Long Weekend Getaway

Thanks to Thaipusam and Prophet Muhammad's Birhtday, the weekend is long enough to do almost anything.

So I decided to build up some stamina and Penang Hill sounded good.


Hiked to Penang Hill via the Air Itam trail. Passed by this abandoned building known as Mon Sejour.

I met an old British couple residing in Australia for the past 20 years on my way up. They traveled all the way to Southeast Asian on a sail boat and they live in it. The next trip will be Nepal and Penang is their training ground for the 21 day Annapurna Trail in Nepal. Aspiring story.

Made a detour to Monkey Cup, a new garden specialised in monkey cups that was opened on top of Penang Hill just 2 months ago.


Adorable plant.

and I made a new friend too :)


Hello scorpie!


and here's some super awesome view of Penang island and mainland. :)

As if I didn't get enough sunburn for hiking Penang hill, I decided to hike to Pantai Keracut the next day and I did an one night camping there. For the first time, I managed to catch the sunset at this beautiful beach.


Sunset at Keracut.


and honestly, I had no idea that monkeys eat fish, raw.

Destinations Twenty Twelve

Having lived in Malaysia for a quarter century, I have come to realise that the richness and beauty that she has to offer.

There are so many hidden gorgeous spots that are worth the effort for us to explore. What a waste for us to grow up in this tropical country if we do not know how to appreciate the gems that are buried in this piece of lovely land.

After doing some research, I am listing down 8 places that I ambitiously plan to go in 2012. I do not know if I can make it for all but here are the destinations.

Lata Kinjang Waterfall, Perak


Lata Kinjang is one of the tallest falls of Malaysia. Part of the cascade can be easily spotted if you drive on North-South Highway. It is a popular spot as it can be accessed easily by public. Anyway, camping is possible if you hike up further and there are a few clean and quiet spot just right beside the falls.

Gunung Tebu, Terrenganu


Gunung Tebu is the highest peak in Terrenganu with the elevation of 1039m from sea level. It is not hard to hike and the camp site offers a panoramic view of South China Sea. Perhentian Island can be seen from the camp site if it is not foggy. The mountain has an ancient tomb on top of it and is said to be the meditation spot for Malay warriors who practised silat.

Gua Gunung Runtuh, Perak


Gua Gunung Runtuh is an archaeological cave where the archaeologists retrieved the oldest skeleton in Malaysia dated 11,000 years ago, known as Perak Man. The town that it is located, Lenggong Valley, has a few show caves that are accessible, namey Gua Puteri and Gua Harimau. This cave is also being evaluated by UNESCO to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.

The Pinnacles at Mulu National Park, Sarawak


Mulu National Park is located in inland Borneo. Mulu’s Pinnacles tower above the surrounding landscape, some reaching heights of 40 to 50 metres. Centuries of water have eroded and dissolved the rock into razor sharp spikes which knife skywards through the surrounding rainforest. The fastest way to access Mulu will be flying from Miri.

Note: I already booked the tickets to Sarawak and will be flying there in the end of April. Woohoo!

Lata Kijang, Negeri Sembilan


I came across this marvelous cascaded waterfall when I was searching for Lata Kinjang. It is also a very tall waterfall located in Negeri Sembilan. Camping was possible and to access this waterfall, one has to drive a tiny red soil road for about 20km from Kampung Esok. You will be passing Orang Asli (aboriginals) settlement on the way to the falls. There are a few camping spots but not near the waterfall as flash flood can happen. In November 2010, the fall and its surroundings have been declared out of bounds for the time being by the Negri Sembilan authorities. Proper planning has to be carried out for this spot.

Wang Burma Cave, Perlis


Despite being the smallest state in Malaysia, Perlis has its charm as well. At the border of Thai and Malaysia, Wang Burma is a cave system that has become the main attraction of the Wang Kelian State Park within the Perlis State Park. Wang Burma is divided into two main caves, one is Wang Burma Satu where abundance of amazing rock formations like stalactites and stalagmites can be found, and the other is Wang Burma Dua, which requires one to be both physically and mentally fit before venturing into the cave. An exploration of the entire Wang Burma cave system will take approximately 3 1/2 hours.

Sungai Chiling, Selangor


Sungai Chiling has been one of my to-go camping destinations since my university time but so far I have yet to walk the talk to go camping. It is a scenic spot, popular among picnickers and campers. However there is danger of flash flood thus caution has to be taken for campers.

Gunung Datuk, Negeri Sembilan


Gunung Datuk literally carries the meaning of 'Grandfather's Mountain' in Malay. A two hour hike, the view it offers is fantastic. As there is a flat surface just below the summit, it is ideal for camping. Permit has to be acquired for camping trip.

---

I certainly hope that I will be able to make it to all places above. I think I fell in love with mountains, caves, waterfalls and camping ever since my last trip to Gunung Stong in Kelantan. Life is too short to not do what you enjoy isn't it?

Let me know if you are not afraid of leeches and don't mind being covered in mud for hours and do not need a toilet to excrete and likes shower au-naturel in the waterfall and can hike up to an elevation of 1000m with 10kg weight. I'll call you up. :D

Disclaimer
Again, just to stress that I have not been to all the above-mentioned destinations. Thus all photo credits go to the original sources. Let me know if it is your pictures and you do not agree for me to post it up. I'll take it down.

Leap of Faith

How many people have an active seven year old blog?

I wish for the years to come, I will still maintain the passion for writing though I will have less time and less energy and less brain juice.

I know that I have stopped blogging for a while, if you ever notice. That was because I realized that my recent blog posts were just forced poo after a long constipation - dry and hard. They sounded like travelogues that I wouldn't even read.

Perhaps, I am experiencing the changes and adjustment of priorities in life which occur to everyone when they enter a new stage of life. After working for more than one year, naturally I will have to adapt.

I certainly want to define a new direction and a new style of maintaining my blog. This post would be a marking stone that I shall begin with, though I am clueless about what is going to be written, yet. :)

Let's hope that this new perspective of life would be guide me to overcome the fear and make a big leap.


Like this.