Everest View Trek 6-19 Nov 2010

PANORAMIC VIEW OF TAWOCHE (6495m asl), NUPTSE (7861m asl), EVEREST (8848m asl), LHOTSE (8516m asl) AND AMA DABLAM (6856m asl)

Twelve of us flew into Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport on the morning of 6.11.2010. The following morning, we 'chartered' an Agni plane to fly us to Lukla to begin our Everest View Trek which took us from Lukla to Tengboche and return as shown in the map.

Our Route Map

The trek which took us 8 days could be graded as easy to moderate. None of us suffered from any limb muscle cramps or foot blisters. We managed to view the magnificent mountains especially the Everest and Ama Dablam fortunately at Namche Bazar and Syangboche area. We missed views at Tengboche for the weather was too misty. The return trek from Tengboche was pleasant and easy though many of us had started to develop the Khumbu cough possibly due to the dust coupled with cold air and drinking cold water. Of course, many of us enjoyed shopping for gears at Kathmandu and Namche Bazar.

Along the way back to Lukla, we heard the unpleasant news that many tourists had been stranded in Lukla as the airport was closed to commercial planes most of the time due to the inclement weather. No plane came from Kathmandu on 15.11.2010, our flight departure date and we had to start queuing for the next available seats. The queuing system was elusive and incomprehensible! Fortunately, our agent was resourceful enough to find helicopter seats to fly us out in three batches on 17 & 18.11.2010 to enable us to catch our plane home on 19.11.2010. Later on, we heard that the Nepalese military helicopters stepped in to ease the tension by rescuing the stranded tourists on 20.11.2010.

Trekking buddies who made the trip memorable were Choo, Wai Chin, Engu, Yeoh, Koon Kong, Poh Lian, Mee Hong, Nicole, Ong, Tessie and Christina

Here is the popular Nepalese Rhesem Phiriri song. Click on the green bar and the slideshow icon (on the right) to enjoy song and the photographs which are taken and arranged in chronological order.

	Praveen Gurung's Thet - Resham Phiriri .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

For the photographs, please refer to:
6-8 Nov 2010 Part 1 http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/13598
9-10 Nov 2010 Part 2 http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/13772
11-13 Nov 2010 Part 3 http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/13979
14-19 Nov 2010 Part 4 http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/14165

Gunung Kledang 17 Oct 2010

This is our maiden hike to Gunung Kledang, located at Taman Rasi Jaya, Menglembu.

Leaving PJ at 6 a.m., we hit Kampar at 8.15 a.m. for breakfast and marketing for packed lunch before heading towards Menglembu. By the time, we reached the head trail of Gunung Kledang at 10 a.m. and the place was almost deserted except for a few people returning from their morning walk/jog.

We started our trek about 10.15 a.m. The first 15 minutes of the trek was unbearably hot as the trail was exposed and there was little shade. It appeared that the right side of the trail had been stripped bared of trees for developmental purposes. There were also concrete steps at certain section of the trail.

At about 11 a.m. we came upon a stream with a small pool on the right side of the trail. We were advised to cross to stream to take the trail to the peak. The trail was tagged as RTM trail. From here, it was a steep climb all the way up to the peak. It was impossible to get lost for there were so many RTM markers along the trail. Enroute to the peak we made two rest stops at 380m asl and 600m asl. The trail got steeper as we approached the peak. It was about 1 p.m. when we hit the peak – almost 3 hours climb in the sweltering heat.

The views from the peak were certainly rewarding.

After our customary group pictures and lunch, we left the peak at 1.40 p.m. via the tar road. Along the way, we encountered a few species of nepenthes plants and wild orchids. Many gazebos also dotted the road for people to rest and admire the city views of Ipoh and its surrounding areas. Surprisingly, we took 3 hours to walk down to the base in that hot afternoon.

Overall, it was a good trek despite the horrible heat due to the pleasant company of Ben, Yeoh, Christina, Choo, Wai Ching, Engu, Kathy, Ong, Lim, Ah Kuai and Tai Hup as trekking buddies.


For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/9177.

Gunung Angsi 10 Oct 2010

This is my 9th trip to Gunung Angsi. My last trip was on 25 April 2010 (see http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2010/04/g-angsi-25-april-2010.html).

Leaving PJ at 7.45 a.m. we reached Bukit Putus trail head at about 9.15 a.m. including a pit stop at Seremban Jaya for breakfast. The road landscape from Senawang Toll towards Bukit Putus has changed dramatically. One needs to be alert! After exiting from Senawang Toll, we came upon a huge cross junction after travelling about 10 minutes. This cross junction has replaced the old T junction with the left road leading to Seremban and the opposite new Lekas road to K Pilah. We took the right turn to Bukit Putus (old Kuala Pilah road).

We took about 2.5 hrs to hit the peak and 2 hrs to return to trail head. The trek was uneventful but the weather was beautifully conducive – breezy and cool. There were hardly any mushrooms as the trail was dry. But ginger plants and flowers were plentiful. Going up, we met a man carrying a huge plastic load of rubbish downhill. Kudos to him for cleaning up rubbish left by the campers!

On our way home, we stopped by the first campsite and helped ourselves with the free tongsui, courtesy of Koh Loh. The tongsui was tasty and fragrant with ginger for sweet potato tongsui and dried mandarin orange peal for green bean tongsui. In appreciation of Koh Loh’s contribution, earlier we have donated 1 kg of red beans and 1 kg of sugar.

Overall, it was a good energetic and pleasant trek.

Trekking buddies were Christina and Engu. At the peak we had a chance to touch base with trekker friends, namely Wun and Helen.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/9099.

Gunung Tok Wan Broga 16 Sep 2010

The last trip to Broga Hill, about 50 km from Petaling Jaya, was on 14 November 2009 (see http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2009/11/broga-hills-14112009.html).

On arrival, we saw more than 50 motor vehicles parked in the old oil palm estate which has been converted into a huge open car park area. Based on this, we estimated at least a hundred hikers in the hills.

At 7.50 a.m., it was quite a task getting through the long queue of people lumbering downhill. We took about 1 hour to reach the Broga peak (400m asl) at 9:05 a.m. A few adventurous youngsters have even resorted to sliding down the lalang slope to beat the queue heading home.

From Broga peak, we had to enter the forest to trek to Gunung Tok Wan (675m asl). We took about 2 hours to trek the undulating trail and hit the peak at 11 a.m. The dense tree canopy provided us much shade against the harsh mid-day sun that day.

After spending an hour, we started to back trek at 12 noon. We literally raced down the Broga trail to minimize exposure to the hot sun and hit the base at 2.15 p.m. Thereafter, we adjourned to Lim Sak Chan’s stall to cool down ourselves with his famous ABC.

Pleasant trekking buddies included Kathy, Ann, Yeoh, Tessie, Terry, Jean, TQ, Christina, Chew and Siew Kim.






For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7997.

Gunung Gap & Ulu Semangkok 12 Sep 2010

On 12 September 2010, we travelled 100 km east to Gap, a small town station located at 825m asl at the base of Bukit Fraser's Hill with the aim of exploring Gunung Gap (GG) as well as Gunung Ulu Semangkok (GUS). Leaving Petaling Jaya at 5.30 a.m. we stopped by Rawang at 6 a.m. to have breakfast before proceeding to the head trail of GG. The trail head which is located opposite the 91km KL milestone was easy to locate.

Starting at 8.20 a.m. we took about an hour to hit GG peak (1,140m asl) at 9.20 a.m. It was a steep climb all the way to the peak. The trail was quite clear and covered with dried leaves. After a short break at the peak, we took the 9 o’clock trail downhill towards GUS. The undulating trail comprises 3 steep ascents before the GUS peak (1,340m asl). We took about 2 hours to hit the peak at 11.20 a.m. There were a lot more varied flora like moss, wild orchids and mushrooms along the way to GUS. However, there was no view from GUS compared to GG where we could at least have two limited views of the surrounding regions.

We left the peak at 12 noon and reached the base at 2.10 p.m. The return trek was indeed a very challenging on the knees especially the section from GG peak.

Overall, it was a good energizing trek in the cool highland particularly in the pleasant company of trekkers Kathy, Anne, Tessie, Yeoh, Engu, Ong, Ben, Christina and Yip.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7995.

Gunung Mentigi 15 Aug 2010

HABU VALLEY in the afternoon sun

Vibrant star-like MOSS near the peak area

BUKIT MENTIGI HOUSES flanked by G Beremban on the right and G Brinchang at 11 o'clock

Gunung Mentigi or Rhododendron Mountain (Mentigi is the Malay name for 'rhododendron') was our next target after Gunung Irau (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2010/02/gunung-irau-29-31-jan-10.html), Gunung Beremban (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2010/07/gunung-beremban-4-july-2010.html), Gunung Jasar and Gunung Perdah (http://happyotrekker.blogspot.com/2010/07/gunung-jasar-gunung-perdah-25-july-2010_26.html).

Apart from the trail information provided by the various tourist maps for Cameron Highlands, we were unable to glean any comprehensive reports of Gunung Mentigi trek from the internet. Nonetheless, we decided to proceed with our trip. We would say this recce trip really tested our group’s indomitable spirit to complete the mission.

Finding the trailhead of Trail 13 near the Veterinary Services Department (VSD) along Persiaran Dayang Endah (PDE) was easy but finding the entrance of the trailhead was a challenge for it was hidden by thick undergrowth. Less than 5 minutes into the trail, we were confronted by a vast area cleared for vegetable farming. In short, the trail had “disappeared”. The residents told us that the trail was no longer being used and directed us to use another access further down PDE towards the hospital. Travelling down the road, we encountered many parked vehicles along a slip road on the right. The trail board there indicated Trail 9 which is supposed to lead to Robinson Waterfall. After trekking for 15 minutes, our misgiving started to arise and we decided to back trek. This time we decided to explore another trailhead to Trail 13 located behind Cameronian Holiday Inn (CHI), Off Jalan Mentigi. We unable to locate the trailhead and a well-informed resident told us that the trailhead had been “lost” to development. We saw earthwork had begun on a vast tract of land behind CHI area.

After 3 false starts, the group’s patience was wearing thin and there were suggestions to trek Gunung Beremban again. It was already 10.30 a.m. when we decided to check out our original plan to trek from the VSD notwithstanding the discouragement by the local residents living and farming there. Heading up the farm, a local resident (sensing our persistence), pointed out a dense forest opening, along the farm perimeter, to Trail 13. The opening was covered with thick undergrowth and nearly impenetrable. We saw a trace of path among the forest vegetation and one of our brave members volunteered to venture into the thick and dense opening to explore. Within a minute, we heard a call that there was a clear trail.

It was 10.50 a.m. when we started our trek. The trail was clear but thick with fallen leaves. The jungle vegetation was generally damp due to the rainy season. Ten minutes later, we came across a yellow signboard which had been displaced from somewhere. We were unable to interpret the signboard as it was badly defaced. Just beyond the signboard, about 10 meter away, the trail came to an abrupt end as a result of earthwork being carried out for another development. We believe the earthwork extended from the “destroyed” trailhead of Trail 13 starting from CHI. Fortunately, we noted an uphill trail, presumably Trail 14 on the left about 2 meters before the end of the trail. From here, it was all the way uphill until we hit the peak at 1,494m asl (official: 1,535m) at 11.50 a.m. Along the way, we saw 2 trails branching off on the right. One of these could lead south towards Habu region. At the peak, there was an iron structure, possibly the remnant of the trigonometrical station and a stone pillar. The view from the peak area was good. As expected, the vegetation near the peak area was stunted and sparse as well as mossy. Giant nepenthes plants were also sighted.

After a good rest, we proceeded downhill at 12.10 p.m. using another trail from the peak area. This trail crept steeply downhill for 10 minutes before it came to an open cut slope facing Bukit Mentigi housing area. We resorted to using the rainwater canal to descend for a short distance before exiting through a visible jungle trail towards the housing area where we reached at 12.50 p.m.

Overall, we were satisfied after having accomplished our mission. The most memorable part of the trek was the scenic view from the peak, the giant Nepenthes plants as well as the beautiful star-like carpet moss. The weather was gloomy but luckily, the rain held off until the end of our trek. Our only concern was that the access to Trail 14 from the north side would be lost soon based on the rate of development encroaching on Trail 13.

Great trekking buddies included Yeoh, Engu, Ong, Wai Ching, Choo, Jamie, Careen, Murugiah, Kanchana and Ben.





For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/7991.

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).