Losing and Finding My Car Keys in A Week

Not long ago, Angie, Esther and I went hiking in Bukit Gasing, our usual hiking venue.

Halfway through the hike I reached into my pockets to feel for my car key. It's a habit to assure myself that everything is where it's supposed to be.

My heart almost stopped when I could not find the key. After rummaging around, I discovered that my pocket had a hole in it. Fark! I swore to burn the pants when I reached home!

After completing the trail, the three of us took the path that led us back to where we came from so that we can find my key. What angelic friends I have!

Unfortunately 3 pairs of eyes could not locate it. Angie then offered to send me back to my mum's place in Port Klang to get the spare and collect my car back from Bukit Gasing.

Whilst in Port Klang, I treated Angie to bak kut teh (herbal pork soup) for lunch. Whenever I have guests coming from outstation, I'll definitely bring them to try this Klang-mari delicacy.

The next Saturday, I didn't join the gals hiking cause I had something to do.

Mid-morning I received an sms from Angie saying that she had found my key! To make sure, she asked me to describe it. And confirm it was my key!

Apparently someone found it and hung it at the entrance of Bukit Gasing like this:

She also met the guy who found it. He's a regular there and must have super sharp eyes to have seen my key amongst the greenery. My appreciation to him!

Green Saturday

Last Saturday, Angie and I wanted to go hiking in Ah Pek Hill in Cheras. Unfortunately we couldn't find the hill and headed to Kuala Kubu Bahru (KKB) instead.

Soon we reached Chiling Falls, but we didn't want to go there because we've been there before.

So we drove a bit further after the entrance to Chiling Falls and saw three people emerging from a trail by the roadside. So we went to investigate.

We don't know the name of this place 'cause there was no signage at the entrance. And there was nobody around to ask.

As we began to explore the trail we saw many buterflies

and ferns too.

Soon we came to a hill and wondered what lay on the other side.

We saw a fork in the road.

Whenever I see a fork in the woods, it'll remind me of the Robert Frost poem titled The Road Not Taken. The last verse reads:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference."

Now back to the story ...

The left fork looked like a continuation of the hiking trail. On the right was a clearing with a little hut beside a river. There were toilet cubicles on the other side of the river.

Toilet cubicles

We needed to take a leak, so we left our footwear by the riverbank and waded across.


The water was refreshing and cooling in the hot, humid afternoon. I regret not bringing a change of clothes; otherwise I'd have taken a deep in the cool, refreshing water.

After answering nature's call, lazing by the river and snapping a few pics, we continued our hike on the left trail.

After hiking for about 45 minutes, the trail looked like it's neverending. So we decided to turn back.

On the way back, Angie saw this beautiful formation on a leaf. I thought I could use the pic to write some motivational quotes by the side like this:

We then got into the car and headed home.

It was a pleasant Saturday spent on an unknown trail with Mother Nature.

Chiling Falls - Crossing Rivers

Angie and I were supposed to go to Tioman during the long Merdeka weekend but all bus tickets to Mersing were sold out. This is what happens when you plan long weekends trips at the last minute.

So instead we went for a hike to Chiling Falls with another friend, Sharon. Chiling Falls is located in Kuala Kubu Bahru, a small town in the north of Selangor.

The hike to Chiling Falls is an easy 3 km journey - that is when hiking on terra firma. The difficult part is the 6 rivers we had to cross to get to the falls.

Here is a recap on what we experienced and learned, and hopefully these tips will be useful to hikers who are planning to go to Chiling Falls.

Finding the Trail

Chiling Falls suffers the lack of proper signboards. We lost our way twice because there were no signboards at confusing bends, junctions and forks in the trail. Luckily Angie bumped into one of her friends who was returning from the hike and he gave us directions.

After crossing the first bridge (which is a suspension bridge at the rangers office), you'll reach a clearing in the forest. Immediatly turn left and follow the trail there. Do not go straight, or you'll end up at the suspension bridge again, or worst, end up somewhere else.

When you reach a small river that looks like the picture on the right, immediatly cross it. Don't let the appearance of a no-trail deceive you. The trail is there, you'll just have to look hard enough.

Hiking Gear

1) You'll DEFINITELY get wet (ahem) while hiking. So remember to bring along extra clothing.

2) Use durable sandals instead of sneakers or trainers. Since you'll be immersed in water most of the time, sandals are the best. I used sneakers which filled with sand and soaked water easily, making it heavy and difficult to move in.

3) Bring a waterproof knapsack or wrap your valuables in waterproof materials. Best is to leave your electronic gadgets - cellphone, camera, non water proof watch, etc in the car.

Crossing Rivers

Don't let the rivers scare you. It is actually quite simple to cross if you have the necessary experience and knowledge. Initially we wanted to turn back cause we have never crossed rivers with such strong currents before. Moreover certain parts were waist deep; and if you're not careful, chest deep! But we braced ourselves and made it in the end. The return journey was easier since we were not 'virgin river crossers' anymore.

1) The best way to cross is to swim cum wade. But we could not do that since we had our cumbersome knapsacks which we had to hold above our heads to keep dry. Next time I'll bring only a bottle of water.

2) Look for the best possible path to cross instead of jumping straight in. The best is to look for areas where the current doesn't look strong and where you can see the rocks under the water. This means the water is not so deep.

3) Keep your footwear on when crossing the rivers. It would help protect your feet from the rocks and sharp stones on the riverbed. Oh yeah, when you step on sand when crossing the river, you might sink a bit cause the sand is very soft. Make sure your footing is firm before you take the next step.

At Chiling Falls

When we reached the falls we noticed a very clean area compared to other falls and nature reserve parks in Selangor like Sungai Kanching, Templer’s Park and Sungai Gabai, which looks like a rubbish dump.

There was also a considerable lack of hikers leaving us lots of room to swim and laze around. Maybe because it was the long Merdeka weekend and most folks had gone outstation.

After a brief swim, we gobbled down nasi lemak, tuna & egg sandwiches and Cheezels (what an unhealthy snack for hiking!).

Being the photoholic that she is, Angie than started fiddling with her camera. Here are some fun shots to end the hike:

Note: Credit to Angie for taking all the photos in this entry, except the first photo.

Gunung Brinchang - Mystical & Beautiful

I hiked up Gunung Brinchang (in English: Mount Brinchang) with my travel buddy, Angie Tan (http://crakerr.blogspot.com/) in February this year. Before I continue, I must give her credit for the lovely photos in this entry.

Gunung Brinchang is situated in Cameron Highlands, in the state of Pahang in Malaysia. The mountain is famous for its Mossy Forest - a forest that looks like a movie set from Lord of the Rings. You will see what I mean later.

Before we set off that morning, I devoured a bowl of noodle soup, two half-boiled eggs, a pair of 'roti bakar' (toasted bread) and washed it all down with Chinese tea. I always believe in doing anything, especially hiking, on a full stomach :-)

We then drove to the water reservoir in Brinchang town where the trail began. However we could not find the trail, so we went to the nearest police station to enquire.

The police officer on duty gave us a funny look. Apparently Gunung Brinchang is notorious for missing hikers. When I heard that, I started chickening out. Then I remembered Jim Thompson, the famous Thai silk king who went missing in the jungles of Cameron Highlands in 1967. His body was never found and remains a mystery till this day. You can read more about Jim Thompson in:

http://www.cameron-highland-destination.com/cameron-highlands-jim-thompson.html

We left relevant details with the officer, who strongly reminded us to inform the station when we got back. He also gave us a few 'laws of the jungle' when entering mystical Brinchang forest:

1) Do not use foul language, swear or speak negatively about the jungle. The spirits who dwell there do not like if we belittle or speak negatively about their domain.

2) If we see a three-prong fork in the road, turn back. There's a high possibility the spirits of the jungle are attempting to confuse and mislead us. This mostly happens if you break Rule 1. There have been many stories of people being kidnapped by 'orang halus' or spirits into the netherworld.

By the time I heard those 'tips', I freaked out and almost did not make the climb. But in the end we did make the climb and here are pictures of our little adventure on Gunung Brinchang:

The journey begins ...

Mossy Forest - Like from a movie set of Lord of the Rings.

I saw an Ent!

I made it!

View from the top.

It was raining the night before, so it was a muddy climb.

Climbing Gunung Brinchang is not difficult compared to Mount Kinabalu. But the experience and beauty of it is breathtaking, and we are definitely game for another climb in the future, with or without the 'orang halus'.