环绕安那普那(Annapurna Circuit)徒步行 (11-31 Oct 2008) - Part 1

11 Oct 2008 (Saturday) - KLIA -> Kathmandu
当地时间10am, 我再一次踏进了加德满都的红砖墙机场。第二次造访，我少了两年前的兴奋，取而代之的是一种熟悉又陌生的微妙感觉。往Thamel途中，我温习着记忆中的片段，那红砖建筑物，有点混乱的交通状况，载着一篮子苹果的脚车水果贩等景象一一映入眼帘，原来两年光阴并没有为这尼泊尔的首都带来什么具体的变化。

这一次同行的山友有秀娟(小名：Dee) ，海波，德龙，雪琴(德龙的未婚妻) ，凤凤，永刚和 Irene。当天，我们下榻于Khangsar Hotel。红宝石旅行社的老板-李建替我们安排前往Dumre的巴士车票及在Dumre接恰我们的登山向导与背夫。李建是个说得一口流利华语的尼泊尔人。德龙说当初联络李建时，他答应作我们的登山向导，不知怎么的，碰面时却成了为我们安排其他向导的中间人。

Expenses
Visa for 30 days - USD 40
Khangsar Hotel - USD 5 per person
Lunch at Momotarou Restaurant (桃太郎) - Rp 180 (RM 7.50)

12 Oct 2008 (Sunday) - Kathmandu (1300m) -> Dumre (420m) -> Besisahar (793m) -> Bhulbhule (840m)
早晨，我们背着行囊随着旅行社接洽人穿越Thamel的小巷来到了巴士站，搭上了7.00am前往Dumre的巴士。巴士的座位很窄，行李全被绑在车顶上，车上坐满了前往Pokhara 和Dumre的外国旅客。5个小时后，我们到了Dumre，见到了我们的登山向导- Miran和背夫们。然后，我们就一直被向导催促以包车的方式前往Besisahar，路程是一个小时半。在匆促决定下，我们付了Rp 3500 (RM 175)，包了一辆吉普车到Besisahar，足足多付了一倍的车资。这件事让我们对这初次见面的登山向导印象大打折扣。

由于昨天是尼泊尔的公共假期，我们来不及在加德满都办登山证。经过一番讨论，虽然费用是在Pokhara 或Kathmandu办的双倍，大家还是决定直接在Bhulbhule办登山证以节省时间与不必要的麻烦。我们花了Rp1500 (RM75) 包了吉普车从Besisahar 到Bhulbhule，赶在天黑前办好入山证。

当晚，我们就在Bhulbhule住宿。为期17天的环绕安那普那徒步行正式掀开序幕。

Expenses
Bus from Kathmandu to Dumre - Rp 450 (RM22.50) per person
Jeep from Dumre to Besisahar - Rp 3500 for 13 persons (8 of us + porters & guide)
Jeep from Besisahar to Bhulbhune - Rp 1500 for 13 persons
Trekking permit - Rp 4000 (RM 200) per person

13 Oct 2008 (Monday) - Bhulbhule (840m) -> Syange (1130m)
Bhulbhule处于海拔840m，比加德满都还低，温度就如云顶高原般凉快。早晨8时，我们离开Bhulbhule往Bahundanda(1310m)。一路上伴随我们的是那青黄色的稻田风光。Bahundanda原本是我们行程中住宿的地点，但到达时是中午，所以在午餐后，我们继续往下个地点-Syange(1130m)出发。下午三点半，我们在一所建在Marsyandi河边的茶屋(Tea-house) 停下脚步，结束这一天的行程。

茶屋不远处有壮观的瀑布，河的对岸也有其他的旅舍。两岸由一座吊桥衔接着。这所茶屋是由一对夫妻经营的，只有几个房间，虽然简陋，但老板非常亲切。这位年轻的老板学过马来语，所以我们除了英语外，还可以用马来语跟他沟通。这天，我们是他的唯一客户，所以招待周到。夜晚，海波开始发表他的经济学理论。渐渐的，大家悃了。就这样地，我们在隆隆流水声的陪伴下进入梦乡。

14 Oct 2008 (Tuesday) - Syange(1130m) -> Tal (1700m)
早晨8点离开Syange，沿着河缓缓向上，一个小时半后我们到达Jagat。这儿有一所很小的学校，有几位学生非常合作的排好让我们拍照。午餐地点定在Chamje，所以我们继续往上走。在Annapurna地区，人们让马或驴子运送货物。我们徒步时常得让路给驴群，同时也要小心闪躲路上的驴粪。和昨天一样，天气晴朗，艳阳高挂，我热得汗流浃背，真的有点受不了。我除了猛擦防晒油之外，还用小毛巾盖着头，遮着脸。这里跟两年前的寒冷EBC(Everest Base Camp)徒步很不一样。大约11.15am，我们停在Chamje，坐在一间餐厅二楼的走廊用午餐。祭了五脏庙后，我们又开始徒步在不间断的上坡路上。河谷风光非常秀丽，就这样地，我们来到了Tal ，一个坐落在河边的美丽村子。在Tal，河神显得特别安祥，浅青带蓝白的河水静静躺着，与来到Tal前的汹涌有天渊之别。

茶屋的名字叫 Hotel Dragon，两层楼，房间还不赖，比昨天的好多了。Tal有个净水供应站，每公升净水售价Rp35 (RM1.75) 。而旅舍的一壶热水 (3公升)是Rp200 (RM10) 。矿泉水一瓶则是Rp80 (RM4) 。净水供应站为我们省下了不少买饮水的钱。德龙在地图上圈起了有净水供应站的村庄，作为补充饮水及住宿的地点参考。

当天晚上，我的喉咙开始痛，觉得头微微发热，心里暗忖：糟了，要生病了。我还有15天的徒步行程啊，怎么办？

15 Oct 2008 (Wednesday) - Tal (1700m) -> Danaque (2200m)
早上天晴，下午下了一阵小雨。我们在大约8时离开了美丽的Tal，前往下一个目的地 - Danaque。瀑布在Annapurna Circuit是处处可见的。我数不清一路上到底看见了多少瀑布。9.30am, 我们到达Korto，10.20am，我们到达Karte。40分钟后，我们就来到了Dharapani。Dharapani有个通行检查站，必须出示登山证方可通行。向导在我们到达前已办好检查手续，所以我们没有停下，继续往前走。从Dharapani往Bagarchap的路，我开始觉得吃力了。可能身体不舒服的关系吧，我没有心情拍照，只想快点到达目的地。大约中午12点，我们到达Bagarchap，停下吃午餐。用餐后，我觉得昏昏欲睡。海波继续发表他的资本论，只是不晓得有谁在用心听。

1.30pm, 我们又开始徒步，半小时后就到达Danaque了，下榻于Himalayan Guesthouse。我的室友是Irene。我们的房间在楼上右边走廊的最尾端，三面都是玻璃窗，虽可看风景，但却比其他房间寒冷。没多久，天空飘起雨。我赶紧冲个凉，一头钻进睡袋里休息。头感觉热热的，喉咙很痛。我一直喝水，只希望不要真的病倒。睡睡醒醒，一直到晚餐时间，才到楼下的餐厅用餐。

16 Oct 2008 (Thursday) - Danaque (2200m) - Chame (2713m)

早上起床，我的喉咙痛没有好，但也没有变严重，谢天谢地。
一离开Danaque，我们就翻上了一座小山，上升550m。路一直都是斜斜向上的。我们经过松树林，来到了Temang。然后，路开始往下，经过了一个农村，过了一座吊桥，又开始往上爬了。斜坡上突然尘土飞扬，原来是有一大群山羊被赶下坡。我们只得让路，靠边站，让山羊群先过。大约11点，我们到达Thanchok 。小休片刻后，我们原打算再走45分钟到Koto用餐，却被路旁的苹果园吸引而停驻。走进了苹果园，买了苹果当开胃菜，索性就在苹果园主人的餐厅吃午餐。

我们在大约2.15pm到达Koto。这里的房子很古色古香。通行检查的手续办妥后，我们再步行30分钟就到达Chame，住进了Sunrise Hotel。Chame是个不小的村庄。我们到处逛逛。有个指示牌上写着 "Hot Springs"，我们随着它到温泉看一看，结果让人大失所望。那所谓的温泉只是在河边的一小滩水，顶多能洗洗手。6点，我们回到旅舍准备用晚餐。晚餐后，我一如前几天一样，看看书，写写日记，直到悃了才休息去。

17 Oct 2008 (Friday) - Chame (2713m) -> Pisang (3200m)

一如既往，我们在8点钟起程。空气转凉，毕竟已接近3000m的海拔了。斜坡缓缓向上，经过荞麦田，然后是一连串的上坡与下坡，这就是离开Chame后的路况。Lamjung Himal 和Annapurna II雪山逐渐清晰。来到Bhratang，路旁有苹果园和荒废了的石屋。大家休息了一会儿又继续前进。我走进了松林，有点累，好不容易走到了Dhukur ，停下吃午餐。我点了Dal-Bhat ，那是道地的尼泊尔食物。Dal-Bhat其实是Dal豆汁捞白饭配炒菜，腌菜与马铃薯，非常有利于补充能量。更妙的是若吃完了还可以要求补上，所以绝对吃到饱。填饱了肚子以后，我感觉好多了。午餐后，再走个40分钟，我们就看见Pisang村庄了。Pisang分为Upper Pisang 和Lower Pisang。我们住在Lower Pisang里位置最高的旅舍, 远远可看见建在山坡上Upper Pisang的房子，风景很漂亮。Pisang Peak清晰可见，非常抢眼。这里风很大，冷得我们不想到外边走动。夜晚，温度降到了摄氏1度。从这里，我才开始投入这次的徒步行，仿佛找回了EBC徒步行时的兴奋。

Mt Batu Putih (30 Aug - 1 Sep 08)

I spent my National day holidays at Mt. Batu Putih (白岩峰), the 8th highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia, with another 14 friends. We sang the national song, shouted excitedly when we saw the rainbow clouds at the summit. It was the stary night. I saw a meteor but not able to make the wish in time. :p That's the rewards for spending the 2 days time to hike up 2131m above sea level.

29 Aug after work, we drove to Tapah and spent overnight there. 30 Aug early morning, we proceed to Kuala Woh. After passed through the Kuala Woh dam, we reached the aboriginal village. That's the starting point of our trek. We were on the trail along the riverbank for about 45 minutes, then it led to a bamboo bridge that helped us for the river crossing.

The trail was getting steep after that. Hai Poh chose to camp at The Cave because there is water stream nearby. The Cave is not the real cave. It is the campsite that shaded by a big rock. I reached The Cave at 5.30pm, after 7.5 hours hike. Actually, Lai, Hai Poh, Liow, Tack and I should be able to reach earlier. But we had missed the junction that lead to The Cave, almost reached the botak hill campsite. I had spent 1.5 hours to make this U-turn.

31 Aug around 10.20am, we continue our hike to the summit. About 1.5 hours later, we reached the botak hill campsite where a white vertical rock face came into sight. Out of my expectation, I reached the summit around 3.15pm. Besides us, there were another 2 groups of hikers there. The peak of Mt Batu Putih was bustling with noise and excitement at national day 2008.

Mt Semeru - Mt Bromo - Kawah Ijen( 2-7 July 08)

The triggering point of this trip is the photos that we saw at Kok Yuen's house when we visited him during Chinese New Year early of this year. Kok Yuen showed us the photos that taken by one of his friend and suggested about the trip. After the Chinese New Year, Airasia was having promotion. So, we took the opportunity to book the flight to Surabaya.

2 July 2008 LCCT - Surabaya - Tumpang
9 of us took the 10.15am flight and reached Surabaya by 11.55am (local time). Local time is one hour earlier than Malaysia. The agent picked us up from Juanda airport. We had lunch at one of the restaurant while settled the payment with the agent. Surabaya is the 2nd largest city in Indonesia with over 3 million of people. For us, it's just the gateway for Mt Semeru and Mt Bromo. After lunch, we started our journey to Tumpang and stayed overnight there. Although Tumpang is only 600m above sea level, it reached 18 degree Celsius at night.

3 July 2008 - Tumpang - Ranupani Village - Ranukumbolo - Kalimati
We woke up at 5am (local time). After breakfast, we were transferred by 2 cars to Ranupani. It should take 1.5 hours to reach Ranupani village. However, one of the car broke down when started to drive on uphill road. So, all of us have to squeeze into 1 car for the rest of the journey. The scenery along the journey is beautiful. In average 15 minutes, we stopped the car to take the picture. Ranupani is the starting point of the trek. Vegetables farm are along the road. We were trekking uphill on the nicely built path on the 1st hour. Then, we moved into jungle trek and 1 hour later, the beautiful lake of Ranukumbolo came into sight. Another half an hour trek, we reached the campsite of Ranukumbolo. It's 1.30pm but the temperate was about 14 degree Celsius. The lunch that prepared for us are instant noodles, biscuits, tea, coffee and apples. We had the lunch beside the lake, like picnic. :D

There was another 2 hours walking from Ranukumbolo to Kalimati campsite where we stayed overnight. Mt Semeru is active volcano, stay 3676m above sea level. Small eruptions happen every 20-30 minutes. We will trek up Mt Semeru from North. We saw 2 mini eruptions on the way to Kalimati. Of course we wouldn't miss this opportunity to take some pictures. Seeing the smoky clouds spew out from the mountain, it's really a new experience for us. The wind at Kalimati campsite was very strong. It was 8 degree Celcius at night. 9 of us squeeze into a tent, playing cards while waiting the porters to prepare the dinner for us. Luckily our dinner is fried rice. If it's instant noodle again, I don't think we have energy to climb the mountain the next day. The sky was very clear that night. We went out from the tent after dinner to see the stars. After a short while, we were not able to stand the cold. So, everybody went back to tent and slept.

4 July 2008 - Kalimati - Mt Semeru Summit - Lava View Lodge
The day started with the trek to summit at 1.30am (local time). At first, we still trekked on the jungle trek. After Arcopodo campsite, soon we were stepping on the sandy ground. The most difficult and challenging part of the trek had begun. The route is very steep all the way to summit. As it's active volcano, most of time, there is no hand hold or foot hold that can help us to move up. With every step, I slid backwards in the sand. I stopped quite often to catch up my breath. But the rest time is short because the temperature is low, I have to keep on walking to stay warm.

The sky streaked with red and yellow, a sign the sun was about to rise. Although tired, I pushed hard to beat the sun to the summit. I am crawling up the volcano instead of trekking up. When I stepped onto the summit, I realized that it's a large flat ground. Wind is extremely strong. The strong wind moves the sand high into the air. I can hardly open my eyes. I saw our porters lay down and prayed. After the pray, the guide and porters came to shake hands with us and congrats each of us to have reach summit. The entire climb took us 4 hours. It was very cold at summit. The temperature is 3 degree Celsius with strong wind. We descended once the sun started to fill up the sky. I think we stayed less than half an hour at summit. We didn't really admire the scenery and enjoy the sunrise because the chill at summit is unbearable. The way down is easier, sliding down like skiing. While easier, a great deal of stress is put on the knees.

We back to Kalimati campsite around 8am-8.30am. After breakfast, we packed our things and leaving to Ranupani village.

5 July 2008 - Lava View Lodge - Mt Pananjakan - Mt Bromo
We arrived late at Lava View Lodge yesterday. Early morning before sunrise, we were on the 4 wheel drive again to Mt Pananjakan. Although it's a mountain, no trekking is required as the view point is only 10 minutes walk from the place that 4WD dropped us. Once went down from the car, we were surrounded by the people that trying to sell the warm hat, scarf or renting the jacket. The temperature is about 11 degree Celsius. This place is crowded with tourist because of its easy accessibility. Besides, the scenery it offered also made this place a famous view point. Just look at the photo above, don't you feel that it's as beautiful as drawings?

After Mt. Pananjakan, we went to Mt. Bromo to see the crater. There is a short distance from the dropping place of 4WD to the mountain foot of Bromo. Tourist can choose to ride on the horse to the mountain foot instead of walking. I don't know how much it cost because we choose to walk rather than ride on the horse. I never been to desert before but I had a feeling that I was in the desert. I covered my face with cloth, but still cannot prevent the dust and the sand went into my eyes. We climbed up the staircase to visit the crater of Mt. Bromo. The smell of the sulphur is very strong. After took some pictures, I quickly went down from Mt Bromo to run away from the smell.

We were then back to Lava View Lodge. After breakfast, we packed our things and proceed to our next destination - Ijen, which is 6 hours away from Mt Bromo. We spent the night at Catimor Homestay - a lodge that located far inside the coffee plantation.

6 July 2008 - Kawah Ijen
Early morning 6am, we checked out the lodge and heading to Mt Ijen. Around 7am, we were trekking on the trail to the crater. There is a lake at the crater. The sulfur is mined at the lake's edge, which had made the lake become the acid lake. The porters carrying the sulphur (in the form of yellow colored rock) to the top of the crater and then down the mountain. They were paid by weight. According to our guide, the porter can carry up to 100kg for each trip. Unfortunately the weather is not so good, very cloudy. We were not able to see the clear view of the lake and the crater.

7 July 2008 - Surabaya - KL

We spent one night at Surabaya before back to Malaysia.

Trip Expenses:

Flight by Airasia = MYR 282

5D4N package with Global Adventure Indonesia = USD 225 ( MYR 738)

Airport Tax = IDR 150000 (MYR 54)

1 night accomodation at Surabaya = IDR 87000 (MYR 32)

Taxi from Surabaya to airport = IDR 150000 / 9 => MYR 6

Miscellaneous = IDR 181000 (MYR 60)

Total = MYR 1171

Macau (5-8 April 08)

Flight: By Airasia, RM367 per person. Arrive Macau at 7.20pm.

Accomodation: Macau Masters Hotel.

My mother, my sister and I stayed in a standard twin room (without breakfast), cost us HKD 1680 for 3 nights.

Rate for Saturday = HKD 680

Rate for Sunday-Monday = HKD 500 per night

The room is attached with bathroom, small and clean. But there is some smell inside the room, maybe is the smell of the old carpet.

The location of the hotel is quite strategic. Within walking distance to Senate Square. There is a bus stop just in front of the hotel.

Food: We had tried 黄枝记粥面 , 义顺炖奶, 三元粥 and the egg tart. The egg tart is very good. Other food, somehow I didn't felt it's nice.

Transportation: Our legs :p In fact, we really walked a lot. From hotel to Senate Square, Monte Fort, Casino Lisbon and Macau Towers. Bus services are convenient. The bus no and the route is clearly stated at each bus stop. The bus fare is fix - MOP 2.50 per trip.

Visited Places: San Ma Lo,手信街 , Largo do Senado, Monte Fort, Casa Garden, Casino Lisbon, Macau Towers, A-Ma temple, Grand Prix Museum, Wine Museum, the statue of Guan Yin at 新口岸 and The Venetian.

The Venetian is a resort with casino, hotel and also shopping complex. We took the complimentary shutter bus from Sands Macau to The Venetian. The canal, the gondola with the singing gondolier, the European style building and the ceiling that looks like the real sky had made it one of place that you can't miss when you visit Macau.

KL International Marathon (30 March 08)

I think about 12 of us (10km and 21km running kaki) were registered for the KLIM this year. But on the event day, only 6 persons are shown up. Most of them absent because of the QingMing festival where their family had chosen that Sunday to clean the grave sites of the ancestors. As usual, I took part in the 1okm fun run. I took about 72 minutes to complete the run, 131th in the 10km women category. Well, my result is not good but women category is less competitive. So, I still able to get the finisher medal although I reached after Ah Chak(right most guy). Ah Chak said he's the 508th finisher in the men category. Too bad, organizer only offered 500 medal for each category. If I am not mistaken, Foong Kiew(the girl that wear blue singlet) is the 62th. Lai(the short hair girl) is the only 21km runner in our group. She completed the run in 2 hours 20 minutes.

Gunung Ledang (22-23 March 08)

Nearly 30 persons turn up to the Gunung Ledang day trip. This is my first time to Gunung Ledang. From north-south highway, we exit at Tangkak toll, moving towards Sagil and finally turned into the oil palm plantation from Pintu B. Gunung Ledang resort is about 6km inside the oil palm plantation. We stayed one night at the jungle hut and started the hike the next morning. The weather was good in the morning. However, heavy rain started to pour after 3 hours hike. Our guide doesn't allow us to continue the hike in rain. We had no choice but to descend. I didn't make it to summit this time. Nevermind, I will go again next time. :)

Mt Ulu Sepat (9th - 12th Feb 2008)

Mt. Ulu Sepat is a familiar name among the hikers because it falls into the G7 category. G7 is the seven highest mountains in Peninsular Malaysia. Here's are the list of G7 mountain:

1. Gunung Tahan (2187m)

2. Gunung Korbu (2183m)

3. Gunung Yong Belar (2181m)

4. Gunung Gayong (2173m)

5. Gunung Chamah(2171m)

6. Gunung Yong Yap(2169m)

7. Gunung Ulu Sepat (2161m)

Mt. Ulu Sepat is in the remote area of Gerik, Perak. To get there, we have to take the boat from Temenggor Lake. The boat service from Temenggor Lake is not operated in frequent intervals. Although Hai Poh had contacted the boat man before we came, we still have to wait for 1 hour at the jetty. The boat ride took about 1 hour 20 minutes. The boat fare was very expensive. We hired 2 boats, cost us RM500 for one way.

That day, Temenggor Lake was very calm. But exposing under the hot sun at 12 o'clock in the afternoon wasn't a pleasant experience. I applied sun block, wear long sleeves and cap to protect myself from sun burnt. Well, if you think I am too much, then look at the guys of the photo on left. ;)

We reached the dropped off point about 1.30pm. Kampung Lela is the furthest aboriginal settlement from where we got down from the boat . It was another half an hour journey on 4-wheel ride to Kampung Lela. We hired 2 guides for our trip, the guide fee is RM100 per person each day. So, the 3 days 2 night trip cost us RM600. It was already 3pm when we finally started our trek to Mt. Ulu Sepat. By 5pm, we reached the campsite for overnight. The campsite is just beside the river, spacious and convenient. Ah Meng is our cook this time. Guess what? We had "擂茶" as our dinner. Then, the next morning, salad was our breakfast. Very healthy meal :)

Next morning, we reached an open area after 2 hours hike from the base camp. There are a few "houses" which built by the Orang Asli. "Houses" that I mentioned is only the simple shelter that built from atap leaves. On our way up to summit, we met two malays group that went down from the peak. They crossed to Mt. Ulu Sepat from Mt. Chamah. Once of the lady was asking us : "It's Chinese New Year, why are u guys here?". We just smile, didn't answer. Probably all of us didn't really have a good answer. This was my 3rd time hiking during Chinese New Year. I think it's also not the 1st time for other members. Well, I think if you like an activity, you will go for it naturally without any reason. By 5.20pm, we reached the summit.

The temperature at summit is dropped dramatically. While we were still preparing the dinner, the temperature was already dropped till 12 degree celcius. Most of us didn't bring sufficient warm clothing. I couldn't stand the coldness, so I just stayed inside the tent before dinner. The temperature then dropped to 8 degree celcius. After dinner, we opened up a wain and a sparkling juice for celebration, stayed outside until 10pm to watch the stars. That night, I couldn't sleep well because of coldness. I kept on rolling left, then right and waiting for sun to rise.

11th of Feb, we descended from the summit and stayed overnight at the aboriginal settlement. That night, I saw a meteor. This was my 1st time seeing the meteor. :D

The next day, we packed our things and wait for the 4-wheel to pick us up. We wait there for an hour, then our guide came to us and told us that the 4-wheel driver said we are paying him too little. He asked for the higher paid. We were angry that he didn't mention it earlier and let us wait there for 1 hour. We refuse to pay and decided to walk to the jetty instead of riding the 4-wheel. I couldn't remember how long we walk, but in less than 2 hours time, we reached jetty. Once again, we took the boat, crossed Temenggor Lake and back to Gerik. That's the end of our 2008 Chinese New Year hiking trip.

Mt Yellow (23-24th Dec 2007)

Everyone knows about the Mt. Yellow in China, but do you know that there is also an Mt Yellow in Malaysia? It's a mountain that crosses the border of Perak and Pahang. There are two routes to Mt Yellow summit. First is via the Mt Irau and then cross to Mt Yellow, second is start from the Perak-Pahang border at Cameron Highland - Gua Musang highway. 2 years ago, we attempted to trek via first route but we encountered the bad weather which turned out to Mt Brinchang - Mt Irau day trip. We learned the lesson and decided to trek via 2nd route this time. In fact, it's also the raining season but the weather is extremely good throughout our 2 days 1 night trip at Mt. Yellow. On the afternoon after we came down from mountain, heavy rain started. I guess everyone is having the same thought "we were very lucky this time".

The itinerary was not much different from our previous trip. We drove to Cameron Highlands (2 cars from JB and 1 car from KL) , stayed one night at Tanah Rata. The next morning, we met the 4 wheel driver and fetched us to the starting point of the trek by 9.30am. The marker of the state border (left photo) is our "signboard". There is a number on every marker. No. 341 marker is at the summit. I can't remember which number we started, maybe it's No. 562 (friends, correct me if I am wrong), slowly trek up and reached the peak at 2.20pm. We arrived 2 hours earlier than as expected. The weather is hot. We hide under the shade and waiting for the sunset. It's quite boring. That's the problem of arriving too early. :p

As usual, we started to prepare the dinner around 5.00pm. After dinner, we played cards, chit chat and went to bed around 10pm. The next morning, Hai Poh was the first to wake up (well, he's always the earliest, nobody will or want to beat his record). The photo on right shown the morning scene. After breakfast, we packed our thing and left the summit by 10am.

Our 4 wheel driver (sorry, I can't remember the name of that uncle) was already there when we came out from mountain. He invited us to visit his tomato farm. Well, why not? So, we ended up eating fresh tomato in his farm. :D We spent another night at Brinchang, celebrating the cold Christmas eve (not white Christmas :p) in Cameron Highland.

Mt. Kutu (15-16th Dec 07)

Gunung Kutu is located at Kuala Kubu Bahru. After passing the dam, following the signboard of Kg. Pertak, turn right after crossing the bridge, we reached the modern aboriginal settlement at 3.30pm. This is the starting point of the trekking. The first 1/2 hours was walking on the wide jungle path which can be easily accessible by the 4 wheel drive. After crossing the bridge for 2 times, I remembered we still have to cross river (which doesn't have bridge) for 2 times. Then, the real journey began. We met one large group of high school students after an hour. They told us that the fallen bamboo blocked the way and they couldn't proceed. So, they decided to descend. Man Tack and Kok Yuen are experience hiker. So, they proceed and found out we can still proceed by taking the small path beside the blocked way.
The fallen bamboo kept on blocking the way. We lower down the body or sometimes have to remove the bagpack and crawl like the snake in order to pass through. By 5pm, we came to a rest point. It's a place which sheltered by the large piece of rock. We rested there for almost half and hour.

The longer we rest, the more lazy we are. So, we have to move on in order to reach summit before night fall. I remembered I kept on asking Ah Tack " how far we are from summit" ? Then, he will answer "Very near". Finally, we reached there an hour later. It took us 3.5 hours trekking from the mountain foot until the peak. I was fascinated by the unique of Mt. Kutu summit. There is a chimney, ruined staircase and base pillars there. It seems like there was a castle or bungalow there long long time ago. The most incredible is there are two wells at the peak - one is dry and one is with water. It's a nicely built well. I do not know any history of this mountain, so not able to tell why there is a water well and ruined bungalow structure up there.

Sunday morning, while waiting for Kok Yuen to cook the porridge, Ah Tack brought us to the highest point of Mt. Kutu - a big rock that stands at the summit. It's just 3 minutes walk from the campsite. With the help of Ah Tack, I managed to climb up to that big rock. The 360 degree view from the top is very beautiful. Actually, it's quite dangerous to stand up at the big rock, especially when the wind is strong. The scenery at the top of Gunung Kutu is definitely worth the hike. It's the raining season. But we were lucky as the weather is quite good throughout our trip.

Kok Yuen can't wait to join us at the top of the mountain. So, he left the porridge that still being cooked and climbed up to find us. We enjoyed the scene, the air, the view and the moment until we forgot about the porridge. As a result, we have to eat the burnt porridge as the breakfast. :p