July 2019
The students enjoying the vibrant and exotic surroundings on the jungle walk
2019 brought adventure for many Tukido students who took part in Operation Monsoon – a trip organised by Grandmaster Teh giving them the opportunity to explore, experience and do some training across Malaysia. Here are some short pieces shared by some of the students who took part.
Stuart Carlton
Cave diving in Malaysia was one of my personal highlights. It is something I never thought I would have the chance to do. It became a real adventure, and one surreal experience was when the lit caves ended and so all we had to see in the pitch black were our head lights. Crawling through water filled holes, scrambling up jagged rocks and seeing countless bats on the roof all made for a once in a lifetime experience. The only downside was not being able to take a camera with me because all the incredible sights there have to be seen to be believed.
A typical day in Taiping: up early for a quick bite to eat before walking to training through the beautiful lake gardens. There, Master Teh was ready and raring to go for a morning training session on the grass before it was too hot. It’s hard work, so drinking a coconut afterwards is crucial.
Go back for a dip in the pool and a quick shower before we jump in the back of a pick-up truck and head for lunch in a secret part of the jungle that Master Teh had discovered in his youth. The trek showed how family-oriented Tukido is, with everyone in the community helping each other out. When we got to the clearing, I knew instantly that I wanted to jump off the edge of the waterfall into the water. We had lunch and tried the Durian fruit – it was not for me! All of the students got our certificates for coming to Malaysia and, to celebrate, we all jumped into the water.
After the trek we had some down time to explore Taiping by ourselves, so I went for a run around the lake gardens and took some pictures. That night, we all went for dinner in an amazing fish restaurant next to the river, before taking a night boat to see the fireflies. The only way I can describe the experience is to think of a whole forest covered in Christmas lights. I even managed to catch one in my hand which made the night very special for me.Across four diverse locations, we spent 12 action packed days like this one. Our trip took in different activities, including: playing football with local school children, cave-diving, go karting, jet skiing alongside dolphins, going to a night market, mountain climbing, and also enjoying the occasional beer at the end of a great day. Going away with Tukido and Grandmaster Teh was a great holiday and an unforgettable adventure.
Ryan Somerville – Trip of a life time
To have had the opportunity to go to such a beautiful colourful and vibrant country with the Founder of our amazing martial art was a dream come true for me.
Grandmaster Teh is and has been a huge influence on my life from when I started Tukido at age 11. But being able to travel with him around Malaysia taking in the beauty and culture was something else. The beautiful clear crisp mornings with dew on the grass and the sun rays splitting the trees was simply divine and a pleasure to be up so early.
I was also properly introduced to Grandmaster Teh art works which took my breath away the energy and chi I saw in these paintings was a mirror reflection of how I see Grandmaster Teh.
It’s reflection this is something I’d love to do every few years to see more of this beautiful country and experience first hand stories of growing up there from Grandmaster Teh.
Fantastic Experience that everyone who studies Tukido should aim to replicate in the future.
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