Bypass to the far east section of Klang Gate Ridge

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Many trekkers are familiar with Tabur East and West. These two trails are very much enjoyed by trekkers for the beautiful city views and the serene lake and mountains sceneries. There is a section of the Klang Gate Ridge (on the east, near the Zoo) that many can see from MRR2 but not many people have been to this far east section. There is an existing way going into this section from the Rapid bus depot (in Taman Melawati), crossing a new housing area and into a private orchard. My friends and I have been to this section several times.

There is also another way to this far east section of the ridge … sort of a bypass from Tabur East. Many have trekked Tabur East … ascending the trail from the small river (and the double water pipes), trek a steep slope upwards, walk along the top of the rocky formations, down and up a steep valley and finally reached the last ropes and climb up to the peak. On the peak, one can go the end and look across at the other section of the ridge on the far east. This far east section can be seen but cannot be reached due to the steep dangerous drop at the end. But there is a way to cross over from the base of the last ropes.

Sometime ago a few of us successfully trekked from the last ropes (instead of climbing up) going downwards, all the way to the next section. We made a bypass and trekked up the highest peak at the far east of the Klang Gate Ridge.

On 17 April 2010, we decided to trek to the far east section of Klang Gate Ridge from Tabur East again. This time we wanted to look for a new and safer bypass. We set out early and trekked from the river all the way to the last ropes. From there, we headed downwards and move along side of the wall of the ridge. We have to move further downwards as the trail is very dangerous near the wall of the ridge. The terrain here is quite thick in various places and we have to cut away a fair bit to trek through.

 

(Instead of going up the last ropes, we went down and left to look for a way)

(We trekked pass the ravine from below Tabur East's peak and crossed over to the other section)

(We trekked further east and downwards)

 

(Found a safe way up and trek upwards though a small valley to the top)

We trekked pass the base of the peak (Tabur East’s last peak) from below and went across the deep ravine between the peak and the next section of the ridge. There we continued to trek downwards until we found a safe way up again. We began to trek up through a small valley until we reached the far east section of the ridge. At this valley junction, one can turn left and treks towards the end of this section. From there, you can actually see and shout to those who are at the Tabur East peak but they cannot cross over to this end the section.

 

(We continue to move eastwards, trekking on the top of this section of the ridge)

We did not turn left (as we have been there before) so we turn right to continue to trek further east of this section of the ridge. The trail here is fairly easy and the rocks and vegetation are similar to those of Tabur East and West except this part of the ridge is still unexposed and unspoilt. We trekked on the top of this section moving eastwards through some rocky terrains, small valleys and through a small forest. A few areas were quite dangerous and we used ropes to safely trek down the steep drop.

(The slope here is quite slippery)

(Very dangerous rock valley. One have to be extra careful here)

(We have to use ropes to tackle this steep and dangerous area. Left the ropes there for those who may venture into this section in the future)

(The vegetation is similar to Tabur East and West, except here, it is pristine and unspoilt)

(The four of us very glad to have successfully trekked from Tabur East bypass to the far east section. From left : EM Shiek, ML Lim, GT Lim and CK Lim)  

This section of the ridge is absolutely wonderful, unspoilt and relatively unexplored but it is not for the inexperience. One have to be very careful … plenty of loose soils, sharp rocks and slippery slopes. Slowly we made our way through the ridge and we finally reached the junction going out to a private property (an orchard). Nearby we saw a nice “tree house’ built by the locals from the orchard. From this junction one can proceeds further east to reach the highest peak of the whole Klang Gate Ridge (the whole Klang Gate Ridge about 16km long). It will take at least another three hours to trek to the highest peak, that is, if one can find the way from here.

(The tree house built by the locals from the orchard)

(From the tree house, we trekked out to the private orhard ... into civilisation)

(The highest peak of the whole Klang Gate Ridge located at the far east section near the Zoo Negara)

We have been to the highest peak so we decided not to go this time as we were all tired and exhausted. Running out of water, we headed out to the private orchard. We were glad to see the two Indonesian caretakers of the orchard who knew us since the very first time when we came to trek up the highest peak. After a quick rest, we have to figure out a way from here to get back to where we parked our car (at the river) a few kilometres away. But lucky for us, our good Indonesian friend has a 4WD pickup truck. We only have to ask and he offered to take us to our car. It is good to have friends everywhere you trek. We were driven to our car and after that we went to a nearby waterfall to wash up. As usual, our trekking trips always end with good food and this time it was delicious nasi campur and chendol at a nearly stall in Taman Melawati. We were very happy to complete another great outing at Klang Gate knowing that we successfully made a bypass from Tabur East to the far east section of the ridge.
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Satu dua tiga empat ?

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Many Chinese in Malaysia are obsessed with number games and bets. For three days a week, they patiently queue up at gaming outlets to ‘mai chee” (betting on numbers in Cantonese). There are several number games and bets in the country. The nickname given to the 3 big gaming companies is “KTM” … not the popular one known as Kereta Tanah Melayu. This KTM stands for Kuda, Toto and Magnum.

People bet on all sorts of numbers … their car registration, ID Cards, birth certificates, receipts … you name it, as long as there are numbers on it, they will bet on them hoping to strike it big. When they run out of numbers to bet, they have all sorts of ways from all sorts of places to find numbers that they hope will win them big money.

The common practice we always see are people shaking out pieces of papers (written with the numbers 0 to 9) from a container. They do this in temples, graves or at their ancestor’s shrine at home hoping that the gods or their dead loved ones will bless them with winning numbers. Some wrote numbers on red coloured hard boiled eggs during birthdays or special days, so that the person celebrating can pick out a set of numbers with their eyes closed. They believe that the person celebrating birthdays or special days possessed great luck. There are those who are always looking at things and listening to sounds. They claimed to be able to interpret things they saw or heard into numbers. Whether it is the shape of the clouds or the smoke swirls from burning joss sticks or the sounds of animal, they can find numbers in them. And those who don’t want too much hassle can conveniently obtain a “lucky number” via SMS ... there are outfits that provide this service for a nominal fee.

Others use extreme method to get to what they wanted. Have you heard about people seeking out graves of those who died recently and knock a hollow bamboo into the grave to pour dog’s blood in it? The belief is that the blood will cause serious discomfort to the dead in the grave and force the poor soul (believed to have the ability to predict winning numbers) to disclose the winning numbers or else more blood will be poured in. Is it true? I don’t think so but it is sadistically cruel. I have not heard of anyone striking it rich this way but my dad once told me a rather funny story about a guy (a chronic gambler) who actually went to a grave to carry out the evil bamboo and dog’s blood ritual. While he was doing it, he felt someone (or rather something) was pulling his pants. When he tried to run, he was held back. He was so frightened that he fainted on the spot.

Then the next morning his friends went searching for him and found him lying unconscious at the grave. They soon find out that while he was trying to knock the bamboo into the grave, he was so scared that he closed his eyes and did not see that his long pants was caught on the bamboo. While he was knocking the bamboo, his pants were being pulled into the ground. He must have thought something was pulling his leg and holding him back when he tried to run away. I thought you can only see this in ghost movies and comedies.

I remember another story that happened in my “kampung” (village). A lady who was found in trance in front of a “Latuk Kung” shrine (Latuk Kung is a deity that the Chinese worshiped believing that it will protect them from evil and keep their place safe). Someone said it could be the “Latuk Kung” that possessed her. Strange as it is, she began to mumble in Malay about how dirty the shrine was and needed to be cleaned and also ask to be given water to drink. Someone took the opportunity to ask if she can provide winning numbers for the coming draw. Immediately she shouted out loud in Malay “satu dua tiga empat” (meaning one two three four). Everyone present heard it loud and clear and was in a mixed reaction whether to believe or not … hey come on, one two three four? Sounds like someone wanted to pull a fast one. Anyway, after a while the lady regained consciousness but she could not remember a thing when told what had happened to her. Almost everyone who knew or heard of the incident placed high bets on the four numbers “1234” on the following draw.

Then when the result was announced, all were disappointed. The first prize number was “2444”. Everybody was cursing and swearing … then someone actually realised that the lady has given the correct first prize number. Huh? You see, when she said “satu dua tiga empat” she did not mean the straight forward “1234”. What she meant was ‘satu dua” and “tiga empat” … in other words, she meant one “two” and three “fours” … meaning one numeral “2” and three numerals “4”… so she actually meant “2444”. Everyone was stunned, nobody figured that out earlier. It was a “talk of the village” for a long time. Even until now, some of the old folks staying in the same place still remember that incident.

Do you bet on numbers? You want the winning numbers for the next draw? I suddenly feel that lady luck is standing beside me now … and I think I heard she said “tiga lima satu lapan” … so you figure it out ok?
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The best things in life are free

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Life is not easy … people are slogging every day hoping to make enough money to buy comfort for the rest of their lives. So engrossed in the rat race, they lost track of what really add values to their lives. They have to pretend and put on different masks to compete in the rat race, so much so that when they come home, they are not sure if it is really themselves they are looking at in the mirror. Life has become so complicated that people need sophisticated gadgets to keep track of themselves … emails, mobile phones, short messages services, blackberries and GPS ... even the computers are talking now. Scary isn’t it?

Confucious said “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated”. How very true and in the complicated labyrinth that people created, many raced through so fast without noticing the simple things in their lives, forgetting to slow down and ask if they understand why they are doing what they are doing. Somehow, somewhere in the complicated race they forgot to be a father, a mother, a husband, a wife, a brother, a sister, a son, a daughter or simply just a friend.

Hey, slow down, take a step back and get out of the complicated race. You don’t really need to do so many things … less is more … it is the sweet, simple things of life that add real values. No need to spend time seeking beyond yourself to get all the things you wanted. Just take time to enjoy things you already have. Take it easy and make it simple. Take time out with the kids and dogs to play in the playground. Find time to hike up nearby hill, take a walk in the nature, stop and smell the flowers, look at the birds and enjoy the morning breeze. Cook a meal for the family or bake a cake to share with friends. Get some exercise or just relax and read a book.

Find time for all these very simple things. And they don’t cost a lot. As a matter of fact, many are free. Ever heard people say that the best things in life are free?
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Panjang no more ...

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Regular trekkers at Gunung Angsi will definitely know the Panjang's Kopitiam rest point along the Bukit Putus – Gunung Angsi trail. This place was built by a very good man for the benefit of all trekkers at Gunung Angsi. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to meet this person. At this rest point you can help yourself with the food stuffs available and of course also pay whatever you think is appropriate so that the money can be used to replenish the food stuffs for the benefit of all trekkers at Gunung Angsi. Sunday trekkers will remember the “tong sui” (sweet desert) offered at Panjang’s Kopitiam.

Panjang's Kopitiam as it used to be

Trekkers can help themselves to food stuffs available here and put in their contributions accordingly

But Panjang's Kopitiam is no longer available. The last time we trekked up to Gunung Angsi via Bukit Putus, we were disappointed to see that someone dismantled and burned down the place. What is left is a pile of burnt rubbish. What a dissappointment ! I was told by some local trekkers that the forest rangers are responsible for this. I don’t know why the rangers did that. Yes, I must say that the rest point is built without permission from the forestry department but hey, I am sure the local rangers can show a bit of compassion and consideration that this place was built for the good and benefit of trekkers at Gunung Angsi. I think all trekkers at Gunung Angsi will agree with me.

What is left of the place now

Anyway, whatever that is done cannot be undone. I want to thank the good man for all that he has done for the trekkers at Gunung Angsi. Whoever and wherever he is now, I am sure we all will remember his good intentions, contributions and of course the unique Panjang’s Kopitiam.

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Tail or tale?

Let me tell you a tail … oops ... I mean a tale of happiness. This is how it goes … a young puppy asked his mother "Where is happiness?"  The mother replied "It's on your tail." So the young puppy keeps on chasing after his tail, going round and round. But after a whole day of trying, he failed to get the happiness that was on his tail. Then he told his mother about it and his mother smiled and said "Son, you don't really need to chase after your happiness, as long as you keep going with whatever you have, your happiness will always be with you."

I am sure you see the wisdom of the above tale … you don’t have to chase for happiness, keep moving with whatever you have, live within whatever you can afford and happiness will always be following right behind you. Don’t be blinded by chasing for materialistic possessions. When you see a relative buys a big house, doesn’t mean you have to own a big house too. When a colleague uses the latest IPhone, doesn’t mean that you have to get one to match. When your neighbour buys a new car, doesn’t mean you have to drive a better one to show.

Hey, I am not saying that you have to live like a pauper … if you can afford it, by all means go get it. You have struggled to build a successful life, so you should enjoy the fruits of your success. The wisdom here is, don't keep on chasing. Somewhere, somehow, you must know when to stop. Are you getting something that you really need? Or you are always chasing just to show that you have bigger, better and more possessions than others?

If you keep chasing, it just goes round and round … it will never end. There are no free things in this world. Whatever you are chasing after there is always a price to pay. And when you realise that it has started to affect your health, your loved ones, your family and friends, it is already too late. And worse, many keep chasing without realising that it has already turned into greed … and with greed comes a host of troubles.

One must know, when enough is really enough. So, how much is enough? You decide. You can keep chasing the tail, on and on, round and round … or you embrace the wisdom of the tale above. So, it is up to you … tail or tale?
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4 men and a coconut tree

When we first trekked up Gunung Angsi, we noticed that some good fellow trekkers have planted various types of trees and flowers at the peak. One of my fellow trekkers asked “Eh … why people don't plant coconut trees at the peak … can coconut trees grow at high altitude?” Now seriously, it never struck my mind to look out for coconut trees while trekking but I thought I saw coconut trees planted in some areas in Genting Highlands. The question was “Will it grow on top of mountains?” The weather is kind of cool and dry at high altitude areas.

No need to ask too many questions, let’s try it out … we will plant a coconut tree on the peak of mountains we trekked and see if it will grow. And when the 4 of us went to Gunung Angsi on the 30th Jan 2010, we brought along a young coconut tree.

Trekking up Gunung Angsi is fairly easy via the Bukit Putus trail. I have not trek up via the Ulu Jempul waterfall but was told that it is a bit longer but is also a fairly easy trail. We normally like to trek up from Bukit Putus. Starting from Bukit Putus, the trail is wide and easy and in no time we reached Panjang Kopitiam rest point.

Arriving at Panjang Kopitiam

Two trails, the right trail is easier to trek

From here, there are two trails ... the easier trail is the right side while the other is a tougher trail. We always like to take the tough trail up and the other way when coming down. So after a short rest we continue to trek up and it was easy going all the way. Very soon we reach the second resting point and took another breather here.

On a good day, the Angsi trail is quite windy and very cooling ... it is one of the trails I enjoyed trekking very much. If you come early, you can see the beautiful morning sun beams penetrating through the tree tops plus the nice smell of fresh morning dew.

Finally we reached the top of Angsi and after a quick rest we continue with our task … find a place to plant the coconut tree. We found a good spot and quite easily we planted the coconut tree. We are keeping our fingers crossed and hope that it will grow in the cool dry climate on top of the Angsi peak.

 

Task accomplished - we hope this coconut tree will grow and bear fruits

The Angsi peak at 825m above sea level

While at the peak, we met with another group of trekkers from nearby the area. After a few words with them, we were told that the nearby Kuala Pilah town have good “turtle soup mee” to offer. Then we met a few young Malays boys … they look like some sort of recruits and when we asked them we were told they are recruits from the prison authority. Was told there were 70 of them on the way up. So we decided to descend before the big noisy crowd reach the peak.

On the way down our minds were all thinking about the “turtle soup mee” and in about 2 hours, we made it to the base of Bukit Putus. After a quick wash up at a water pipe near the abandoned shack opposite the road, we went into Kuala Pilah town in search of the “turtle soup mee” place and found it near the town’s market. Now when the food came, we were all shaking our heads … not as what we expected. Put it this way, I am NOT recommending it. But the consolation was the chendol we ordered at the nearby stall … that was GOOD chendol!

After the meal, we headed home and on the way we stopped at a roadside stall to savour a few “kampung” durians and also bought some duck eggs (good for fried kwey teow). Overall, it was a good day out … it’s always a good outing when we trek Gunung Angsi. We will be back very soon to check on our coconut tree.

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Of General Guan Yu and Star Wars

Ggt;

I am now reading the great Chinese novel "Romance of The Three Kingdoms" (actually reading it again … I have read it a few times already). I love this novel with its colourful historical characters of ancient generals, heroes and villains such as Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Zhou Yu, Chao Tzu Lung, Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao and of course Guan Yu (picture-left), a Han general who is the subject of this article. Guan Yu is very much respected until today for his righteousness and loyalty. The Chinese called him “Kuan Kung” or "Kuan Yee Kor" (in Cantonese). He is the fierce looking guy with long beard and armed with a halberd (a type of ancient sword with a long handle) that you see in many Chinese temples. Some people even install the deity of General Guan Yu in their homes. Even though he is not a god, he is very much respected and treated like one.

So what does General Guan Yu have to do with Star Wars?

The story goes like this … once I was visiting a temple and in this temple there was a very nice deity of General Guan Yu. I was just hanging around and was admiring the beautiful statue of General Guan Yu when I noticed that the temple does not use wax candles anymore. The wax candles were replaced by those plastic electric candles … I am sure you must have seen them before … those candle look-a-like with a light bulb that lights up when you switch on the electricity. They will flicker mimicking a burning candle.

At the same time the caretaker of the temple was walking by me and I commented that I don’t see many temples using these electric candles. Honestly, I commented innocently but I don’t know why the caretaker was a bit disturbed by my comment. I could see he was quite agitated and he shot back at me with a tone and manner full of hostility. He said “Eh “how sang chai (young man) … lei tou ng sik yeh, hou lok how (you don’t know anything, very backwards)” … and he went on (in Cantonese) saying that things are very advance now and we must keep in pace with progress and development of new ideas, new things and a full load of related stuffs. Phew! I must have stood there listening to him for quite awhile. Then I thought I better leave, he must have got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

But as I was leaving he said something which hit me on a wrong spot … he said “Lei kang hai mo tok kor shee ... sai kai how chun po chor. Lei mo tai kor Star Wars meh? Translated, those words mean “You must be uneducated. The world is very advance already. You never watch Star Wars before?"

Now those words heated me up a bit and I shot back with my acerbic tongue (in Cantonese) something to this effect … I said “Hello, if you are talking about advance and progress … then why only change the candles? Why is General Guan Yu still wearing an ancient headgear and holding an ancient sword? He should also progress right? And speaking of Star Wars, then our good General Guan Yu should be wearing a Darth Vader’s mask and holding a bloody light sabre (picture-right) … and when you switch on the electric it should go “zzzrrrrrrmmmmm’ and will light up menacingly … and those words (there were a few Chinese words written on the wall nearby) should change too. They should read “May the force be with you” right?

When I finished, the caretaker jaw dropped and before anything happens I walked out of the temple quite satisfied with myself.

Now don’t get me wrong … I am not against using electric candles. They do serve their purpose in keeping the place clean and reduce pollution. But then again, I think some things should be left as they were originally... I mean both the candles and the good old General Guan Yu.

I did not donate ...

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I did not donate to the recent Haiti Relief Fund. I also did not donate to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund not too long ago nor did I make any donations to the 2004 Tsunami Disaster Aid.

Why? Because I don’t wait for disasters to happen to make a donation. Someone asked me the other day “Hey Shiek, you want to make a donation for the coming Chinese New Year?” I said “No” because I also don’t have to wait for a special day to do it.

Every other week there is always someone appealing for donation … a child somewhere with leukaemia needed financial assistance or a student with a life threatening disease facing a huge medical bill or a hardcore poor family who lost their sole breadwinner due to an unfortunate accident. Aren’t all these people suffering the same as those disaster victims?

I donate when I see there is a need to. When I read in the newspapers that someone needed financial help for a bone marrow procedure or an infant who needed an operation to fix a diseased heart, I may send a cheque … not a lot, just a small amount that I can afford. Sometimes more, when I have a bit more to spare for that month.

And when I shop at hypermarkets, occasionally I would purchase an extra packet of rice that is on sale or another tin of discounted Milo and some cookies or biscuits that are specially offered through “purchase with purchase” deals. I will gather all these items and when it is time to pay a visit to an orphanage or an old folk’s home, I will bring them along.

During festive periods, I do receive a lot of hampers and other gift packs from friends and business associates. I don’t need so many of these gifts. One is good enough for my family and the rest I will send them to where they are needed most.

Yes, the disaster victims needed donations, funds and aids ... by all means, help them. So do many of the underprivileged orphans, special children, unfortunate old folks and the poverty-stricken families who also are depending on the same donations, funds and aids to help make their lives a little bit better. Help them too!

Donate as and when you see there is a need ... and it doesn’t necessary have to be monetary. There are many other ways of making donations and contributing to the help the unfortunates. Like me, I hope you don’t wait for a disaster to happen or a special day to do it.

You know what? I will also donate when there is no need. Huh? You see, should I leave this world unexpectedly I will have no need for my organs. I will donate them too. Will you?
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