Ah Pak San 11 Jan 2009

This is cute and colourful

Lateral view

Like water-melon ball sitting...

Oops, it is just a nature trick...

This was the second occasion we spotted colourful mushrooms at APS. Being a high traffic trail it was certainly a surprise. The last time we sighted a rare purple one, http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2007/10/bukit-wangsa-cheras-aka-ah-pak-san_14.html.

Do look out when trekking APS, you may stumble upon uncommon colourful mushrooms.

Hanoi 29 Dec - 1 Jan 2009

In connection with our Fansipan Climb (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2009/01/fansipan-trek-25-28-dec-08.html), we signed up for a city tour of Hanoi. Places visited included Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ngoc Son Temple, One Pillar Pagoda Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and Bat Trang Ceramics Village. Needless to say we also took time off to visit the famous Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Hung Sung Sot as well as climbed Tiptoe Island. We also took the opportunity to sample the fame La Vong grilled fish noodle and the succulent clams and crabs at Cao Go Rd and fish soup noodle from Ngon Restaurant.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/5045.

Fansipan Trek 25 - 28 Dec 08

We flew into Hanoi on Christmas Day, 25.12.2008 with the main aim of climbing Fansipan mountain located at Sapa, North Vietnam. After a short rest at Nam Hai hotel in the old quarters of Hanoi, we were transported to the Railway Station to catch the 9 p.m. train to Lao Cai. Our train reached Lao Cai @ 5 a.m. where we were met by Dao our guide. From here, it was another hour drive by the van to Sapa town, 38 km away.

We set off to the trail head @ 9 a.m. with Dao as our guide and 3 porters after completion of documentation and repacking. Rather than engaging another porter costing USD45, to carry our personal stuff, we agreed to pay the 3 porters a separate sum of USD25. Our journey of 12 km to the trailhead was stalled several times due to roadwork to clear landslides.

It was already 11 a.m. when we set out from Tram Ton Trail head (located at 1940m altitude) garbed in rain pants and ponchos in view of the lousy wet weather. TTT is supposed to be the shortest and the easiest. The other 2 trails start from Cat-Cat and Sin Chai located at altitudes of 1245m and 1260m respectively.

The first day 3-hour trek to campsite @ 2300m altitude could be considered easy with successive short steep ascents. After dinner, we retired early in anticipation of a tough trek to the summit the following day. The thatched hut of bamboo construct with visible cracks provided us little protection against the bitter cold wind. The night was absolutely freezing despite being warped up in layers of clothing, wool cap, shawl, gloves, socks and sleeping bag. No rubber mats were provided to protect our bodies against the icy air seeping up through the bamboo floor and the straw mats. Throughout the night we were “entertained” by scurrying rats. On hindsight, staying in tents could be a better option.

The second day weather was no better. Started an hour late at 7.30 a.m., we only managed to hit 2800m altitude at around 10.45 a.m. which was considered too late to reach the summit of 3143m by 12 noon. The trail distance to summit is about 17 km long from our campsite. The trail covered steep ascents, including ladder stairs and descents and took us through bamboo groves, shrubs and mossy forest. The trail became rockier and more challenging (had to go on fours) toward the later part near the summit. Except for a member who managed to reach the peak at 12.30 p.m. (Congratulations to her!), the rest of us started back trekking at various points after the time past 12 noon. It was also unbelievable that none of the porters and guide brought any spare drinking water for our lunch break! Though it was cold it was quite dehydrating. All of us got back to the campsite before 5 p.m. That night rubber mats were provided (following our complaint) and we had more than our 40 winks.

The weather was simply beautiful on the third day – blue sky and sunshine. But alas, it was time to trek home. The easy homeward trek took about 2 hours. After washing up at Sapa, we went town trekking…

Below is a series of trek photos (some contributed by Elsie and KT) in chronological order.

Post analysis:
- Change climb itinerary to camp at 2700m altitude instead of 2300m
- Best months for climbing August to October (less cold and also no leeches)

For the photographs, please refer to: http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/4879

Gua Tempurung 11 Dec 2008

Finally, I decided to make a trip to Gua Tempurung (GT) after much persuasion by friends. GT is apparently Perak’s most famous Cave believed to have existed since early 8000 B.C. The cave is famous for its breathtaking gallery of stalagmites, stalactites and other amazing rock formations that are superb speleological wonders.

We took the Grand Tour which covered a complete catwalk journey from the entrance with full-length underground river adventure from East to West for 1.9 km. and return. Started at 10 a.m. and came out at 1 p.m. totally wet and muddy. Luckily, I came in clothes to be discarded after the trip.

Initially, we faithfully followed the Guide to crawl through low passages until a member of the group alerted us to alternative easier bypass routes. Thereafter, we constantly sought out bypass routes and left the crawling activities to the younger generation. So for those who suffer from backaches, you still can join and enjoy the Grand Tour.

Overall, it is quite enjoyable and not too strenuous despite having to do a lot of crawling through low tunnels against flowing water.

Photo credit to EM for most of the photos displayed here http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/4805.

Saga Hill 7 Dec 2008

We decided to hike up Saga Hill after experiencing the steep descent from Ah Pak San via Saga Hill on 23.11.2008, We took about 50 minutes to climb up the shortest and steepest Route A to reach the top clearing and 45 minutes to return by the longer and less steep Route C. Route C passes through a Survey Point, likely the highest point of Saga Hill at 415m elevation. This Saga trail appeared less congested compared to APS but equally muddy especially the popular Route A.

The Saga trail is good for a short vigorous workout. The vast clearing at the Saga top and the mini waterfall at the trailhead are pleasant and shady for R&R.

For access to the trail head of Saga Hill at Jalan Saga 28, one must pass through Taman Melur in order to get to Taman Saga. Please refer to road map at: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=3.1112914&lon=101.7754555&z=14&l=0&m=m&v=2.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/4736.

Prior Saga hikes see http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2008/11/saga-hill-23112008.html.

Saga Hill 23 Nov 2008

Starting from trail head at end of Jalan Awana 23, we headed directly to Station 6 of Ah Pak San. Instead of trekking back to the base, we decided took a 30 minutes trek to Saga Hill and to find our way down from Saga Hill. The downhill trek from Saga Hill took about 30 minutes and the trail is very much steeper than APS trail. Ropes lined the steep trail to assist hikers. The downhill trail ended up in a flight of concrete staircase and a natural clear stream where one can sit back and relax. The place is neat and well maintained possibly due to less human
traffic. From here, there is a short trail leading to a metal staircase which ends at a T-junction of Jalan Saga 28 and Jalan Saga 22. Following Jalan Saga 22, we came to the main road, Jalan Taman Saga where took time to admire the fantastic KL skyline.

We only realize we were at Ampang, instead of Cheras, when we were told by a couple who coincidently stopped by to enquire where the Saga Trailhead is located. This solved the puzzle of our missing driver who was actually looking out for us at Taman Segar of Cheras. Noting that we were “lost”, the kind couple gave us a lift to Ampang Yong Tau Foo where we were eventually picked up.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/4703.

Our last trip to Saga Hill was on 29.6.08. See write-up at http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2008/07/saga-peak-29608_1.html.

Tanglir Waterfall 19 Oct 2008

My group assembled at the Shell & Petronas Petrol Station before the Karak Toll as early as 7.15 a.m. for the trip to Tanglir waterfall near Selesa Hillhomes. After about more than 1 hour wait, our car plus 6 other vehicles started leaving for the waterfall around 8.30 a.m.

The narrow access road from the Karak Highway which bypasses the Selasa Hillhomes to waterfall appears newly tarred. However, the recent rains have caused certain sections of the road to cave in, thereby making the road uneven and slippery for saloon cars to negotiate over. Given the state of the road, it would be recommendable to use a 4WD. Seasoned trekkers could park their cars near the Selasa Hillhomes and trek about 4-5 km along the tar road to the Tanglir waterfall.

The trail head to the Tanglir waterfall, which is situated on the left side of the tar road, was unmarked and vague. Given the huge crowd, we decided to skip the main fall and proceeded to trek up the tar road to explore the upper Tanglir river. The upper Tanglir river is more or less at road level and accessible at various spots for picnicking.

After trekking for 10 minutes from the trail head to the Tanglir waterfall, the tar road ended in 4 trails. We explored the far left trail nearest to the river. The trail circumvents a watercress garden plot and ends in the upper part of the Tanglir river with small cascades. The water was shallow and muddy. Unimpressed we decided to back track down the tar road and headed for the Tanglir waterfall.

It took us about 5 minutes to scramble down the trail (from the tar road) to the waterfall. The Tanglir waterfall was indeed impressive but the pool water was murky brown probably due to soil erosion caused by the daily rain. It has a nice rest area for a small group of 10-20 pax.

At 12 noon, we started to trek out. After about 45 minutes of trekking, we were met by a kind member who fetched us out in a vehicle.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/4638.