on day 2 he roused us up from our sleep to have a quick breakfast and set off asap.
After breakfast he looked around and found me to be the most convienient to ask so delegated me and another of his runner to collect all the water bottles then go down the hill to fillup all the water bottles for everyone. I just had my powder bath and was feeling very cool and non-sticky was abt to settle down for a smoke and this prick was asking me to run down the hill to get water. Why couldn't we all go down and get the water since we would be going down anyway I argued but he glared at me and insisted.
So being a chao lance corporal and he an officer, no choice we collected all the water bottles into a huge black trashbag and down the hill sweating again we went.
At the foot of the hill was a winding river bed at least during monsoon and rainy season it was but otherwise it was a dirt road. We found a small pond of trapped clear water abt the size of 3 bath tubs so we started topping up our own bottles first.
Then my friend who was the runner suggested we take a bath since it was so hot. So I agreed and took off everything, there we were 2 naked guys swimming in the middle of nowhere, if a wild sunbear suddenly appeared we going to be his lunch.
anyway after a short bath my friend said he had to take a sh!t and so he did, after he sh!tted he went back to the pond to wash his ass again ... then only we started filling up all the other water bottles. -
My R and R
Thailand - was a restricted guided tour during the day - back to camp for the night.
Brunei - nobody wanted to go for the R and R - everybody just slept in the bunks after 6 weeks of training there.
Taiwan - was a guided tour (Kaoshiong, Taichung, Taipei) by private tour company for 3 days (nights are free n easy), 4th day - free and easy in Taipei.
Taiwan (ICT) - 3 days free and easy in Taipei. -
Taiwan R&R was quite interesting.
But on the last day Free & Easy, almost everybody was broke, so we went to a 7-11 bought a whole lot of instant noodles from the last of our money then went back to the hotel to watch hotel blue tape until evening.
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Armour...Originally posted by TVaddict:seems exactly like my r n r... which unit r u from?
I was a perm staff there for a year... -
nobody taught u guys not to fill ur bottles with trapped or stagnant water?Originally posted by KumSioJui:dunno abt u guys, I remember our first exercise in lancer, it was a section TOPO and I was 84 so with the company HQ section.
At the foot of the hill was a winding river bed at least during monsoon and rainy season it was but otherwise it was a dirt road. We found a small pond of trapped clear water abt the size of 3 bath tubs so we started topping up our own bottles first.
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it wasn't cloudy and even had some small fish in it? aft dat use puritab mahOriginally posted by TVaddict:nobody taught u guys not to fill ur bottles with trapped or stagnant water? -
Well, you're still alive eh
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yah still alive, but my 2IC and the rest of the section after drinking sai jui ...
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Last year November I had my reservist in Australia...kinda siong as we had to walk alot & the ground is all granites...and we slept on safari beds...I forgot to bring a pillow so had to make do with whatever I could find...
The R&R was only 1 day kinda sux but it was very boring to visit the towns & there was nothing much to do...the only thing I liked was the beach & the one night at the motel where for the first time in two weeks, I could sleep on a proper bed.
Lunch was okay at a tropical island but dinner sux as we had to go to a university hostel to eat...breakfast at the motel was good
Overall it was a fun & memorable experience -
it may be clear but it's what u cannot see tt may kill u, my friend...Originally posted by KumSioJui:it wasn't cloudy and even had some small fish in it? aft dat use puritab mah -
quite alright with puritab, still alive after more than 10yearsOriginally posted by TVaddict:it may be clear but it's what u cannot see tt may kill u, my friend...
if it's water from industrial area then I agree, but the jungles of brunei acts like a huge filtration system, the pathogens if any are organic which the puritab will take care.
what more if small fish can survive for so long, shud be safe enuf for consumption. -
and conversely, some running water may be cloudy, but is in fact fresh and portable! batu apoi is one fine example!Originally posted by TVaddict:it may be clear but it's what u cannot see tt may kill u, my friend... -
Latest News about R&R
i was attached to EX wallaby 04 this year. was offered a 3 day R&R at gold coast as all the previous R&R for the Central Admin Team was at Gold Coast, Brisbane.
this year, after we arrived at Australia, heard news that this year R&R might be canceled. so disappointed
a few days, DY CAO came to australia to give us a briefing regarding the R&R and told us that regulars are not entilted to any R&R as we are drawing allowance while we are at australia. but he did say he will try to fight for our R&R.
few weeks later, news came back, we were allowed 3 day of R&R provided we pay our own hotel lodging and our own food.
so those regulars who are planning to go for future oversea exercise, please be prepared that you might not have any R&R. NSFs would be given guided R&R as they are not drawing any allowance. -
Some units made their regulars be the coach IC and hotel IC, so as a result, the regulars get to go for the R & R too... Without paying anything and getting allowance at the same time...
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I remember after exercise cut and while we all stayed back on the base waiting for the sand barge to arrive to be shipped out, we did all sorts of things to busy ourselves as it was really boring.
We broke open the C-rations and starting using solid fuel to cook instant noodles, you could see small cooking fires with clusters of people huddled around outside their company barracks cooking.
also there were people catching multicolored cicada and there was even a small auction for it, I think the highest offered for a turquoise colored one was $450 bucks.
Then someone found a scorpions nest and people started catching them first with rifle cleaning kit pincers after that 1 guys used his bare fingers and everybody followed and posing for photo shoot, I think back now .. really fool hardy.
But the most interesting of all was using the radio. The telecommunications on the base was that of radio airwave. We would fiddle with our small radio dials to tune to the correct frequency to evesdrop on base personel making calls home. Sometimes you could hear really mushy conversations going between a man calling home to his wife.
It was fun.