Belum : Part 3

Full-on! 

The highlight of our trip was a boat ride to the Royal Belum Park.
Our organizers had packed in a visit to a Rafflesia site, orang asli village, animal salt lick and a waterfall.
This means -- an entire day on the trail.

Boat houses lashed together at the resort

A large tree in the rainforest

One of the many natural sites in Royal Belum

With rain, comes the leeches...

It rained over the last couple of days.
I can say the same for the night before as it poured from as early as 3am till early in the morning.
Michelle was rather upset and told me that the run to the Royal Belum Park may be screwed.
But the weather held up.
We went to the dining area to have our breakfast and were looking forward to the Rafflesia site.
This would be our second encounter with Rafflesias in Peninsular Malaysia.
Two guides with their 40hp outboard boats came to round us up.
And as usual, the loud ladies and their brats were the last to turn up.
I was surprised to experience their enthusiasm.
Steve Khong, the resort operator gave the children their special life jackets and packed lunch before he sent off the group.
Our trip began with a boat ride to Banding.
We were told to purchase some snacks for the Jahai tribesmen.
One of the ladies in our group actually bought vegetables to be handed over to the aboriginal people.
Throughout the trip, this lady asked a lot of senseless questions. Which was really annoying.
Anyway, we reached the Rafflesia site on time and started a 15-minute hike.
Azmi, our guide showed us an area where the flower buds were found. But none were in full bloom.
The man actually located one on a hill slope which was already rotting. But that was better than nothing.
Some of the older women in the loud group had refused to hike up the trail. So, they stayed behind.

Vincent, capturing the Rafflesia on camera

The Malayan Scorpion

I had two encounters with a large Malayan Scorpion. 
Contrary to popular belief, this bug is not as aggressive as perceived.
I switched my lens from wide angle zoom to my trusty EF100mm F2.8L macro lens and started shooting away.
First, I mounted my MR14EX ring flash and noticed that there were some 'soft' corner. Turned out that the diffuser layer was blocking my lens.
Turned off the flash and took a couple of shots using natural light and it worked.

The sum of all fears: The Scorpion striking a pose

Meet the Jahais

Our next destination was an orang asli village.
Having worked with some and seen them during my forays to the wilderness, I'd say that this should be given a miss.
And outsiders should not give handouts to the aboriginal people.
Its obvious that their dependency had grown when a busload of people visits the village to hand snacks and trinkets to their children.
And again, the annoying old lady in our group was asking some really stupid questions..

The Sungai Ruak falls

One of the sites that is still in pristine condition

Chilling out

Having it their way..

We proceeded to an animal salt lick located about 30-minutes boat ride away.
I told Azmi the guide that it was time to break for lunch.
The children on the other boat were getting restless.
We found a shaded area near the salt lick and took the lunch boxes out.
Some of the older ladies were unhappy and wanted to eat on the boat.
Seeing as it is, these city slickers may be reckless. They are very likely to throw their food and plastic spoons in the river. So, bad call.
We ate and proceeded to the salt lick.
This was when the unexpected happen.
One of the young boy had a leech on his testicle and was washing up in the little creek next to the salt lick.
Clearly, the boy was traumatized..

Kelah sanctuary

The last item on the schedule was a visit to Sg Ruak, a fish sanctuary.
We hit the scene at about 3:30pm.
At this point the screaming ladies were apprehensive about hiking to the waterfalls.
They went along after much assurance from Azmi, the guide that there are no leeches on the trail.
I saw a lot of Tiger beetles on the ground and was impressed with the simple set-up at the waterfalls.
There, I took some slow shutter shots and enjoyed the sight of fishes swimming in the stream. You don't get to see this everyday.
As I made my way up to the falls, two of the younger ladies were hiking out with their children. One lady in particular, was carrying her daughter and scolding her all the way.
The outdoors is not for everyone. And like I said earlier, hiking in such trails is not suitable for children below the age of 12. That's a fact.
I spent some time at the falls and can actually see leeches zeroing-in on some footwear that were left on the rocky banks of the water pool.
Later, we boarded the boat and headed back to the resort..

The boat landing area in Sungai Ruak

Hanging out with the Khongs

Farewell dinner

We were quite happy with how things had turned out.
The Rafflesia was a bonus and along the way, we also spotted some eagles and hornbills.
Our host threw in a BBQ dinner which was the main highlight.
During the time, I was waiting in queue behind one of the screaming ladies.
She was scooping some roast chicken on the tray. 
While I watched, the lady scooped everything and walked away. That was utterly inconsiderate and as I see it, the ugly screamer was just down right greedy.
After the meals, it was time for another documentary session before we called it a night.
The following day, we checked out from the resort and started to hit the road on a long drive back to Kuala Lumpur..

Summary

The trip was worth every ringgit and sen.
Our stay at Belum Eco Resort was really pleasant. The food in particular, was excellent!
Spare the screaming ladies, a leech on the right testicle belonging to their little boy and a really annoying orang putih celup, I'd say that we had a good outing.
Having heard about the bird life in the area, I might do a follow-up trip in September this year.

Belum : Part 2

Loud ladies, brats and slippers... 

Thomas, our camp warden had reminded us to gather at the boat pontoon at 02:30pm sharp.
Two groups would be hitting an island with an observation tower.
This is a climb towards the apex of the hill which is roughly about 450metres above sea-level.
To us, its literally a 'walk in the park'.
When we arrived at the dining area, Steve, the resort owner was already there. 
"Wah, you guys are so stylish!," he remarked.
The man was referring to Michelle who came with her Track's hiking staff.
At our age, we are not taking chances -- especially with our knees and ankles. 
One false move, and we will be grounded indefinitely.
Then, the Klang people came. They were literally shouting on top of their voice.
I guess with hearing impairment, this is normal. 
And throughout our three-day stay, the bunch of loud ladies were amusing.

Entering the trail leading to the watch tower

No regards for personal safety: wearing flip-flops on the track

Fashion statement: This lady can easily injure her foot

Baboo the man...

Our resort's boatman/porter/trekking guide Baboo is a 23-year-old Bangladeshi who had been working at Belum Eco Resort for four years.
His knowledge of the area would put many locals to shame.
The Bangladeshi led the hike towards the watch tower which is about 1.3km one-way.
I took noticed of the women from Klang who were wearing only flip-flops. Some of the older ladies were in their pyjamas.
This is odd and I guess being city slickers, they took many things from granted.
A few of them were literally shouting at each other during the hike. Their high-pitched voice in bursts of high decibel tones had shattered the silence in the jungle.
It took us about 30-minutes to hike up the watch tower and the view was simply magnificent.

An awesome view of Banding

Vincent and his elder sister Michelle...

The Samos

Everything that goes up must come down...

I think that children below the age of 12 should not be allowed to hike in the woods.
Unless their parents take supervision and keeps strict discipline, the kids are vulnerable to injuries or even death.
Guess the organisers had taken a big risk by allowing the ladies and their children hiking up the watch tower with their flip-flops and pyjamas. I cringe at the notion that any of them would fall and get hurt..
But Baboo, our man held up. 
He carried one of the kids on his shoulder while hiking down the hill to where our boat is waiting.
We made our way back to the resort and had tea.
The rest of the day was free and easy..

Baboo, a real entertaining resort employee

Having dinner with the rest of the group

Terrific food!

We chilled out at Vincent's hut till dinner time.
During the free and easy hour, we talked about and started to plan next year's trip.
Dinner was scheduled at 8pm at the main dining hall.
We had steamboat and it was simply fantastic.
The family of three had joined our table including the solo woman. Earlier, she talked to me about getting a taxi ride to Taiping from Banding.
I found that this was an imposing person and kind of left things to take its own course.
Earlier I did offer the lady a place in the car and take her as far as Kuala Kangsar, but she wanted more, so, its really tough luck...

A documentary about the environment impact of logging in Belum

Roger, one of the resort's friendly dogs..

Its showtime...

Later, the group was hoarded over to the resort's recreation room where a video about the environmental destruction of Belum was shown.
Logging took place at the fringe of the Temenggor lake a few years ago and this had caused a severe effect on the plant and wildlife at the area.
To me, it was a guilt trip. 
Sooner or later, greedy people would rape the forest to reap its wealth. Like Taman Negara in Pahang, what would be left are palm oil plantations...
We called it a night after a chat with another family at the dining area... 
The next day is going to be really fun!

Belum : Part 1

Better late than never.. 

I get the most out of my Chinese New Year break by doing some traveling.
The plan was to get out of the Klang Valley and savour the great outdoors.
So, having researched some locations around Peninsular Malaysia, I ended up with the Royal Belum Forest near Lake Temenggor in Perak.

The plan

The aren't many accommodation facilities around Belum.
Shortlisted was the Belum Rainforest Resort and the Belum Eco Resort.
I found the first place too expensive as the rooms came up to RM800 a night.
Of the lot, the best choice was the Belum Eco Resort.
Its operated by Mr Steve Khong and his family.
So, having narrowed down to my choice accommodation at RM650 for 3 days 2 nights inclusive of meals and a tour to the Royal Belum Park (permits must be applied a week before checking-in).
And on Chinese New Year, there was a RM70 additional surcharge.
We didn't mind that because it was all-inclusive.
Still, I placed my expectations really low.

Leaving behind our dogs for Belum

To me, the Belum state park is a place to see before its all gone.
Right now, the forested area surrounding the protected area is being logged.
So, naturally, with the destruction of habitat, some of the flora and fauna are gone.
We took a drive from our home in Subang Jaya to Ipoh via the PLUS North - South Highway.
It was a smooth journey until we reached Gopeng where we had a late breakfast.
And we couldn't believe our eyes when the entire town as swarmed with cars from the Klang Valley. 
Seems that this place had experienced a boom over the brief period in Chinese New year.
From Gopeng, we continued our journey towards Kuala Kangsar and short of reaching Sauk, my cellphone rang.
Thomas Khong, the son of Steve called to remind me that we had to reach the jetty half past twelve.

Late breakfast in Gopeng, Perak.

It's a rush!

We had to reach Banding jetty before noon, so, naturally, I scoped the route ahead and floored my car.
Traffic was heavy and I maintained my speed to reach Gerik, the last town before Banding where there is another 40km to cover.
To my surprise the terrain around this route was really hilly with gradients exceeding 15 degrees.
We slowly negotiated the hills and reached the first bridge in Pulau Banding, a small man-made island linking Gerik to Jeli in Kelantan.
But the excitement died down when I found out that we were on the wrong side of the area.
Thomas directed us to the second bridge near the 'Jeti Awam' (public jetty).

The boat ride

Our cosy A-huts at the resort..

Contact

Finally, after a six-hour drive, we arrived at the public jetty in Banding.
Thomas was already waiting with a family of three.
We learned that the guests were from Ipoh and another group had left earlier.
From Pulau Banding, we boarded a fibreglass boat and took a 15-minute ride to the resort.
The scene was breathtaking and as we arrived at our accommodation, lunch was served.
At this point, I sized up the guests.
There was a family from Klang who were really loud, comprising two mothers three kids and four old ladies.
The Chinese family from Ipoh were really civil and this also included a lone lady traveler from Taiping.
We had our lunch and prepared ourselves for the first programme of the day, a hike to a watch tower in one of the islands..