Memories

A signboard with the words "GUNUNG TAHAN" and the figures – 2,187m — written on it confirmed that we were standing on the highest peak in Peninsula Malaysia.

The feelings of excitement could not be hidden. We kept cheering and congratulating each other. The time was 8.39am. All of us, six from IMU (Stephen, Hai Liang, Kok Hooi, Yong Peng, Aaron and me) plus our trip organiser from Kuala Lumpur (Bryan) and our nature guide reached the peak that morning.

Visibility that day was fantastic. We had a clear view of the surrounding. ‘Looking down’ on the magnificient blue and green hills made all the hard work worthwhile.I was definitely not in my best condition to climb this mountain. A whole month of library lifestyle did not help at all. In fact, the only form of training that I had was climbing Batu Caves up and down twice carrying a 15kg bagpack 3 days before. It was not sufficient at all.

Before we set off, we were mindfully adviced by Bryan, "This climb is not a competition, but a team event and our goal is to reach the top together!". I was really glad that hung on to this advice and we indeed stayed together till the very end.

The trail we were gliding through, widely known as the Merapoh trail, starts from Sungai Relau, Merapoh, in Pahang. It is an alternative route for mountain climbers to Gunung Tahan. This shorter trail (two days) to the peak which is located on the western side of the National Park has been accessible to the public since August 1993. (The longer trail is through Kuala Tahan which will take 4 to days.)

A jeep sent us through a 30 minutes ride from Sungai Relau (285m) to Kuala Juram (309m).

After crossing the hanging bridge, our journey began. Our target for the 1st day was Kem Kor (750m) which was a 13.5km trail. We would pass thorugh Kuala Luis (306m) and Lata Luis (558). This journey would take 5 hours for average climbers. However, we took more than seven.

At the early stage, there are several river crossings. Though only knee-deep, careless mistakes can cause one to slip and fall. Plants called "Kor" are the main attraction here, hence the name Kem Kor. The shape of the leaf reminds me of a hand fan.

The main motivation that kept us moving on was the abundance of leeches that stuck itself on the ground on one end and the other end in the air, grabbing every opportunity to cling on our shoes. They were disgusting!! I could remember vividly how Stephen would pour tons of salt on them and scolding them as they struggled to their death.

It was near 6 as we arrived at Kem Kor. We set up our tents, bathed ourselves in the icy river water and settled for dinner. We slept early that night.

The second day’s journey was another 13.3km long trail. Our target was Bukit Botak (1993m). We would pass through Permatang (874m), Kubang (1406m), Belumut (1493m) and Bonsai (1705m). It was estimated to be 10 hours long. However, we took nearly 13 hours.

The journey from Permatang to Kubang was the most challenging of all. It was a whole series of ‘up the cliffs’. Ropes were prepared to assist us, so much so that we were afraid of encountering ropes, because "ropes" means "difficult climbs". In Kubang, all of us were surprised to learn that there was phone reception. We immediately sent sms to our loved ones. However, only me, Kok Hooi and Aaron brought our mobiles, we had to share.

As we moved on towards Bonsai, the terrain was changing from hard ground to muddy swamps. Raining worsened all conditions. Every step we took was a challenge as any mistake would leave us deep in the mud or slip from the path or even twist our ankles.

It was almost 6pm when we arrived at Bonsai. It would be at least another 2 hours before we could reach Bukit Botak. Being cold, hungry and tired, we decided to settle for dinner first. I was feeling so weak that I could barely stand at the moment. After opening the canned food and passed it to Stephen, our main chef, I had to hid myself behind the bushes to avoid direct contact with the winds.

We felt a little sense of comfort after gobbling down our dinner. The sky was growing dark and we still have 3 km of upslopes to go.

We took out our torch and with our nature guide guiding our path, we mustered every bit of energy left in us to complete the journey.

Our vision was soon limited to only the area of our torch shining at. However, our pace hastened, we were nervous. Adrenaline kept us moving, mind power overtook and pushed our bodies beyond our limits. Rain was still pouring and the weather was turning unbearable.

We were moving from muddy lands to rocky terrain, we knew we were near. I couldnt stop praying that none of us would be injured nor give up in the journey. Miracles happened. All of us arrived safe and sound in only 1.5 hours, instead of the average of 2!

Bukit Botak, as aptly named, is a rocky hill and there is not much of greens around.

We were elated, but the positive emotion was short lived. The wind was blowing so strong that we could hardly stand still. We tried to set up our tents but the rocks did not allow us to plant our ‘pacak’s. Heeding our guide’s advice, we splitted up looking for bigger stones to stabilised our tents. It was through much effort that we finally set up both tents and hid ourselves in them.

It was warmer in the tent. but the rocks we were lying on were as cold as ice. The cold air crept through every minute hole present in the tent. The wind was so strong as if determined to blow our tents apart. None of us could sleep well that night.

We ‘woke up’ at six thrity the next morning, ate a few pieces of tuna sandwiches before we had to come out from the tent to battle the cold weather again. With our frozen fingers, we packed our tents and prepared to head for the peak.

It was another one hour of chattering and shivering before we finally finally finally reached the peak. Each of us gave a braod smile as were posing with GUNUNG TAHAN. We had a cheer with Aaron’s bottle of Axcel, which he vowed only to be opened at the peak. However, I had to hit myself because I left my mobile phone at the Bukit Batok. I’m so sorry darling.

We stayed for only 20 minutes before we began a whole new adventure on going down Gunung Tahan through the exact same trail we took. Trust me, it was as hard or not harder than the uphill journey..

The trip to Gunung Tahan is a big challenge. One of the places where you could test your endurance and have some knowledge of your limits. All of us were amazed by how far our bodies could take us through.

In this journey, we had gone through sweet and sour. Cold, wet, hungry, tired, pain, mud, leeches, river, thorns.. but most importantly, we experienced the warmth of having a team of people working towards the same goal, encouraging each other and give assistance at every possible time.

I would like to thank every member in our team for their contribution in making this journey a very very enjoyable and memorable one.
To our nature guide, your patience and experience.
To Bryan, your advice and never giving up on us.
To Stephen, our main chef and always the one striking a conversation.
To Hai Liang, your jokes and attitude that lightened the atmosphere.
To Kok Hooi, your easy-to-get-along-with personality and openness.
To Yong Peng, your determination and positive attitude.
To Aaron, your strength and vast knowledge.

Each and everyone of us has blessed me in many ways that you cannot imagine.

Thank you very much!