A week into Malaysian MCO 2.0 (started 13 Jan) and seeing C19 cases in Selangor at its record high, close to 1,500 cases per day while total C19 cases for the whole country had reached its highest so far at 4,029 cases per day (today is at 3,631 cases). I am not sure how would our battle against this pandemic ended, will we win or will most of us succumbed to it.
I lost one of my travel friend mid last month.
She had a brain tumour. It was sudden. The last time I met her was in March last year when we were at Mulu, Sarawak. We tried to climb the rigorous Mulu Pinnacles together. She looked and sounded healthy to me at that time. We even planned to climb Mt. Kinabalu in October but we cancelled the plan due to the pandemic. I saw the sad news on her Facebook timeline. I heard that she was hospitalised in late October but she was super quiet about it. No one in my circle seemed to know anything about her condition until we heard about the bad news. Maybe she didn’t expect that the tumour would be that bad.
A good friend of mine had a major heart attack this week.
He was with another group of friend at the time when he was struck. Lucky enough one of them performed CPR on him until the help came. He is a fighter and I pray for his recovery, Allah will ease his recovery. We are not only battling the virus but also the mental madness that came along with it.
The mental stress. The paranoia. The call from the bank. The shrinking saving account. The fear. It is all real! What can we learn?
Bad things happen
How you respond to them
Be prepared for anything
Routine is helpful
A constant reminder of how short life is. When your time come, you can’t delay it even for a second. Will I be ready to let go of my last breath in peace?
The more reason that I want to experience ‘life’ to its fullest.
Even with C19, time passed by without slowing down.
2020 is almost gone while 2021 is just around the corner. Gone were all my unaccomplished plan for year 2020. “But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.” [8:30]
So, how my 2021 would look like? Continue cringing … I guess 2021 would be as bleak as 2020.
Staying positive is hard but that is the challenge.
It has been a while since my last post. I am enjoying every second of my “stay at home” moments due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “I need my long rest from the outside world,” as I tried to convince myself to accept the fact that the C19 would be around for the next few years. And, I would be trapped here at home.
Call me paranoid, but I do not want to take my chance caught messing with the C19.
I am an introvert anyway. Home is always my heaven. “Changing your perspective changes your experience.” Stuck at home is not the end of the world, right?
Then, I started writing again.
I re-worded and re-organised the articles that I wrote for NST, all 36 of it on the subject of photography tips. Compiled it into an e-book and decided to sell it to generate some income during this hard economic time. “This is better than just sitting and complaining about my loss of income,” I told my BFF.
Yeap … 36 articles over the past three years. An achievement from someone who started from zero. A boast to my confidence.
Some sneak peeks from my Basic Photography Tips e-book. I made it simple, straightforward and presentable so that you won’t get bored while reading the 75 pages of the book.
If you feel that the articles could add value to your photography passion as it did to mine, support me by clicking the orange button above and buy my book there.
Extra careful y’alls when you are at the outside. Follow the SOP … 1 meter apart, mask on, sanitise your hands. Stay safe and stay cool under the mask!
Fallen sick during the Covid-19 lockdown (MCO) was not an easy experience at all.
You’ll be treated as guilty with the virus until proven innocent. Especially when the symptoms relate to anything with sore throat or flu, regardless of whatever explanation that you have.
On 15.04.2020, I was unlucky as I developed an allergy reaction to “something” that I could not figure out at that time. The symptom was a sore throat. It started as a slight irritation in my throat for a few days but turned into a sore throat.
Since a sore throat was one of the SIN signs of Covid-19 infection, I was scared that I could be wrongly diagnosed if I seek help so I left it untreated. It went bad to worst.
When I tried to seek preliminary treatment from the nearby clinic, the doctor chased me away like I was a filthy dirty human infected with the virus without even bother to help. One of the nurses suggested that I get treated at the nearby private hospital instead. My throat was badly swollen to the point that I could not drink or eat at all for 2 whole days.
I am glad that I have a good health insurance. So, I have the luxury to check-in to the nearest private hospital. I seldom fall sick, alhamdullilah and a random visit to a clinic or a hospital is a rare occasion for me. Being admitted to a hospital as a suspected Covid-19 patient first rather than as an allergy patient was painfully difficult.
When the Covid-19 test came out negative then things started to get easier for my allergy to be treated. I was admitted for 6 days and treated for severe allergy due to late aka delayed treatment. Allergy to what?
The culprit is … Virgin Coconut Oil or VCO. Yes, the doctor was puzzled too.
I ‘think’ I had an allergic reaction to VCO. I took 2 tablespoons of the oil at night every alternate day for 2 weeks before the incident. And each time I took the VCO oil, it would irritate my throat for a few hours. My doctor asked me why I didn’t stop consuming the oil as soon as I felt the irritation. My answer was “I thought that the VCO is harmless, who have ever thought that the oil that has been well used for generation can create such havoc to one”.
Strange but true. I actually googled on any allergy incident after consuming raw VCO and yes, there were a few cases where people complained about throat irritation after consuming the oil.
Falling sick during lockdown (MCO) was a self-realization experience for me. I am not trying to create a “drama sangat” moment out of the incident, ok. But it is interesting to see things that randomly happened in your life from a different perspective.
“Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough.”
Richard Feynman
Due to the MCO (movement control order), cross-state border or interstate travel was restricted. During emergency case like mine, your loved ones could not reach you on time. And being physically isolated from my family, my loved one and the people that honestly cared about me during my most fragile time makes me rethink of how lonely life could be.
For an introvert like me, I don’t see isolation as a problem but being left alone when you are terribly ill to the point that one couldn’t tend to oneself is sad.
In the end family matters the most.
I do not own many friends as I don’t easily open up to people. But among those little friend groups that I have, I am blessed with some that helped me out during my sick days. Thank you and alhamdullilah. Jazzakhallah khairaa. May Allah (SWT) return your kindness.
There is always one spoilt apple in a barrel.
The one so-called best-friend-ever that showing your true color. All the sweet words and the sweet thoughts vanished through the thin air as I passed through my fragile moment. The thought that this gutsy girl has a Covid-19 symptom therefore she has the virus (because she wanders around a lot) overrule your humanity judgment.
Yep … that BFF abandoned me when I needed help to seek treatment for my near-fatal moment. Completely “krik krik krik” moment from your side. The virus scared the “toot” out of you, you damn scared that you would lose out when you helped me. It struck me that I had made a wrong friend choice.
I forgive you … my little friend. But hear this, that train has left the station. You have shown your true color. And your true color does not match my brilliant color. I shine. Ahhhh finally I managed to let out all the words that stuck in my chest to the open –live and learn!
Do you have any unpleasant experience during the recent Movement Control Order (MCO)? Share with me …
On our way out of Polumpung Melangkap in Kota Belud … we, the 3 traveling Sumandaks make a quick stop at a small town of Tamparuli to visit my local Tuaran Dusun friend, Lano Lan. A well-known local journalist cum photographer who writes for our local newspaper, NST for years.
I need to check out some interesting places in Tuaran for my next visit. And, who else should have known this place better other than the local journalists, right? So … I asked him, “Lan! we have 4 hours, please enlight us on why we should spend more time here in Tuaran”.
He laughed at the idea of how he could ‘excite’ us, the Sumandaks.
Jambatan Tamparulli or Tamparulli Bridge
We started with a walk on the most well-known hanging bridge in Tamparuli. This bridge is made famous by the song ‘Jambatan Tamparulli’ means the Tamparulli bridge. I used to listen to the song during my school day years. “Jambatan Tamparuli” is the title of a Kadazandusun song composed and sung by Justin Lusah in the mid-1970s.
The song tells the story about a lady walking in high heels on the Tamparulli bridge.
As we strolled down the bridge, coincidently there was a street musician singing with his guitar at the other entrance of the bridge. I requested him to sing the well-known song “Jambatan Tamparulli” for us … he obliges. And listening to him singing ahhh! what a way to enjoy my “Jambatan Tamparulli” moment.
If you happened to bump into him while crossing the bridge, don’t forget to give him a good tip ya.
Eric, the Tamparulli bridge street musician
Lunch mee rebus at Terminal Cafe
“Jom! let us have a quick lunch at this place that I really like,” suggest Lano Lan. Mee Rebus a local boiled noodle at Terminal Cafe in Kiulu village, super delicious for the hungry Sumandaks who had only a cup of ‘Maggi in a cup’ each for breakfast 😂 , yummy!. The best part of having a good local guide is that we could plan our limited traveling time in the most efficient way.
Done with our lunch.
Fish conservation or Tagal at Poturidong
Next, a short drive to the famous fish feeding, campsite, fish conservation area (Tagal) of Kampung Poturidong Baru in Kiulu. Crossing another hanging bridge to enter the riverside fish conservation area of Poturidong village. Another fish feeding area, so I thought?
My first impression?
Clean. Crystal clear river water. Well-maintained recreation area. Beautiful green spot suit for nature lovers.
And the fish omg! y’all should look at the size of the fish crowding around our feet as we splashed the water surface with some fish food in our hands. As big as my thin crus. And, there are hundreds of friendly Kelah fish here making loud sucking sounds as they sucked on my hand and my fingers. Amazingly gross … lol. I like it though.
This area is in the red zone area, a conservation area gazetted as a no-fishing area. A good place for camping too but I personally prefer sleeping on a bed, I’ll stay in a chalet instead.
Residents of Poturidong village has been practicing a traditional approach called Tagal system for years to breed fish and to protect their precious natural asset, both the river and the fishes. Fishing is illegal here. The fishes are harvested once a year during the dry season.
My mom said that Kelah or Empurau or Belian dish is famously tasty. I have yet to taste it but I am sure that Nazz must have loved the fish so much as I heard her calling the Kelah fish by a dish name 😂 … “Hey! Kelah goreng (fried Kelah) over there, masak tempoyak Kelah over here, asam pedas Kelah on this side”.
Selfie time
The long and winding Tuaran river that runs throughout this area is well-known for wild water rafting activities too. I should give it a try. As we drive along the river I couldn’t help but noticed numerous hanging bridges along the river, connecting one village to another. A good Instagramable-spot detected.
My Instagram pose
Thanks, Lano Lan for a quick eye-opening tour to Kiulu. We would come back again soon and stay for a night or two to experience more natural wonder of Tuaran, In Sha Allah.
Contact Lano Lan for his local guide service. DM him on his IG and Fb account or WhatsApp him at +6016 838 8290
Have you been to Tuaran?
Are there any other interesting places that I should visit here in Tuaran? Share it with me. Leave your suggestion on the comment area ya.
Sharing is caring. Semoga memberi manfaat.
Thanks and cheers
MM
PS —}: ‘Sumandak’ means young lady in ethnic Kadazan-Dusun dialect.
And we, 3 very curious Sumandaks (Nelly, Nazz and I) traveled together and explore some parts of Sabah in 12 days. Traveling solo is cool, trust me … been there done that. But traveling with curious and same-minded traveler friends is way cooler.
A special way to deepen or weaken friendships as travel will remind you why you became friends with them in the first place, and how good it is to spend focused time together. I would share about places that we went to during our 12 days journey in Sabah and share them here, in my blog. In Sha Allah.
I was looking for a good sunrise and sunset spot when I was in Tawau just recently.
My friend, Zell suggested that I should check out some beaches at Kampung Batu Payung for sunrise. The village resides along the coastline of Jalan Tinagat road. The only place in Tawau that has sandy beaches. This place brings back sweet memories, when I was young my father used to bring me and my brothers here for our weekend gateway.
So, we went driving along the coastline when I spotted a jetty on one of the beaches. A burger stall sits strategically next to some well-decorated benches. I saw several hammocks tied to some trees around a shade. Seeing the burger stall, our children screamed that they are hungry (just after our ‘big’ lunch, 2 hours ago lol). We then decided to check out this place.
Lovely couple Aisyah and Zell posing on one of the hammocks
Jeti USBA kampung Batu Payung, Tinagat, Tawau
USBA Jetty at Kampung Batu Payung is owned by a 71 years old man, Uncle Sabturani bin Angsa. USBA stands for Usaha Sabturani Bin Angsa. Usaha means effort, so USBA stands for the effort of Sabturani bin Angsa taken care of this place.
No sunrise for me on that morning, the cloud was too thick
Uncle Sabturani came to greet us at the bench while I was busy with my cameras, attempting to capture the sunset. My children were dangerously goofing around in one of the hammocks and he was worried that the hammock might snatch and hurt them. Well, children usually would listen to a stranger than to their parents, right?
This is the only place along the Tinagat road that has an Instagram-worthy spot. Except for the warning sign “Tinggalkan tempat ini jika bukan suami isteri atau muhrim” which are written at every corner of this place, this place is soothing. The warning sign says, lovebirds or unmarried couples are not welcome here and please leave this place as soon as possible. So, if you are unmarried lovebirds, you are not welcome here. Please respect that.
Cozy place for family hangout
This place is for family hangout and for anglers, oh yeah … and for a photographer like me, lol. He provides hammocks, small surau (prayer place), light for the night anglers. And, if you are hungry … just order your Ramlee burger from the nearby burger stall.
Since this place is a private place, I think it would be good if we can donate some tips for his effort in maintaining the area. The donation box is just next to the surau.
Rumah Khazanah USBA
Rumah Khazanah USBA, Kampung Batu Payung
Across the road is Uncle Sabturani’s home where he converts it into a little cozy personal museum, displaying his collection of antiques. He called his little museum as Rumah Khazanah USBA. Old telephones, lights from the previous old lighthouse, his records collection and his well-maintained record player etc.
Ahh … he was a videographer for events and weddings during his younger life, so he showcases all his old video making equipment at one corner. And, he has a storytelling corner too where he displayed old pictures of places in Tawau. A passionate storyteller, it shows when he eagerly narrates the early story about Tawau and Sabah to our children.
“Melopong mulut” our children listening to his story.
My little daughter Arissa loves his museum so much. When I asked her why she likes this place? She said because she could touch and test the things there (direct interactive), most museums do not allow us to touch the items on display. And, the children are happy that they were allowed to leave their message on his logbook. Easy entertainment for the children.
Donation box
There is a donation box located outside his museum, I strongly encourage visitors to drop some donations for him as a token of appreciation for his effort.
The beaches here need cleaning work
As I said earlier, the jetty has an Instagram-worthy view but the condition of the beach here is another story. We as Malaysians generally are still not doing much about our rubbish, particularly our plastic issues. The beaches along Tinagat road are filthy with all kinds of trashes. So, if you plan to walk along a clean romantic beach here you might as well forget about it.
Of all the things that being said, if you happened to pass by this area, I still think that the USBA jetty and Uncle Sabturani are worth a visit.
Us with Uncle Sabturani bin Angsa
Time well spent here in Tawau. Sharing with you timelapse landscape videos of a few places that I went during my stay in Sabah. Stay curious and keep on exploring your surroundings.
Maragang Hill, Kundasang, Sabah (2232m). April 11, 2019.
If you are in Kundasang, I bet that you would love to have a closer view of the mountainous Crocker Range surrounding the area but like me, the thought of rigorous hours and days of hiking scared the hell out of you.
And … if you could not resist the temptation to climb the gigantic Mt Kinabalu, then you should try climbing the 2 km trail of Maragang Hill instead, located in Kg. Mesilou, Kundasang.
Spend a total of 4-5 hours of your morning (4 km in total) to check out the gorgeous peak of Mt Kinabalu and the 360-degree view of Crocker Range from an open platform on top of Maragang Hill (2232m).
But, bear in mind that there is a high chance that the view would be overcast or hidden by thick mists and clouds. Unless you are lucky or the weather is super good or you are there very early in the morning.
My trekking buddies at 9.30 am – km 1
Nelly, Nazz and I, the 3 travelings Sumandak* started our journey from Kota Kinabalu at 5.45 am. Reached Mevoc (Mesilou Volunteer Club) admin registration office at 9 am. After registration, we then quickly jump onto our 4WD transportation to the hiking starting point and managed to persuade the ‘pakcik’ driver to drive us to the very last driving point of the trail (we saved 500m of our hiking energy 😝).
The Hike to Maragang Hill
As always, I need to enlighten you that I am not so into hiking but I always love the feeling of being surrounded by nature. I grumbled to myself as I walk on my first 500m while chewing on my apple. As I ascended the trail, the air started to feel very humid and fresh. Traces of mists still hanging on the air among the mossy trees.
Due to the heavy rain last night, the ground is wet and muddy. The air appeared gloomy and mysterious. Very refreshing.
Mossy tree trunk
The climbing trail is surprisingly bearable for me. Yes, some 45-degree angle slops along the trails make it difficult to climb especially after the rain. I take my time and enjoy the fresh oxygen from the trees.
We reached the peak at 10.30 a.m and sadly could not see anything as thick mists filled the void areas around the mountains, hiding the gem. Sad but nature always has its own agenda, very unpredictable. I swallowed my disappointment silently. But yeay! this is not too bad … I could do this again on my next visit, In Sha Allah.
Nature lovers, this place is a must if you are in this area. Highly recommended!
Maragang Hill hiking package
They have 2 types of trekking trails that you can choose from; the normal trail and the loop trail, each with different package prices. We chose the normal trail package, the same trail ascending and descending (4 km) and for the loop trail, the same trail going up but different trail down (4.3 km). Our package cost is as follows:
1. Conservation fee rm10.00 per person 2. Guide [ 1 – 5 ] fee is rm70.00 per group of 1-5 people 3. Transportation cost rm30
Contact details for further queries and updates :
Mesilou Volunteer Club (MEVOC)
Jumaidi Lasim, Chairman
But the good news is … there are no leeches here. Ahhh … finally, I can explore around the bushes and the tree trunks, peacefully. Nonetheless, you always need to be well prepared when you are in a jungle. My to-do checklist for this trip includes:
A guide is a must for Maragang Hill hike
Wear good hiking shoes or hiking sandals or any shoes with a good grip would do too. I wore my Teva hiking sandal for this trip.
Start the hike very early in the morning (4 am) and be at the top of the hill for the first light (as early as 5.30 am) until 8.00am to increase your chances of seeing a clear landscape view
Well powered handphone.
Food. I brought an apple, 1 bar of Sneaker, some snacks and my water bottle.
A small towel.
My small camera and a GoPro (optional)
Photo credit to my friend Tazza
Would I do this again?
Absolutely yes! I am curious about how does the best view of this place would look like and I need to check it out with my own eyes. What do I like about this place?
The gorgeous front-seat view of Mt Kinabalu peak, they said. I need to confirm this with my own eyes. 😝
The trail is bearable, not too difficult
Our encounter with MEVIC personnel was very pleasant. Our guide, Azwan is well experienced and very polite. For travelers, meeting up with a genuinely kind and polite person on our journey is always feels heartwarming.
My travel mate Nelly and Nazz are superb companions. Nothing would feel gruesome when you have a good companion.
A pose after the hiking with Azwan, our guide
The night after the hike, we slept like a baby
Have you been to Maragang Hill?
If you have, please share with me your story or tips. I would love to repeat this trip again soon.
Thanks for dropping by.
Cheers
MM
PS —} *’Sumandak’ means young lady in ethnic Kadazan-Dusun dialect.
And we, 3 very curious Sumandaks (Nelly, Nazz and I) traveled together and explored some parts of Sabah in 12 days. Traveling solo is cool, trust me … as I have tried traveling solo before. But traveling with curious and same minded traveler friends is way cooler. It is absolutely true that traveling can either strengthen or weaken a friendship.
A special way to deepen friendships as travel will remind you why you became friends with them in the first place, and how good it is to spend focused time together. I would share about places that we went to during our 12 days journey in Sabah and share them here, in my blog. In Sha Allah.
I was sitting at my favorite spot in Pantai Irama, Bachok, Kelantan when I saw a flying man up on the sky.
I grabbed my handphone, snapped a photo and posted it on Instagram. 10 November 2012: I said to myself while watching the flying man – “I want to fly like that man”.
A year after that in December 2013 while mourning of the passing away of my beloved father coincidently a friend of mine, Yusuf Hashim asked me to join him learning to fly with an engine on my back and a big canopy wing on my head, exactly like the flying man that I saw a year ago.
I know this might sound crazy but yes! I took up the flying lesson for 6 months and finally fly on my own, solo for a few times.
This sport is called paramotor or powered paragliding.
The engine weight a total of 23kg with fuel and you have to carry that on your back while at the same time both your hands handling the glider or the wing.
It was hard for a super-light aka skinny girl like me to master this as the engine is very heavy on my back.
And, I don’t see the point of flying when I can’t use my hand to handle my camera, as both hands are busy maneuvering the glider. The view up there is spacious… a gigantic open space with no boundaries, the air smells freedom.
I love flying
For a dreamer like me, flying shows me the romantic side of being peaceful with just yourself and the beautiful air around you, hanging and dancing 1000 feet up on air, minus the noisy engine sound of your machine.
The amazing feeling of being in a vast open space.
In late December 2014, JanjiFly paramotor pilots approached and invited me as their official photographer.
My job is to follow them during flying events and help captured their best moves while on air. This arrangement continues almost every weekend for 4 years until today.
This is the reason why I love photography, this skill opens up so many doors for me to explore life. I had the best time flying together with the team, all over Malaysia.
Read my writings about some of our flying adventures, click on these links:
Like everything else, paramotoring has its own risk.
Riding a motorbike is dangerous too if you are being reckless.
This sport is an extreme sport.
Yes, this is a dangerous sport if you are not well equipped with the right skill. It requires a high level of mental persistent, time and money to master this sport but the reward is beyond words. Not only that, you need to learn to listen to your senses, be ultra-sensitive with nature (the wind and the weather) and calculate the risk accordingly each time you decided to fly.
If you have all the safety measures and skills intact, I feel that paramotoring could be considered as a safe sport.
If you want to try paramotoring I have a few tips:
1 – Try tandem paramotor first. Fly as a passenger to a well-experienced tandem paramotor pilot. Get the feel of it and decide if it is for you or not. If you want to try tandem paramotor, it is important to observe these following tips:
Try flying with a well-experienced pilot
Look at the engine, it should be well maintained
Check the years of life of the glider aka the wing. The wing should not exceed its expected years of use.
2 – If you have a good feeling about this and want to fly on your own, then get a good Paramotor instructor. Contact JanjiFly u-Fly i-Fly team as they could advise the right instructor for you.
It always feels good to breeze through the air, flying like a bird.
And having the right team during each of our flying moment is a blessing. After 6 years of flying, I still adore this sport.
For those who are curious and adventurous, do try paramotoring… you won’t regret it.
Conclusion: Is paramotoring dangerous? With the right instructor, the right skill and the right mentality, this sport is not dangerous at all. The only danger is to fall in love with your respective tandem pilot, kidding! lol.
Do you want to try fly tandem paramotoring? Leave your comment below.
I just came back from a refreshing trip to Tawau, Sabah.
A 12 days school holiday trip with 2 of my kiddos, Azzim (16 yrs) and Arissa (10 yrs old). Instead of the usual eat and sleep trip, I plan to have an adventurous and eye-opening trip for my 2 champs. Keeping in mind that I need to be flexible with my plan as traveling with young teenagers is challenging. Their mood swings could definitely kill my mood to explore the place.
Entrance sign of the waterfall
I always love a short walk or a short hike in the jungle and Tawau has a lot of short length hiking tracks. One of the mornings, we decided to go for a short hike to Bukit Gelas Waterfall, Tawau.
Bukit Gelas waterfall or Air Terjun Bukit Gelas
Located in Taman Bukit Tawau or Tawau Hills Park, approximately 30 minutes drive or 22 km away from the town. This place is properly maintained and enlisted as one of the Sabah Park (1979). The pristine clear water running through the river, the humid foresty tropical forest and the peaceful sound of the jungle are soothing for any nature lover soul. I always love the smell of the forest.
Azzim, Hafiz and Izan decided to hike with me while Arissa opted out.
The 3 young teenagers looked eager to explore the forest. We plan to trek to the nearby waterfall, the Bukit Gelas waterfall. The kids were curious and as we stepped into the track, their eyes started to focus on the route and for the hungry leeches. It is interesting to watch their reactions throughout the trekking.
We are surrounded by greens and all sorts of nature sounds. Tall giant trees are randomly scattered along the trail, beautiful sight to look at.
The track starts here
The track is well guided with visible road marks every 100 meters and the trail is relaxingly easy to follow. Suits for a family with young teenagers looking for relaxing light trekking. The route follows along the river and as you walk, the sound of running water accompanies your walk, very calming.
Strolling slowly along the track would take you 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach the Bukit Gelas waterfall. A few places along the trail are slippery and muddy, watch your steps.
My hiking companion: Hafiz, Izan and Azzim
Checklist for hiking
This hike suits novice or anybody who needs a quick dose of nature. Nonetheless, you always need to be well prepared whenever you are in any jungle. It’s good to be well prepared than being sorry right? My usual checklist includes:
Good hiking shoes. No slipper or sandal, please.
Water bottle. Please bring your own water bottle and refills as you go. Empty mineral water goes back into your backpack. Don’t just dispose them along your trail. I have seen hundreds of empty bottles thrown along my trails in Bohey Dulang a few days ago. Please, please, please do your part to save our earth.
Well powered handphone.
Food. I always prepare energizing tidbits in my backpack in case I got hungry while trekking. Energy bars, apples, bread or a bar of chocolate, maybe?
A hat
A small towel
A small camera and a GoPro (optional)
A small tripod (optional)
The National Park front gate opens from 8 am to 4.30 pm. You might spent around 4 hours for a light track, so plan your journey accordingly.
The map
Start early as morning hike is very therapeutic. If you are early, you could hike to 3 different trails here. I would suggest you start with Bukit Gelas Waterfall. Spend about 30 to 45 minutes for a quick dip then walk down the trail at km 1.5 and hike for another 1.7 km for the Sulfur Hot Springs (total distance 3.2 km from the base). And, on your way back to the base don’t forget to visit the world’s tallest tropical tree (88.32 m) and walla! you are done for the day.
Please be reminded that this place has hungry leeches, crawling quietly for food, lol. I am scared of leeches. Actually, I hate those sucking blood insects but I could not avoid their existence in our Malaysian rainforest. So, I put on extra effort to avoid them. To minimize your encounter with leeches, I would suggest that you choose your hiking time properly, those leeches are super active during the raining season.
Ahh … another thing.
Locals here thinks that this place is haunted. So, just be extra cautious about your actions and your surroundings while you are here. They said this place is ‘keras’. But I didn’t experience any weird incident during my visit there, alhamdullilah. Most jungles are naturally haunted, I think. After all we humans are not the only occupants on this earth.
Bukit Gelas waterfall, Tawau
If you happened to visit Tawau, you might want to check out this place with your family. Taman Bukit Tawau is easily accessible and it is worth your time. For those who have been to this place, please share your experience here. Leave your note in the comment section below.
Have you been to Taman Bukit Tawau or Air Terjun Table? How was your experience there?
I always dream of how I would wander alone in New Zealand.
Just immerse into moment surrounded by nature, with my travel companion – my loyal camera, safely tucked in my backpack. New Zealand, the land of vast open space with beautiful landscapes.
I had my chance last year while on a quick trip to accompany my beloved daughter to register at one of the universities in Wellington. It meant to be just a sneak peek trip for me … send her off to the maturity land and as for me, the wandering mom would come back another year to embark on my own wandering trip exploring NZ.
The land of Lord of Ring with Dwarfs, Elves, the Hobbits, the Wizards and all sort of creatures wander around freely. Well … sort of lol.
Tongariro National Park
I could not contain myself though, once my daughter completed her things-to-do list I quickly purchased my Intercity bus ticket to the nearest adventurous place that I could hold on to, which is the Tongariro National Park.
The oldest national park in NZ, located in the centre of North Island and acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
Here sit Mt. Tongariro 1967m, Mt. Ngauruhoe 2291m (Mt Doom in the Lord of the Rings filming locations) and Mt. Ruapehu 2797m. One of the several locations where Peter Jacksons shot the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
I travel alone.
I like the idea of exploring and wandering alone. It is less noisy. More just do it moments and less “let us plan on what to do” moment
I booked my 2 nights stay at YHA hostel, National Park thinking that well … I should just hang around here looking at the mountains from afar.
The weather was not very good on the day that I arrived at the park. Raining with thick fogs surrounding the valleys. If you have just one-day you can do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing but if you have more days to spend then you can camp and track to several routes surrounding the park.
My plan was just to be here and enjoy the mountainous view.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing takes a maximum of an eight hours track to complete, it is insane to take up the challenge when you never walk further than a distance between your car and the shopping mall’s front door (am relating it to me, lol). The total distance of the crossing is 19.4km … insane.
Memang giler kentang … curiosity kills the cat. Well, guess what … yours truly completed the crossing.
Sharing a snippet story from my previous posting here on how bizarre was my experience doing the Tongariro National Park … walking by myself for 8 hours crossing mountains, volcanic craters and alpine forest on my own.
“As I continue for another 11.3 km trails to Ketetahi Carpak the weather started getting irritated. The fogs thicken, the temperature started to drop further down (9-12 degree) as the raindrops started to clouds my glasses … omg, I was standing on a narrow trail between 2 very steep craters while my feet were shaken due to lack of sugar aka energy and my glasses was clouded. The sulfur smell filled the air.”
“I nearly cried at the very last 6.3km … as my feet could not take it anymore. Other trekkers passed by me one after another leaving me alone struggling with my incapabilities. Oh, I hate that feeling of being left behind … but I kept my chin up and walk slowly imagining myself doing brisk walk at my most favourite park.”
Picture of me posing at the midpoint of the crossing ↑.
Yeah! me too, I also could not “brain” the MYDIN plastic bag that I carried on my back during this bizarre journey. Out of all the bags that I have … that lucky MYDIN plastic bag was the chosen one. And, that plastic bag is a non-biodegradable type lol.
Gorgeous beautiful world we live in. I am now working on my 2020 traveling plan and the New Zealand trip would be in early autumn (April 2020).
Anybody want to join me for my next NZ trip? It will be a cost-sharing trip.
Please drop a message on the comment column if you want to join me.
