Kinabalu

Masa berlalu terlalu pantas. Kini sudah masuk bulan kedua dalam kalendar Masihi 2016. Terasa setahun yang lalu macam masih fresh dalam ingatan. Aku perlu take a few steps back untuk berlipur lara untuk post kali ini sebab everything started quite a year back.

Menjejak awan at Laban Rata accommodation, 3272m

A year ago, someone dalam komuniti kami telah petik the idea of scaling up Mount Kinabalu. And the idea evolved so fast that it catered 24 individuals within weeks. I was one of them. It was my second attempt. The first was in 2007 in a small party of 7. However, this time the group is huge and the buddies were like perfect.

Though after my first attempt, I was like sort of retired from all this mountain madness, due to time and age of course, but this party is irresistible. You wouldn't want to miss it.

Fund was collected in stages. We had a year to come up with it. It was a good idea, ample and convenient. I like the idea. We bought our flight in January with Malindo at RM325. And some where in April we paid our climbing fee deposit of about RM314. The balance of it came it subsequently and followed by ground handling expenses. With a total of almost RM1000 per person, we find it perfect.

Then came in the training. We scaled a few neighbouring hills and mountains such as Pine Tree Trail, in Fraser Hill, Gunung Datuk in Rembau and Gunung Bunga Buah at Genting Highland. The later was my favorite since the old mountain days. I like the view from the first Rock Garden Peak of Genting Resort. It also reminds me of Gunung Tahan.

I even started running again. After a laborious attempt at Bunga Buah, I knew that I need strong legs and stamina. Hence, the running started weeks before Kinabalu and I revisited the favorite local 8km loop.

On 31-January 2016 we made it to the peak of Mount Kinabalu. 4095.25 meters, as the highest ground in South East Asia. All 24 of us. Totally exhausted but with buddies like this, it was fun. Alhamdulillah.

The cold and chilling wind was stronger than before but the hours spent and magnificent views were prestine.

Low's Peak Smile

Jim Thompson Jamboree

Extreme temperature fluctuation occurred lately in Klang Valley. It gets too cold in the morning. Super nova heat in the afternoon and followed by thunderstorm in the evening. Is this the old Malaysia? At least it is more predictable.

It was slightly different when we arrived at Tanah Rata on Friday night. It was so windy, it blew the Malaysia flag fluttering graciously. We were as usual, late. We only left KL late evening after work. But this time, a little earlier than last year. We still managed to collect our goodies and dinner/supper. Perhaps due to the cold, it was our second dinner.

This is our second trip up Cameron Highland for our mountain bike event. The legendary and mysterious Jim Thompson trail. Nobody actually knew exactly that the trail we rode was the path he took, but trust me, it was one great holy grail for mountain bikers. 

Again we made a lousy entrance at the start line the next morning, when we were as usual...late. But we don't mind. We can have the road to ourselves riding down from Habu to Ringlet and another 15km down to Lembah Bertam (the area hit by super flood last year). The trail head was somewhere at Pos Menson, an area for orang asli settlement. Route C156 is new, previously completed making available access for travellers from Raub and Kuala Lipis through Sungai Koyan. Rode here back in 2011 during PCC Interstate. Ugly climb.

Participants have left the road empty for us, but not until we hit the trail. The elevation change in Jim Thompson trail can 'take your breath away' if you lack confidence and wisdom. The climb may seemed impossible. The energy sapping was greedy. One just need patience in regulating and pacing and trust in the legs and bike. We climbed from 554 meter sea level up to 1266 to the top at BOH Tea Centre. The first stretch was jungle trails connecting two orang asli settlements. Then we reached the pinnacle of the event, riding through tea plantations with super gorgeous sceneries.

Adding to the panorama, we were blessed with superb weather. It was overcast for the whole day. By the time we ended the trail section and into the plantation road, we saw more and more participants enjoying the views or nursing their dampened spirit and cramps. 

We had less stop but a few brief ones since we didn't push ourselves into the red zone. The final descend back to Habu took us through 8 km winding road. And completed this years Thompson trail revisit.

It was never too late to entertain our taste bud, indulging into the famous Raub Ratha Fish Head Curry.

And my first attempt at video production. Borrowed a GoPro from a friend. Still amateur but enjoyed the moment. Don't forget to watch it in HD.

East Cost 100 Miles - Beyond The Peloton

And yet suddenly I have no words to share from the recent event. Not a even a single. Lost most of it. Was it non-dramatic over in Kuantan? It was, definitely, but it did go as planned, Alhamdullillah, without any surprises.

Yes, I gained a few more valuable experience. Bits and pieces put together after the ride. Will share the story as we go down the paragraphs.

Alhamdullillah everything went well. The mission was simple. To cross the finish line within 6 hours without pain and suffer and regrets. The target was set based on the training yardstick. If we could've spent a bit more on strength input, we might target for a better time. Hence, we just stayed rational and logic, avoiding any 'Benson & Hedges Golden Dreams' of being in the first peloton till the end.

The great stuff from the weekend was the outing with buddies itself. The story beyond the peloton. The camaraderie. It has been a while since a road trip, I think the last one was from last year's KCR160 in March.

We left KL early that Saturday morning, an attempt to beat the jam. We failed since the Saturday's public holiday attracted even more traffic leaving the city, creating massive queue at Gombak Toll Plaza. We ditched the highway and enroute ourselves to the old Gombak Road, our weekend cycling route. Driving through it ain't exciting though, compared to climbing it on 2 wheels.

Eventually reached Kuantan after skipping almost every overcrowded rest area. Even queuing for the toilet made it looked like getting a football ticket. We checked in at our beautiful homestay at Indera Mahkota for  a quick clean-up. The 4 rooms semi-D was gorgeous. Perfect for 17 of us and 17 bikes. Did you said SEVENTEEN??! First come first served, baby! Almost felt like a bangla-kongsi with air-conditioned bedrooms.

The luxurious kongsi

Then it was the bib collection a.k.a. meeting up with other fellow cyclists with some chit chats thrown in before we indulged for the biggest behind the scene drama.

Half of us

Ana Ikan Bakar Petai is one of the favourite local joint for seafood in Kuantan. An early dinner, as early 5.30 in the evening was our plan. Simply to avoid the expected crowd. True enough, we made the best decision. Should we came in half an hour late, we'll be standing and waiting for empty tables while wiping our growling tummies :]

The war started right away. With 10 cyclists ready to carboload, the menu was humongous. We appeared to be eating equivalent to 20 person. And there's not even an inch of empty space on the table. Masak petai for the Golden Snapper, masak 3 rasa for the other 2 Red Snappers, a sea of fried squids, spicy delicious Tom Yam, telur dadar and free flow of rice. We were monsters in disguise. The war rages on like there's no tomorrow. The battlefield was scary and yet no one seemed to be withdrawing. Until to the last piece, we can barely lift the spoon and fork to feed anymore. It was devastating. The sight of a waiter passing our table with a plate full of fried squids was already traumatic.

The dark side of us

The real us

We headed back to the homestay for the final preparation especially the bikes. Now everyone wants to be the pro-mechanic. Twitching bikes here and there. Garmin calibration. Hydration measurement and electrolyte grading and hydrate. Gels strategy. Tyre pressure gauging. Chain lubing and hydrate. Timing chip setup and hydrate. You name it. The whole house packed like a F1 pit-stop backdrop. It dragged until mid-night.

The next morning, ample wash-room facilities made life easier for morning routines. Some even taking the effort of waking up super early just to enjoy the luxurious morning 'moment'. Quick breakfast with anything we can grab on, Nescafe for me as usual for that particular 'umph!' feel. We rode to the start line a kilometre away at Malaysia International Islamic University.

Almost half an hour before flag-off, we received a surprise turn up from our long lost friend Nik Enaikay, a legendary runner blogger. Now he's into photo-blogger. Great to see him.

We don't have any special plans. Trying to keep together was impossible since the 2000 cyclists were packed for the first 30 km rolling start. In that particular distance, disaster occurred almost at every 5 km. All stunts right before my eyes. Horrific.

There were crashed from fallen water bottles. Crashed from pot holes. Crashed from tangling wheels and wheels. And even a herd of cows almost triggered a crash when they attempted to cross the road!

I dare not distract myself from the front view and all hands on the brake levers and shifters. Full alert for any mishaps. The cruising speed was devilish, tops almost at 45 kph at times, especially at the nostalgic Pantai Sepat. Sprinting legs were stung whenever the peloton got strung after every corners and inclines. It was super-interval for the first hour. It was pain trying to latch to the first bunch.

No more solitary at Pantai Sepat

Upon completing Pantai Sepat and the kampung road, I got a side stitch. Argh! Perhaps from the rock and roll tempo pace. I had to let go. By the this time, the peloton was released from the pace car and hell broke loose. I grasp for any smaller groups that I can latch to but to no avail, the side stitch didn't help.

As the pain subsides moments later, a group of 7 riders passed by and a foreigner invited me to form a descend pace group. We took turn leading and the speed was managed at a very pleasurable one, I was smiling again rather than crying & startled during the last hour. This small group hold the pace together for at least 10 km before suddenly a huge peloton of nearly 150 riders, I think, caught up and engulfed us back into a sea of cyclists. However the speed remained calm for a while for self recovery. Phew!

The rolling starts after 80 km and that was where most of us was in our own war. When the pain from overboard zone pace started to be fruitful. I had to be a bit selfish, latching up to even a tiny group of 2 cyclists! Shame on me. Then we turned slightly bigger to 7, but soon as we hit the KOM stage, we were back to 1 again. The KOM stage was lonely, and Nik was there to capture my miserable looks. Thanks Nik for the priceless answer.

Bro, mana water station??
Entah la bro. Aku pun tak tau.
Thanks for the honest answer Nik!

Lucky the KOM was short, but the the third water station (WS) was 10 km away! With 3 bottles with me from the beginning, my plan was to skip the first 2 WS. It worked but the mental game played along through the lonely path.

At WS-3, familiar faces waited. Alwin and Azahari. Ziff caught up slightly before. The sense of camaraderie gave a tiny sting of hope of being able to ride together again like our normal weekend ride. And our conversation which was mostly about the 'initial super-interval stage' became lively.

Sponge Bob friends

Again, the tiny excitement melted once we hit the partial end of the East Coast Highway. It has the complete package for a century meltdown with accumulating miles, accumulating pain, energy dissipation, heat from above and below, headwind, exposed and straight climbs. The trauma of Guthrie Corridor hit us. It was mental game again. We barely converse. Silence hits the surface.

It lasted for 13 km one way and we have to return the same way on the other side. The front riders have turned back and tormented faces were streamlined along the way. The three of us took mercy under a bridge for a moment and continued on towards WS-4 at KM133. Now this stop represents the best of it all. A sponging facility! At the time of the day, that was the most brilliant idea. We indulge ourselves into it. Squeezing the sponge, slowly releasing the freezing water through the helmet and down our spine. We took refuge under a van's rear door while deciding to wait for the rest of the buddies which we saw will join soon.

Det and Akmal arrived moments later and we continued to parade ourselves for the remaining 30 km with two more humps and a rolling pass. We knew that sub-6 is already in our grasp, hence another brilliant idea from Alwin to stop for a thirst quencher at a Guava juice stall. Priceless.

We rolled in towards the finish line together somewhere after 5:40 hours of riding time, smiling, no cursing and enjoyed the shower from the fire hydrant's spout. Ethically collected our medal and cert and of course lunch while resting and honouring our taxing day. Suddenly the camaraderie went dead, perhaps due to incompleteness of the bangla on bikes circle.

However, it went lively back again right after we headed back to the homestay and the so called post ride talks, joke and 'lambungs' flew all over Indera Mahkota with a loud bang from the 17 of us. While washing our bikes we added more talks and laughters. We excelled, we ran out of luck and we enjoyed the century distance in our own way.

Wait! The war finale ain't over until the post ride meal is official. Another round of smaller scale war due to diminishing appetite but a plain white rice with a bowl of hot Tom Yam was the best to tease my pale taste bud.

Lost of words nya la haiiii...

School Break Tripping - 2

Train Trip

Present time

Our next outing two days after Broga Hill was taking a train trip to Ipoh. It was a first experience for the kids but not for me. As I walked into KL Sentral, the new KL Train Station, I sensed the different atmosphere from what I’ve been used to 15 years ago. Things have changed for the industry. I missed the old station; with a more relax ambience and old school stuff. Remember those metal stand ticketing machine? Almost mistaken for a statue with fountain! And the small thick cardboard tickets. The train conductor would then goes around the train punching holes into them. 

KL Sentral has that metropolitan driven atmosphere. Hectic. Just like the usual LRT stations all over the city. Combined with shopping retails and kiosks, the mood was different.

It brought me back down memory lane when commuting by train was my favorite thing especially the trip to the rural east coast state. I would normally skip my hometown trip during semester break for an outdoor adventure. Mostly to Pahang and Kelantan. The midnight train was the only best time saving killing and most convenient and cheapest way. Via concession ticket price for student e.g. MYR11 for a return trip. Coaches were lighted with those dim yellow bulb, stimulating the classic mood, and those opened rattling windows letting in the cold night breeze. We can’t survive a normal conversation due to the thundering sound of iron clanging against iron where wheels meet the rail. And sometimes the sound grew even louder when the train slices through those gravels.

Transit at Gemas was always a classic one. We would stop to wait for another train from Singapore. The coaches would then change tracks and split for their own destinations. The normal waiting game would be from 12.00 midnight to 2.00 a.m., but Gemas was never silent. Passengers and business folks would litter the station platform for early morning snacks or hot coffee tied up in a plastic with a straw. The hot curry puff was always the best take away deal for the remaining times aboard the mail train.

Unlike Senandung Malam, its faster/express predecessor, our midnight mail train stops at all stations, be it major ones and also the smallest ones. It takes in all types of cargo that require their mail delivery service which mostly letters, motorcycles and parcels. This mail train cuts through the night like a steel blade.

A few of my trips ended up at a few places in Pahang and Kelantan. Jerantut, Merapoh, Dabong, Gua Musang, Dabong and Tumpat. Some are big stations like Jerantut, Gua Musang and Tumpat, but the rest are merely nothing. Arriving at these stations in the early morning would mean pitch dark experience in the middle of nowhere. And we would only have a small window to get off the train. The stop is only 3 minutes max.

The early morning train into rural Pahang and Kelantan would also be a good eye opener of how life can be as basic as possible for the locals. Train would be their only mode of transportation. School children commute to school. Marketers and traders alike were doing their business on and off the train from stations to stations. Live chickens can be a surprising turn up at times.

Coming back to the present, the speed train can achieve 165 km/hr reducing the time from KL Sentral to Ipoh to about 2 hours 30 minutes; almost same time like driving. My trip down memory lane was longer than the current trip itself. The air-conditioned coaches with LCD tv and comfy seats broke the mood of the old days Nescafe Classic train trip.

In fact, the kids were not quite really enjoying the trip since they were mostly busy haggling with those iPads, iPhones and such.

I wish I still  have those pictures of yesterdays...

Got this from lebai google of Gua Musang

Perhaps I will plan for a revisit to these places, but maybe not by train. Bicycle perhaps...?

School Break Tripping - 1

Broga Hill

Peace

School break was just over. There were no big plans for the family except for a few local short trips. It was actually a more preferable plan to avoid the hectic school break crowd and traffic trauma. And also steep suicidal hotel rates.

I dragged the whole house for a Mother Nature retreat that particular weekday morning. We scaled Broga Hill. It was Friday morning, when we left the house slightly after 8.00. People may prefer to be up there early admiring the phenomenal sunrise but for our first attempt, we find it better to trek up in broad daylight. Besides, we are amateurs and inexperience trekkers.

The drive from home was casual and short which took less than 30 minutes. Semenyih town was hectic with traffic commuting from sub-urban areas towards city center. The population has surpassed the road capacity. With ever growing housing schemes, the trunk road has choked.

Reaching Broga Hill carpark was a straight forward affair after paying the RM2.00 fee. Parking was ample, perhaps due to the late hour and non-weekend timing. We chose a spot nearest to the trail head but still visible enough from parking attendance view, so just in case if anything happen.

Anxiety crept in. Wife & kids were suddenly ahead scaling into the trail. I howled to them to keep it at a manageable pace since we don’t know how far and how difficult the trail will be. A signboard showed 1.7km to Bukit Broga, the peak I presumed.

The trail was covered mostly, and clean. Wide enough to receive ascending and descending trekkers. Some may be slippery due to the dry and loose soil. As a trail itself, it is always in its true nature form with ruts and gulley along the way. But still, a safe one for everyone as long as we watch our step.

Due to its short distance, an abrupt elevation gain is expected. The boys seem to have no trouble scaling the trail as it gets steeper, especially my youngest Padawan. He was the fastest and most energetic. The one in trouble was my dearest. Due to rare physical expeditious like this and retirement from previous hobbies, anyone can conclude to jump into labor breathing, nausea and discouragement. I decided to pull the brake on the chugging train to ensure that we continued on together. The progress was intermittently swapped with a few breathers along the way, plus loads of pep talk.

We finally reached the open area where suddenly the sky opens up revealing a different kind of scenery. A large green meadow of lalang covering acres of land, high and low. It was gorgeous. The first to yell about the discovery was of course my ‘personal Padawan trekker’. We relayed down the achievement to our fellow comrades who was struggling, but manageable in an effort to provide a boost for motivation. It seemed to work for a bit, but that was only before we notice ‘the wall’.

In plain sight, it may seem like an open and bare surface where we had to climb. Truthfully, it looked scary. Came closer, it was a bit difficult to climb due to the loose and slipper sand plus without any place to grab for hold. Obstacles were tackled in a jiff with patience and virtue. Alhamdullillah.

The boys and father decided to finalize our mission straight to the final peak where as the ladies had enough of climbing and gave way to the breezy escapade at the first peak.

Mission accomplished. The walk down was easy for most of them except my trying to control the tingling knee pain (aging factor). An attempt to lobby about our next outdoor adventure e.g. FRIM or Bukit Apek was flunked aside straight on. I think they had enough.

That's the final peak

One of the peak

More awesome place

Malaysia Boleh...Ubah! :P

Epically X-Rated Kayuh "Laksa" Version

The word “epic” is best explains the X-Rated Kayuh Lasak. What turns out to be a planned ‘kayuh laksa” ride, gave birth to an epic “tolak basikal” ride. Nothing gets easier than that. And there goes my whole week of lower back ache and insufficient beauty sleep. Not about complaining here, but rejoicing the adventure and torment celebrating the 10^th Kayuh Lasak Penang Jamboree served by KOTRT. Thumbs up!

Four of us planned for a quick getaway for this ride over the weekend, but it proves that you don’t get enough of Penang from just a night stay. And you would just kill yourself from the oversize traffic chaos.

I’ve skipped a few Kayuh Lasak. Done my first in 2003 for their second Kayuh Lasak edition and I was addicted for more suffer fest when KOTRT kept on adding more thrills and challenge. I came back for the next 5 consecutive years before I hung up the bike for a more ‘clean’ ride on the road bike :P

Kayuh Laksa version for me, as always, was due to the lack of training…macam ler dulu-dulu pun train? Yesteryears was once a week aje kayuh, hence this lazy butt adopted the same ritual. And you’ll be amazed at the moment of truth where the big momma’s climb can be really a pain in the butt.

Penang has been popular about the traffic, which started from the Juru Toll. Though we tried planning our travel time, the traffic conundrums can’t be avoided. It continued on entering the bridge but surprisingly Jalan Masjid Negeri was silky. It rained throughout the evening over the island, and that was just promising for a bonus thrill on the trail. However, we had loads of Penang meals to chase the worries away. From nan tandoori to cendol and Penang laksa. Nasi kandar? Save that for post ride.

The volume of participants grew year after year. My first Kayuh Lasak had only about 500 passionate mountain bikers putting on our trail vacation spirit, tasting those holy single tracks left behind from the Colonial age. This year, the crowd grew immensely into easily 1500 riders, and that created a huge impact on the trail traffic as well.

We came late that morning due to logistic issues and of course parking issue. Hence, Alwin and me decided to chill and rolled off from the tail end. Honestly, we were actually the last ones leaving Youth Park and the last ones crossing the gate up the Jeep Trail. But, it didn’t last long before the climb starts and hundreds of riders started to stop pedaling and started pushing. Jeep Trail was packed! People were pushing bikes all over the place and that left only a single line to keep pedaling. If this guy pedals too slowly, then we were stuck tailing him without any room to overtake. It was a 4km climb and I lost a kilometre from bike portaging. Attempting to ride it was almost impossible. It was just too steep for me. I should come back for a revisit.

Traversing the island via Penang Hill towards Balik Pulau was plainly 100% epic and 200% adrenaline. Every mother climb gave birth to mother downhill. The continuing descending from the Jeep Trail climb brought me back down memory lane. It was an endless technical descent and you’ll be using all your muscles for it. Siapa kata turun bukit tak guna muscle? The straining starts from the tip of the finger till the tip of the toe. And you’ll start asking yourself when it will end? It was just awesomely long!

The tax of climbing came abruptly before you even dreamed of reliving the smile from the descending. The second climb was nothing less than the first one, only with less traffic. But the scene was different. It was better. We climbed through a durian orchard and the endless sight of Balik Pulau coast on our right was simply breathtaking.

Not quite finish with the hefty climb, we were challenged with a technically suicidal descend. That slippery concrete narrow lane swerved at switchbacks after switchbacks bringing another endless adrenalin rush, and dangerous too. A split second of wrong judgment, I could’ve overthrown myself over the side and land in Balik Pulau! But, that didn’t take any toll so far since the swerving trailing of 10 riders was caught up by the over cautious ones up in front. That was just a little too bad for the adrenalin junkies. Or else, it would be a lovely snaking descent.

We reached Balik Pulau and started climbing back up on a tar road, just like Genting Sempah only with a slight blow from the coastal wind. This was supposed to be the pre-climb or legs loosening part because what wait was another big momma! The final one I hope. It was just plain monotonous except for some single track section climb that was just very tricky when you don’t have the rolling momentum while tailing another group of over cautious riders. Sometimes I had to give a bit shouting motivations just to keep them going. Pressure sikit la konon J

Eventually the trail came up to a slight civilization whilst approaching the Ayer Itam Dam, after another round of tricky switchback. By this time, there’s lesser canopy from the foliage and becoming hot by the minute. The following downhill thrill was nothing more than pain and fatigue in the forearms. It was another slippery concrete descend and it was too steep. There was no more tapping on the brakes but more like squeezing it for your life! My mind started playing the “Rumor Has It” tone all the way down and when it was about time to bail out from the over kill, the final checkpoint await. BIG Phew!

6KM ride back to Youth Park via Ayer Itam town and part of Greenlane, blending in back into Penang chaotic traffic. I guesstimate that it was slightly after 1.00 when I crossed the gantry…smiling of course. The rest of the gang was already chilling out with fruits and cans of Red Bulls. Sumptious!

Though I missed Checkpoint 8 when I failed the cut-off time, it was still an awesome jamboree. I gave this a 5 star when all the previous 3 jamborees in 2012 combined would never come up to this one. Coming back? Definitely, not just for the ride but for Penang heritage J

Tripping - Langkawi D4

Day 4

It should be our last day. Ler…ada lagi rupanya. Tak reti nak balik rumah ke? Hahaha. Wait till I tell you towards the end. It’s going to be the final, I promise.

And we have almost the whole day to ourselves to just do whatever. Orang kampong kata “free and easy” la konon. Konon ye.

Since dah tidoq awal, we had enough rest then. So, kids bugging to go to the beach. Semalam tak dapat main kat beach sebab cuaca tak mengizinkan & dah lewat petang. Hari ni supposed depa kena kasi puas hati chillax.

Weather was still gloomy from yesterday and still wet. Overcast all over the horizon, so panorama nampak lebih mandom instead of terang benderang from the typical beach scenes. At least takde lah golap kulit ni haaaa berjemur ye tak.

Slowly the beach nestled in with crowds coming in every other minute. Joggers, swimmers, shutterbugs. And the resort management did their job well by having housekeeping personnel keeping the beach clean. Bagus lah kan? No wonder la beach nampak bersih.

After a while, I got tired of sitting, watching and waiting. Kids were having a great time, of course lah. Kids. Aku decide to walk the beach to other end which seems to be something worth discovering. The solitary moment I seek.

Mengatur langkah demi langkah, aku observe pelbagai jenis beach resort sepanjang perjalanan. From individual chalets to high class properties. Very high class ones, where they have their own outdoor bar by the beach, sure depa serve cocktail dengan payung kecik tu kan? Beach benches bersepah, typically catering for the mat sallehs la. Orang Melayu idak nya nak berjemur.

Nearby islands seemed so close and reachable if aku ni adventure sangat untuk pi redah. However, the walk was just another typical walk along the beach tanpa sebarang benda menarik yang aku boleh share. Sempat la jugak gatal tangan nak on kan endomondo just to check on the distance. 2KM aje.

We saw the skyline turned grey telling us that rain is approaching. From the point of standing, and due to the open horizon, we could see the phenomenon of rain eating up the land and sea, screening the power of monsoon. Apa lagi? Berterabur ler lari balik chalet.

We checked out at noon and decided to drive pusing island. Singgah kat tourist spot beras terbakar sat, beli towel mandi dari China yang mak aku pesan. 3 helai RM20 tu. Hahaha. Then to Pantai Pasir Hitam. Telaga Air Hangat (nice facilities but there's something wrong with the drainage system coz the hot spring didn't drain properly causing some sort of contamination look). Then dah sampai balik pekan Kuah. More or less covered 60km. No wonder la Ironman Langkawi kena pusing bike leg sampai 3 kali nak cari 180km. Hehe.

Model Paksaan Pantai PAsir Hitam

Our flight back to be at 10.00pm, hence still lots of time to bask around. Fikir punya fikir, suddenly wifey decided to give it a shot at the cable car ride. Ooooh! She missed the first ride sebab belum prepared. Hehe. Yes, we took the chance to take a friend’s advise that the sunset therapy from Gunung Mat Chincang was priceless. Tapi sebelum tu kami pi pekena laksa power kat jalan airport dulu. Memang lazat, bukan aje sebab rasanya, but the location tepi pantai tu dah cukup 'moment'.

'Moment' beb. Rasa macam nak bawak balik otak udang tu

6.30 p.m. dah sampai peak. The part where Umar dok pi usik ibu dia masa dalam cable car, kita skip la. Hehe. Tak ramai orang tapi semua have the same agenda. We just chilled, enjoying the cool mountain breeze and the gorgeous view. On the west side is the Telaga Harbour. The north view, range of padi fields surrounded by mountains. The east side, where it is still untouched, lay across green mountain range with solitary coastline. It was quiet, just the whispering wind brushes through our faces. The typical mountain 'moment'. Hurriedly brought me back through the timeline while atop Mount Tahan, Mt Kinabalu and a few others. The same 'moment'. I was touched. Touching la pulak. Tapi aku serious ni beb. Keindahan ciptaan Allah swt yang macam ni lah yang memang aku appreciate sangat setiap kali aku melangkah kaki mendaki gunung zaman dulu-dulu. It  bring me closer to the Creator. Subhanallah.

The South Platform.
Almost like city in the sky

Maghrib at 7.03pm. Thus the moment for sunset therapy came. Takde bersenjatakan camera canggih, so I have to be thankful with what I have. The light penetration was just pure and full of sincerity. Masa ni amik gambor dengan camera cikai pun memang kompom chun. With slight overcast covering the sun and the skyline, it was just a dramatic view.

East. Telaga Harbour

West. Sunset therapy

Magical

Tak payah tunggu lama-lama. Tak lama lagi dah nak gelap. Even when we reached the carpark pun dah golap. Time to check-in at the airport. Satisfied with our tripping days.

However, the thrill didn’t end soon. While we were queueing, ibu showed me some figures which doesn’t add up. Err…flight schedule ni sebenornya tunjuk pukul 10.00am or 10.00pm ye?

OMG! OMG! OMG!

Tak payah citer banyak. Memang dah sah ler ayah tersalah beli tiket & kita overlooked the flight time. Aiyak. Consultation dengan airline counter didn’t help much since the tickets dah kira hangus. While the next flight fare would be too cekik sebab dia ikut normal rate.

Staying another night for the next morning flight will just add up to more logistic issues and of course cost. So, we have to face abang Tony’s counter for the last resort. Sorry bang Tony, hang memang double ‘A’ la. Hahaha.

We purchased for the flight at 10.40pm. Kids are running out of juice but they stayed cool and rational. Tabik from ayah. It was cold too. Takpe atas plane ayah mintak pinjam selimut & Amir boleh tidur for an hour before kita sampai KL ye.

“Mintak maaf encik, selimut kena beli”.

“Mintak maaf encik, sila naik kan semula kerusi sebab kami dah nak sampai”.

“Kacang ada tak?” Jangan harap!

And we only enjoyed our so called nap for half an hour. And the captain took us another 15 minutes from that point of landing until la plane betul-betul parking, which was tersangat jauh. Senget buah pinggang aku dukung Umar sampai ke terminal building.

OK la. We deserve to be penalized for the carelessness. Takpe. Alhamdullillah. Overall the tripping went well, minus the minor glitches but it was an enjoyable experience.

Posing ala Ustadz Azhar Idrus :]

Tripping - Langkawi D3

Day 3

Pagi kedua kami teruja pulak dengan island hoping. Terutama aku, yang teringin sangat nak ke Tasik Dayang Bunting. Tapi cuaca agak mendung. Dari kejauhan kelihatan awan hujan berarak mengelilingi pulau-pulau berdekatan. Sahabat travel agent memberi pendapat, jika hujan aktiviti island hoping agak kurang enjoy. Namun kami berserah kepada yang Maha Esa & Abang Cad yang bakal menguruskan trip kami.

Naik bot kecik aje dari tepi jeti feri besar-besar tu. Bot kami muat-muat lebih kurang 15 orang, siap berbumbung & bertingkap. Kami meninggalkan main island tanpa aku ketahui ke mana pakcik kapten nak bawak kami. Memang laju. Pengalaman aku menghentak punggung seperti ke Pulau Manukan dulu berulang kembali. Nasib baik bot pakcik ni ada banyak kusyen. Muka yang dari tadi penuh senyuman dah berubah jadi kelat tatkala setiap kali bot menghentak ombak, or was it the other way? Tak kisah la, tapi memang dah mula fikir “bila ler nak sampai ni bang?!”. Hehe.

Pulau Beras Basah jetty

Aku rasa almost 30 minit kami berlabuh di jeti Pulau Beras Basah. Cantik pantainya. Putih bersih pasirnya dan panorama keliling oleh pulau-pulau kecil bersebelahan dah rasa macam di negara lain. Sayangnya aktiviti kami hanya terhad kepada melepak di pantai itu sahaja sebab topografi pulau yang menghimpit pantai tersebut dengan batuan di kiri dan kanan menghalang aktiviti menjelajah. Lagi pun, aku bersama family dan kelengkapan juga kurang. Kami just chillax sambil melayan monyet-monyet yang dah mula menunjukkan tanda-tanda ‘minat’ kat kami.

Let's do the Tarzan stuff!

Satu jam kemudian, pakcik bot sampai tatkala hujan sedang lebat turun. Begitu juga dengan bot-bot pengunjung lain. Aku rasa memang pengusaha island hoping memang setting timing semua lebih kurang. Maybe atas sebab-sebab jika berlaku kecemasan dan sebagainya.

Bot kami berlayar di balik-balik pulau-pulau kecil yang sangat indah. Ada pulau yang menunjukkan tanda-tanda berpenghuni tapi pulau-pulau yang kecil mungkin tidak. Terdapat juga pulau yang tanpa pantai, hanya gerigi batuan tajam yang curam membentuk geografi yang sangat unik. Sambil-sambil itu juga, aku cuba explain kat anak-anak ciri-ciri pembinaan pulau ini. Jadi cikgu geografi pulak. Hahaha.

Kelihatan juga banyak bot-bot island hoping lain yang bertebaran di merata tempat dan di sebalik pulau-pulau lain. Memang pakej perlancongan Langkawi merupakan salah satu punca rezeki orang-orang tempatan. Alhamdullillah.

Pakcik memberhentikan bot di tengah-tengah sebuah teluk yang agak tenang airnya. Hujan dah mula berhenti. Aku membuka pintu hadapan bot dan menjengukkan kepala, lantas aku terpukau apabila menyaksikan puluhan burung helang berlegar-legar memenuhi angkasa. Satu fenomena yang belum pernah kami lihat, burung helang liar yang bebas berterbangan di habitat semulajadi mereka, dan bukan burung helang yang terkurung di zoo.

Kenapa aku rasa ayat aku dah macam karangan UPSR?! Ceh...

Sekali sekala kelihatan helang turun ke permukaan air menyambar kulit ayam yang dilemparkan oleh pakcik bot. Tatkala ini aku hanya mampu berpuas hati dengan foto yang diambil dengan Blackberry. Tak berapa nak cun sangat, unless ada DLSR yang boleh zoom, memang aku boleh memang award National Geographic kot. Hehe. Kami leka memerhati pemandangan semulajadi tersebut. Satu keajaiban dalam penciptaan Tuhan yang Maha Berkuasa.

Aku expect our next destination should be Pulau Dayang Bunting, since waktu dah pun menjelang tengahari. Island hoping dijangka complete by 1.00 p.m. gitu.

The Plane! The Plane!

Setibanya di jeti Pulau Dayang Bunting, kelihatan dah ramai orang. Yang baru sampai & yang dah beratur untuk naik bot untuk pulang. Sama ramai. Bot pun sama banyak, terpaksa queue untuk mengambil dan menurunkan penumpang di jeti yang sempit. Tapi keadaan masih terkawal di mana aku harap tidak akan berlaku sebarang kekecohan macam cerita Pendekar Bujang Lapok. Hahaha.

Sebaik aku menapakkan kaki di tanah, kami sudah disambut dengan pemandangan monyet-monyet. Aku jangka akan berlaku sesuatu di antara dua sepsis primate ni jika keadaan membenarkan. Sedetik kemudian, sebaik kami melangkah menuju ke pulau, telah kedengaran jeritan seseorang. Benar sungguh dah jangkaan ku. Monyet telah panjat di belakangnya dan ingin meragut botol susu anaknya. Normal untuk hidupan liar sebegini bertindak liar dan begitu rakus meragut. Aku hanya mampu berpatah balik dan membantu supaya monyet tersebut tidak mengambil tindakan agresif lagi terutama terhadap isteri dan anak kecik lelaki tersebut. Dia dah dapat botol tu dah cukup baik dia tak kacau lagi.

Tak sampai seminit, satu lagi kes ragut berlaku di baris hadapan. Seorang kakak juga telah diragut di mana roti Gardenia menjadi habuan. Takpe lah kak, anggapkan aje sedekah. Janji kakak selamat tak di per-apakan. Anak-anak aku dah mula berkepit dengan aku, rasa takut. Sedangkan aku cuba tenteramkan mereka dan cuba explain bahawa monyet hanya akan menyerang jika ada makanan pada kita. Kalau takde apa2, tak payah nak risau.

Tapi, I was informed that monkeys kat Bali dah hupgrade. Depa ragut barang kemas in exchange with food. Setakat earings or Oakley tu aku rasa depa dah ada catalogue kot. Kih kih kih.

Pendakian mirip Telaga Tujuh bermula sebaik kami meninggalkan perkarangan jeti, akan tetapi tidak terlalu jauh. Sejurus kemudian kami telah dihidangkan dengan pemandangan tasik yang sangat memukau.

Without the trees blocking the view, it should be cantek

This one cilok from Google

Aku terpanggil untuk terjun tapi malu-malu kucing. Puiii... Umar dah excited nak terjun. Tasik tiada pantai hanya kemudahan platform disediakan untuk pengunjung. Teringat pulak macam pengalaman terjun kat PD Tri dulu. Keliling tasik membentangkan pemandangan cerun-cerun curam. Papantanda menunjukkan kedalaman tasik mencecah 30 kaki. Umar sewa life jacket. Ayah teman Umar. Pakcik bot bagi sama aje masa 1 jam, which is tak lama actually. So tanpa membuang masa, Amir, Umar & ayah terjun tirup menikmati kesejukan dan kesegaran air tasik. Ayah terjun dengan track bottom & t-shirt terus. Sakai betul ayah ni. Takpe, takde masa nak tukar pakaian renang. Bedal.com la katakan.

Settle island hoping. Kami check out dari motel & check in pulak chalet kat Pantai Chenang. Masa untuk chillax suasana laid back. Konon.

Area Pantai Chenang saling tak tumpah dah mirip-mirip Feringhi Walk. Penuh dengan foreigners dan kedai-kedai yang majoritinya cater untuk foreigners jugak. And penuh dengan beach hotels, beach chalets, beach motels, water sport facilities dan segala jua benda yang berkaitan dengan beach & air. Sampaikan locals pun dah jadi beach boys and they started putting up beach joints ala-ala surfers' joints gitu la. 

From Pantai Chenang to the rest
of the world

Kami just grazed along the beach. Rain just stopped. Kids enjoying the surf. A clean beach of course and not too crowded. Very calm. Too bad we didn't get the chance to enjoy the sunset due to massive overcast of rain clouds over the horizon. 

As for dinner, we just checked in kat Restoran Haji Ramli which seemed to be the most reliable halal joint around. Itu pun kami sendiri rasa macam kami mendapat pandangan pelik dari pekerja restoran. Don't know what type of look but that kind of weird stares. Tak kisah ler, Alhamdullillah masakan not bad, asalkan tak order benda pelik selain nasi putih, tom yam & telur dadar. Hahaha.

Our night was short. It rained again slightly after Isya' and we were not keen to venture out and hit the sack early instead.

Tripping - Langkawi D2

Day 2

Seawal pagi esoknya kami terus tuju cable car after a simple and fast roti canai breakfast at Haji Ali Nasi Kandar. Memang antara objektif utama ke Langkawi. Belasah aje jalan ikut signboard. Kompom tak sesat pun & tak mungkin akan sesat sampai ke pulau bersebelahan. Maka kami lalui pelbagai bentuk tempat-tempat peranginan moden belaka. Kagums! Semua high kelas nyah! Level-level aku chillax kat cheap motel aje sebab lebih banyak masa spend kat luar. I’m just being practical, besides bajet ciput. Hahaha.

That's Gunung Mat Chincang. Tinggi kan?

Bye-bye lowland. That's Oriental Village.
To the right is Berjaya
By the sea is Telaga Harbor...I think

And here comes the mountain. Notice the height that we
are at? Tinggi ooo compared to Genting...I think

Unfortunately, we picked a wrong timing untuk menikmati keindahan panorama dari puncak tertinggi Gunung Mat Chincang. Kabus pagi terlalu tebal, dah serupa macam duk kat Genting Highland only without casino royale. Takpe, janji kids enjoy the cable car experience. Oleh kerana adrenalin kami tak tertunai dengan pengalaman anti-climax naik cable car, kami anak beranak hiked up Telaga Tujuh. Tu dia! Almost 500 anak tangga yang boleh tahan curam. Untuk pinggang yang dah lama sangat tak menanggung beban ni, memang tangkap la. Kena pulak part nak mengejor kids yang teruja dengan pengalaman baru ni. It was worth every effort. Baru lah rasa berbaloi dengan balasan scenery air terjun yang indah, cuaca yang segar dan ketulenan semulajadi yang masih belum di nodai. Bab turun balik, let the knee tell the story la. Waduh-waduh pak! Jalan dah serupa ketam!

That is supposed to be our hike plan

This was the 200th steps...I think

That's the waterfall. And the 7 wells are up
there. Jom naik ayah!

This is the edge of the waterfall.
Top right nampak cable car?

Lunch chillax at The Loaf, Telaga Harbor by Che Det

Agenda afternoon, serupa macam ratusan pelancong Malaysia yang lain, pi ziarah Haji Ismail. Famous tuan haji ni. Berebut-rebut orang nak jumpa. Sampaikan bas-bas rombongan tak henti-henti singgah depan setiap outlet tuan haji. Kami pun sama sibuk. Coklat & pinggan mangkuk bebas cukai menjadi habuan masing-masing. Berbakul, berkoyan malah berpeluh-peluh beratur nak bayor. Untuk aku yang minat benda alah coklat ni, minat makan je tak minat amik tau spesis coklat, memang kelabu mata. Sebab utama ialah kemurahan harga yang ditawarkan.

One of my favorite

Big Bird from Sesame Street

Malam pusing uptown. Tu je lah kerja kami mengerjakan kaki kami yang setiap saat semakin lenguh & memerlukan rehat.