Rhythm: Exodus [Continued]

A glance at the map, the next check point is straight ahead, at the tip of this short mountain. A clean route through the mountain would be going by its shoulders, but that would take a long detour.

"Snap this is almost a 90degree climb!"
"Too late to change let's get this over with"

The team before us was not being careful, rocks the size of cows head are rolling down the steep face.
By the time we reached the check point 8 other teams has already pass before us.

"Still in the Top Ten, not Bad!"

We sat trying to catch our breath, water, sugar, laughs.


Little did we know that what we have pass was one of the biggest challenge, Its only later that we learn that this first touch with the wild has dropped 10 teams. A team with awesome build, with huge arms good enough to put you to sleep in one punch, has already dropped unable to go, asthma attack, weak will, not to mention thorns, bugs, height and for the unlucky teams, attack from the wild boar(really, this has got to suck, wild boar chasing after your butt T_T). Anything that the 1st elimination in the city didn't test, is now provided here.

Well honestly, the rest of the trip was pretty monotonous, up and down through mountains, river crossing, missing meals (some of the teams are faster than the officials who's suppose to bring food to a certain checkpoint), getting lost, rain, wet, dry, then wet again, blister everywhere. If its not for the beautiful rolling hills refreshing my eyes, that trip would have been a nightmare.


We spend that night lost. Unable to locate the checkpoint at 11.45 we gave up the search and set camp. It was a full moon a Friday night a beautiful night to seek enlightenment.


Location Unknown 0447hrs, Saturday 29th May 2010


"What? its only 500meters away, from where we camp!"


We had only eaten breakfast and lunch, yesterday's breakfast and lunch, add the lack of sleep, we were all HAPPY and not being sarcastic as in literally HAPPY, for some reason, at some point in misery people WILL laugh at them selves.
What followed is miles of walk, short challenges (carrying a huge banana tree-trunk trough the mud of inclining rice patties), rapid rafting and more walk.

"Welcome to the last checkpoint, all you have to do now is cross the river ahead and follow that road"
The man smiled and continued.
"You guys looks miserable, go its only another 5k"

We walked , we walked faster, we smiled, it stated to pour heavy rain, and just like the closing of the first elimination, now its again here, the rain, and so we ran, with our last strength we ran, we sprinted trough the hills. The camera man was ahead of us in a motorbike smiling, the finish balloon, clean water food, bed. We've made it. 33.31hrs.

Sukabumi 0830hrs, Sunday 29th May 2010

My tummy grumbles, it decided that the lamb chops is not going to agree for another second of their argument. The announcement from the auditorium started sounding.

"The top ten team please proceed to the hall for a short briefing"
 "Team Anhang, Team east, Macan gunung, . . ."

I was about to put my head under the pillow

"Iron Men"

What? we're 6th, that means...we made it to the reserve team, not bad. There is still possibility.


The meeting announce the coming test for the top 10, swimming and driving. Both went smooth, well Henry my team mate, reached over himself and had a bad leg cramp on the swim, but because of his calmness swimming with his hands to reach the pool side, the judge pass him.


The final meeting came, the the officers apologize for a little miss calculations on the score, they have forgotten to minus the freeze time (amount of time some teams waited for boats to come for the river rafting) scores are changed and God knows best.


What followed was a surreal awarding, cameras, cranes, lights. DAZED

Elimination1 slots for 700 team was opened in each major city of Indonesia, elimination2 top 100 teams was chosen, only 75 responded to the challenge. And only 5 teams will go for the final round.

P.S well yeah thats the end for now. 2nd part of exodus is kinda messy, sorry, its really late gota sleep. Prolly shud have find a better time write this, but the story will pile up if i do that hehehe. come back in 2-3 weeks ^_^