Chemerong Berembun Langsir Hiking Trip 2017

Last week I joined a trip to Chemerong National Park located in Terengganu. It was organized by an outdoor community who calls themselves Southern Eagle Adventure (SEA) headed by a woman named Lyn. I met her the first time during a hiking trip in Johor and now she is quite well known in the hiking world.

The trip was joined by 35 people of which 7 of them are women!

The trip takes 3 days and 2 nights, where we'd be spending both nights at the Langsir Waterfall, right above the gigantic falls. Eight hours of hiking is needed before reaching this campsite and it is compulsory to hire a guide.

This emerald pool is five minutes away from our campsite.

We also hiked to the nearby mountain of Berembun before spending the day away swimming and sliding down the slippery rocks to the pools below. I have never been to such undisturbed piece of wet heaven before, where you can directly drink the water whilst swimming without getting sick!

This place deserves a more visits in the future! AKU SANGGUP DATANG BANYAK KALI!

The isolation of the place and taking 8 hours to get here is a big factor on why the place is so untouched by pollution or littering. Thanks to the paid guides who kept it this way. Kudos! I actually felt really sad in leaving during the last day. I wished I could stay for a month at least! :(

Last but not least....

If only I have the skills and dedication to create my own travel videos... it would most probably look like the clip below. :P

The Eight Hills of Bukit Bongol, Kota Belud Sabah

One fine day, as I was lounging at my parents house, watching a series of Tiny Houses on TV, my sister asked me if I wanted to go climb some hill nearby. I immediately said YES! Because for the many years I've lived in Kota Belud and the many times I came home for the holidays, I never did anything adventurous except stay home and watch TV. Hahaha. I presumably became a successful couch potato at this rate.

So there... we planned to hike on a Sunday morning, right after Subuh prayers with hopes to catch some sunrise. I was briefed that the climb would take 3 hours to and from for the extremely fit people. Since I was on hiatus mode from hiking for two months already (yeah, fasting month and raya month.. argh!), I wasn't sure of my current fitness level.

A friend came to pick my two sisters and I in the wee Sunday morning from our house. I didn't prepare much and wore only sandals while my sisters wore shoes. I didn't even brought a daypack to put in water supplies and food.

I was ill-prepared.

We were brought to the foot of the hill situated somewhere in Kpg. Pirasan, near a construction site. The beginning of the trail was a visibly dirt path heading upwards. I was the least fittest person in the group and was stopping almost every few hills. Haha. It was a wake-up call that I should resume my fitness regime as soon as I get back to Kuala Lumpur.

My sisters and I on top of Bukit Bongol, Kota Belud

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Hiking Mt Merapi via Selo - 2930 masl

"Hey Jard, can we climb Mt Merbabu and Mt. Merapi in three days and two nights?" a guy asked ne via private message on Facebook a few days back. I immediately answered, "YES!".

Me pictured on top of Mt. Merapi. 

For people who has a very tight schedule, you can actually compress these two mountains in just two days and one night. Both mountains can be climbed in a day if, of course you got the stamina to do it. AND.. you doing it via Selo. Hehe. But I highly recommend setting camp as it is quite peaceful beautiful sleeping under a sky full of stars. With luck, you'll get to see milky way! :)

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Mt. Merbabu - Merapi - Papandayan : Full Itinerary

"I want to climb these mountains in a week, is it possible?" I asked my friend, Bumi who also works as a guide in Jawa.

"Possible. But how about climbing Lawu instead of Papandayan since it is in a different district?" He tried to coax me into changing my third choice of mountains.

"NO PAPANDAYAN, NO TRIP!" I strictly told him.

OK.. this was not the actual conversation between us but I was firm with Papandayan and I didn't want any other mountain than that. Haha.

And so here was the agreed upon itinerary that we planned together via whatsapp calls and messages. I added the shopping spree in Jogjakarta so that the guys could enjoy some Jawa culture before going back to Malaysia.

Day 1 :

The plan was that everyone should be in Jakarta before 1:00PM and then we'd head to St. Pasar Senen train station to meetup with the guides. Train to Solo Jebres would depart at  4:00PM and arrive at 2:00Am the next day.

10 hours of train ride! :P

I sat in the seat behind them and let them sit all together to break ice. 

I guess this was the boys' first experience on board a train in Indonesia. I was astonished to find them in this position, behind my seat during the night (picture on the right). Hehehe. But they'd occasionally wake up whenever the train stops at some station, just to smoke.

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My Hiking Buddies : An Introduction

Before I share the "horrors" of travelling with a girl named Jard with all her faults and sometimes carefree approach to handling things, let me first introduce the "victims" of having to endure me throughout the trip.

Let's begin with the brainchild of the Three Mountains Trip (itinerary shared in next post), also the organizer, planner, "go-go", the person whom her hiking comrades' relatives have to contact if something goes terribly wrong (thankfully nothing did!) and lastly, feared to be half-boy, half girl of Sabahan background...... *drum rolls*...

Ms. JARD!

Oh gosh.. I look more like a BIKER than a HIKER. HAHAHA! 

 The second person on the introductory list would be Azmie also known as Jimi. I first met him during my hiking trip to Kerinci Mountain of Sumatera sometime last year so I know how he rolls. Azmie, as the oldest among the men (and also the only person married among us), has been the wise one in the group. He has been like a "big brother" to us all, looking out for all of us, making sure we were all OK and leaving no-one behind. It also came to a surprise that he's a good cook too! Hahaha.

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My Very First Open Hiking Trip

The original promo banner I used to post on facebook.

I always had difficulty finding hiking mates. Maybe I am picky after all in picking them or the reality, nobody wants to hike with me. Huk huk. Some girls whom I hiked with said that I'd leave them behind if they hiked with me. When in truth I'm a changed person. I know now how important it is to stick in a group. They don't believe me. :(

So a few months back, I did something that I thought I'd never do. Organize an open trip to some of the mountains I've so wanted to climb since last year and promote it on Facebook. I wasn't looking for a "herd" to join the trip... just a minimum 4-5 people was sufficient. Max up to 10 people would be nice too... though I think it's a bit too many people to handle! (Had experienced handling 11 people on a trip to Bali and I didn't LIKE IT!!!)

Eventually I had some several parties interested in joining me. Some also tried persuading me to join their trip instead because they were climbing the same mountains on the same dates. Haha. And some just wanted to know how I get my local guide contacts in Indonesia. Huh?! I finally managed to get 4 people to join the trip and..... it just happens... that they were all MEN!!! Oh well... the trip must go on. The mountains are calling!!!

On another note, it has long been a week since I came back home from the hiking trip and I can't seem to move on from it. It was ah-mazingggggg and decided to blog about it after so many months on hiatus mode from it. Haha! #bloggermurtad

Till next post... (needs to arrange pictures and such...)... tata! 

8 Things About Climbing In Indonesia

First of all, ALHAMDULILLAH for a new year and being able to add another year to my age yesterday. At the beginning of 2015, I made an Excel list of mountains to climb in Malaysia. After climbing a few with the toughest climb ever (for a newbie like me) of Mt Korbu; 2183mdpl and Gayong; 2173 mdpl, the 2nd and 4th highest mountain in West Malaysia respectively... I suddenly decided to look upon mountains in Indonesia.

Not having much experience with setting up my own tent and cooking my own meals during any of my hiking trips in Malaysia (as I followed a group of people who did those for me).. I finally tasted my first experience in Mt Talang of Solok West Sumatera. (Talang - Part 1, Talang - Part 2)

Ever since then, I started collecting camping equipment to prepare myself for future climbs. Here is a list of things I've learnt about climbing in Indonesia.

1. Tents : Unlike climbing in Malaysia where the hikers prefer setting up flysheet and ground to house up to 20 people under one roof... in Indonesia, they tend to set up tents! I've seen various high quality tents whilst climbing in Indonesia and impressed at how tough it stands the strong winds at the mountain tops! They even have local brands such as Rei and Eiger that makes pretty good tents.

Picture taken at Mt. Prau. I shot this tent found on top of a hill there, secured against the strong winds.

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My Weekend to Medan in Istagram Pictures

Having been to Medan numerous times before, I don't actually get tired with the many outdoor activities you can do there. I've been to the typical Danau Toba and Sepiso-piso attractions. But nothing beats body tubing at a high current river or trekking into the jungle in search for the two colored waterfalls.

Am not gonna write more on what I've done during the past weekend and let the pictures tell it's stories.

From Medan --- Tangkahan (famous for the elephants reservoir) ---  Sibolangit (waterfall trekking ) --- Negeri Suah ( River with natural hot springs ) --- Goa Penen

Went tubing in shallow waters after a 4 hour drive from Medan. You could choose to set camp or rent a chalet. It is quite basic here, surrounded with sounds of nature. How's your weekend? 😍😁

A photo posted by @jardness01 on Aug 1, 2015 at 2:43am PDT

Tangkahan...

Finally after waiting some time after 930am... A group of elephants came crossing the river where locals are splashing nearby. 😍😍😍😍 Tangkahan is also wellknown for jungle trekking in search of the famous Sumateran Tiger and other wildlife. But it takes more than Rp2 million to join. Else enjoy a lunch picnic, swimming and elephants watching. 😜

A photo posted by @jardness01 on Aug 2, 2015 at 3:37am PDT

Elephants at tangkahan

After trekking almost 2 hours.. We reached the famous Air Terjun Dua Warna. Two waterfalls joining to create two colors. One is Blue and another white. I was running out of dry clothes and decided to nap instead. Hehehe.

A photo posted by @jardness01 on Aug 3, 2015 at 2:26am PDT

Air terjun Dua Warna at Sibolangit

We went cave exploring today to Goa Penen. It was a short stop before going to the airport. I was surprised to see a big Blue pool near the caves but no-one was swimming. Haha. I felt weird here and glad we didn't stay long. Good Bye SUMUT!!!

A photo posted by @jardness01 on Aug 4, 2015 at 1:42am PDT

Goa Penen..

i would love to blog about these places but seem to find no time for it! Hahaha! If you have any questions regarding these places, feel free to comment below or contact me directly via email. :)

Happy weekend guys!

Talang, My First Volcano - Part 2

Continuing from where I left off from here....

I woke up several times that morning. A little after 3am.. tried hearing noises from the other tent. None.

Then woke up again at 4:30am... and heard some rustling next door. I yelped a cry-out but no response. So I decided to go out. Sure enough, I spotted Yayan scrambling in the dark, trying to heat some water. Haha. I lent him my lamp and awaited inside their tent as he makes hot tea. Syahrial was still snoozing beside me.

We started our ascend after our subuh prayers. It was still dark, but rays of the morning sun was creeping upon us. Yayan told me that it takes one hour to reach the peak. Yeah okayyyyy... with my speed, it might take us twice that long. Hehe. I brought with me a headlamp, a light pack of snacks and the lads brought hot tea and water.

Not at the peak yet, but the best views from the top were here where you can see all the three lakes; Danau Di Atas, Danau Di Bawah and Danau Talang. 

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How to Pack for Your Hiking Trip?

Ever fell in a river while hiking and had all your stuff in your backpack wet, resulting in a very heavy pack on your back?  The bad luck doesn't end there though... you had 5 hours more of hiking to do before you reach your next destination! Wet clothes combined with heavy wet backpack! Gahh!!

One unlucky hiker also shared his experience of having all his clothes and sleeping bag wet when he hiked in the rain. He reached the peak with no dry clothes and ended up sleeping in the tent, cold with only the heat from his buddies to warm him.

I learnt it the hard way. So did he.

And so... as experience had it... I readjusted my packing method and become better at it. Hope this "common" piece of information help other hikers out there on how to pack their stuff. To avoid what happened to me, happening to them. Fair trade, no?

The Essential Things You Need on a Hiking and Camping Trip

Rules I learnt when hiking and camping in the tropical forests:

1. Always keep your stuff DRY. So each items are stored in a drybag according to usage. I had my sleeping clothes and sleeping bag in one drybag. Wet tissues, small cosmetic items and headlamp in one small drybag and all the other clothes in one drybag. Food has it's own bag too.
2. To pack light, two sets of clothing is enough. One to change when what you're wearing is WET. And another set ESPECIALLY for sleeping only. You could be in the jungle for 2 to 5 days. 2 sets are enough. Trust me. Bring more if you can carry more weight. Hehe. The cold is a SILENT KILLER. Stay warm and dry is important during the night.
3. Wet tissues are handy when you need to poo-poo and other stuff. 
4. Food rich in carbs are good for energy -- kurma, peanuts, chocolate 
5. Socks! Need more than one set especially if it is rainy season! 
6. Extra large plastic bags (120 liters) is good to become your bag's rain cover. And also to put your bag in during the night so that it keeps dry.
7. Dry bags are better than wet bags. Why? If your stuff are wet... It gets more HEAVIER and you die carrying the extra weight! 
8. Plastic bag is also used to store all of these items and then put into your bag. Hehe.
9. Oh and yeah... Was kidding about the dying part. Have any more tips? Do share!?

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