02 June - 06 June 2011 Hiking. Trip. Hmm... that was my first thought. Ummi and hiking do not actually go together because I have clumsy feet and not great with heights. I have hiked a hill before (that’s another story), but not a mountain, so, a hiking trip to Gunung Stong, Kelantan was a first for me. With no training and preparation, yes, it was a pain! It all started with a friend who invited a group of divers who hardly have any experience in hiking, to go for a hiking trip to Mount Stong, Kelantan. I googled and asked my hiking 'taiko' friends what is there that makes it an interesting climb. "The view and the waterfall. You should try lah!" Oouuh, I am a sucker for beautiful views, so I thought that motivated me to go. "Alright, we're going next weekend"! One week of preparation - I was not at all ready. I did not have proper hiking bag and shoes. I loaned a waterproof bag from a diving friend, since I heard that the weather is going to be wet, and it turned out useful in a way, but the bag is still not proper for a hike because it was bloody heavy. Same goes for the shoes. You will know what happened at the end of the whole trip. We journeyed from Kuala Lumpur to Dabong Train Station, Kelantan by train. Each with his/her own bunkers, we took the overnight train, which is a great way to get enough sleep before the climb. After 155 km and 11 hours later, we reached Dabong Train Station early in the morning around 6.00ish am. Coming out from the train, I immediately fell in love with the train station. Quaint and charming, it looked as if it came out from the old P.Ramlee's movies, surrounded with morning mist for that extra drama. Hungry? There is this small stall that sells finger-licking good nasi kerabu, which opens very early for hungry 'hikers' like us. This makcik (aunty) has been operating her stall for eons - previous hikers do agree on her simple yet yummy food. We fueled ourselves, met up with our guide, En. Zul from JeeJoun Travel & Adventure and changed to our climbing attire, anticipating our climb. Well, not really for me. We did not proceed straight to Mount Stong National Park – instead, we went caving first to Gua Gelap (Dark Cave), Gua Keris (Keris Cave) and Gua Pagar (Fence Cave). After parking ourselves at Gua Ikan (Fish Cave)'s recreational car park, we were briefed by our guide and then crossed the road the opposite side for our 3 hours cave exploration. We started with Gua Gelap (Dark Cave), a cave that becomes narrower and darker as you go in, a challenge for claustrophobics. One of my friend is a claustrophobic, so we ended up having to patiently wait for her state of panicky (if there is such a word) to calm down and make her way out the small hole and exit to the open space. Since it rained the night before, puddles of water at the exit hole did not make it any easier for all of us. After many minutes, we all managed to crawl our way out. After caving, we had a break before we proceeded to the base of Mount Stong. On the way, you will be able to see a couple of waterfalls from afar, one of which looked like someone crying. There is a folk tale which goes, once upon a time, a woman was so heartbroken with her ex-lover, she cried so hard and turned to stone. Whether the story is true or not, I do think the rock formation itself is amazing. Upon reaching at Mount Stong National Park, all of us were gathered to carry a ration each, something that, the guide did not or maybe forgot to mention to us earlier. I quickly grabbed the lightest item that I could see (I know, I was being selfish). It was a plastic bag of food, and it snug nicely in my bag. Once everyone had their ration, we started our steps up to Mount Stong. After half an hour's hike, I was already feeling like crap. The lack of stamina and fitness level was obvious. We stopped for lunch at the base of the picturesque Jelawang Waterfall, which, at 457 meters high, is reputably the highest tiered waterfall in South East Asia. We then continued, and after huffing and puffing and looking pretty bluish after the 2 hours hike (the guide's son who was like 7-8 years old overtook us on the way up, I was like "eeh, budak nie") , we finally reached Baha's Camp, home for us for the next 2 nights. We walked pass by Baha's Camp souvenir shop and a few huts straight to our campsite, and we were greeted by the sound of a waterfall and the cooling surroundings near Kolam Tuan Puteri (The Princess Pool). Camps pitched and dinner eaten, we took a rest for the night before our morning climb to the peak of Mount Stong the next day. Day 2 Woke up very early in the morning for one thing, this view: And these: What is there not to love about these views? It was all well worth it! Just absolutely stunning! A great start in the morning, we had our breakfast before our climb to the peak. While some continued sleeping and dreaming, half of us continued with our climb. The peak took us (me, to be exact) about 4 hours to reach. We passed by the 'Y Waterfall' or the ‘Last Waterfall’, where the rivers from Mount Ayam and Mount Stong join, forming Jeri River and the Stong Waterfalls. We also trekked fallen logs (I was informed later that a tiger passed by the area the night before, chills!) on the way to the peak. It was an exhausting climb but the view and achievement were satisfying. From here, we can see the peak of Gunung Ayam (1,504 feet above sea level). Thank s to the guys who stuck by me on the way up. I was apparently the last one to arrive. We rested ourselves at the peak for an hour or so. After lunch and a short snooze, we went back to Camp Baha. We did not hesitate to jump into the waterfall pool immediately. As much as it is irresistible, swimming in the pool was another challenge for me as the water was really cold! However, after the tiring climb, soaking in the pool was indeed refreshing. If you are adventurous enough to climb the slippery wall of the waterfall, you can experience the extreme sliding stunt down into the pool. I took up the challenge after much pressure - scary and fun at the same time! That night it rained and we struggled not to get our tents flooded. The hard and bumpy ground reminded me to bring a foam sleeping pad the next time I go for another hiking trip. Day 3 Next morning's early clouds dancing in the sky looked like marshmallows after the rain last night. I was tempted to jump on it like Care Bears (Tenderheart and Cheer Bears were my favourite!) How I wish! For our last day, we went to Telaga Tujuh (Seven Springs), a series of smaller waterfalls with several small swimming pools. Simply by sitting under the small waterfalls, nature offers you water therapy and a free body massage. We headed back to camp after enjoying ourselves and prepared to make a move down to the base of the mountain. 10 minutes down the trail, and it suddenly rained, all the way to the base. With those darn hard rubber shoes that I was wearing, imagine the pain of crushing toes every step of the way. We trekked down a different route, crossed a hanging bridge with the raging river underneath us. It can be very dangerous during rainy season as collective river head water from higher points of the mountain can create devastating river flash floods that smashes and washes away anything in its path, even huge trees! Finally landed on safe grounds, we were transferred back to Dabong Station where we had ourselves cleaned, ate dinner and received our Mount Stong certificates while waiting for our train to Kuala Lumpur. I have to say that the bunker bed in the train was sooo inviting and all of us passed out instantly. Oh, by the way, we were trying to look cool when we were walking around KL Central station later, with a new swag. We called it, 'The Painful Swagger'. Overall, it was an unexpected, challenging but fun trip. Lots of tips learned from the 'kaki gunung' fellas that I had made friends with. Our guide En. Zul from JeeJoun Travel & Outdoor was accommodating and surely, this would not be the last hiking trip for me. * I suffered the loss of 2 of my toenails after the trip. Rubber shoes are good if you are a seasoned climber and if you are immune to pain. For newbies, a good pair of mesh hiking/sports shoes together with thick socks are advisable. SIGNS OF COLLECTIVE RIVER HEAD WATER & FLASH FLOODCamping by the river If you happen to notice a sudden change in the colour of the river from clear to muddled, and runs together with a collective of leaves and branches, please be cautious. It is advisable to move quickly to higher ground or someplace far from the river. You will never know, a river flash flood can happen anytime, especially during rainy season.
Camping equipments, backpack, food rations, water, flashlight, sleeping bag, foam sleeping pad, raincoat or poncho, suitable waterproof shoes/hiking shoes, sandals, swimsuit, towel, sweater/windbreaker for the cold nights and early morning sunrise viewing session, pants, shorts, socks, insect repellent, sunscreen, personal toiletries (try to use the 3-in-1), camera, climbing stick and plastic bag to bring back all rubbishes.
JALAN-JALAN TERENGGANU
1 Comment
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