Gunung Berembun

Gunung Berembun is located at Cameron Highlands.  Peaked at 1,836m above sea level, it normally takes about three hours to reach the summit. We used the trail labeled as Jungle Walk No. 6 located right behind Kem Sungai Pauh.  The mountain is quite high but why doesn't it take long to reach the summit?   The answer is Cameron Highlands itself is an elevated land that is 1,500 meters above sea-level.  If that was true, we only climbed for about 300 meters?  Yup!  The next question; but then if it was only 300 meters why did it take so long to reach the summit?  The answer to that is the height doesn't matter much but the distance to reach the summit that matters.  The first CheckPoint; Persinggahan LBT is about 2 km from the campsite!

 

 

I had a good sleep after popping in panadol and piriton due to sneezing.  The dusty tent must have caused me to sneeze incessantly.  I never got the time to clean the tent, after using it, I folded it and put it in my backpack and it stayed there until the next camping trip!  The temperature must have dropped to 15 ˚C that night , it was cold and the sleeping bag helped me a lot to stay warm! It was a sunny day when we started hiking at 8.30am.  The signboard at the entrance stated that the journey to reach the peak was 3 hours.  We were ready for that with enough snacks and water. And we left after a breakfast of burnt pancake!  

After going through muddy traps at the beginning of Jungle Walk no. 6, we were welcomed by breath taking view of the forest.  It was unlike any other forest area that we have been, we had the feel of being in high country with cool climate.  Any of our pictures may not be able to depict the beauty of the forest area.  We felt as though somebody had laid out carpet for us to walk on as the ground was covered with dry pine leaves.  However, the same feeling was gone when we came down as the dry leaves can be slippery!

This picture was taken at Persinggahan LBT, the first Check Point, about 2 km from the campsite.  It was also the end of Jungle Walk No. 6.  We didn't know that Persinggahan LBT was a Check Point with good facilities to rest, about 10 minutes before that we took our first 'take five' that lasted about 10 minutes.  On the way back, we stopped here again and we met a Caucasian couple.  They were already thinking of going back using Jungle Walk No. 6 (to Mardi) but we convinced them to go up the peak of Gunung Berembun.  When it rained upon reaching the campsite I wondered how they were like trekking in the rain!

Yes, it was only 3 hours but the trails were challenging too.  When we saw this window of light, we were excited as we thought the summit was just around the corner! Our excitement was short-lived as the summit was no where in sight and it was just a false peak!

When we reached this area, again, we thought that the summit was just around the corner.  And this time, we were right, the summit was just about 5 minutes away.

We reached the summit in 2 hours including a 10 minutes 'take five' in between.  Yes, another mountain conquered and a lot more to go!  From here we had a good view of Cameron Highlands (not sure which side though) and the temperature was slightly cooler even though it was already bright and sunny.  We rested for about 30 minutes by having snacks and taking a lot of pictures! As usual, going back was faster and we completed the journey in less than 4 hours. 

At the peak I saw this trail, it seemed heading to another mountain that I had no idea what it was! And I wasn't ready to explore either as we had other plans at the campsite!   

As a summary, if someone were to ask me, how difficult it is to climb Gunung Berembun?  It wasn't a walk in the park but it was close, perhaps slightly more challenging.  And I don't mind to come here again with my colleagues!

Kem Sungai Pauh

How to Get There?

It's located in Cameron Highlands, inside the compound of Jabatan Hutan Cameron Highlands.  To those who are familiar with Cameron Highlands, the exit from the main road is at Smokehouse Guest House.  Upon taking the exit, you will pass Telekom Malaysia building until you reach a small round about.  Take a 3 o'clock turn and drive down until you see Jabatan Hutan at the corner. Upon entering, you will pass through a security booth.  Drive further inside by taking the first left turn until you reach a dead road where you can park your car.   

The place can be quite popular during weekend, therefore it's advisable to call them first to check whether there's any spot left at the campsite.  I was busy at the office and forgot completely to call them before going there.  Yet, I was lucky as there were not many campers at that time.  

We parked the car right at the entrance of the campsite.  The entrance fee is RM5.  However, they never came to collect the money from us and we left without paying.  The parking area is just in walking distance, therefore it's okay if you were to bring along of stuffs.   

The campsite is furnished with the basic amenities like toilet, shower room, surau, gazebo and BBQ area.  The water from the tap is supplied from the mountain, therefore it's freezing cold.  You must be adventurous to stay here otherwise you'd end up complaining there was no hot shower!  Unfortunately, the cleanliness of the toilet is not up to the mark.  The doorknobs were gone and the toilet flush was not working too.  It's also advisable to bring a lot of bottled water, the water can be dirty when it rains!

One of the many gazebos located at the campsite.  The water from the stream may not be as cold as those from the tap.  However, it's still freezing cold.  Nevertheless, I took a dip in the water in the morning before leaving for KL. 

The campsite was lighted at night so it's okay if you don't bring your torchlight.  And you can bring along your handphone charger too as the power sockets are available at some gazebos and in the surau. 

It can be chilly at night especailly when it rains.  Don't forget to bring along your sleeping bag.  Blanket may not be thick enough!

This is the BBQ area.  Please bring along your charcoal and portable stove.  It was funny as I bought my portable stove and gas but I forgot completely to take it out from my car.  We ended up buying new stove.  I am not a regular coffee drinker, but I must say when I had my coffee there it tasted so good.  Must be the weather!    

This is the bridge that links the campsite and the amenities area. 

We were here as we planned to climb Gunung Berembun.  The trails were located right at the back of the campsite and it's labeled as Jungle walk No. 6.  

I will talk about Gunung Berembun in my next entry!

Gunung Bunga Buah

When a friend in FB invited me to this trip, I clicked 'Attending' without much hesitation, after all I had nothing planned on the same date and I have never been to Gunung Bunga Buah.  After a few messages, we decided that we'd meet immediately after the first Karak toll in Gombak.  In FB, there were 4 of only who clicked 'Attending', however, after breakfast I was told there was a group of 20 odd hikers joining us.  They had already parked their cars while we had our breakfast.  True enough, there were 31 of us after the final headcount. 31 of us of various fitness levels!  It was a big group and we expected that a few of us might not make it to the peak.  We started at 9.00am and  everyone was told to turn back at 2.00pm regardless where their locations were at that time.  Otherwise, they might not make it to the entrance under the sunlight! 

I read at one time that the access to the mountain was blocked as the land belonged to GohTong family.  I am not sure whether we were still using the same entrance.  The entrance that we used was just behind a row of shop houses at Gohtong Jaya.  We had to trek through vegetable farms before we started with the first ascend.  It was a steep slope and it took us about 20 minutes to reach the first checkpoint.  Joining the trip was a 12 year old girl who reminded me of my daughter when she was of the same age.  I helped her especially at some steep trails.  It had been raining non-stop a few days before that, therefore the trails were wet and slippery. 

After the first stop, we continued the journey along the old Genting road.  The road was already abandoned and inaccessible even by 4WD.  It took about 45 minutes before we reached the 'real' entrance to the jungle!  On the way back, we felt that the same road was longer and tougher.  To a certain extend, it reminded me the never ending trails of Nuang.  

This is a 'must' place for photo opportunity as there is cliff at the background.  It was foggy as it was still early in the morning and we didn't get to take that many good picture as the cliff was covered by fog.  

Typical wild orchids that can be seen on other mountains like Gunung Besar Hantu!

The typical trails all the way up!  The trails were almost as tough as Nuang.  Some said it was tougher.  At one point, there was a checkpoint that reminded me of Gunung Tahan!  Like Nuang, there was a false peak too,  It was  stunning view from here.  A few of us couldn't make it to the peak and they stopped here at the false peak!  We were told that the distance to the peak was about 20 minutes or 'sebatang rokok' and it turned we had to trek for another 45 minutes!  After the false peak, the trails were rocky like Bukit Tabur for about two hundred meters. 

I made it to the peak after a 3 and half hours of hard work.  I thanked my friend who invited me and told him that I made it somehow, he replied  'You're most welcome, friend. Some even say this was tougher than Nuang! And you didn't make it "somehow", it was with plenty of strength, pails of sweat, and with enough determination and resolve! Pat on the back for you!   And all those who attempted as well! And the weather was very kind to us - beautiful clouds, cool winds ... and best of all, no leech bites . . . although the few that were sighted were knocked out with Mosi-guard!!!'.  Thank you again, Henry!  I found out later on the way back that the 12 year old girl made it to the peak too.  Congratulations!

Crawly creature that we saw just on the way out of the jungle!

I was dragging my feet back and the 'never ending road' seemed longer and I could feel the pain from my recent slip disc.  It was still there and it hasn't recovered as yet.  That was the reason I said to Henry that I made it 'somehow' as I really had to struggle more as compared to other people who had no medical condition.   Anyway, my slip disc wasn't a severe one and it doesn't stop me from doing all my physical works, except it has slowed me a bit!

On the way back, I stopped over at Gombak R&T to clean myself and to pray.  Unfortunately, there was no shower room here for me to bathe.  I took the opportunity to take the picture of Bukit Tabur.  Yup!  It used to be my favorite hiking place.  And then I got my slip disc.   That was the end of Bukit Tabur being my favourite hiking spot!  Well, I think I am ready soon!   I will make it there before leaving to Merapi!

RAPTOR WATCH - TANJUNG TUAN

We were here in Tanjung Tuan by the invitation of our PD friends and Malaysian Nature Society to enjoy raptor watch.  Raptor watch is an annual event organised by Malaysian Nature Society to raise awareness on these preying birds that are migratory in nature.  They make a stop in Tanjung Tuan while waiting for the cold weather in the northern hemisphere to end and when the winter is over, they will fly back home to their habitat .  These birds come from as far away as Siberia.

The exhibition for Raptor Watch was held at Ilham Resort, just by the seaside facing Straits of Malacca.  Most people went inside Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Sanctuary to see the preying birds.  Armed with their 2 feet long lenses and DSLR, these people hiked up the tarred road to the lighthouse to wait for that opportunity to snap the picture of the preying birds.  As for us, we were there not only to join the raptor watch but also to do jungle trekking along the many trails of Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Sanctuary.  

It was a busy day for me, I dashed home immediately after attending a wedding reception of nieces in law (two of them at one reception!) and prepared the meal to bring along for the trip.  It was a simple chicken bolognese spaghetti that was ready in less than one hour.  The trip to PD took about 1 hour 40 minutes from Subang Jaya.  When we reached there, there were already huge crowd, some of them leaving the area after a few hours of raptor watch.  From the parking lot at Ilham Resort, it took us about 25 minutes to reach the campsite.  Each one of carried at least two bags consisting dinner, tent, water, etc.  The campsite was large enough to accommodate 60 campers and I got the tent ready in no time at all and there was god supply of fresh water from a well nearby.

I thought we were facing the west and expected to see sunrise.  Much to may surprise, we were facing the east at a lagoon area and I was delighted to see sunrise the next morning.  I slept in my tent and was restless the whole night.  I am always restless, tossing and turning in the tent when I go camping. That's why I always try to avoid camping. 

The light house here in Tanjung Tuan is known as the oldest in Malaysia.  From the raptor watch exhibition, we walked all the way up to the light house.  From here, we followed the trail down to the beach.

We were supposed to follow our PD friends for cliff climbing but we changed our mind and we ventured out on our own.  Upon reaching the beach area, I decided to trek along the rocky beach to go to the campsite.  It was a fun thing to do but I opted for the land trail after a while considering it turned out to be tough for my female colleagues.

This is the cliff that I'd climb one of these days!

We reached back the campsite about noon and after a long rest, we went back to our car.  It was an enjoyable experience for all of us.  It was the first time camping for some of us.  Personally, I don't mind to come back again for camping and to explore the other trails in Tanjung Tuan and to cliff climbing.  

Nuang Via Janda Baik

I have been to Gunung Nuang via Ulu Langat twice.  The first time was part of the preparation to climb Mount Kinabalu and the second was to prepare for Mount Tahan.

We spent 11 hours of hiking when we went there the first time.  For the second time, we camped for one night.  From the experience of both trips, I can conclude that climbing Gunung Nuang is very challenging.  It's not first timers and not for new comers either. 

I have often heard that Nuang via Janda Baik is less tough and hikers spend less time to complete the climb.  With that in mind, I planned another Nuang trip (via Janda Baik of course) with my group.  We were told it'd take us between 3.5 to 4 hours of hiking to the peak.

If I were to go there again, perhaps I will not climb Gunung Nuang, I will just do jungle trekking up to the waterfall area and enjoy myself there.  And come back to Zaini's Guest House to have BBQ dinner.  Gunung Nuang is definitely more fun via Ulu Langat and camping is recommended due to distance.  

We were supposed to follow a group of friends from PD but eventually we went ahead in our smaller group with the help of John and Joey (J&J) who were kind enough to be our guides.  Thank you to both of them, whom I met in my previous trip to Gunung Angsi.  We planned to start the trekking early in the morning.  So as not to trouble anyone, having to get up early at around 4am, we decided to come one day earlier and stayed at Zaini's Guest House.  The chalet is located about 500 meters from the starting point. We liked the ambiance at the chalet and enjoyed our short stay there.  We got up as early as 5.00am and after a quick breakfast at about 6.15am, we went to our car to get ready and joined J&J at about 6.40am.



After a short introduction and pleasantries, we started our trekking and the first challenge was to cross the stream.  It was still early in the morning and the water was very cold.  We crossed at the second spot to do so as water level at the first place was higher.  The water was very cold as it was still early in the morning.  



Along the way, we saw agri crops like french beans and four angled beans.  We thought of picking up some and pay the caretaker when we got back.  By the time, we got back, we were already very tired and no longer excited about the idea. 



This signboard was very important to us.  We were kind of lost, trying to figure out which way to go.  One of the farm caretakers told us to go to the signboard and follow the trail from there.  From then on, we were sure of our trail and never looked back.



Amongst the differences between between the trail of Ulu Langat and Janda that I noticed are the trails at Janda Baik are not as established as Ulu Langat due to the fact it's less popular and less number of people using the trail.  I prefer Ulu Langat trails as it's more fun, there are Check Points to look forward to namely Kem Lolo, Kem Pacat and Puncak Pengasih (false peak).  There were none of those in Janda Baik.  The trail between Kem Pacat and Puncak Pengasih was the one that differentiate Gunung Nuang from other mountains and we didn't see that in Janda Baik.  I must say that the trails in Janda Baik are less challenging, nevertheless, it takes almost the same number of hours. 

We were prepard with confetti to be left along the trails.  As it turned out, we didn't have enough up to the peak.  I like leaving confetti trails as it gives the confidence to the people behind that they are not on the right track.

We had to go through so many bamboo tunnels along the way.  There are bamboos along the never ending road via Ulu Langat but we don't have to pass through any tunnel.  The trails were cleared off of bamboo hurdles.  That's not the case here in Janda Baik.  The trails were slippery especially when we came back as there were so may people hiking on that day.  And it was raining heavily for two days in a row!

We reached the peak about 5 hours later.  There were already many people hikers when we reached there and majority of them were using Ulu Langat trails.  As expected, my friends from PD overtook us along the way too. 

Update!

I go through my blog updates lately and I noticed that I haven't been updating much about hiking activities anymore. 

The fact is I still go out and hike but I haven't been exploring new places as yet.  Hiking is my favourite outdoor activities that I do it very often over the weekend.  These days, it's a fortnightly event that I do with either family members, colleagues or friends.  There was one time I had no one to follow me as it was unplanned so I went alone to Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in Puchong.  It's not advisable to hike alone but it's okay to do so in places like Bukit Gasing, Ayer Hitam FR, Broga Hill and several others at the fringe of KL area as these places are frequented by a lot of people over the weekend. 

When I was hiking alone in Ayer Hitam FR, I took the time to read at least a chapter from the book that I was reading at that time. 

For the first time ever, I went jungle trekking with my family members.  We are not from Selangor but all of us with the exception of one brother are currently staying in Shah Alam and Klang area.  Eight of us including my eldest brother and his wife, my sisters, youngest brother, a niece and a nephew went for jungle trekking at Ayer Hitam FR last month.  It's a beautiful and memorable experience to have an outdoor family outing like that.  It was the first time that we had such outing and we plan not to make it as the last one as well.  We now plan to do it at least once a quarter. 

I have got my hiking activities planned with at least one monthly event up to July this year.  The curtain closure before the fasting month will be the trip to Bukittinggi, Padang, Indonesia.  Other than that, we are also planning to go to Port Dickson for raptor watch and cliff climbing, to Penang for hiking, swimming at Pantai Kerachut and makan-makan and to Cameron Highlands for hiking and shopping for fresh agri produces. 

I am happy as everything is going on smoothly and we have implemented two trips planned for the month of January and February namely Angsi via Bukit Putus and Nuang via Janda Baik.  I'll blog about our experience at Nuang soon.

How about the update on the wight loss initiative - KL's Biggest Loser? The second update is due and I lost almost two kilos within two months.  We were ready for the third weigh-in but the scale at the gym was broken.  It was a relief to some of us as the result hasn't been encouraging.  Losing weight and dieting should be a life long journey instead of a destination. It should be a mental state of being, being conscious of what we eat all the times, being conscious about exercise and living healthy lifestyle.  It's also about commitment and not about interest.  Everyone is interested to lose weight and do a lot of exercise, but how many can say that they are committed to it? Commitment is about not accepting any excuses, just results! 

Books?  I am currently reading a local book on coaching. It's my new passion at work as part of the company's initiative towards crating coaching culture.  I am reading the book to equip myself to be a better coach.  I am planning to be a certified coach and amongst the requirements is I need to do at least 100 hours of coaching.  Coaching is about empowering the employees to come up with their own solutions towards improving their performance at work. I will not talk much about it except for the book that I am currently reading.  This is the third book for this year.  I am also planning to finish reading some books that I read half way, there was biography of Anita Roddick, the founder of Body Shop that I read half way.  I couldn't relate to her mid way through.  What the heck, I'll finish it soon.  It was one of those cheap books that I bought at exhibition for old books.

Other than the above, it's business as usual!

Small Hiker's Book Series - The Power of Subconscious Mind

I bought this book about three years ago. I read it half way and put it down as I wasn't comfortable about the references to bible in almost all chapters.  The book is about the power of subconscious mind towards self healing and removing some mental blocks in achieving success. 

I was about to spend some money to buy more books to read during the last CNY holiday but then I remembered that I still had books that I read half way and this was one of them. 

I decided to give it one last try and finish it. And I also decided to filter what I read and digested only the universal values shared by the author.  After all, all religions in the world are about propagating better individuals in the context of the community at large using the values of good deeds.  With that in mind, I finished reading the book within a week. 

It's a practical book and it talks a lot about self affirmations and the inner self.  As one saying goes 'we are the sum of our thoughts'.  That's what I do these days, I start the day by having the attitude of gratitude, by being grateful of what I have, my good health, good career, good family, wife and children. By being grateful I remove the worry of not having enough and I am in a positive emotional state for the rest of the day.  

Being grateful is an energizing way to start the day and a relaxing way to end it.  Give it a try!