tabur west trail

| 3 january 2009 | woke up early | arrived at kolam air road at about 7.30 am | it was drizzling | waited for rain to stop |arrived at klang gates dam entrance at about 8.30 am | this is the starting point for the tabur west trail | trekking solo | reassured to see many cars parked near the entrance which is a good sign that there were many trekkers on the trail | there were 4 persons near the entrance at the time | was shown the trail head which was located about 10 metres on the road to the entrance | trail head was marked by a low and short cemented wall | the trail started with a steep uphill gradient which took about 10 minutes to complete | reached the ridge | thereafter the trail gradient became gradual except for the rock climbs to the outcrops | view along the trail while on the ridge was very good | enjoyed the experience | recommended trek | the trek is unique in the sense that the vegetation were stunted and the shrubs were unlike anything that can be found in the rainforest | the trail was exposed and could become rather hot under a strong sun | fortunately the sky was cloudy and overcast | it was a good trek | met some people along the trail | trail was very well marked and used | although there were some forks on the trail, the forks eventually come together so it did not matter which sub trail is chosen | for example, just before the place where a girl fell from the ridge on 14 october 2008, there was an alternative and safer route to the right | an early start is recommended so that you can tag along or alternatively you can stop and wait for others to ask for advice | the people met along the trail were universally friendly and will greet you with smiles | got some friendly advice from bob mini met at about 9.25 am | bob mini came from behind while was checking out site of the infamous accident | tagged along with bob mini thereafter | but no guide was necessary as the trail was clear enough | just before the last outcrop with mossy floor, there was a junction with another trail going downhill | took the alternative downhill trail but in retrospect ought to have backtracked as the alternative downhill trail was quite boring | would have enjoyed another stroll on the ridge | arrived back at trail head at about 10.50 am | do not find trail particularly dangerous | just use common sense | if the way forward look dangerous, there is probably an alternative route | trail safe with use of common sense | just do the trail | this is a trail worth savouring so take your time | will do it again | for the photos taken during the trek, please click here |

putih hill

| 1 january 2009 | new year's day | slept at 3.00 am and woke up at 7.00 am | tough, almost decided to give the event a miss | anyway managed to get up and about | met up with a group of moths (malaysian outdoor trekking hiking society) members at a restaurant in taman taynton view in cheras at about 7.50 am | trek organized by toh say li | the trek was on the various trails at putih hill aka bukit putih aka bukit datuk aka ah pek hill aka ah pak san | headed to trail head after breakfast | reached the starting point of the trek at about 8.45 am | completed the trek at about 3.30 pm | highlights of the trek were station 6 which was located at the peak and the 2 waterfalls | the trails on putih hill were very well maintained | names and phone numbers of the putih hill maintenance and rescue team were posted at various places | it is almost impossible to get lost if one stays on the well marked trails | many people were trekking on puteh hill and one can always ask for directions | puteh hill trails provide a good place for exercise and training | if staying near puteh hill, use the trails for your regular exercise | the rumours concerning the "closure" of puteh hill trails were probably unfounded as the hill is rather big and the hill can be accessed from a few location | for the photos taken during the trek, please click here |

rafflesia trek

| 23 december 2008 | thanks to the phone numbers provided by taiping goh managed to get in touch with adun the guide after breakfast | on rather vague instructions given by azin the son of adun managed to get to kampung jedip | adun turned out to be nice and smiling orang asli, very friendly indeed | was comfortable with him | the team comprised of lee wan, yvonne, seng kew, eng cheang and me | the first part of the trek was a tiresome and muddy affair along an old logging path now used by the trucks of tour agencies from tanah rata and brinchang to bring tourists to see rafflesia | the first part of the trek will take about 1 hour and ended at an area where the trucks can be parked | there were 3 trucks from kang tours on the particular day | if you wish to shorten the trek, contact kang tours located next to tanah rata tour agency which offered a full day tour which included rafflesia sighting for about rm 95 | not endorsing kang tours, just a suggestion, ask around | only met with kang tour guides during the trek | the second part of the trek starts from the bamboo bridge crossing a ravine with a small stream up to a wide stream which must be crossed to get to the area where rafflesia blooms can be found | the second part of the trek which is rather scenic takes about 45 minutes | the second part of the trek is enjoyable, passing by a small waterfall with a swimmable pool and a beautiful waterfall called lata denkong | the third part of the trek starts from the wide stream and comprise of going up and down some trails searching for rafflesia blooms | rafflesia buds are black in colour, round and can easily be overlooked | when rafflesia sheds it black skin, the unopened bloom is round and orang in colour | rafflesia did not smell bad at all | a friend poked a finger into the bloom and did manage to catch a whiff of the widely publized rotting meat smell | but personally did not smell a thing | there were numerous rafflesia buds in the area after the wide stream which was interspersed with a network of trails | was informed by adun the guide from kampung jedip that rafflesia blooms all year round in the area and the chances of seeing rafflesia blooms are good whatever the time of the year | but to be sure, you might want to check with the orang asli at kampung jedip first | looking at the number of black rafflesia buds, this would appear to be a good place to sight rafflesia | you will have a good chance of sighting rafflesia kerii at kampung jedip | based on information obtained from malaysian outdoor trekking hiking society, the rafflesia in the area are rafflesia kerii | for information about rafflesia kerii, please click here | for information about rafflesia in general, please click here | during the trek, adun cut some bamboo and offered trekkers drinking water from the insides of the bamboo | bamboo water tasted rather bland but was cool and refreshing | cut sections of bamboo can be found in the open space next to the small waterfall with the swimmable pool and apparently drinking bamboo water was a tourist attraction | all in all a relaxing and enjoyable trek | eng cheang in particular enjoyed the trek |

rafflesia trek log

| 23 december 2008 | 10.45 am | arrived at kampung jedip by the side of the highway between simpang pulai and gua musang about 15 minutes drive after the junction to kampung raja | 10.50 am | start of trek | first part of trek was along a dirt track muddied and eroded by trucks used by tours organized by various agencies in tanah rata and brinchang | 11.50 am | arrived a parking area for the trucks | end of the dirt track for vehicles | 10.51 am | immediately after parking area, crossed stream on narrow bamboo bridge | 12.11 pm | arrived at open space beside small waterfall with swimmable pool | guide cut some bamboo so that trekkers can drink water from the inside of the bamboo | 12.36 pm | arrived at lata denkong a scenic waterfall | 12.37 pm | arrival at rather wide stream crossing | rafflesia kerii grows in abundance after the stream crossing | 12.45 pm | first rafflesia bloom sighted, only half open | 1.07 pm | second rafflesia bloom sighted, fully bloomed a few days old | 1.18 pm | third rafflesia bloom sighted, fully bloomed a few days old | 1.23 pm | fourth rafflesia bloom sighted, just about to bloom, shed outer shell | after this sighting, trek back to kampung jedip | 3.10 pm | arrival at kampung jedip |

rafflesia trek photos

| 23 december 2008 | for the photos taken on 23 december 2008 during the trek in search of rafflesia kerii, please click here | for the photos taken on 21 december 2008 by tony sung during the same trek by members of Malaysia Outdoor Hiking Trekking Society, please click here |

maxwell hill trek

| 20 november 2008 | trek was organized by the taiping hash house harriers | ah pian, kuey teow huat, poh meng, black horse, see first chia and lau chi were the taiping hashers who attended the trek | was invited along together with ah chui and ah hwa | trek was on a new route to reach the jeep station on maxwell hill | trek is an eye opener | no surprises | terrain was familiar | trekking team was experienced and fit | ah pian and chia ably led the trek and found the way to the jeep station relying only on their instincts | no compass or gps were used | kuey teow huat and ah chui helped with the hacking to clear some undergrowth | kuey teow huat had 2 gps receivers with him to track the trek but no idea what he intended to do with them and no idea if they worked | no wildlife was sighted | trekked past some wild boar nests but did not see any wild boars | leeches were present but not numerous except around wild boar nests | the most irritating parts of the trek were through areas with thorny plants | quite a few areas were filled with thorny plants and it was slow going through these areas | was surprised that there was no stream crossing after the route started upwards after the last stream crossing at about 10.57 am | ran out of water | shortage of water made the trek more uncomfortable than it ought to be | brought only 1 litre of water and this is insufficient for a 5 hours trek | assumed that there would be water but was proven wrong | when going up maxwell hill using new route it will be advisable to bring more water at least 2 litres | will probably bring 3 litres to be prudent | used a reebok frameless backpack | got uncomfortable after a while | there was a tear in the fabric of the backpack during the trek | advisable to use proper internal frame backpack for similar treks | normal backpacks are probably not sturdy enough | will need to look for a deuter internal frame backpack with capacity of about 50 litres for day trips | all in all a good eye opening trip | ah chui and ah hwa showed that women make excellent trekkers as both even took their turns in hacking at the plants blocking the way forward |

maxwell hill photos

| 20 november 2008 | for the photos taken on 20 november 2008 during the trek from taman sentosa to the jeep station at maxwell hill, please click here |

maxwell hill trek log

| 20 november 2008 | 9.54 am | reached start of the off road portion of the trek just beside gate to a bungalow reached by a small steep road branching of main road just before the driving school at taman sentosa | followed existing trail | 10.18 am | end of existing trail, went off the beaten path | 10.57 am | crossed small stream | no more stream crossing after this | up to this point, trek was on up and down kind of terrain | 11.01 am | just after crossing, stopped for a break | rest stop | after this stop, trek goes upwards almost all the way | 11.15 am | resumption of trek | 12.20 pm | rest stop | 12.30 pm | resumption of trek | 1.46 pm | rest stop | 11.54 pm | resumption of trek | 2.20 pm | arrival at abandoned field and hut | can hear construction works at indian temple at this point | difficulty in finding way forward | 2.28 pm | resumed trek after finding way up | 2.33 pm | arrived at abandoned bungalow | view of indian temple and uncovered roof of the unfinished hotel/hostel being constructed near the temple | 2.38 pm | resumed trek | after the bungalow the team divided into 2 | first group took direct route by going upwards cutting through undergrowth | second group followed a horizontal trail leading from the abandoned bungalow | 2.42 pm | first group arrived at jeep station | second group arrived at a small pine forest | soon after pine forest, second group have to cut through dense undergrowth | trail also vanished soon after pine forest | 3.00 pm | second group reached pine forest next to road | 3.07 pm | second group arrived at jeep station |

yong yap trek

| 7 november 2008 | arrived at about 7.00 am at kampung raja at cameron highlands | had leisurely breakfast | mucked around kampong raja morning market | bought 909 soap which selama kong swears will keep leeches away | bought cheap nylon socks for trek | taiping goh called | said pinoy group will be late | met up with taiping goh at coffee shop | headed to temple to be picked up by 4wd vehicles | tried to nap but with some difficulty as a primary school was having a concert nearby | pinoy group arrived | 11 pinoy and 1 pinay | introduced to joon the leader of pinoy group | climbed onto a 4wd vehicle | set off for pos rengil | had to stop at pos rengil as apparently the 4wd vehicles declined to cross sungai brooke for whatever reason | taiping goh had some discussion with the villagers of pos rengil | no idea what they were discussing | started trek at about 10.30 am | see trek log for the details | trek at moderate speed | not as fast as the titiwangsa traverse trek | plenty of breaks for water and food | quite long breaks for food | no leeches | but plenty of "agas-agas" an insect that packs strong bites that itch for weeks | sometimes called "sandflies" | but kept well at bay by nylon cheetah track pants and by insect repellant spray on | sprayed every now and then to keep "agas-agas" and assorted insects away | nothing untoward during the trek up to gunung yong yap summit | first experience with "night-hiking" which is apparently an "in-thing" among pinoy and malay trekkers | apparently pinoy trekkers like to trek at night because it is cooler at night | drawbacks to "night-hiking" include lack of any view, limited vision, the cold and difficult photography | however "night-hiking" did not turn out to be too bad although did step into a hole and scrapped the shins | rained during last part of night hike but stopped before summit was reached | arrived at peak of yong yap mountain by about 9.25 pm | put on poncho to keep cold at bay | set up flysheet and groundsheet | unpacked everything | dumped stuff onto groundsheet | wiped and powdered | changed into sleeping clothes | started cooking | 1 piece of solid fuel to boil 600ml of water | when boiling added 2 packets of 20g campbell mushroom soup and 1 packet of double serving couscous | waited a while for couscous to soften | ate | not bad | edible | took a drink | started to prepare for bed | was probably asleep before 11.00 pm | woken up intermittently because the inflatable pillow newly purchased from tesco was leaking air | mistake not to test pillow earlier | had to use spare clothing as pillow | 8 november 2008 | woke up at about 7.00 am in the morning | had quick breakfast of cup instant noodles and 2 packets of 3-in-1 30g quaker oats cereals | packed | attended to toilet matters | changed to trekking cloths | wandered around campsite | mucked around | first group of pinoy left at about 8.00 am | waited till about 8.40 am for the second group | left summit at about 8.40 am while second group of pinoy still packing | arrived at the first water crossing on the way to pos rengil and stopped at small campsite at about 10.30 am | waited for others to arrive | at a rice dumpling or "bak-chang" | too salty | better to stick to sandwiches | washed up | cleaned up | resume trek at about 12.15 pm | fairly uneventful trek to pos rengil with short stops for water every 30 minutes and a slightly longer stop for food at base camp | arrived at pos rengil at about 5.50 pm | chit chatted with villagers of pos rengil and 4wd drivers | all trekkers arrived safely at pos rengil by 8.00 pm and boarded th 4wd vehicles back to kampung raja | had dinner at kampung raja | left kampung raja at about 10.00 pm |

yong yap pack

| packing list | backpack | deuter act zero 60+10 | essential | highly recommended | liked it a lot | weight of pack rests primary on the lower back giving a lower centre of gravity and a freer upper body mobility | sleeping | no tent | shared fly and ground sheets with taiping goh and nasir | 1 6 feet x 6 feet tarpaulin sheet | essential | 1 sleeping bag | essential | 1 foam mat | good | 1 inflatable pillow | essential | hiking clothes | 1 cheetah nylon track pants | very good | 1 pagoda t-shirt | good | 1 btb nylon windbreaker | hardly used | 1 lightweight plastic poncho | used only at peak while setting up fly sheet | 1 pair of ecco receptor shoes | good | these shoes are better for malaysian mountain treks when compared with the hytec hiking boots used for titiwangsa traverse trek | the 1 pair of nylon socks | good | sleeping clothes | 1 mizuno dual layered track pants | good but can be improved upon | 1 timberland long sleeved t shirt | comfortable | 1 adidas nylon windbreaker | good | 1 pair of plastic slippers | good | 1 cotton underwear | good | 1 small towel to wipe clean | essential | extra clothing | 1 long sleeved t-shirt | 1 knee length pants | 1 underwear | food | for dinner | 1 packet of instant couscous | edible | 2 packets of 20g instant campbell soup | good | all can be cooked just by adding boiling water | for breakfast | 2 packets of 30g "3-in-1" instant nesvita | nice | 1 60g cup of instant noodle | nice | for snacking | 2 rice dumplings | too salty | 6 pieces of bread with peanut butter and 3 cheese slices | good | 1 bunch of bananas | good | 2 apples | good | for comfort | 300g of absolut vodka | cooking | 1 fork | 1 spoon | 1 billy can | 3 pieces of solid fuel | 1 solid fuel stove | health | 1 spray on insect repellent | essential | medicated powder | essential | vitamins and cod liver capsules | essential | hydration salts | okay | skin cream | good | anti histamines tablets | standby | ultra carbon charcoal tablets | standby | handyplasts | standby | miscellaneous | 1 roll of toilet paper | useful | 1 roll of nylon rope | not used | swiss army knife | rarely used | whistle | essential | all in all a good packing list | will be hard to improve upon |