Trekking in Bako National Park: Senior citizen shows the way

Senior citizen George from Singapore, in his mid 60s, tackled the trail with aplomb. He did not put a single foot wrong throughout the strenuous 4-hour trek, and emerged without a single scratch. Well done, George!

A friend asked, "Won't you get lost?" The trails are all colour coded but if you're colour blind then, yes, it's possible to get lost. But be like Boy Scouts: be prepared.

 Remember Jim Thompson, the silk king who vanished in the Cameron Highlands

in 1967? Till today the case remains unresolved. Hey, am I frightening you? LOL

Bako National Park, Sarawak Part 3 (final)

Canteen: reasonably priced food and drinks. Beer drinkers will rejoice.

Storm brewing at Bako.

In the evening what better way to while away the time than...

to watch the sunset?

Western backpackers clambering on board for the return trip.

Boatman Anuar: "Sometimes backpackers cheat me by claiming they've paid the fare."

Sarawak: Bako National Park, Part 1 of 3

Jetty: Boats to Bako. 9 ringgit  per person or 47 ringgit to charter a whole boat.

Once again the lure of the Land of the Hornbill (Sarawak) proved irresistible.  This time it was Bako National Park, and the chance to see the largest flower in the world, the Rafflesia.

The good thing about Bako National Park is that it's easily reached from Kuching.

                                Boat speeding towards Bako. It takes 15 minutes across open sea to reach Bako.

Welcome to Bako

                                Canteen at Bako. Has satellite TV!

Most people stay at Bako. Cheap dorms and rooms available but no air-conditioning. Mine was a semi-d with attached toilet (52.50 ringgit) but even with a fan the room was warm at night, and I had a fitful sleep.

How to get to Bako from Kuching

Hourly bus leaves from Pasar (market) area starting from 8am. Takes about an hour to reach the jetty. Fare: 3 ringgit.

Manukan Island, Sabah, East Malaysia Part 3/3

World War Two bombs found on Manukan Island

Over high tea the other day, a friend asked, "I don't fancy the idea of being BBQ in the sun so what's else is there to do on the island."

"Go and look for bombs,"I said. "You'll become famous."

 

Trail up a hill

"Or walk up the hill. It's only 1.5 km, and it's an easy walk," I continued. I saw two monitor lizards about a metre long crossing my path. Monitor lizards are vain creatures, always emerging from the undergrowth when I'm near them. The bird life on the hill also attracted my attention. I came across a group of Thais armed with cameras and tripods. They said they were looking for wild forest fowl.

 

This sign greets you at the top of the hill.

 

The sunset from the top of the hill is supposedly jaw-dropping. Can you guess what's the yellow speck in the picture? Click on the picture to enlarge it. Don't cheat. Make a guess first.

Bario Loop, Kelabit Highlands, Sarawak

Bario Loop: starting from Bario, the capital, you could do the Bario Loop by trekking from village to village and finally returning to the starting point. And we're talking of a distance of at least 100 km! If only I had my mountain bike, this would have been great fun.

Lambir Hills, Sarawak

Lambir Hills National Park

Is this "lingzhi", dubbed the mushroom of immortality by the Chinese?
Nature can sometimes startle you with its beauty.

Lambir Hills National Park lies just 31 km from Miri. Compared to Niah National Park, it can be considered very small.

It boasts of trekking trails and a few pretty unimpressive waterfalls. The trekking trails range from short ones of 1 km to longer ones of up to 3 km over rather steep terrain.

As at Niah National Park, it was ferociously hot when I was there. But this time I took a nice cool shower in the park's toilets after the treks.

TIP: take bus 33A from Miri bus station to Pujut long-distance bus station. From there take another bus to Lambir Park (RM 5). Or else travel agents charge RM40 for a return trip. Taxi drivers ask for RM 40 PER PERSON for a return trip.

Niah National Park, Sarawak

The Great Cave, Niah National Park
The well-maintained boardwalk leads all the way to the caves (1 hour leisurely stroll). Terrain is flat throughout so even Grandma can make it.
Niah cave
Niah cave.
Man collecting fertilisers from the caves.

We hired a private car to take us to the Niah caves (102 km from Miri). This is the best way as public transport is not only time-consuming but also full of hassles.

Though the walkway was shady, it was still very hot and humid. The Swedish guy with us sweated buckets.

Tips: bring a powerful torchlight, at least 2 litres of water, a lunch packet, snacks, poncho, face towel, cap (in case of direct hit by bird poop).

Tomorrow I'll post more pictures of the caves and an Iban village (including village girls bathing in a croc-infested river)

Miri, Sarawak

Sarawak, infamously dubbed Land of the Headhunters, will welcome me on Wednesday next week. With a lion dance hopefully?

Lion dance? Yes, you see, it's Air Asia inaugural flight to Miri (situated in northern Sarawak)famed for its national parks like Niah Naional Park and the World Heritage Site at Mulu caves.

It's also my very first flight with Air Asia which boasts that it's the best budget airline in the world. Hmm...l'll let readers know to what extent this is true or whether it's
just pure hype.

If you like trekking, nature/wildlife photography and exciting river rides in the heart of Borneo perhaps Miri might appeal to you.

And, hey, you need only $50 for the air ticket -loose change really.

I hope my head doesn't end up hanging from the ceiling of a longhouse!

Trekking In Fraser's Hill, Malaysia

Fraser's Hill is awash with beautiful flowers.

A jungle trail.

A jungle trail.

Bishop Trail

One of the delights of Fraser's Hill for me is the opportunity to trek in the jungle. There are trails of varying levels of difficulty. Unless you try to be the next edition of Rambo, you'll not get lost as the trails are well-marked.

The Bishop Trail is an example of an easy trail. I took a leisurely walk on the undulating trail which even your grandmother will scoff at being too easy. The pleasure was in observing the lush foliage, the occasional birdsong from some well-hidden bird up on the jungle canopy and wild flowers.

However, some do underestimate the potential danger of trekking in a jungle. In 2005, a Singapore teen and his three Malaysian cousins were lost for four days while trekking on the Bishop Trail. A ground and air rescue operation was mounted. Finally, an orang asli tracker found them beside a stream.

On long treks I make sure I am fully prepared with adequate food, water, a poncho, insect repellent, a sweater, lighters, a survival kit, a medical kit, torch light, a roll of raffia and a cell phone. From experience, the key is eating regularly and not wait till you're hungry. Munching on groundnuts I discover is a good way to keep my energy level up. (If I trek alone, I normally arm myself with a weapon for you'll never know who you'll meet in the depth of the jungle - maybe Bigfoot or a WW2 Japanese soldier).

Happy trekking!

Trekking in Cameron Highlands, Pahang (Malaysia)

This paved path leads into the jungle.
One of the pleasures in Cameron Highlands is the great variety of flowers growing everywhere.

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE BEFORE TREKKING

After encouraging you to trek in Cameron Highlands I feel duty-bound to warn you to take certain precautions. I have seen many times people walking into the jungle empty-handed and just wearing slippers/sandals.

Now mind you this is a real jungle, part of the great Malaysian rainforest and not a theme park! 99% of the time nothing will go wrong but still it's better to be safe than sorry.

Things to bring:

1. Water - despite the cool weather you'll still sweat a lot.
2. Food - to provide energy and in case the unthinkable happens and you get lost
3. Lighters, flashlights, whistle - in case you get lost
4. Raincoat
   
5. Walking stick to provide support
6. A fully-charged cell phone
7. A hat/cap
8. Long-sleeved shirt as there are thorny plants.
   

It's important to start as early as possible. It can be dangerous to start late in the afternoon as the jungle gets dark early.

Inform your hotel or the police before setting out. Trekking with a friend or in a group is the ideal. As mentioned in an earlier blog, don't try to be a hero and take an unfamiliar trail.

As for wild animals, don't worry I have yet to come across any. But you'll see hollow tree trunks and then your imagination works overtime and you imagine a leopard is hiding inside waiting to turn you into its lunch. But if you do come across any wild animals do consider yourself "lucky".

You won't be troubled by leeches either. Even during the rainy season none attacked me. Maybe they could tell my blood type is unfit for consumption or something. I don't know.

The trails become very slippery after a heavy shower so wearing shoes with a good traction is important. I fell down a few times but luckily I didn't break any bones. But it was more fun than a roller-coaster trekking in the rain! Skidding, sliding, falling, screaming...

Happy trekking, mate.

Oh, by the way if you come across a short guy coming out from the jungle don't worry. He's not an apparition but most likely an orang asli (aborigine) hunting for birds for dinner.

Cameron Highlands, Pahang (Malaysia) Part 4

Visitors to the Highlands on the way to their trek.

One of the "gunung" (mountain) for trekkers to conquer.

A popular jungle walk.

Apart from the year-round spring weather in Cameron Highlands, the other thing which I find interesting is trekking in the jungle.

There are a number of treks the authorities call "walks" but don't run away with the idea that your 90-year-old grandma can easily take an easy stroll. If you're reasonably fit, you can trek. Some treks will involve walking up and down the slopes of mountains, and may take up to 2 to 3 hours.

Beware, the trails are poorly signposted but as long as keep to the well-trodden paths you won't get lost. But don't try to be hero and blaze a new trail to Taman Negara (National Park) or you might end up as another Jim Thompson

An American businessman known as the Silk King, Jim Thompson went for a walk in the Cameron Highlands and disappeared mysteriously. To this day, the mystery has not been solved.

Enjoy your "walk"