Pyromaniacs!

Once dinner was done the two boys wanted a bonfire and since we had no TV in the forest, we waited while they went around to collect firewood. then amidst the bonfire we were sharing the day's experience and having a good laugh. If the rest of the trekkers were awake they would join in and talk cock sing song la but alas they were asleep even in the wee hours.

Dinner Time

Rested and chilled and coffeed, we started to cook dinner. The clanging of mess tins, the laughter, chatter as people shared cooking tips and spices was in the air. Once the first waft of something cooking was in the air, the tummy began to growl and the saliva glands started secreting saliva. There were people busy cooking and cutting while some walked about the encampment to check out what's cookin' and perhaps curi some cooking tips. First night we had nasi and brahim's chicken kurma and curry rendang i think. Calorieman brought pita and some Australian stew if i recalled correctly.

As you can see it our dinner was meagre but Delicious! We were pretty darn hungry by then, i guess anything would be tasty. Even if we were to boil our boots for soup it would taste good! We licked the mess tins clean.

Hmmm satisfying indeed. Burp!

Bring out The Jet-Boil!!!

Once we were all cleaned up, we went back to our tents and put in the finishing touches and laid ourselves down to rest and experienced our tents, some for the very first time. New tent ma... It was also good to be free of the weight of our backpacks cos by then our bodies were rather sore.

This one look like OKB (Orang Kaya Baru) sitting on the "jendela" of his tent. It even smells plasticky.

All cleaned up and nowhere to go. 3-in-1 coffee never tasted so good. It brings back the smile to your face.

The man with the Jet-Boil, excellent stuff. Boils water in 2mins flat but who cares, it's not like we are catching the bus but seriously it was a life saver cos it gave us coffee faster than the mamak can!

Once we were settled we were just checking each other's tent and rations, just to see what peculiar stuff each had...like the friggin' Jet-Boil!

Water Water Everywhere

The sound of water is always music to the ears especially when you are hot and sweaty. At 1800hrs we arrived at Lata Luis, our first camp. A sigh of relieve came from the four of us when we finally arrived. We had trekked for 6 long hours on our very first day. Rule of thumb...set up the tent first. If it rains we will at least have a place to put our backpacks and keep things dry, but it also makes sense to do it before anything else so that we won't have to get all sweaty setting it up after our bath. The nice cool river was waiting.

Well it didn't have to wait long before we all got into the river for a good wash, all stinky and hot we needed one...bad!!! Just soaking in the waters was heavenly. After our wash we collected water for cooking and drinking.

Take 5!

At 1616hrs we were rather plastered. 4 hours after we left civilisation as we know it, we were beat. We needed more than a breather, we needed 2 breathers! Any rest was a welcomed suggestion but we also knew that if we were to rest for too long we will loose momentum and get into camp late which we did not want. We wanted to get in before we lost light. So we would normally break for 5 mins for a drink and a rest before we pushed on again. Being day 1 was tough as our bodies were not conditioned to the terrain as yet but we pushed ourselves to hit camp before nightfall.

Along the way...

Being the first day of our trek, our anxiety, excitement and heightened sense of adventure was at it's zenith. That was so till reality set in after about 3 hours plus of trekking. That was when muscles which we never knew we had and which we never bothered knowing the names off began to awaken and experience pain which translated into exhaustion for us. We were breathing heavily by now...well actually heaving really. The boys had their minds set on reaching camp to set up tents while my 25% was beginning to wonder what the hell on earth was she doing here with these 3 apes. I had to take her mind off the exhaustion and the pain so i redirected her focus onto the beauty that lays abound in the forest.

An upright ant hill or was the ground having a hard-on? A nice looking young mushroom growing up from the side of a dead branch.

Hundreds of tiny white mushrooms like so many upright white parachutes standing in attention to the cacophony of the forest song, more earlike fungi on another broken branch. Pardon my nameless fungi, flora and fauna cos i didn't bother looking it up at the library. Just too many mate.

See the smile on her "exhaustion laden face" pop out innocently when pointed to look at this gigantic fern and also when we saw this humongous tree.

This here fungi is trying some artistic form of growth while the "begonia" looking plant is surviving on this moss laden rock.

Finally an interesting specimen of fungi, am just wondering if this is the mook yee (wood ear mushroom) that my mom broils in her awesome chicken and mook yee dish. Never know and don't think i will collect it home for trial but it was all very helpful distraction from the fact that we are all rather plastered by then.

Bugger off!!!

A supermom by day and a creative sorceress by night. Don't be fooled by the manicured and pedicured painted nails, she has a fury as strong as the reds that she wears on her nails. Mess with her and you are history and probably will make history too. Thou shall be banished from her Pinkdom! Great is her sorcery when puts her concoction to pot. Anyone who tastes' from it will ever be mesmerised and never, ever forgets. Like poison it flows in our bellies and and poisons our minds for a millenia (this i jest you not). Thou too shall agree if but thou hast the chance to partake of her poison. Weaker of our lot she maybe but strong is the spirit as we shall see as the mountain gets tougher as we get higher.

Sneaky...

Started of as Smeagol and occasionally has similar duality as Gollum but before we reached the peak his true self came to the fore. He would shift between Smeagol and Gollum every now and then. Speaking of his 'precious' all the time and unbeknownst to all...he had it with him in his backpack. He would reveal his true self as we got closer to the peak. Strong for one so slight in frame and fast as a 'lipas kudung' (that's malay for headless cockroach) when he needs to be. Calm as a still pond one minute and crazy as a bat from hell the next but dependable nonetheless. Can count on to lead the way in the dark but beware...he can be sneaky.

My Nuts!

Calorieman has done an extensive study on calory intake (what else?) for this trip. He has been collecting nuts and other energy giving sustenance on his free time shuttling between KL and Perth and acquired many and mostly Australian nuts and space-like meals for the trip. He has it all down to a science. He could tell you how many calories your meal is and i am sure he could tell you the calory of your nuts! He and his freakin' Jet-Boil could boil your nuts in 1 min flat! He has this trip calculated right down to the kilocals!

You can 'count' on the man!

Check!

Check! Good to go.

Everytime when we stopped for a break we would undo our straps and remove our backpacks, dump them to the ground and we would use them as back rests. It's a relief whenever that happens cos that's 20 odd kilos off our backs. At this point we have been trekking for about 2 and a half hours. We had arrived at Kuala Luis (306m) and there's more to go before we make camp at Lata Luis which is 6km away.

We were camwhores on this trip cos who knows when we are gonna do this again...together. 25% always has a sweet smile for the cameras and Calorieman does his "I'm scared" look but beware, a powerful wizard this is.

Here Smeagol looks like some cikgu lost in the jungle but he is a sneaky one this.

The First Pit-Stop

2 hours after we stepped into the emerald forest, it was time to take a break and have a bit of a rest. In between we had 5 min stops here and there for water and catch a breath but this was a coffee break. We brought out our burners and boiled us some water for coffee. We had threaded all the river crossings and it was time to pull on our boots, so we decided to take a breather and a cuppa.

Once when the water was ready and all sat down for a cuppa and shared stupid jokes, my 25% asked innocently, "what's this on my leg?" The suckers had drawn first blood! Virgin blood at that. The leech had picked it's first victim. It must have wanted fresh blood and my 25% was the lucky one! The picture shows a dramatised 25%, but when told it was a leech she just said, "oh!" and continued sipping her coffee.

We Wet Ourselves

In the beginning it was downhill...into the river. Our very first river crossing. See the river for the 2nd time was a refreshing reminder of my very first trip to Gunung Tahan, with it's crystal clear cool water that is sustenance to a parched throat was a grim reminder to the exhaustive climb ahead but still it was good to feel the coolness of the water. To be wet so early on in the trip may or may not be a good thing as the long hours ahead will remind us of this coolness that we are leaving behind once we cross to the other side and the journey will be uphill...on and on and on.

Watching from behind everybody else i can only smile proudly as my 25%, with all of her food and clothings in her backpack (which incidentally is the same color as mine) cross the cool river ever so carefuly.

Into The Emerald Forest We Went...

On the 24th of July 2009, the 4 of us (My 25%, Calorieman, Smeagol & I) plus the people from Genting's stepped into the emerald forest of Gunung Tahan. We were leaving behind our families, friends, jobs and our daily lives basically. We left our creature comforts at home to be with creatures of mother nature. We were entering into a million year old rainforest. We were the alien creatures intruding and imposing ourselves upon the natives of Gunung Tahan. As we stepped on fallen leaves stretched across the humid forest, we were walking into an adventure we had been talking about, planned, but never really trained (physically) for. Between the four of us i think we had barely put in a weeks training of any sort and we were here to conquer the highest peak in Semenajung Malaysia, the indomitable... Gunung Tahan.

Bye Bye Civilisation

With a forlorn look my 25% seem to say goodbye to the creature comforts that she knows best and still looking in disbelief at the fact that she is standing at the very edge of civilisation as she knows it and walking into our million year old rainforest for the very first time. Che mat and madam leads the way out of civilisation by taking the very first steps on the last man made structure at the edge of the forest. We all take in a deep breath filled with fear, apprehension, disbelief and a belly full of excitement as we took step by little step onto the bridge leading into the deep deep forest, leaving behind civilisation as we know and are used to. We fidget with our backpacks to make sure that we have everything that we need and to...i suppose have a mental connection with what we are leaving behind.

Tahan... here we come!

Silently she Grows..

As we all held our hands in silent prayer for a safe journey ahead, silently this gentle giant grows from beneath her bedding of dead leaves, reaching out towards the sun above and prays that the clumsy giants standing above & around her would not be so clumsy as to step on her and snuff out her young existence. In the jungle, it's all about survival. As i utter my silent prayer for a safe journey for our team, i too ask for permission from the great mother for her blessing to venture into the bossom of her forest.

One for The Road

As is customary, a group photo is always a must...just in case we lose someone, at least we know who we lost. :) This is a photo of the 13 members (the 13th is holding the camera) who are crazy enough to trek Tahan for the first time, 2nd time or more than god knows how many times. Only the guides have done it more than all of us put together. This is one final shot before we sweat like pigs, curse like we have never done before, bitch and moan more than once and experience a whole phlethora of experience that we have never experienced before, and of course before we set on our journey...a touch of our mighty staffs (some have magical powers as we came to find out later) to the murmurs of "All for One and One for All!"

My Three Virgins & Me

How often do you get to spend time with 3 virgins all at the same time? Well I was the lucky man here. I have been to Tahan only once before but this is a virgin journey for my 3 friends, Smeagol, Calorieman & My 25%.

Smeagol and Calorieman have been eagerly awaiting this adventure for awhile back but My 25% didn't even have this in her calender and neither was she aware that she will be going for this her maiden trip. She only decided after Calorieman asked if she would like to go? She called me and asked if she will be able to climb the mountain and if it was tough? I said i will support her all the way.

Next thing i knew...she was on the team!

Lock & Loaded

After all the checking and re-packing of our backpacks, we loaded them all up into one of the 4-wheeled drives and said our goodbyes to civilisation. This time we were 13 strong and we had 2 guides to lead us up the tallest mountain in Semenanjung Malaysia...Gunung Tahan.

Food Check

Time to empty the backpacks and declare our meals. Time to calculate and take stock of all the not so environmentally friendly wrappers, can food, bottles, batteries, clothings etc. We were declaring all that we were bringing up the mountain. If were short of even one piece of choc wrapper when we come down the mountain, we will be fined. Below...Calorieman is counting his calory specific menu and my rations all down and out for the count.

Checkin' The Tracks

Calorieman is checkin' the tracks for safety. Must be an occupational hazard after all he is a pilot. He just has to have the tracks in immaculate order before we do our trekking...and the wife looks on at her husband being his nerdy best. I guess i forgot to tell him that the track to Gunung Tahan lies in yonder forest...a 130million year old rainforest and not on KTM's 50 year old track.