Sg Chilling 1 May 2012

My last trip to Sg Chilling was about 2 months ago on 26.2.2012 (see http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2012/02/sg-chilling-2622012_28.html). I could not hesitate to say no on receiving an invitation to join a group for this trip because I simply love the relaxing trek to the Sg Chilling waterfalls.

Trekking buddies included Elsie, Victor, Yeoh, Ong, Wun Nok & his 2 Pang friends as well as the Angsi Trekkers, namely, David Lim, Shampoo, Chi and Chong.

We all met up in front of the Rawang Food Court called “Try To Eat” at 8 a.m. before departing to Keng Lim Restaurant in Rasa town to have our morning breakfast.

It was about 10 a.m. when we started our trek. It took us 1.5 hours to reach our target 4th waterfall @ 640m asl. We practically had the whole place to ourselves to relax and to enjoy our meal. At 1 p.m. we started our return trek with stopovers at the 2nd, 3rd and 1st waterfalls. It was 3.30 p.m. when we finally exited Sg Chilling Fish Sanctuary. We stopped by Keng Lim again to have hi-tea enroute home. The journey home was painfully long due to slow traffic caused by the heavy downpour after Rawang town.

For the photographs, please refer to: http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/13307.

Lepoh Waterfall 1 Aug 2010

In February 2010, the jungle and the surrounding areas were parched dry and appeared lifeless with little activities. The trail was unkempt with thick undergrowth closing in and fallen tree trunks blocking the way. See report at http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2010/02/sg-lepuh-fall-2122010.html

Now the place was alive with activities for it was fruiting season for durian, langsat, mangosteen, chempedak and rambutan. The broken bridge which encountered during my last trip in February 2010 had been repaired. The trail had also been widened and cleared to facilitate transport of orchard produce. Along the way to the waterfall, we encountered many group of picnickers, trekkers and students as well as Temuan residents transporting durians from the interior. The only downside was the super slippery wet trail. Of course, leeches made their presence along the trail as well as at the waterfall area.

Starting at 9.30 a.m. we took our time to savor the lush forest trail and reached the waterfall at 12 noon with a stop-over of 30 minutes to enjoy a durian feast at a Temuan hut. The waterfall area was congested and finding a shady place to rest was a challenge. We left the place at 12.50 p.m. and reached the base at 2.50 p.m. Needless to say, we stopped by the fruit stalls along the Ulu Langat road to eat as well as buy durians, rambutans, mangosteens, chempedaks, duku langsats and dukongs.

Overall, it was an enjoyable trip with trekking buddies including Yeoh, Engu, Ong, Wai Ching, Su Lung, Choo, Christina, Jane, Suan Li, Melinda and Sen.

For the photographs, please see http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7992.

The last trip was on 21 February 2010 (http://happytrekker.multiply.com/photos/album/293/Sg_Lepuh_Fall_21.2.2010).

Upper Ah Pak San Waterfall 1 Jul 2010

Started at 9.30 a.m. we took more than 2 hours to reach the Upper waterfall aka Wow-Wow waterfall. It was a weekday, so we literally had the waterfall area to ourselves. The water flow was strong and refreshingly cold. We left the place at 12.30 p.m. and reached the base at 2.15 p.m.

Trekking buddies: Joyce, Sara, Justina, Kay Hwa and Leng-lei

For the photographs, please refer to: http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7985.

The last Upper Ah Pak San Waterfall was on 1 March 2009 (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2009/03/upper-ah-pak-san-waterfall-1309_3.html).

Sg Chiling 7 Mar 2010

The last trip was more than 2 years ago on 27.2.2008 (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2008/02/sg-chilling-2722008_27.html).

Sg Chiling was as popular as ever with trekkers, picnickers and photographers. Starting at 8.30 a.m. we took a slow trek of 1.5 hours to reach the waterfall at 10 a.m. The trail which curved along the riverbank was flat and easy to trek. There were clear signboards showing where to cross the river. River crossings were easy as the water level was low obviously due to the dry spell. Generally, the place was as pristine as ever though the water was a little milky. The weather was pleasant enough for us to laze around without having to seek out shelter against the sun. We left the place at 12 noon and reached the head trail at 1 p.m. Along the way, we met more people indicating the popularity of the place.

Overall, an easy relaxing hike.

Trekking buddies: Horng Yih, Joo Wee, Choo, Kathy, Yeoh, Engu and Leng-Lei.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7495.

Sg Lepuh Fall 21 Feb 2010

The last trip was on 5 July 2009. (See http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2009/07/lepoh-waterfall-5-july-09_6.html). It was then a fruiting season and the place was vibrant with activities. However, this time round the picture was different.

Starting at 9 a.m. we did a slow trek and observed that the place appeared a bit desolated. A wooden bridge has collapsed. We did not bump into any soul throughout the trek. The trail was parch dry and not slippery which made trekking easier. The trail was however obscured by fallen trees at three different areas and we have to make short detours.Not a single leech was in sight along the trail or at the waterfall area, given the prevailing hot weather.

We reached the waterfall at 11 a.m. Except for a group of campers we literally have the whole waterfall place to ourselves to enjoy - which was a bonus for the place is often crowded. The water flow was still strong. The cool crystal clear water was inviting enough to attract for the youngsters to wet themselves.

After lazing around for 2 hours, we left the place at 1 p.m. and returned to base at 2 p.m.- at record time of 1 hour trek.

A pleasant trip with trekking buddies Kay Wah, Renuga, Adibah, Elsie & Leng-Lei.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7491.

Lower Ah Pak San Waterfall 6 Dec 2009

I have hiked APS umpteen times and have always enjoyed the vigorous climb up the steep slope. The last documented trip was quite awhile ago on 1 March 2009 (See:http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2009/03/upper-ah-pak-san-waterfall-1309_3.html). Since then till 6.12.2009, I had made 4 separate trips without bringing my camera.

This time round, I decided to bring my camera to record the condition of the trail. Starting at 8.30 a.m. from Awana Cheras head-trail we hit the Lower APS waterfall at 12 noon. We decided to give the Upper Waterfall a miss because we were told by the returning trekkers that the Upper Waterfall was crowded. The trail has certainly widen but it was not as soggy as expected despite the recent wet weather. However, the water at the Fall was slightly milky and the flow was voluminous and strong. A few of us took the opportunity to wade through the shadow pool and to enjoy a rejuvenating water massage under the cold torrential waterfall.

We left about 1.30 p.m. via Station 6 and reached the base at 3.30 p.m.

Trekking buddies include Horng Yih, Kevin, Rachel, Kong, Anne and Wee Leng.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/6957.

AHFR Trek II 24 Oct 2009

Following the last Air Hitam Forest Reserve Trek (AHFR) on 27 September 2009 (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2009/09/ahfr-trek-i-270909.html), we did another trek on 24 October 2009. We started the trek at 8.40 a.m. but only entered the forest 20 minutes later at 9.10 a.m. via Entrance A.The reason being we took time to enjoy the vista view of Puchong and its surrounding areas at a limestone outcrop.



At the Wild Boar Hut rest area, we gladly accepted the invitation of a group of trekkers to join them. This time we took a slightly different route to the big Waterfall. Our original plan to visit the small waterfall failed for we were unable to locate Junction 2 twice (to & fro). Upon returning to Summit One, we decided to go back by the longer Pupa trail where we emerged from the forest via Entrance B at 1.10 p.m. Two improvements noted this time were:
1) Clear signage from Summit One to exit using Pupa trail via Entrance B and
2) Fresh trail with cut steps and rope railing from the logging trail to the waterfall area.

Total time spent was over 4 hours. It was an enjoyable trek in the pleasant company of Ken, Hong Kee, Daniel, Chia and friends.

Our next mission is to locate the elusive small waterfall and hest peak.

Trail Taken


For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7115.

Gunung Jerai 16-18 Oct 2009

Our chartered bus headed to Kedah at about 9 p.m. from PJ and reached Cinta Sayang Resort, Sg Petani at about 4 a.m. As our bus was early, we continued sleeping on board until 6.30 a.m. when we woke up for breakfast. En route to Sg Petani, we stopped over in Ipoh for a midnight supper of the famous Ipoh steamed chicken and bean sprouts.

It was already 9.30 a.m. when we finally located Titi Hayun Resort at Yan. We quickly organized into a hiker group and a waterfall group. After several group photography sessions, the hikers took off at 9.45 a.m. for Tangga Kenari, the trail head for the climb to Regency Jerai Hill Resort while I joined the waterfall group for the Puteri Mandi Waterfall, 3km away.

After trekking for about 20 minutes, we noted that the wide muddy trail stopped abruptly at an abandoned pump house and we were forced to continue along a narrow trail behind the house. However, we backtracked within 5 minutes, following sighting of numerous leeches of all sizes springing up along the trail and ‘attacking’ us. We did a de-leeching exercise immediately upon finding a safe spot. As expected, there were several casualties.

To kill time, three of us decided to climb the Tangga Kenari 1000 Tahun ala 1000 years old stairway. The 1200 steps took us about 25 minutes to climb and 15 minutes to descent. Next, we made our way to Lembah Bujang to visit the Archaeological Museum and the nearby cascading Sg Merbok.

After lunch we went up to Regency Jerai Hill Resort by vans. At the Resort, we were treated with a panoramic view of the chequered padi fields and the fine coastline as well as the surrounding islands. Midway uphill, we did a whistle stop at the Forestry Museum to explore the surrounding area which included a waterfall and a great vista of the chequered Kedah padi fields also. In the late afternoon, a few of us took the opportunity to walk up the 3 km tar road from the Resort to the Gunung Jerai Peak hoping to catch sunset. Unfortunately, the peak area was a restricted area for Telekom Towers and thus off limit to the public. The uphill walk took about 35 minutes.

We left the following morning and reached home about 6.30 p.m.

For record purpose, the hikers took about 2½hrs to scale up to The Regency Jerai Hill Resort (960m asl) from Titi Hayun (65m asl). From the Resort, the tar road snaked up another 3 km to the Gunung Jerai Peak (1200m asl).
There is an alternative longer route named Warisan Trail running directly from the Archaeological Museum and exiting at the tar road, the location thereof is about 2 ascending road bends or 300m distance to the Telekom Towers. Based on the official trail map, there is a trail linking the Titi Hayum Trail (which goes to The Regency Jerai Hill Resort) to the Warisan Trail (which goes to Gunung Jerai Peak). Check out the hike photos at http://yeohsk.multiply.com/photos/album/42/Gunung_Jerai_16-18_Oct_09.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7015.

AHFR Trek I 27 Sep 2009

Last Sunday, on 27 September 2009, we decided to trek AHFR again. This time we entered the western part AHFR via Persiaran Indera/Persiaran Bukit through Taman Wawasan. This trail was much wider and clearer as well as popular with the local residents.

[On 20 September 2009, we trekked the northern part of Air Hitam Forest Reserve (AHFR) by entering the head trail situated at the end of Jalan BK 5b/5 of Taman Bukit Kinrara. We did not encounter a single soul during our 3 hours trek through the undulating trail fraught with steep ascents and descents. The trail which was covered by thick undergrowth and sharp vines was also slippery owing the rain the day before – definitely very challenging but not a choice trail for beginners.]

Starting at 8.40 a.m., we took about 10 minutes trek the steep open trail before turning right to enter the forest (Entrance A) where we were greeted by a colourful billboard (erected by the Forest Authorities) pronouncing all the rules and penalties. From here onwards, the trek was cool due to the thick tree canopies. The trail was pleasant to trek as it was clear and wider and. We hit the first pit stop (Wild Boar Hut) at 9.00 a.m. and the second pit stop (Summit One) at 9.25 a.m. where we took the 12 o’clock route. At 9.45 a.m. we came to a Y-junction (Junction 3) and took the right uphill trail. After 15 minutes, we came to a logging trail where we took the left turn (Junction 4). It took us another 15 minutes before we came to a signboard warning the public against swimming in the deep waterfall pool. The waterfall is situated at the end of a short descent on the right side. After a short photography session, we proceeded along the logging trail (passed Junctions 5 & 6) for 30 minutes until we came to a Temuan Settlement where we accepted the hospitality of settlers to look around.

We backed trek along the logging trail and just before the waterfall signboard we took another trail on the right (Junction 6) and returned to the second pit stop (Summit One) at 12.15 p.m. This trail (HINI) appeared less trekked as there was a fair bit of obstacles (fallen tree trunks and branches) along the way. From here, it was another 30 minutes of trek before we emerged from the jungle, via the same Entrance A at 12.45 p.m.

Overall, an easy and pleasant trek.


For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/6758.

Sg Lepoh Waterfall 5 Jul 2009

The last visit to Lepoh waterfall was in 2006 (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2006/10/lepuk-fall-2006_16.html).
Development appeared to have got up. Now there are resort-like camps, changing facilities (FOC) and properly demarcation area for parking @ RM2 per car. Overall the place looks neat. Things that have yet to change are the rickety wooden bridges to access the Lepoh trail.

Starting at 10.15 a.m. with a balmy weather on our side, we took a leisurely trek with constant stopovers to admire fruiting trees, plants and flowers as well as standing aside for trail traffic (durian collectors) to pass through.

A huge crowd had gathered at the waterfall when we arrived at 12 noon. Space was limited and we were only able to park ourselves further down the fall. We took opportunity to touch base with old friends during the next 11/2 hours whilst having our refreshment and snacks. We left the place at 1.30 p.m. and arrived at the base at 3 p.m.

Overall, a easy trek even for beginners.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/6278.

Sg Sendat Waterfall 25-26 Apr 2009

It took us about 1hr and 20 minutes to cover a distance of 50km from PJ to Hutan Lipur Sg Sendat which is located about 5 km off the main Sg Tua road near Ulu Yam Bharu. The off-road though narrow is literally free of pot holes. The area appears to have received a makeover - everything appears newly constructed, from the access bridge to the toilet facilities. There are ample campsites and pergolas.

The main attraction is the 3-tier waterfall with each tier having a large pool for swimming. We saw a couple of daredevils (including one of our members) challenging their fears by sliding down the lower fall. The place appears very popular among the day trippers for obvious reason (close proximity to civilisation). Apart from our group, there was only 1 group camping that Saturday night. Overall, the place is a clean and neat and not overly crowded for one to enjoy the nature gifts in tranquility.

We left the place on Sunday at about 12 noon for lunch at the popular restaurant Swee Yen which is situated along the Jalan Besar of Ulu Yam Lama. For RM56, eight of us manage to get our fill with yummy loh mee, tender sweet potato leaves, succulent lala (clams) and springy fried fish paste slices plus herbal drinks.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/5462.

Upper APS Waterfall 1 Mar 2009

In view of the wet weather, a group of us decided to opt for a half day hike to Ah Pak San waterfall. Starting at 9 a.m. from Jalan Awana 23, we made our way up the muddy and slippery trail to the highest station 5 (about 400m asl) at 10.40 a.m. Following the signboard, we took the right turn to the waterfall. After about 20 minutes, we came across a Y-junction where we took the left trail. The next 10 minutes, we saw ourselves inching slowly down the super slippery slope by holding onto branches and trunks as well rattans. Well! It was a pleasant surprise when we discovered that we had landed at the Upper APS Waterfall (dubbed the Wow-Wow Waterfall). The small resting area near the waterfall was quite tidy and neat. A few of us enjoyed a good massage from the strong waterflow.

We were told that to get to the original Lower APS Waterfall (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2007/04/ah-pak-san-waterfall-8407_8.html) one would need to follow the right trail at the Y-junction.

After 'lepaking' for more than an hour at the waterfall, we made our way home at 12.30 p.m. and reached the base at 2 p.m. Total distance covered was 8.1 km per the GPS reading of a group member.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/5325.

Sg Chiling 27 Feb 2008

One cannot miss the clear prominent signboard indicating the entrance to the Sg Chilling waterfall along the road to Fraser Hill from Kuala Kubu Bharu. The campsite, which is 5 minutes trek from the entrance, has been upgraded to include a Ranger office, 2 changing rooms, a prayer room and a gazebo. A bright trail map has also been erected showing the 6 river crossing points enroute to the waterfall. There are signboards indicating where to cross the river along the 3 km trail to the waterfall. Now everyone can visit this serene and scenic waterfall without fear of getting lost. Kudos to the Fishery Department for keeping the place neat and tidy. Not a piece of garbage in sight... how pleasant!!!

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/2831.

Sg Chiling Waterfall 4 Feb 2007

Decided to chill out at Sg Chilling waterfall given the long spell of hot weather. Trek time taken was only an hour to the Lower Fall and another 5 minutes to the Upper Fall. Noted that changing facilities and a bridge for the first river crossing were being built. No rubbish in sight and the area was well maintained.


For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/159.