Well, last week I went to one of the outing organized by Raleigh to trek the jungle, Bukit Kala @ Gombak, where no one had ever trekked before, and a lost of path will cost you your dear life. *mysterious look* Well, the truth is that the bukit is never trekked by any forest ranger, or any mountaineer because it was never opened to any of them as it is the territory of the aborigines. Now, it is officially open for us and ONLY us, and in order to do this trekking, we have to use the guide of the local aborigines. Kinda scary is it?? I guess so, with all the unknown terrain and creatures lurking around in the natural woods. And ever wondered what Raleigh International is, apart from it’s the name for some place in the western country?? Nope, I got no idea too... XD
So we started out sometime when the sun is nowhere to be seen, kinda early I guess, and headed our way to the KTM station far far away at Gombak. Well, you will have to travel to the KTM station at Nilai, and travel to KL Sentral, and stroll around, and take the PUTRA line to Gombak, a long long way… And the thing is it’s really a dreadful thing to do when you are actually really excited, anticipating the coming journey, but is separated by this sadistically long journey to the gathering point, which turns you down partially. Everyone sleeps in the Light rail Coach, and the journey to the gathering point is no fun at all, except for the fact that we have a seat to sit on, and enjoy freezing air conditioner.. *Frostbite anyone??*
And here we are at the gathering point, we quickly stumble to the registrar, get into the team by 30 mins late (it’s very in-strategic to gather here, you know), and went to Bukit Kala. So what is jungle trekking actually?? It’s actually some activity where you are in a big big jungle and you have to trek and dredge and trench through the muddy terrain, following the forest ranger’s marking and trail that he had device for us ( which in this case, not happening at all *gasp*), and came out from the jungle eventually. Well, I’ve been through this kind of trekking before since I’m so so small at some mountain-trekking jungle in Bintulu, and also at many national parks available in Kuching. So I was kinda seasoned and experienced actually, no sweat. So, I am just here to gain some more experience, to gain more exposure to this kind of thing. *perasannya… teehee…^^*
And yeah, we’ve reached here and meet with Mr. Aborigine. Well, he does really take this kind of thing seriously and warned us to behave in the jungle because there’s always “makhluk halus” in the jungle, as well as some mountain-Gods and also some deities that keep the jungle in order. He told us about several times when he got lost in the jungle, the exit is just right there, clear in his map in the brain, but he just could not find the way, because the spirits are screwing up with his mind. And most of the time he had to plea with the mountain Gods so he can finally get out. He also listed some of the stuffs that we should brought and what’s essential for us when we got lost.- Water is the most important thing for our survival, as it can provide us with enough water so that we can continue on with our metabolism and bla bla blas (please look up to any biology books for more info.) 1.5 litre will be enough
- A parang, first it can protects us, and it can be used to clear the terrains and also use to start a fire
- Some food, a little will be enough. We have this misconception that we should bring tones of food into the jungle, some even says “berkilo-kilo” of foods, mind you. But to put this in a logical way, we can survive in the jungle for days and weeks without food, but a couple of days only without water. So conclusion, it’s better to bring water into the jungle than bring foods.
- Most of you will be shocked when this most important item is revealed. Truth to be said, it will be your ultimate survival weapon if you ever got lost in a jungle. It’s CELLULAR PHONE!! With this you can call someone to get you out, pretty easy right??
At the same time, he also explained some of the original traps that their ancestor had passed down from generation to generation, which can be very efficient at times, considering the fact that It can get you Bambi, mousedeer, and some pelanduks by piercing through their vitals through activating buttons. We’re all marveled by the technology possessed by their ancestors, that they have button-activated traps.
And lastly, he told us that our heart and mind must be pure so that we can make it into the jungle and get out safely. Well, I know this can be kinda ridiculous at times but the natives do really have their rationale in advising us this kind of thing, so what’s harm if we take the advise??
So we headed into the jungle, and the adventure begins. Wait, something is wrong, where’s the trek!?? Can someone tell me where is it?? Where’s the Fart –King Trail!!?? Well, it’s no different from the jungles that I used to trek in, except for the fact that it’s Trailless!! Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome into this vast jungle where there isn’t any natural trails *hyperventilates*. In this jungle we’re practically lost the a few minutes after stepping into this jungle. There’s not a trail to show us where to go, luckily we have this native guide who guide us through the jungle.
Well, it isn’t so special after all, I tell you, this is the honest truth about jungle trekking. All the while, depends on how long your journey will take, the scenery you will see is the same all the way, trees, trees, trees, shrubs, shrubs, grass, flower, trunk, trees, trees, Oh!! A butterfly!!!, trees, trees, shrubs, shrubs… need I elaborate somemore?? All those repetitive scenery will drive your nerve out, and you will want to look into the sky for the tall-trees view, which is kinda fascinating. And worst more, the terrain here is extreme?? If not disastrous?? We’re asked to climb up a cliff with it’s angle almost perpendicular to the horizontal ground. And also, wait, I haven’t tell you that we have heavy rain here, which makes everything more endangering and more FUN. By taking a look at my hand you will know that how big the rain is, considering the fact that the raindrops look like a giant transparent patch on my hands… Now is not the right time to sing “rain drops are falling on my head, they keep falling…
However, another truth, the thing that we’re working for in this kind of trip is always the breath-taking scenery that we can prey on after we reach the summit, or the sense of accomplishment when we finally make out of the jungle. Yeah, though the journey maybe life-taking, but the ending will be breath-taking. Not to mention that we actually we got lost in the repetitive terrain for a couple of times, and I almost fell from the slope because the ground is actually too soft with drenched mud… One heaven lot of surprises.
Another element that dominates the jungle : Leeches. Yeah right, who would care about some little creatures which crawl around, eyeless, and only want some food?? Well, to add to your horror, ONE, it sucks blood. TWO, you might mistaken it for a small branch most of the time. THREE, it has some infar-red detector where they can sense blood from afar. FOUR, they close in when they acknowledged your presence, which answers the question why leeches becomes more and more from time to time. FIVE, they will not get of you until they savoured enough of your blood, lest you have salt on you, which is kinda effective against leeches. SIX, they fall from the SKY!!! That explains some of the bites on my friends neck and hands etc. Well, I got two bites, one on palm and another on my tummy, which I can’t explain how does the leech get to me. Well, one reminder, remember to tug your pants into your socks, and shirt into your pants the next time… or If you wanna go extreme, you can wear head protector. XD
As we ascended upwards the terrain gets kinda rocky and the plants turns from greenwood to some fern species, which indicates that we’re very much on the top. And voila, welcome to the top! =) The view is suppose to be awesome but sadly the post-rain-mist makes the view a huge bit un-marvelous… And so we went down after having some rest and enjoying the misty-view. But all in all, it’s a very enriching and unforgettable journey.
p.s. Should I write a fiction or something like that?? Suddenly got the craving to do so..
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