Lata Kekabu - Part 4

Making the most out of the remaining daylight...

When we rolled out of the makan place near Tasik Raban, my main concern was bottled drinking water.
I have a set of water filter and an MSR Miox water purifier. So, producing drinking water for the rest of the night wasn't a major issue.
And as we cycled towards the entrance of Lata Kekabu, I saw a stall selling bottled water. Immediately, I grabbed two large bottles for my own consumption.
Others followed suit by purchasing their own drinking water. Apart from this little beverage stall, there's literally nothing at campsite.

Suzali setting up camp

Kak Raha preparing late tea

From the junction, there's at least two more kilometers of climb to cover.
By the time we got there, it was already late in the evening.
For me, the first order of the day was to set up my sleeping quarters.
I took out my Ortlieb trunk bag and laid out a piece of ground sheet and worked on setting up my Kelty Upslope tarp.
Having seen a video on how the pole heights are set, it wasn't really a problem doing so.
But before I could begin, I have to rig up the guy lines on the spine of the tarp. There's a set of eight stakes to work around with..

To make things even more interesting, I set up my Sony AS-20 action cam on the ground and used it's interval shooting mode to capture a time-lapse video. You can see the 17-second video embedded in this blog on how the tarp and bug bivvy was rigged.

My humble domain at the campsite

The tarp with other tents in the background..

Nightfall

The campfire

Engaging with new friends

After setting up the tarp, I had some time to chill out.

Khairul offered coffee while Kak Raha insisted that we try her curry puffs.

The folks that I shared the campsite with were very generous and hospitable. While I indulged in a conversation with the rest of the guys, some of the bikecampers were preparing food for dinner.

And in the heat of things, the last person arrived.

They guys cheered him on as he settled in at this designated tent area.

I was pitched on an open area and many of the good folks there had tripped on my tarp's guy line.

And when you least expect.. 

Round about 8pm, the sky started to open up.

I packed my waterproof panniers and rack pack, moved the ground sheet, sleeping mat and bug bivvy to a dry location and weathered it out.

The first rule of engagement is to keep dry. No matter what, try not to get soaked. 

With the rain pouring down heavily, my hope is that the ground underneath the tarp would be dry.

As the rain got heavier, Suzali asked me to join him and his sons at the Surau. I gladly obliged and took shelter there.

After the rain stopped, I went back to my tarp to inspect the damage. To my surprise, everything was dry.

I was elated and began to set up my ground sheet and bug bivvy.

Later, the expedition leader called everyone for dinner.

By the time I got to the Surau where food was served, everyone was having a hearty meal.

I told Suzali that I had to meet up with a friend in Ipoh and would have to call it a night because I had to break camp the first thing in the morning.

Before the lights went out, I went to Khairul's tent to enjoy a cup of coffee. En Yusri and his friend Zul joined us for a conversation.

They were very keen to cycle around Thailand and Suzali might have a trip just to cater to that.

Sensing that it was getting late, I crawled into my bug bivvy and slept like a log..