There and Back Again Part III: Settling In
Sunday, March 05, 2006
There and Back Again Part III: Settling In
Sunday was basically a day off for the troopers.We hung around the camp,exploring the site and stuff.Apparently we were the second batch of Singapore soldiers there.Only,the second batch mind you.Anyway,so the place was pretty damn new,considering the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere and actually had hot water supply.Pretty damn amazing i'd say.It's as good as seeing an electrical bulb for the first time.
A side note,we came across this little device at the back of every bunk.At first look it looked like some weird bee hive of some sort,or large lump of hay stuffed up inside this big...cage thing.But as this Indian dude later explained,it was an air-con,primitive style.
Daikin,primitive-style.
This is how it works.You pour water into the bottom where the big metal tray is,and the water is pumped all the way up to the top.It will then flow down the sides and get absorbed by those...hay,things.As the fan sucks the air in,the air will be cooled and thus,an air-conditioned room.Wonderfully thought out,an ingenius invention indeed.However,the flaw was in it's stand.As the boys(Including myself)were trying to fill up the tray with water,the whole structure collapsed under the weight,and the stand below buckled and twisted.So there you have it,only the first day in India and we've already successfully destroyed a SAF property.Good work,guys.
Anyway,after much looking-around and some observations,i've came up with an equation to sum up Babina,for those who are interested(Probably not)and those who will never head there.Babina,this whole training area can actually be summed up in a simple equation:
Drumroll.
3S + F = Babina,India.
"F" stands for the number of flies in Babina.I think aside from cockroaches,flies are everywhere as well.Even in a place where the bird never shits,you find flies.They are everywhere,even if you are standing still they will fly around your ears and irritate the living devil out of you.The "Ss" stand for three things."Sun","Sand",and "Shit".Cow dung,to be exact.It's blazing hot in the morning,soaring to an unbearable 35 degrees(And is predicted to go up to 40 by the time the Cougar boys arrive),sand is everywhere obviously and cow dungs.Mounts and mounts of cow dungs.Once Sgt. Eddie was jogging with us when he cursed under his breath,and was looking under his shoes for signs of shit."Shit?" i asked,running over."No,just a rock" he replied."Im not too sure man," i said. "There are more shit than rocks in Babina".
Cows,cows,and more cows.After my dealings with them i swear i prefer to see them between two pieces of bread,with a lettuce and cheese on top.
In a way,cows lead a better life than humans in India.They are worshipped,not eaten,and every morning they will be brought out into the fields to graze the grass.They even get their own freetime,roaming the plains before they stroll back on their own.There are cows everywhere,and sometimes in the way of our tonners as we cruise down the bumpy road.Remember that Anlene milk advertisment about the cows in New Zealand?How they have as many cows there as the Singapore population?Well,screw that.India is officially the Heaven for cows,the utopia of Moo-dom.
We spent the next few days setting butts for the live firing.Sgt. Eddie was in charge,and the lot of us basically followed him around in the tonners setting up targets and stuff.Thus,i had a hell lot of opportunities to take photographs and all.
A little mini-twister swirling in the distance.
Staring into the distance after a hard day's work,thinking about...the usual.
Puff.Cigarette,courtesy of Wei Lun.
A brief encounter with the Tamil Tigers,and that's me begging for mercy.
When it comes to dust and sand,you can't be too careful.
Sunday was basically a day off for the troopers.We hung around the camp,exploring the site and stuff.Apparently we were the second batch of Singapore soldiers there.Only,the second batch mind you.Anyway,so the place was pretty damn new,considering the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere and actually had hot water supply.Pretty damn amazing i'd say.It's as good as seeing an electrical bulb for the first time.
A side note,we came across this little device at the back of every bunk.At first look it looked like some weird bee hive of some sort,or large lump of hay stuffed up inside this big...cage thing.But as this Indian dude later explained,it was an air-con,primitive style.
Daikin,primitive-style.
This is how it works.You pour water into the bottom where the big metal tray is,and the water is pumped all the way up to the top.It will then flow down the sides and get absorbed by those...hay,things.As the fan sucks the air in,the air will be cooled and thus,an air-conditioned room.Wonderfully thought out,an ingenius invention indeed.However,the flaw was in it's stand.As the boys(Including myself)were trying to fill up the tray with water,the whole structure collapsed under the weight,and the stand below buckled and twisted.So there you have it,only the first day in India and we've already successfully destroyed a SAF property.Good work,guys.
Anyway,after much looking-around and some observations,i've came up with an equation to sum up Babina,for those who are interested(Probably not)and those who will never head there.Babina,this whole training area can actually be summed up in a simple equation:
Drumroll.
3S + F = Babina,India.
"F" stands for the number of flies in Babina.I think aside from cockroaches,flies are everywhere as well.Even in a place where the bird never shits,you find flies.They are everywhere,even if you are standing still they will fly around your ears and irritate the living devil out of you.The "Ss" stand for three things."Sun","Sand",and "Shit".Cow dung,to be exact.It's blazing hot in the morning,soaring to an unbearable 35 degrees(And is predicted to go up to 40 by the time the Cougar boys arrive),sand is everywhere obviously and cow dungs.Mounts and mounts of cow dungs.Once Sgt. Eddie was jogging with us when he cursed under his breath,and was looking under his shoes for signs of shit."Shit?" i asked,running over."No,just a rock" he replied."Im not too sure man," i said. "There are more shit than rocks in Babina".
Cows,cows,and more cows.After my dealings with them i swear i prefer to see them between two pieces of bread,with a lettuce and cheese on top.
In a way,cows lead a better life than humans in India.They are worshipped,not eaten,and every morning they will be brought out into the fields to graze the grass.They even get their own freetime,roaming the plains before they stroll back on their own.There are cows everywhere,and sometimes in the way of our tonners as we cruise down the bumpy road.Remember that Anlene milk advertisment about the cows in New Zealand?How they have as many cows there as the Singapore population?Well,screw that.India is officially the Heaven for cows,the utopia of Moo-dom.
We spent the next few days setting butts for the live firing.Sgt. Eddie was in charge,and the lot of us basically followed him around in the tonners setting up targets and stuff.Thus,i had a hell lot of opportunities to take photographs and all.
A little mini-twister swirling in the distance.
Staring into the distance after a hard day's work,thinking about...the usual.
Puff.Cigarette,courtesy of Wei Lun.
A brief encounter with the Tamil Tigers,and that's me begging for mercy.
When it comes to dust and sand,you can't be too careful.
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