The seven of us, Zi Kai, Alfred, Justin, Benjamin, Sheng Long, Randy (Sheng Long’s tuition friend) and myself met up at Woodlands MRT on 22 Oct 08 (Wed) at 9.30p.m. Once everyone had arrived, we took SMRT 950 to Larkin Bus terminal via the customs. As our bus to K.L. was at 12.30a.m, we had some time to kill. Moreover, the Alisan Ekspres (RM30) counter was not opened and it was only until 12.20a.m did we realized that there was no Alisan Ekspres due for K.L. Rather, the company had bought tickets on S.E Super and we had no choice but to settle for that.
Breakfast in K.L.
Around 12.45a.m, the bus left Larkin for Kota Raya to pick up several passengers. More people boarded when it stopped at a petrol station just before entering the North South highway. The bus traveled at a very high speed. We stopped for a 40min break yet we made it to K.L by 5a.m, which meant the bus covered 360km in about 3.5hrs. Do your math and you will get its average speed.
Outside Puduraya, an Indian man stopped us and introduced himself as a tour guide. He recommended a backpackers’ lodge by the name of Wheeler. We took a name card and left for a prata breakfast at a coffee-shop near Chinatown.
The first bus up to Genting Highlands was at 7.30a.m and we bought tickets for the ride (Puduraya – Awana @ RM3.50, Genting Skyway @ RM5). Later, Ben and I checked out the accommodation and we settled for the family suite of Hotel Theme Park as the room had enough space for seven guys to live a night. It only set us back by RM170 as 23 Oct 08 was considered low season. Fortunately for me (not sure about the others), most of the more “important” rides in the Outdoor Theme Park were opened. We missed the Rolling Thunder Mine Train though as it was consistently under maintenance although reflected as open. At RM38 for a full day pass, it was certainly worthwhile and I dragged Zi Kai along to spam the more exhilarating rides. I think my immunity to Space-shot and Corkscrew has increased significantly after this trip.
Our family suite
Justin and I also had fun with Bumper Cars which was an Indoor Theme Park ride. The two of us coolly flashed our ticket band and walked in, keeping the words “Outdoor Theme Park” on the band out of sight. As a result, we got a free ride =P Later, the others attempted to get through but Zi Kai got caught! It was damn funny. Alas, the staff started to check everyone’s band and we couldn’t play that ride anymore =( And before I forget, we spotted someone who looked like Chief Defence Force! Upon closer observation, we were certain as his family was accompanied by three stone-faced bodyguards with personal radio sets. I was exhausted by nightfall and after an arcade session, we retired.
Early the next morning (24 Oct 08), Ben, Zi Kai and I went for a short run / walk to the mushroom farm. The air was chilling cold and it was raining. Running uphill proved to be a real challenge and I felt my muscles ache as my respiratory system started to hyperventilate. After a buffet breakfast at Restoran Happy Valley, we checked out and headed for Awana where we had a bit of fun “testing” samples of cuttlefish and sweets before buying some home. There, we parted, with Sheng Long and Randy heading for Pasar Rayak to catch their bus back to Singapore while the rest of us continued our little backpacking adventure.
Back in K.L, we hunted for accommodation. The backpackers’ lodges proved the cheapest and we settled for Wheelers’. It only cost RM80 to be shared among 5 for one night and came with a complimentary Friday dinner. Since it was mid-afternoon, we set off for the Batu Caves by taking Bus 11 from the entrance of Maybank along Jalan Tun HS Lee. The journey took about 45min and behold, we were rewarded with a rather impressive sight of a large golden Buddha statue and a flight of 272 steps leading to a large cave behind the statue.
The Golden Buddha (left), Zi Kai and I at the top (right)
Opportunities for photo taking were aplenty and we took quite a lot of shots at the foot as well as in the large cave. Interestingly, there was another dark cave offering an educational tour and cave exploration expeditions. After a tedious climb up, we lingered around the top, witnessing a Hindu ceremony and looking in awe at how some of the stalactites and stalagmites had formed. Obviously, there was also another attraction involving three other visitors of which one was more interesting. This explained for Alfred’s distraction =P
We returned to K.L in the evening. Trying our luck, we asked the bus conductor if the bus passed by the Petronas Twin Towers and he had said yes. Yet, as the bus inched its way through the chaotic jams of the city, we ended up at Kotaraya, more than a mile away. Interestingly, the bus conductor still claimed, “walk straight, walk straight”. Yeah right, we had a good laugh as his directions would have led us to the doorstep of our accommodation instead.
Dinner was hawker fare in Chinatown. I remembered having wanton mee. It was special because the dumplings were made of prawns. Later, we returned to Wheeler’s for a simple but free meal before heading out again for Berjaya Times Square. The entry fee to the theme park was also RM38, competitive to Genting’s Outdoor Theme Park. We hung around, and then went to the supermarket to re-stock. Zi Kai and I started our first day of yogurt fest =)
We woke up around 7a.m on 25 Oct 08 (Sat). Packing up, we checked out and hunted for breakfast. Finding a Chinese coffee shop, we filled our stomachs before heading for Rawang via Bus 43, from the bus stop outside Maybank. The journey also took around 50min and at the small town of Rawang (Selangor), we hopped onto a Mara Liner bus (destination Tanjung Malim) and it took us to Kuala Kubu Bahru (KKB) where we took a private taxi to the entrance of the Chiling Waterfall.
Alfred in high spirits (left), the entrance (right)
The trek to Chiling Waterfall was more than what we bargained for. Heading on a north-eastern bearing, we trekked through the Malayan jungle to the top of the waterfall. What started off as a narrow dirt track soon led to steep and slippery obstacles that impaired our movement. When we first encountered mud, Ben and I took a gamble to keep our shoes dry for the return 13km trek to KKB via the road and opted for sandals / slippers. As we made our way through, we had to cross several streams.
At one of the first crossings, Ben suddenly slipped into the mud. He got his feet free but his slippers were gone and he couldn’t find them. Everyone laughed. Zi Kai decided to help him. He reached into the mud and managed to pull the slippers out but somehow, his leg slipped in. Now, the both of them were dirty. It was really funny.
The terrain was treacherous. From the amount of cobwebs formed, it was pretty obvious that the route had not been used for quite some time. Moreover, I had spotted about ten names ahead of us in the registration book at the entrance yet we had not run into any of the hikers ahead of us. We had our doubts, but our bearing was correct and the path had several white tape markings along the way. Our “bashing” instincts must have taken over for we continued.
Leopard crawling or duck walking through low obstacles were no joke, especially with our full load. Certain paths were reduced by the overgrowth to mere holes and Zi Kai bravely bashed through. I think our clothes were kind of disfigured by prickly thorns and I had couple of splinters in my hand as a result of grabbing a thorny branch or two when I slipped.
Then, Ben discovered a leech sucking on his foot. He managed to pluck it off. The bleeding would not stop though. He quickly changed back to his shoes. Throughout the trek, we had been moving along the waterfall. About 2hrs after we started the trek, we came to an abatis. A huge tree had fallen, totally sealing the path. On several occasions, we had managed to clamber over, under or around fallen obstacles but this time, there was not way through. Dejected and weary, we decided to find a resting place. The rocks on the river seemed ideal but we had to contend with a steep descend. When we were all safely down, we were relieved, not realizing that we were at the source of the waterfall.
Me posing on some rocks (left), sharing a pack of Twisties (right)
I pulled off my sandals, only to realize that there was a leech happily sucking my blood. It had cleverly hidden under the strap of my sandals. Fighting a wave of rising panic, I considered if I should cut if up with my jackknife but my pack was not within reach. Hence, I just ripped the slimy creature off and flung it away. As expected, the wound would not close. I spat saliva onto the wound, hoping the chemical compounds in the saliva would clot the bleeding.
We recharged by sharing a pack of Twisties and cooled our feet in the rushing water. When it was time to go, I changed into my shoes and joined the others in the steep climb up the bank. Hands desperately gripping into the mud and feet trying to find a foothold, we made our way up. Teamwork was essential.
It was really funny when Alfred discovered a leech clinging onto him. Zi Kai managed to get it off and Alfred ran off in panic! Not that it was going to help because he was still in the jungle! Zi Kai also discovered that the irritating parasite had managed to bite through his socks. Irritated, he squashed the bug into two pieces. Serve it right!
We re-traced the path we had come from and passed by the waterfall. It was then we figured that we could have overshot and reached its source. Yet, there was no clear path down and we tried sliding down till the point where it was impossible to climb back up as the gradient was way too sleep. Moreover, Justin’s rope was too short. Thus, Zi Kai attempted to take a few shots and we called it a day. Continuing, we came across a couple of split paths that we were unsure of. Zi Kai and I moved ahead to recce the paths and luck was on our side as we always managed to find the correct trail. Within two hours, we were seeing familiar landmarks of the jungle.
Near the foot, I spotted a beautiful platform of rocks in the middle of the river large enough for all of us to spread out on. There seemed to be a trail on the other bank and I wondered out loud to the others if a crossing was possible. He immediately jumped in, intending to check out the trail. The rapids were tremendously powerful and he got swept off his feet. We were stunned as he was swept down, and went under. “Rope! Rope!” I shouted. Justin and Alfred thought the moment hilarious and wanted to take a snapshot! In the end, we managed to get Justin’s rope out. By then, he had managed to grab a rock and hold on. We tried to throw the rope across but it was too short. In the end, he managed to wade through calmer waters to safety. In retrospect, we should have been better equipped with our toggle ropes should such incidents arise.
Incredibly strong rapids
After this close shave, we took a breather on the rocks, relieved that nothing bad had happened. I found another stupid leech in my shoe and we threw it in the river. All of us had some bruises, cuts, leech bites and splinters of some sorts. Ignoring the injuries, we trekked back to the start point. By then, we decided to take the taxi. The 13km trek would have been incredibly daunting after what we had gone through and it was the last resort. We also found out from the other hikers at the start point that the route was a leisure 40min path up to the top! We were stumped and had no idea how we could have possibly missed the correct path.
Because our phones had no reception, we had to borrow a phone from some kind Malaysians and called the driver who had sent us to the waterfall earlier. The driver said he would come at 4pm and we waited by the roadside, eating groundnuts and wondering if he would turn up. In the end he came and we dumped our soiled equipment and wet shoes in the boot before squeezing into his old Proton. He charged us RM20 but no one was complaining.
After our “lunch” at 4.40p.m, we caught a bus from KKB to Rawang and subsequently to Kotaraya. Most of the guys slept but somehow, I didn’t really doze off. It is really interesting that Malaysians are very proactive when it comes to doing business. Be it a hawker, shop vendor, taxi driver or bus conductor, they will tout for business. The bus would speed in the leftmost lane with its doors opened and bus conductor halfway out as it filtered lanes to the bus stop. Perched precariously on the steps, the conductor would out, “Puduraya, Puduraya! Come! Come!”
When the Petronas Twin Towers were in sight, we alighted and found ourselves in Chow Kit. We started our trek towards the landmark, five backpackers carrying their soiled equipment, weary but nonetheless, relieved that they were back in K.L.
We passed the Malaysian Tourism Centre. It looked attractive hence we decided to take a closer look. Apparently there was some kind of banquet to be held there as all the ushers and guests were dressed up nicely. Someone had the guts to ask if we could use the toilet and the reply was an expected “yes”. The toilet was clean and each cubicle had a hose =P We ended up taking a quick shower there. The toilet attendant was shaking his head in disapproval as he had to mop up the floor when we left! Haha! But at least we left a nice aroma behind and did not dirty the place other than wet it. My cheeks were burning hot in embarrassment when we left the safety of the toilet. Everyone was dressed so nicely and here we were, five backpackers who had just showered but still carrying dirty bags with wet shoes hanging from them. I could not wait to leave the establishment.
Twin Towers in the background: myself (left), Ben and I (right)
We did make it to the Petronas Twin Towers. It was simply breathtaking. We took some photos; Justin helped a Russian couple take a picture and they were amazed at his professionalism. From KLCC, we decided to take a train to Berjaya Times Square. We had to change train at Dang Wangi, where Alfred attempted to cheat a vending machine but got cheated instead!
Taking the monorail was really a waste of money. I guess Singaporeans are really lucky to have such an efficient transport system. Ending up at Bukit Bintang, we decided to patronize the Giant hypermarket at Sungei Wang Plaza. It was yogurt fest again =)
Bukit Bintang is really like the Orchard Road of Singapore; super crowded at night especially during weekends. At a shop selling fake Oakley sunglasses, the vendor was so desperate to make some earnings that his “cheap” offer of RM55 was cut down to RM30! Luckily, we weren’t some gullible tourists. Then, it was a walk back to Puduraya where we had Ramly burgers and did some washing up at McDonalds’ before the bus trip to Penang via Gunung Raya (RM35.10).
At around 4.30a.m on 26 Oct 08 (Sun), we pulled into Hentian Sungei Nibong. Settling down on some chairs in the terminal, I quickly fell asleep and the next thing I knew when I woke up, it was already past six. The ticketing booths were already open. Zi Kai and Ben came back with bad news that all buses back to Larkin on Monday night had been fully booked and there earliest was 9.30a.m on Tuesday. We decided to buy tickets for a ride back to K.L. on Monday night (RM40 after holiday ‘extra bus’ surcharge) instead and try our luck to get tickets home at Puduraya.
Leaving the bus terminal, we headed for the bus stop to catch a ride to Komtar (Georgetown), the heart of Penang. A cab driver, hoping to get some business, claimed that the earliest bus was at 8a.m. We were not taken in and started to walk in the direction of Komtar. We did not get far, only to the next bus stop, where we discovered that the bus was already in operation, hence we got onboard one to Georgetown.
Searching for a hotel proved difficult. The budget ones such as Hotel Singapura were fully occupied. We came across Hotel Fortuna and from the list of rooms and keys hung in the lobby, only 2 rooms were occupied. This was weird in contrast to all the other hotels around. The other guys checked out the rooms and apparently it was quite old. We nicknamed it “Hotel 626”. We also found another hotel which only had non air-conditioned rooms for a ridiculously low price of RM28. A scantily clad woman had come out to meet us and she was quite surprised to see us. Later, another woman in underwear emerged and we quickly found an excuse to leave. I think we had stumbled upon a prostitution den or something.
Close to 2hrs later, we finally found Hotel Rope Walk which offered a decent room for a reasonable price of RM80. It even had reverse osmosis water. After linking up with Ben and Justin (we split up to search for accommodation), we had dim sum at a coffee-shop beside our hotel. Business was striving for the coffee-shop as almost every table was occupied. The food was good and price decent enough.
After dumping unnecessary stuff in our room, we set off for Batu Ferringhi via a bus from Komtar. The beach was beautiful in its own rights, though nothing close to the sort we saw at Pulau Tioman. It was a haven for activities, from horse riding to para-gliding and jet skiing. We had some fun with Frisbee and just messing around in the water. Later, we tried out the jet-skis for RM60 per 15min. Zi Kai and I took turns to drive and I must say that the pillion rider had to cling on for dear life. Each bump took man and machine into the air and each landing or turn threatened to fling us off. That was what exactly happened to Justin and Alfred. While attempting a turn, the high G forces probably flung the two of them into the sea where Alfred lost his shades. Still, it was a damn good ride =)
The beautiful Batu Ferringhi (left), Ben and Justin at the foot of Penang Hill (right)
Mid afternoon, we had goreng pisang as a snack before taking the bus back to Georgetown. There was this hilarious moment when Alfred asked the goring pisang vendor on the way to get to Penang. The young woman was very amused since we were already in Penang! This was not going to be the last funny question Alfred asked =P I remember he asked someone about getting to K.L when we were finding a way back to Sungei Nibong. The person gave him an amused look! Anyway, we came across the famous Penang laksa and chendol when we alighted in Georgetown. Deciding to bathe first, we returned later only to find the stall closed =(
In the end, we had dinner at some restaurant in Komtar. I think I had some mui fan. Following that, we found KFC and had another meal there before retiring for the night. I was so tired that I fell asleep quickly.
We had a good breakfast the next day before setting off for Penang Hill. I had chicken rice, peanut pancake and tea. It was really satisfying and cheap. I realized that hawker fare in Malaysia tend to be better tasting than the food served in their restaurants. We reached the Ayer Itam area around 11a.m and bought the tickets for the railway ride up Penang Hill. At 11.45a.m, we finally managed to get onto the crowded railway and began the steep climb up to the “Middle Station”.
The present railway train, operational since 1977 (left), view from the middle (right)
The train terminated its operations at “Middle Station” as there was some fault with the railway up to the peak. Visitors could only linger around the middle, take some scenic pictures and head down. However, we had different ideas. I had suggested that we trekked up to the top then go down to the Botanical Gardens. Hence, we climbed over a barrier and continued our way to the top. With a full load, climbing up a long flight of stairs was taxing, but it was better than bashing.
We came across an abandoned railway station. Zi Kai and I explored the area for the correct path to the top. When we neared some living quarters after following a trail, a couple of dogs sensed our presence and started running towards us, barking ferociously. We stood numb to the spot for a moment before retreating. Luckily the dogs were stopped by a gate.
A large tree had collapsed and blocked a trail leading up. We managed to breach the barrier and after a bit of climbing on fours, discovered a hikers’ trail leading to the peak. The other alternative was to climb the side of the railway. There were concrete steps with steel bars at the side of the railway but the steps had at least a foot wide gap between them. Moreover, there was no proper railing, only a metallic rope or metal tube. What made this route intimidating were the 45 degree slope upwards and the height at which the stairs was suspended. One look down revealed a possible freefall of about 30 – 40 metres to the ground should one slip.
Trying to keep my balance (left), the tunnel (right)
In the end, we decided to live our lives more dangerously and give it a shot. Alfred really had a good opportunity to overcome his fear of heights. It was a heart-pounding moment every time the step creaked under our weight. At one portion, the metal tube railing ended in the middle of nowhere and Zi Kai nearly lost his balance as he was leaning on it!
There were quite a few abandoned stations on our way up. We found a Middle Station and it dawned upon us that the station the train had dropped us off was not the real Middle Station. The operating part of the railway only covered about a quarter up Penang Hill. At the Lower Tunnel Station, we talked to a man who lived on the hill. Ever since the train stopped operations from the peak, he too had to walk up and down from the railway just to get to town and back. He was kind enough to confirm that there was a route leading to the Botanical Gardens.
We were relieved to leave the railway. However, as I expected, the path to the peak had not been trodden upon for years. At certain parts, the deterioration was pretty bad and most sign posts were not readable at all as they had been washed out by the weather. We ended up bashing through vegetation and it was a bit of a miracle that we managed to reach the top at about 2p.m.
I was surprised to see an eating house at the top. Apparently, people still visited the hill via 4 wheel drive. We had a late lunch there and asked for directions to the Botanical Gardens. The drinks stall vendor confirmed that there was a trail via the stairs at the side of the police station but we came across a map and decided to take the clearly marked jeep trail (the walking trail would lead out to the jeep trail eventually). It was 5km downhill and we thought it would be easy going but we were proven wrong.
Relieved (left), taking a break (right)
The road downhill was incredibly steep which explained the lack of most vehicles other than jeeps, SUVs and motorbikes. We had to descend very carefully and it proved to be very time consuming. The number of bends on the road was probably more than Singapore’s 99 bends road! It took us about 2hrs just to reach the Botanical Gardens. It was an interesting hike though. I came across a couple of boards stating the history of Penang Hill and learnt that the first roads were constructed in the late 1880s! It was amazing how they actually created these roads which exist today although they may not be any thing more than some dirt tracks after being exposed to the effects of weathering for more than a century!
On the way down, we ran into many hikers and even cyclists. It was the first time I saw a good bike in Malaysia and also the first time I have seen so many cyclists with decent bikes attempting a crazy uphill! Flat land was never so much more appreciated when we hit the Botanical Gardens. On a public holiday, the garden was swarming with joggers and nature lovers. The monkeys were in abundance and some were pretty aggressive. When they snarled, we snarled back and they quickly retreated. Holding one’s ground seemed to be the most effective way against many aggressive but smaller-sized animals.
The Botanical Gardens also had a waterfall. We found a quiet and shady corner and decided to chill for a while. Zi Kai and I waded around the river while Ben dipped his legs in. We play idly with some leaves. Zi Kai threw one at us. As it floated past me, I grabbed it, revealing a long stick-like object in the river. I took a closer look. It had a head that was above the water and was reddish brown in colour. I didn’t need a second look to identify it as a snake. Immediately we got out of the water. Ben said he felt something brush past his leg in the water and was not sure if he got bitten. Indeed, there were two marks on his feet but I don’t think they were snake bites since he didn’t have any symptoms after some time. Moreover, over 90% of snakes are not venomous.
We thought the snake had been swept downstream by the current. Then, someone spotted it a few metres away from us and swimming back against the current. That sparked a mad rush to get our belongings and pretty soon we were out of that place =P
We walked out to Jalan Gottlieb to catch a bus but finding none, decided to try Jalan Burma as advised by a lady we approached. On the way, we saw this open air hawker centre and decided to have dinner there. It was probably mass spam because it was our last night. Fried kway teow, satay, fried oyster, fried rice, etc… Satisfied, we headed back to Komtar for some shopping and then it was back to Sungei Nibong via a bus that was obviously speeding.
Just sitting around chatting killed a lot of time and before long, it was 12.45a.m. We boarded Gunung Raya Ekspres for K.L. Penang Bridge was beautiful (I think it is more than 4 times as long as the Causeway) but good times don’t last and soon we were back on Peninsular Malaysia. The bus broke down somewhere midway and it took the drivers some time to fix the problem. Some other buses stopped to render assistance but it was still over an hour before we started moving again.
All of them dead asleep on the bus!
We hit K.L around 6a.m, had some porridge for breakfast, before heading back to Hentian Puduraya to get our tickets home. Luck was on our side and we managed to get seats on the 7.30a.m Konsortium Ekspres back to Larkin from which we took SBS 170 to City Square; and had lunch at KFC. After a satisfying meal, it was home sweet home.
Total distance: Many many kilometres
Money spent: S$230 (5.5D6N)
Participants: LSH, Zi Kai, Alfred Chen, Justin Lee, Benjamin Chen, Sheng Long and Randy
