Hell of a trek SAM CHEONG SEPT 29: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Getting to the Lata Balah waterfalls in Gua Musang, Kelantan, may be `45 minutes in hell' for big-size trekkers like SAM CHEONG but paradise awaits at the end of the punishing walk.
TWO things came to mind before I made the decision that lead to this little story of mine. One was the shape that I was in and the other was the thought of dragging my 90kg bulk on a trek to a waterfall to admire the beauty of Nature. Prodded by my wife Michelle, I decided to give it a shot. If I had been 19 years younger, my immediate response would have been "Aiyah, no sweat-lah!". "Eh, what-lah! You lazy fella," she taunted but I was unaffected. Then it was James Lee's turn to take a swing at me. Outnumbered, I relented. Lee, who turns 34 this year, had come all the way from Singapore to follow Michelle, Steven "Uncle Organic" Leong, Y.P. "Ah Pan" Chan and me to Kampung Halak in Gua Musang, Kelantan on a "humanitarian" mission. Lata Balah, a series of four beautiful falls located upstream on the Perias river that runs across Halak, was our destination. There are two other falls, namely, Lata Cegoh and Lata Pantoh which are situated about 400 metres from Lata Balah. These beautiful falls can only be accessed on foot from Halak. Well, for the record, I've been to all three and the trek there can best be described as "45 minutes in hell". Trampling through the jungle with an overweight body and a "re- conditioned" left leg the result of a bad motorcycle accident three years ago is not exactly my idea of fun. Frankly, I just wanted to chill out at base camp and enjoy a quiet day. But Michelle was not about to give up easily. More one-liners were fired across the cool and tranquil atmosphere at Kem Halak where we spent three nights to help Temiar tribesmen plant their first batch of dragon-fruit saplings and set up their very own vegetable nursery. I thought long and hard and caved in: "Aaaah, okay-lah. Let's go!" Honestly, I didn't know what came over me. Anyway, prior to the trip, I had outfitted Michelle with a pair of telescopic trekking poles and an inflatable sleeping mat. I grabbed my trekking poles, high-tech parang and some gear and we started off on the two-kilometre trail to Lata Balah. Ah Pan, our pint-sized dude who is as nimble as a fairy, led the way followed by Steven. Despite his age, Steven is an amazing guy. My wife has the fitness level of a teenage girl. She didn't show any signs of fatigue at all despite all the trekking. Actually it wasn't fear or sheer laziness that made me hesitate earlier. Truth was, I did not want to trip or fall on my ass on the trail as some stretches were hazardous to big-sized trekkers. Nevertheless, I pushed on, planting my trekking poles carefully at each step. With traction and a good sense of balance, I was amazed to find out that I didn't trip or fumble about as much as I feared. Along the way, we saw plenty of jungle fruits rotting on the ground which was wet and soggy due to heavy rain the previous night. Our 45-minute trek took us through a field that had been slashed and burned, obviously intended for wild rice planting. While trampling across the soft and soggy ground, we came across two streams and plenty of steep slopes. Halak village head Asut Uda and his men had reinforced the steep paths with wooden poles so that we wouldn't lose our balance and roll downhill like sacks of potato. After much huffing and puffing, we finally reached our destination. At the waterfall, Ah Pan was already ready with his fishing rod. Our Temiar guides were also waiting for a tug on their primitive fishing rods I was the last to arrive. After planting my trekking poles on the soft sand at the falls, I started snapping away with my digital camera. "Fuah! Very beautiful," said Michelle. Lee, meanwhile, had this look of amazement all over his face. I sat down and just as I was about to take off my sandals, Alang Adah, one of our guides, dropped three jungle durians at my feet. "Mmmm.. Sedap ni! (delicious!)," I exclaimed, taking out my small fixed blade knife immediately to open the "king of fruits". Jungle durians are smaller than their commercially-grown cousins. They are sweet but not fleshy. This seasonal fruit is found in abundance at Halak from July to August. It has softer thorns and can be opened just by stomping on it with your boot. But please don't try this at home! We spent half the day chilling out at the waterfall. Ah Pan, Steven and the Temiar guides did not catch any fish. With dark clouds looming over our heads, we decided to haul back to base camp. The thought of slippery slopes and "tough as nails" paths did not bother me much when I planted my trusty walking aid onto the ground. On completing the trek, I could see the look of satisfaction on my wife's face. "We go for more trips like this, ah?" she asked. "Okay," I replied, making a mental note that there was now an extra person in my list of "trekking buddies". Well, I'm glad that my soul-mate is appreciative of Mother Nature. It's time to plan more outings for next year. In the meantime, I'll be saving up for better camping equipment... //NST 29 Sept ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/ZP59lB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/perakan/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
