A group 11 of us went to Putrajaya Challenge Park for a ride in the morning. Lead by Andreas who has been there before, we completed 4 segments of the trails available there. The challenge park is a purpose-built park for extreme sports. We also saw heavy tractors which is used to build a MTB trail for riders like us!
The trails are short but very interesting and challenging at times. The terrain along the trail is all uphill and downhill with very little flat rides. Mostly made up of canopied single track which provides much needed shield from the sun. The canopy also bring up a beautiful trail in the forest.
Here is a trail of the ride
Putrajaya Challenge Park
More photos to come.
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Saturday, 18 October 2008
KL Downtown 2008 Urban Downhill
Today, I took the kids to watch the practice run of the KL Downtown mountain bike urban downhill race held in Bukit Komanwel Park and Stadium. There were 100 plus riders from various parts of the world competing in the race. If I am not mistaken, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia riders outnumber the rest.
Although I did not managed to see them, the main attraction were of course Santa Cruz Syndicate's Steve Peat (7 years Reigning King of Red Bull Downtown Portugal), Josh Bryceland (2008 Junior World Champ) and Cedric Gracia of Commencal Oakley.
I did however managed to catch Aaron on his spanking new bike. Good luck Aaron! I hope you kick everyone's ass in the Men Junior category! I could not find one of the geeks participating in the race, Ian Foo. I heard one of his wheels gave out on him during the practice run.
Aaron on the left.
The categories of the race are:
1. Men Elite (Professional and Current National or State Rider)
2. Men Open (18 years old and above)
3. Women Open (18 years old and above)
4. Men Master (30 years old and above)
5. Men Junior (17 years old and below)
Also, there were a lot of very nice and cool bikes!!! These are favourtites...
All in all, the air at the race location were festive and my kids just loved it!
My kids at finish line section waiting for the riders to fly down the stairs!
Although I did not managed to see them, the main attraction were of course Santa Cruz Syndicate's Steve Peat (7 years Reigning King of Red Bull Downtown Portugal), Josh Bryceland (2008 Junior World Champ) and Cedric Gracia of Commencal Oakley.
I did however managed to catch Aaron on his spanking new bike. Good luck Aaron! I hope you kick everyone's ass in the Men Junior category! I could not find one of the geeks participating in the race, Ian Foo. I heard one of his wheels gave out on him during the practice run.
Aaron on the left.
The categories of the race are:
1. Men Elite (Professional and Current National or State Rider)
2. Men Open (18 years old and above)
3. Women Open (18 years old and above)
4. Men Master (30 years old and above)
5. Men Junior (17 years old and below)
Also, there were a lot of very nice and cool bikes!!! These are favourtites...
All in all, the air at the race location were festive and my kids just loved it!
My kids at finish line section waiting for the riders to fly down the stairs!
Monday, 13 October 2008
Elmina - Saujana Trail Again!
A group photo of the geeks at Elmina-Saujana trails just after the tunnel!
Standing from right to left : Jovey, Tan, Irwan, Vincent, Sean, Bobby, Paul, Eric, Frank, Terese, Karen, Eric, Kiat, Lam, Sean
Squatting from right to left : Ian, Jack, Henry, Joe, Naga, Ian's GF, Sarah
(click on the pic for a larger picture)
Jovey on his spanking brand new Santa Cruz.
Before the ride Joe was struggling to adjust the seat post.
Joe took the hammer to the seat post and it looked like the seat post won... LOL.
The geeks on the Elmina trails.
A glimpse of the trails in Elmina.
Some Photos:
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
A Painful Milestone in Biketrial!
I have been trying very hard to learn the elusive "pedal kick" for a while now. My balancing on the rear wheel hop is not exactly very consistent, which makes learning the "pedal kick" doubly hard.
My arm and back muscles are constantly being pushed to their limits, with hardly enough time for them to recuperate.
Today, those muscles felt well enough for me to start practicing and I went at it with a vengeance.
Check out the PAINFUL video here.
My arm and back muscles are constantly being pushed to their limits, with hardly enough time for them to recuperate.
Today, those muscles felt well enough for me to start practicing and I went at it with a vengeance.
Check out the PAINFUL video here.
Saturday, 13 September 2008
2008 Singapore BikeTrial Competition - Round 3
Last Sunday on 7th September, I went down to Singapore with a friend to watch the 2008 Singapore BikeTrial Competition - Round 3. I met my friend in Melaka around 1:00am and we left for Singapore at around 2:00 am in morning and arrived at about 6:00 am.
More here
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Riding the Elmina - Saujana Trail
Elmina - Saujana Trail at EveryTrail
Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Geotagging
Overall, the Elmina - Saujana Trail is a fantastic cross-country trail with just the right mixture of uphills and downhills, and stretches of easy-riding lowlands. Generally, it is very ridable and the sceneries are fantastic... oil palm all around... :-)
There are still many routes that were not taken and it should be interesting to explore all of them. Thanks to Irwan and Shaq for showing us around... :-)
This trail just beg to be ridden.
More Information:
Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Geotagging
Overall, the Elmina - Saujana Trail is a fantastic cross-country trail with just the right mixture of uphills and downhills, and stretches of easy-riding lowlands. Generally, it is very ridable and the sceneries are fantastic... oil palm all around... :-)
There are still many routes that were not taken and it should be interesting to explore all of them. Thanks to Irwan and Shaq for showing us around... :-)
This trail just beg to be ridden.
More Information:
- View tracks and photos: Elmina - Saujana Trail at EveryTrail
- Check out the Videos here.
- Check out the photos on Panoramio.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Today, Wildgeeks is 1 year Old
Birthday greets from Micol, The Medic.
Yes, The Wildgeeks Adventure Club is one year old.
The number of geeks have grown since. The total number of geeks registered in the group currently stands at 39. Although some are not riding any more (one that I know was due to bike "breakdown" LOL...), I am sure their hearts are still into this. Poor Hulk still has his knee problem, which has put him out for more than 6 months now. Get well soon man!
The Best Ride with the Most geeks?
Best ever outing is the second hash to Batu Dam.
Which is the Most Scary and Frightening Ride?
This has just got to be the ride to Sofia Jane - A Cicak, An Incident and A Few Good Men. I for one was terrified for the not so hard Ironman... LOL.
George received eleven stitches for not wearing a helmet while swimming in the waterfall... LOL.
The Ride with the Most "Pokkai" or Falls?
Edwin the Tau Foo Fa, started off the whole falling business with others to follow later. It was also the day I forgot my shoes and had to ride with my slippers... LOL.
We have never had all the geeks together for an adventure. With everyone's tight schedules and responsibilities, it would be a wonder to get all the geeks together. Nevertheless, that would be something to hope for.
Maybe we can organise a Jamboree or something like that... LOL. Anyways, here is wishing every wild geeks who like adventuring, a Happy Birthday with more great fun coming their way!
The adventures continues!
Sunday, 6 July 2008
Singapore BikeTrial National Championship
On June 21st 2008, Syarul and I decided that we were going to go down to Singapore to watch the BikeTrial National Championship - Round 2, to be held on 22nd June (Sunday). The event was to take place in the Pasir Ris Town Park on the eastern part of the island.
We left my house in Bandar Bukit Mahkota at about 8:00pm and arrived in Johor Baru at around 11:30pm on Saturday night. We spent the next 2 and a half hours getting through the causeway... *sigh* and finally managed to reach Walton's shop, Attitute Bikes, at around 2:15am on Sunday morning.
More at:
We left my house in Bandar Bukit Mahkota at about 8:00pm and arrived in Johor Baru at around 11:30pm on Saturday night. We spent the next 2 and a half hours getting through the causeway... *sigh* and finally managed to reach Walton's shop, Attitute Bikes, at around 2:15am on Sunday morning.
More at:
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Solo trekking Saturday 21062008 - Klang Gates Dam
Its been many years since I last been here. It felt so good making the comeback and to find that the nature are indeed very well preserved.
About the track... It used to be the Malaysian Marlboro Adventure Team training track. A geologist friend of mind told me that its the longest Lime stone ridge in Asia. If you are driving thru MRR2 heading towards Gombak from Sg Besi, look to the right when passing Tmn Melawati.. you'll see the range of limestone. The track actually started from the entrance to the Klang gate dam and all the way to near UIA Gombak toll... on the ridge all the way.
When walking on top of it, the beauty is that when you look to your right you see a beautiful nature and when you look to your left its stone developments... in a clear day you can see KLCC...
The vegetation on top here are also different. there many of this tree that smells like parafin. A good smell. Some of the herbal insect repellent smells like it. If you camp near these trees definitely no mozzies... :-)
All I can say this place is really beautiful. The entire track will take about 4 hours to complete. Its like a big round. After done we can take a dip here..... very nice and cool
.
On top here if you are lucky you'll bum into hollow rocks with crystals inside.
Hopefully one day we can all come here. Bring along a picnic basket he he he...
Will try to put in the map later.
Other pics taken are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/intai.intai/KlangGateSoloTracking
Cheers.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Misadventures on a Recce Trip to Rachado Lighthouse in Malacca
Last month, George and I went on a recce trip to Port Dickson/Malacca and the Rachado Lighthouse to scout and plan out the routes and puzzles for a "treasure hunt" for a group of colleagues and friends.
Recce Trip To Rachado Lighthouse in Malacca
A number of mishaps happened along the way. First off, George was supposed to keep his GPS tracking on so that we could refer to it later. Also, he was happily taking geo-tagged photos with his HTC P330 throughout the recce, only to later find out that his GPS position was not acquired and thus all his photos were geo-duds... LOL...
Luckily, I was there to save the day by relying on my Dopod D810 (Pre-HTC model) to capture those much needed geo-tagged photos.
Entrance to the Tanjung Tuan Forest Reserve.
On the way to the Rachado Lighthouse, we were saying that this could be the Wildgeeks' first hiking adventure and we were setting history. The hike started when we reached the Tanjung Tuan forest reserve. It only took us 10 minutes to reach the lighthouse. Not much of an adventure or hike for that matter... LOL
The steps leading up to the Rachado lighthouse.
Anyways, we took the necessary photos and clues for the hunt and decided to head back. Btw, the view from the lighthouse is just absolutely fantastico!!!! I could imagine how the sunset is going to look like... :)
It was about noon during that time. You can imagine the heat from the afternoon sun. Staying in the shades was the wise thing to do!
As we made our way back to the stairs next to the lighthouse leading back to the Tanjung Tuan entrance, George suggested that we take a shortcut back. (Earlier, we had noticed a map at the entrance indicating an alternative path to and fro the lighhouse.)
We saw a sign saying this way down to Pulau Intan. We had no idea where Pulau Intan was and had thought that the shortcut was along the same path. So we took the steep steps down. It was cooling in the shades and the smell of vegetation reminded me of my aunt's house in the remote part of Sibu in Sarawak.
Anyway, after about 10 minutes of descending the steps, I heard the sound of waves crashing on a beach, which got me thinking, "Wait a minute. I don't remember the entrance being near a beach." Sure enough, the steep steps lead us to a very nice beach below the lighthouse.
At that point, you could imagine the regrets going through George's mind... LOL.... and mine too... hahaha. In the end, we had no choice but to soak in the wonderful view, enjoy the cool and salty breeze on a hot Saturday afternoon.
Immediately after that, George (with an evil grin) was quick to point out that the treasure hunt would include coming down to the beach... LOL. I just had to agree with him... victims: KC and Julian... LOL.
The climb back up (yes, we had to, as there were no other way of getting back, short of swimming in the sea) was painful and slow. Since I am the one writing this blog, I have to say that the climb was no problem for me... Hahaha.... and that George was in bad shape from all those "makan" trips he had organised... LOL.
It took us a while, but we managed to make it up to the lighthouse in about 30 minutes or less. We went back down the steps to the "pondok" at the foot of the light house. From there, it was just 10 minutes walk to the entrance and some nice cold drinking water!!! We were dying of thirst... :-P
The trail entrance to the "real" shortcut.
About mid-way hike down the road, we came across a trail. There were signs saying that this was the alternative way back to the entrance. In a moment of weakness, I suggested that we take this "real" shortcut down and reprimanded George for his lack of directional sense... LOL.
We hiked down the gently descending path, listening to the calls of the birds, enjoying the serene forest landscape and learning the names of some of the trees from reading the name plate attached to the trunk of the trees.
After about 15-20 minutes, our not so brilliant minds managed to figure out that the trail was not a "shortcut" at all but a new trail leading to somewhere. It was confirmed when we heard the sound of sea waves crashing onto the beach for the second time that day!
By the beach, we saw a sign that says, "This way to the Footprint of Hang Tuah". Since we already made it that far, we thought that we might as well go see the legend's footprint.
We believed that this little depression in the rock was the "footprint" of Hang Tuah. All we know was that it was filled with mosquito larvaes.
Since this Well was found next to the rock with the footprint, we shall call this the Well next to the footprint of Hang Tuah... LOL.
George's good for nothing camera took this photo of me swinging on the Swing next to the footprint of Hang Tuah.
After our little adventure at the footprint of Hang Tuah, we contemplate whether to make our way back the way we came or to just walk along the coast and make it back somehow to the main road leading to the Tanjung Tuan entrance. After consulting George's GPS, we decided to follow the coastal path following some footprints also heading in the general directions.
Our trek lead us over rocky coastal terrains, streams and finally we ended up at a mangrove swamp that looked impossible to cross. There was a man with a sack and a stick beach combing the mangrove. I suspect he was looking for crabs. We tried to ask him for directions, but he just ignored us.
I spotted a uphill trail that could possibly be the way around the mangrove, but George was against any climbing and was quite adamant about it. So, with him leading the way, we climbed and ducked as we tried to crossed the mangrove. The mangrove was littered with rubbish washed up and caught in the web of the mangrove roots.
Noticed the mangrove roots! Solid as rocks!
Those mangrove roots were solid and hard as rock, as my 80kg did nothing to bend them as I climbed and stepped over them. I spotted a path along the edge of the mangrove and we headed towards it. We were so happy when we finally made it as we were really thirsty. The path took us to a field in the Ilham Resort. Quickly, we found a mini-mart in the resort and bought icy cold water to quench our thirst. Only then did we laughed and joked about our little mishaps.
We promised to ourselves that during the "treasure hunt", the hunters will not be spared! LOL.
By the time, we got back to the car and were on our way back, it was about 2:50pm. All in all, it was quite an adventure. We had fun and learned some valuable lessons with regards to taking shortcuts... LOL.
Recce Trip To Rachado Lighthouse in Malacca
A number of mishaps happened along the way. First off, George was supposed to keep his GPS tracking on so that we could refer to it later. Also, he was happily taking geo-tagged photos with his HTC P330 throughout the recce, only to later find out that his GPS position was not acquired and thus all his photos were geo-duds... LOL...
Luckily, I was there to save the day by relying on my Dopod D810 (Pre-HTC model) to capture those much needed geo-tagged photos.
Entrance to the Tanjung Tuan Forest Reserve.
On the way to the Rachado Lighthouse, we were saying that this could be the Wildgeeks' first hiking adventure and we were setting history. The hike started when we reached the Tanjung Tuan forest reserve. It only took us 10 minutes to reach the lighthouse. Not much of an adventure or hike for that matter... LOL
The steps leading up to the Rachado lighthouse.
Anyways, we took the necessary photos and clues for the hunt and decided to head back. Btw, the view from the lighthouse is just absolutely fantastico!!!! I could imagine how the sunset is going to look like... :)
It was about noon during that time. You can imagine the heat from the afternoon sun. Staying in the shades was the wise thing to do!
As we made our way back to the stairs next to the lighthouse leading back to the Tanjung Tuan entrance, George suggested that we take a shortcut back. (Earlier, we had noticed a map at the entrance indicating an alternative path to and fro the lighhouse.)
We saw a sign saying this way down to Pulau Intan. We had no idea where Pulau Intan was and had thought that the shortcut was along the same path. So we took the steep steps down. It was cooling in the shades and the smell of vegetation reminded me of my aunt's house in the remote part of Sibu in Sarawak.
Anyway, after about 10 minutes of descending the steps, I heard the sound of waves crashing on a beach, which got me thinking, "Wait a minute. I don't remember the entrance being near a beach." Sure enough, the steep steps lead us to a very nice beach below the lighthouse.
At that point, you could imagine the regrets going through George's mind... LOL.... and mine too... hahaha. In the end, we had no choice but to soak in the wonderful view, enjoy the cool and salty breeze on a hot Saturday afternoon.
Immediately after that, George (with an evil grin) was quick to point out that the treasure hunt would include coming down to the beach... LOL. I just had to agree with him... victims: KC and Julian... LOL.
The climb back up (yes, we had to, as there were no other way of getting back, short of swimming in the sea) was painful and slow. Since I am the one writing this blog, I have to say that the climb was no problem for me... Hahaha.... and that George was in bad shape from all those "makan" trips he had organised... LOL.
It took us a while, but we managed to make it up to the lighthouse in about 30 minutes or less. We went back down the steps to the "pondok" at the foot of the light house. From there, it was just 10 minutes walk to the entrance and some nice cold drinking water!!! We were dying of thirst... :-P
The trail entrance to the "real" shortcut.
About mid-way hike down the road, we came across a trail. There were signs saying that this was the alternative way back to the entrance. In a moment of weakness, I suggested that we take this "real" shortcut down and reprimanded George for his lack of directional sense... LOL.
We hiked down the gently descending path, listening to the calls of the birds, enjoying the serene forest landscape and learning the names of some of the trees from reading the name plate attached to the trunk of the trees.
After about 15-20 minutes, our not so brilliant minds managed to figure out that the trail was not a "shortcut" at all but a new trail leading to somewhere. It was confirmed when we heard the sound of sea waves crashing onto the beach for the second time that day!
By the beach, we saw a sign that says, "This way to the Footprint of Hang Tuah". Since we already made it that far, we thought that we might as well go see the legend's footprint.
We believed that this little depression in the rock was the "footprint" of Hang Tuah. All we know was that it was filled with mosquito larvaes.
Since this Well was found next to the rock with the footprint, we shall call this the Well next to the footprint of Hang Tuah... LOL.
George's good for nothing camera took this photo of me swinging on the Swing next to the footprint of Hang Tuah.
After our little adventure at the footprint of Hang Tuah, we contemplate whether to make our way back the way we came or to just walk along the coast and make it back somehow to the main road leading to the Tanjung Tuan entrance. After consulting George's GPS, we decided to follow the coastal path following some footprints also heading in the general directions.
Our trek lead us over rocky coastal terrains, streams and finally we ended up at a mangrove swamp that looked impossible to cross. There was a man with a sack and a stick beach combing the mangrove. I suspect he was looking for crabs. We tried to ask him for directions, but he just ignored us.
I spotted a uphill trail that could possibly be the way around the mangrove, but George was against any climbing and was quite adamant about it. So, with him leading the way, we climbed and ducked as we tried to crossed the mangrove. The mangrove was littered with rubbish washed up and caught in the web of the mangrove roots.
Noticed the mangrove roots! Solid as rocks!
Those mangrove roots were solid and hard as rock, as my 80kg did nothing to bend them as I climbed and stepped over them. I spotted a path along the edge of the mangrove and we headed towards it. We were so happy when we finally made it as we were really thirsty. The path took us to a field in the Ilham Resort. Quickly, we found a mini-mart in the resort and bought icy cold water to quench our thirst. Only then did we laughed and joked about our little mishaps.
We promised to ourselves that during the "treasure hunt", the hunters will not be spared! LOL.
By the time, we got back to the car and were on our way back, it was about 2:50pm. All in all, it was quite an adventure. We had fun and learned some valuable lessons with regards to taking shortcuts... LOL.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
The Wild Geeks Communities
In another month or so, The Wild Geeks Adventure Club will be a year old. Since that time, the geeks have been on many adventures, be it cycling, hiking, camping or even eating, 2008 promises more.
There have never been one time that all the geeks could get to go out adventuring together. Understandably due to different interest, work, available time or differing taste, it has been difficult to get all together to participate in an adventure at the same time. Should that be 2008's goal? Hahaha... I don't know, but if all are willing, maybe it is possible.
Some of you might have noticed that the Wild Geeks' logo is changed. This is in part due to the growth of Wild Geeks as a community. What started out as just The Wild Geeks Adventure Club, has now spawned new geek communities.
The other reasons for the change in the logo are that the original logo is too colorful and is expensive to reproduce for T-Shirts. Also, it is too complicated for embroidery work for caps or T-shirt. The new logo is designed to solve these problems and most importantly to reflect the geek spirit for adventures and their cheeky ideals... ahem!
1. The Third Eye - This is a community of geeks who are interested in photography and all the related tools of the trade. If you own a camera or phone camera, you should take a look at this community.
2. Makan Trip (http://makantrip.com) - This long time food blog has now grown into a community of geeks that are interested in going on food hunting trips anywhere and everywhere. Their proud slogan is "Makan (Eat) First, Think Later." In fact they are going on their second Peninsular Malaysia food trip next week to the East coast.
3. BikeTrial Malaysia (http://biketrial.ning.com) - This is a very niche and specialized community with interest in the very technical nature of biketrial cycling. Still very new to Malaysia, Biketrial Malaysia hope to make BikeTrials or Observed trials a mainstream cycling sport in Malaysia for all to enjoy.
These communities are open to all whom have interests and want to share and discuss their interests with other geeks.
So... Be Wild! Be Geeks!
There have never been one time that all the geeks could get to go out adventuring together. Understandably due to different interest, work, available time or differing taste, it has been difficult to get all together to participate in an adventure at the same time. Should that be 2008's goal? Hahaha... I don't know, but if all are willing, maybe it is possible.
Some of you might have noticed that the Wild Geeks' logo is changed. This is in part due to the growth of Wild Geeks as a community. What started out as just The Wild Geeks Adventure Club, has now spawned new geek communities.
The other reasons for the change in the logo are that the original logo is too colorful and is expensive to reproduce for T-Shirts. Also, it is too complicated for embroidery work for caps or T-shirt. The new logo is designed to solve these problems and most importantly to reflect the geek spirit for adventures and their cheeky ideals... ahem!
1. The Third Eye - This is a community of geeks who are interested in photography and all the related tools of the trade. If you own a camera or phone camera, you should take a look at this community.
2. Makan Trip (http://makantrip.com) - This long time food blog has now grown into a community of geeks that are interested in going on food hunting trips anywhere and everywhere. Their proud slogan is "Makan (Eat) First, Think Later." In fact they are going on their second Peninsular Malaysia food trip next week to the East coast.
3. BikeTrial Malaysia (http://biketrial.ning.com) - This is a very niche and specialized community with interest in the very technical nature of biketrial cycling. Still very new to Malaysia, Biketrial Malaysia hope to make BikeTrials or Observed trials a mainstream cycling sport in Malaysia for all to enjoy.
These communities are open to all whom have interests and want to share and discuss their interests with other geeks.
So... Be Wild! Be Geeks!
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
FRIM to Sungai Buloh Nurseries
FRIM to the Sungai Buloh Nurseries
Last Saturday, we went on an easy and relaxing ride from FRIM to the nurseries in Sungai Buloh. We found out that if you enter the trails from FRIM, you have to pay a buck per person. But if you enter FRIM from Sungai Buloh, you save that buck. Heck, I think we will all pay... I am not going to drive all the way to Sungai Buloh just to avoid paying a buck... LOL.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Jerangkang Camping Trip
Some of the geeks decided to go on a camping trip this year and I suggested Hutan Lipur Jerangkang which is located near Maran in Pahang. Since its a virgin camping trip for most of the geeks, we decided to do a bbq outing cum camping like trip.Jerangkang is the perfect place for the trip as it offers 2 camping spot, 1 is next to the river with toilet facilities (no water though) and some pondok (hut) plus seating area is available too. The other is about 10 minutes walk on a trail up hill next to the waterfall.
We decided to leave wee early morning with the plan of meeting up at 5am just before the Gombak toll into the Karak highway. It took me longer than I thought to load up all the food stuff and utensils into my truck, then I off to pick up Medic who is in charge of sourcing for camping equipments. After loading all the equipments she had (e.g. canopy, tents, gas stove, etc.) into my truck, we realised that perhaps, we had packed too much... hahaha... so anyhow, we are behind time and decided to move on to get Sky and 10.60 along the way.
By the time we reached the rendezvous point, its almost 5.45am, we meet up the others, showed them our over equipped truck and distributed some weights. Taking a quick breakfast, we move on with our journey at about 6.15am. As the sunrise and more light appears, the dark surrounding of the highway especially after Karak turned into nice scenic morning view. Parts of the highway are covered with mist, winding the window and feeling that morning breeze is just wonderful.
Within 2 hours plus, we are have arrived at Sri Jaya in Maran where we packed our lunch and meet up with the guy whom is supposed to transfers some of the guys into Jerangkang. Well, you see from the main road to Jerangkang, you need to go through about 16km of reasonable offroad double trail and only my truck and Smokie's Kembara can make it,. Therefore Tau Foo Far and Cher's passengers had to get the services of a local uncle whom charge RM35 per pax for a 2 way transfer on his older Ford Ranger which he sped through the offroad trail like a highway.This is Smokie's first offroad experience and I didn't want to stress up my truck too much too, we were going slowly trying hard to catch up with the uncle.
After 16km of offroad, some tiny river crossing (which looks like tiny longkang or pot holes in the video) we finally arrived at the base camp. We hurried to setup, identifying our camping grounds, then transferring all the stuff to the campsite. Many of us then had our first chance of setting up our own tent while boy scouts Lohti and 10.60 are busy chopping and gathering woods while Sky is busy setting up our campfire pit. The rest then tried to figured out how in the world does the canopy works, hehe...
After sweating out like crazy and burning ourselves in the sun, we decided it was time for a nice cool dip at the inviting waterfall. So we got everyone and hike up the 10 mins trail to the waterfall. We were rewarded with a green crystal pool of clear, cooling water. It was fantastic, the pool is big enough to swim around the water is cooling with shades of trees surrounding it and a little sand pile in the middle where you can sit and just enjoy the scenery as the water flows by you. We then did another 15 mins hike up a small trail through the secondary jungle next to the waterfall to another few levels of waterfall higher for another cool dip before calling it a day.
We got a rude shock when we got back to the camp, tents are intact but our rubbish bag got rampaged, we believed that some animals have gone through the rubbish for food, a lesson in camping, hang those rubbish high up! Later we discovered its actually 2 stray dogs living nearby. Anyhow, worried that it might rain, we quickly got the fire started and move on to our evening's bbq.We spend the night star gazing, Micol claimed she saw 5 shooting stars and I finally managed to see 1 before calling it a night. Oh ya, the uncle whom provided the transport did came by that night to invite Lohti to hunt for foxes, but its was pretty late but somehow he managed to get a few trial shots of the rifle ;), lucky no one got hurt, hehe...
Next morning, we got up early to cook breakfast before doing a final dip at the river next to the campsite for our last chance to enjoy the inviting Jerangkang falls. We got to a nice flow on the river where we can sit 4 in a row and enjoy the spa like experience of nice massages on our back ;).
We then packed up and made sure we take all of our rubbish along with us out of Jerangkang and stopped for lunch and some nice special tarts in Sri Jaya before heading home. For most of the first timer and amateur like myself, this is a great place for camping or like how we term ours as an introduction for city slicker's to nature! Best part is we had great company, all 15 of us, whom really did not mind helping out and everyone seems to be finding work to do. So, what more can we asked for, great waterfall, great company, it was a great camping experience for us few geeks ;).
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