Lata Kekabu - Part 2

Murphy's Law..

Things can take an unexpected turn when you think that everything will pan out fine.
So, that's the case in the early stages of this ride.
Khairul the greenhorn asked a lot of questions.
And the Malay term: "Mulut masin" (something that is unintentionally mentioned which became a reality) was pretty much the mainstay in the journey.
He asked if I have had any trips that could be considered as "worse experience" which I kinda brushed off by saying "no".
On hikes and hunts, the word "taboo" is something a seasoned trekker would observe. It's no different when you take a journey in an unfamiliar territory.
In this case, the bike-mounted GPS had a life on it's own. It's "Ghost in the machine" as I made two critical decisions that turned the course into a journey into the unknown. But I was prepared.

A rear-mounted camera shot with Khairul in the background

Set on interval shots, this was the view from the bike's cockpit

At a defunct railway station in Tg Rambutan, Ipoh

Mistake number 1

After riding past Tanjung Rambutan, Kinding and Tanah Hitam, we took a right turn towards Sg Kuang. 
This was a "turn-by-turn" navigation by my Garmin EDGE800 GPS.
Rather than shooting straight towards Chemor, we headed towards Sungai Kuang. 
This threw us off-course by 20km and led us towards Kg Ulu Kuang. 
By taking this route, we bypassed Chemor town and Sungai Siput Selatan which is laden by heavy traffic.
The route was very scenic and this leads back to Sungai Siput Utara.

The Big Country: Riding to Ulu Kuang

Mistake number 2

We reached the junction between Sungai Siput Utara and Lintang.
The GPS indicated a right-turn towards Lintang.
Seeing that it was possibly a shorter route, we made a break for it.
By the time we reached Sungai Siput, it was already late in the evening.
I received two missed calls from the hotel in Kuala Kangsar.
Once I contacted the front desk person, I told her that we might be a bit late.
From Sungai Siput Utara, there's roughly about 25km left to cycle.

Into the unknown

We rode towards the direction given and after clearing all civilization, I sensed that something had terribly gone wrong.
The GPS indicated another turn towards Jalan Lintas Lintang.
We cycled into a narrower path, and started climbing hills.
Daylight was fading fast. I checked my wristwatch and it was past 07:00pm.
My gear allows me to set up camp wherever I want, but based on the map on my GPS screen, the narrow road leads to a main passage.
We rode past a palm oil plantation and were welcomed by the cooing from jungle fowls.
As a trekker, I knew the signs weren't good.
That said, we made our way back to the main road and cycled towards a nearby village. Water supply was running low and I asked if my co-rider wanted to perform his prayers, which he had humbly declined.
We pulled over at a stall and had a couple of drinks before moving on.
A lady whom I spoke to said it was way too dangerous to cycle the loop towards Kuala Kangsar. 
My GPS indicated another 36km. This was wrong and made no sense.
She said the best thing to do, is to backtrack towards the Sungai Siput hospital and continue from there.

Journey into the heart of darkness..

We rode for five hours and the sky was completely dark.
A distant thunder welcomed us with the threat of bad weather.
It was an 8km ride and we pushed towards Sungai Siput Utara. We rode in complete darkness as vehicle zoomed by.
There were some tense moments when a motorcycle crept up towards us and across the road, a guy was walking in the opposite direction all by himself in pitch darkness.
My bike's 150-Lumen Valo 2 headlight which was powered by a dynamo on the front wheel does it's job, warning incoming vehicles.
I had a Blackburn Superflea headlight mounted on my helmet visor, the intensity of the light beam was set on "economy" mode.
If you have a weak mind, you will definitely falter in such a situation. Fatigue, pain and fear are the factors that would break a person.
Pushing beyond the breaking point was something I learned from other people's experience. I don't have such thoughts in mind and put safety before self in such a scenario.
Patience has its virtues and after braving through the undulating terrain, pitch darkness and uncertainty, hope began to show at the end of the road. 
Beams of yellow tungsten lights illuminated the Sungai Siput hospital. I signaled for Khairul to pull over to discuss about our next move..

The hotel lobby 

Arriving safely in Kuala Kangsar

A crucial judgement call..

I told Khairul that it was pointless to push on as we would only arrive in Kuala Kangsar after midnight.
The best cause of action was to bunk in at Sungai Siput, or to get a chartered car to haul us to our last destination.
He agreed and we made our way towards Sungai Siput Utara town.
We pulled over at a Petron station where I made an inquiry there.
A helpful cashier said she knew a family friend who owns a taxi service.
She asked if I could give him a call to arrange for transportation.
And the rest was history. The cab driver, Mr Sugu charged us RM30 to get to Kuala Kangsar, which is roughly about 25-minutes away by car.
We drove to some familiar landmarks and arrived in town at about 09:45pm.
I can see the sigh of relief on Khairul's face and being the person responsible for his well-being, I wouldn't want to push our luck too far. It has never been a "do or die" situation. In a situation as such, it's mind over matter.
We checked-in at the motel, dropped our gear and headed out for a warm meal.
Our accommodation facility was conveniently located at the far end of Kuala Kangsar town. There are foodstalls and grocery shop around. 
After a good meal, Khairul picked up some items for the camping trip.
The next order of the day was a hot shower and a bit of laundry. 
We hit the sack after a long day and the "real" adventure is merely hours away..

Lata Kekabu - Part 1

The great outdoors... 

I took the opportunity to test my Kelty camping gear when a group of cyclists decides to head to Lata Kekabu in Lenggong, Perak for a bikecamping trip.
This is my second time out. The first one was done three years ago in Pertak, Selangor. Since then, I've been working on upgrading my equipment and decided to procure a set of tarp and bug hut. This was a lesson learnt in Pertak.

New friends and a change of environment..

The Lata Kekabu trip was organized by En Jaa Suzali Othman, an experienced cyclist and touring rider.
He rigged up this trip with his wife Kak Raha and two of his sons. After putting up the event on the social media, some 18 people had signed up for the bikecamping ride. Their plan was to drive up to Kuala Kangsar in Perak and roll out from there to Lenggong.
Since I don't fancy the idea of traveling hundreds of kilometers and ride straight away after parking the car, so, my plan was to take a train up to Ipoh and roll out to Kuala Kangsar which is roughly about 53km away. As far as Lenggong is concerned, I've plied this path a few years earlier.
I planned to do this on my own, but when a fellow cyclist asked if he could tag along, I gladly obliged to get his train ticket.
The guy was riding with me for the second time. I got acquainted with En Khairul Rasman in Lata Lembik in Pahang a month ago.
I am not familiar with the other people in the group with the exception of Abang Din whom I met at a bicycle shop prior to this trip. He is traveling with his family who were also riding in the event.
Out of the 18 people who participated in the ride, I was the only non-Muslim and yet, the folks whom I rode with were very understanding, hospitable and generous. 

Bikes and panniers packed and ready for the train ride

Ipoh-bound

Destination: Ipoh

I made plans to meet up with Khairul at the KL Sentral station. On the departure day, I woke up as early as 05:30am and loaded all my gear onto my wife's car. Michelle drove me to the station and I wanted to stay ahead of time. The Ipoh-bound train departs at 09:00am sharp. The plan was to meet up with Khairul at McDonalds, get whatever we need like water and food, then load them up in the coach.
And as expected, the train arrived at the platform as scheduled and we began to haul our bikes onto the coach.
As a seasoned traveler, I booked the front row where I can stash my bike, panniers and other gear for the journey.

Packing for camp

Unlike touring, bikecamping gear weighs heavier than the norm. There's the tent (I use a tarp and ground sheet), bedding (sleeping mat and bag), cooking gear (stove, pots and eating utensils) and food. This increases the weight on your panniers immensely.

The Kelty Bug Bivvy, Upslope Tarp and MSR telescopic shelter poles

All the gear are packed neatly into a pair of panniers and a 24L rackpack

 Other equipment that were given serious consideration with lighting gear (Black Diamond Apollo lantern), my outdated Petzl Myo XP headlamp, photographic equipment, two Sony Action cams and alternate power source in the form of the APC power banks (5,000mAH & 10,000mAH). These would add more weight to the already laden luggage packs. I had to ditch some equipment to lighten the load.
My bike of choice for this ride was the Tern Eclipse S18. Although slower than the average 24" bike, this one's really solid and steady for the long-haul.

A chance encounter..

Zairil approves by giving a Shaka.. 

After two and a-half hours on the train, we alighted at the Ipoh train station and while setting up the bikes, I bumped into En Zairil Hakimi Ishak, an avid cyclist whom I met twice in Ipoh. He tours a bit and our meeting at the station was pure coincidental. 
Zairil was aware of the bikecamping ride in Lenggong, but was committed for another event in Cameron Highlands.
We had lunch at a mamak shop near the state mosque and learned that Khairul have had some problems with his bike. 
The guy rides a Dahon Speed P8 and has never serviced it. I can't blame him because he is very new at cycling. 
After the Friday prayers, Zairil helped with the bike and we were well on our way towards Kuala Kangsar.
Since this is a five-hour ride, the clock was set further behind as we had a three-hour handicap.
The plan was to reach Kuala Kangsar by nightfall, have dinner and rest there for a night...

Primal Gear Unlimited Compact Folding Survival Bow

PGU's folding bow - deployed *picture by PGU

The folded bow *picture by PGU

An item of curiosity..

Folding knives, folding bikes and now: a folding bow.
A buddy of mine shared a link sometime back on a company that manufactures a compact survival folding bow. 
I checked out the company's domain and found some really interesting gear.
What caught my attention, was the folding bow.
It comes in three draw weight: #40, #50 and #55lbs.
But, before I can shoot the bow, I have to learn about archery.
So, with some training on my Martin Panther takedown recurve bow, I roughly have an idea on how to set it up.

Preparations

I have never shot a 50lb bow. 
The PGU folding bow that I picked, has a slightly heavier draw weight compared to my Martin Panther takedown recurve bow. 
Before I purchased the bow, I first built my arrows.
My choices are the Beman ICS Hunter 500 and Beman ICS Bowhunter 400. These are spined for bows between 45-50lbs.
Correctly-spined arrows are important to prevent damage to the bow and injury to the archer.
Both arrows are with inserts. This will enable me to attach hunting broadheads if necessary.
I built a dozen of each arrows and waited for the PGU folding bow to arrive from the US.
It took nearly a month for the bow to arrive in Malaysia via UPS and when I received it, the package was totally awesome.
When I ordered the bow, I also quoted a code from a YouTube channel to claim a free bow string from PGU.
This came with it and as a bonus, Jeff and Heather Barber of PGU threw in two plastic small game targets. Speak about awesome, the quality, fit and finish of the PGU folding bow is just amazing right out of the box.

Shooting the PGU CFSB at the range

This is a fun bow to practise with.. 

Shooting off the arrow shelf..

The PGU folding bow shoots like a traditional bow.
It's not a recurve, but a rather compact longbow.
And stringing it requires some skill.
You don't get a properly grooved string nock and have to make sure that it sits securely when you string the bow.
Once in place, the bow is secure.
But before that, you'll have to unfold the limbs that is folded neatly into the riser.
Secure the limbs with knob and you are in business.
Okay, unlike modern hunting recurve bows, the PGU folding bow is fired from a shelf. It's made in such a way, the riser can be configured for left and right hand release.
I had the string nocked so that the arrow would not slip when it sits on the shelf.
But I noticed that the arrow wobbled with its tip up and down before hitting the target bud.
After talking to the owner of a pro shop, the nocking would be done wrongly.
When you shoot of the shelf, you have to cant the riser slightly so that the arrow wouldn't slip off.
There's a velcro lining on the shelf, but I don't think this is enough to secure the carbon arrows that I am using.
Took me a while to get a decent grouping by shooting with a canted grip. But once I got the hang of it, the PGU bow is fun to shoot.

Performance

The PGU bow draws rather smooth. But at full-draw, it tends to stack a bit.
You might get a bit more power releasing the arrow by pulling it slightly, but this is something that I have yet to try.
Flight of the arrow is moderate. Not as fast as s recurve. But there's enough power to take down small and medium-sized game.
The bow is built solid, maybe a bit heavy. For me, it's just fine!
I started with a 13-yard practice with the bow and gradually moved to 20meters.
It was easy to hit a target bud at a short distance, but when the bud is moved away, it can be a real challenge putting the arrows on the target paper's ring.
I found that carbon arrows work pretty fine with the PGU bow.
Haven't tried my aluminium shafts as yet, but I do plan to build a set of Easton Tribute arrows for the PGU.

A last-ditched tool

The PGU bow, once folded, can be stashed in your backpack. Better still if you can build your own takedown arrows (these are shafts jointed by two inserts).
For the serious archer and survivalist, PGU does produce a tactical quiver for the bow. This enables the bow to be carried in the quiver that can be attached to a backpack. 

PGU's tactical quiver

 What I like about the whole deal, is the fact that the bow can be stored in a pack and be made ready for use during emergencies.
And when you run out of arrows, the bow's riser can be used as a defensive tool. You can literally take out your enemy by clobbering the guy to death.
For me, the PGU bow is a worthy investment *USD$149.00 (RM550) and is something I would carry if I can't get to my takedown recurve bow.
The only thing one would have to bear with, is the long wait for the bow to ship and shipping cost (roughly another USD$60 to get it shipped to Malaysia via UPS).
Overall, I am very happy with the fit and finish of the bow. 
With the right tweaking, it is fun to shoot and I can see endless of hours at the range and the field with this bow.
For more information, check out PGU's website 
Below, is a short video of me shooting the PGU bow with the Beman ICS Bowhunter arrows.