keong`s journal

Trailblazer Journal
July 2011
By: Keong
Part I:
The MYCAT Trailblazer Project trial run
Some months back, I received an email with an attachment on MYCAT ‘Trailblazer’.
Being a member of the Malaysian Nature Society, I am aware of MYCAT’s work but have not been
able to get involved personally. This particular project seemed interesting, with volunteers
spending multiple nights in the jungle with Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan)
staff doing border clearing and patrols (though volunteers are not doing the actual patrolling itself).
But the email indicated that this would be the first trial run for the Trailblazer project. Trial runs
usually mean uncertainties and this held true as the days unfolded.
Three selected volunteers showed up for the pre-trip briefing two weeks ahead of the actual trip.
The MYCAT team was there to brief us on expectations as well as preparations for the trip. After
the meeting, a few key words kept lingering in my mind, among them ‘be flexible’, ‘super fit’ and
‘cans of sardines’. I imagined myself as an adventurer with a blank map with only two ‘X’s marked.
Start and end.
So… we are going into an undisclosed (due to security reasons) part of Taman Negara to do park
border clearing as well as to keep an eye out for illegal activities. Parang (machete) action seems
unavoidable, something which I am (happily) up for. We were told to start building up on our
stamina… so that we will not ‘suffer’ too much on the actual trip. Last but not least, they also told
us that all pictures taken, GPS readings and any possible publications must be screened through
to ensure certain aspects of the project is not jeopardised. We even signed forms agreeing to all
this. And this write up you are reading has definitely gone through MYCAT’s censorship board!!
Clueless yet willing, I psyched myself up for this rare opportunity to volunteer for the MYCAT
Trailblazer trial run project.
PART II:
The journey into Taman Negara began
On our way to the Merapoh entrance to Taman Negara
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It was a Wednesday morning and we all gathered at the Gombak LRT station. With all our fully
loaded packs, we hopped onto the MYCAT Hilux and headed for the Karak highway towards
Merapoh. We only stopped for breakfast and toilet breaks. Man, the only rep from MYCAT did
most of the driving while the rest of us chatted about matters ranging from parangs to blood
diamonds (it was a long drive).
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By the time we arrived at Taman Negara Merapoh, the four of us had already started to ‘gel’
together. Well, for sure we have differences but like all things in life, we made the best of what’s
on the table. Upon checking in and doing away with the formalities, we went straight to work.
Checking and dispensing gear. Food was a major issue to me personally. The moment I saw the
15kg bag of rice and cans of sardines and chicken curry, I knew I was in trouble. Hey…I love food
but lugging canned food for days isn’t exactly my kind of adventure. But heck, there we were with
the goods and I had already agreed to be ‘flexible’.
Sorting out food for 5 days in the jungle
Now…the plan was to cook for dinner and breakfast only. There was no time to stop and cook
lunch, so packets of biscuits etc for lunch on the go was called for. We had Camping Gaz stoves
with us. Each of us carried one full canister.
The Perhilitan truck that ferried us into the unknown
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We were initially informed that our journey would begin the following day. But just an hour after we
finished packing, a Perhilitan officer drove up to our cabin in a truck. We looked blankly at each
other, realising that our hope to sleep comfortably in the cabin for the first night no longer existed. I
heard a few exchanges of words between Man and the officer and the next thing I knew, we were
all on the back of the truck on the way to the Kuala Yu outpost. This is what Dr. Kae meant by ‘Be
flexible. Plans can change.’ Our ‘Trailblazer’ adventure had just gone into hyper mode.
I felt my heart beating fast as we sat in the back of the (flying) truck. It took us a good 40 minutes
to get to the Kuala Yu outpost. 1001 things raced through my mind. Did I pack my shoes? Did I
leave anything behind? Hope I have all the sardine cans. What on earth is going on??
The truck came to a complete stop right smack in the middle of the jungle... No, it was an oil palm
plantation. Alighting from the back of the truck, we were greeted by a suspended bridge over
Sungai Yu that separates this unsightly landscape from the Kuala Yu outpost. A tall structure that
stands tall on what looks like a small hill.
A suspended bridge separates the outpost from the oil palm plantation
Looking down the suspended bridge, I saw a beautiful river with steep banks on both sides. The
river flows out towards an arch of pristine jungle with some trees bowing towards the water, as if
trying to take a sip of water from the flowing river. This to me is the epitome of what a jungle
should look like.
A beautiful river by the outpost (Sungai Tanum)
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This outpost was to be our shelter for the night before the real ‘challenge’ the following day. We
took every available moment to make final preparations. It was now or never.
Nervous? Maybe. Excited? A little bit. Scared? Yes.
The structure was built high up to avoid
elephants that may pass through the area
and destroy the building!
Wee Siong doing final packing and
checking on his gear
Going through our maps
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PART III:
Walking into restricted Taman Negara – as the days unfolded
Okay, we were literally walking into restricted areas of Taman Negara, inaccessible to the general
public. All we had was a map which Perhilitan staff brought (with some pencil lines drawn on it)
and two units of GPS to help guide us. Once inside, we had limited communications with the
outside world. Ten minutes in and already the jungle started to reveal itself.
Large pig mud holes
The mud markings on the trees are made by
pigs just out of the mud holes
Dr. Kae wasn’t kidding when she said we needed parangs for this trip. It soon became obvious
that we were moving into an area of the jungle which had not been ventured into by people for a
long time. There were simply no trails at all. The only faint ones that we could identify were
probably animal trails which might lead us away from where we were supposed to head to.
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Constant checks on the GPS against the map were necessary to make sure that we were heading
towards the right direction.
We had to stop often to compare the map against the GPS
to make sure that we were heading in the right direction
The deeper into the jungle we walked, the darker it became. This was the first ‘change’ I realised.
There was little light on the jungle floor. The ground was covered with all sorts of plant matter,
creepers, vines and rattan thorns that made our progress slow and at times extremely painful. We
pushed on and on, bit by bit with the Perhilitan staff at the front slashing relentlessly to make a
path for the rest of us to come through.
Some wild jungle fruits that had been partially
eaten
A beautiful feather (argus pheasant) we spotted
on the ground inside the jungle
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Beautiful fruit that was accompanied by some serious thorns!
It was a good few hours walk before we finally found the first Taman Negara border marker. This
was the first indication that we had reached the border. Our jubilation was short lived when we
realised that it was the only marked tree in our sight. The direction of the border could be any way!
Jungle vines can be a source of drinking water
but unless you know which one, best to stay
away
It was a long day, hot and humid. We filled our
bottles anywhere we could and used tablets to
make water safe for drinking
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They call our jungle ‘rainforest’ and water is supposed to be abundant. But finding a suitable camp
site with a source of abundant water can be a challenge. Though the map indicated water
sources, streams and even rivers, many have disappeared, some simply too doubtful (stagnant
water) while others simply did not have enough flat land. Our group needed flat land because
several of us were using tents.
In desperation, we made do with a small stream for the first night. Abang Mat (Perhilitan) was
quick to work the stream by digging and damming it so that we had a pool of water to collect for
cooking and even washing. Whatever flat land found was cleared for the tents while the hammock
users picked their trees.
The small stream was a relief after not being able
to find any other more suitable sites
The first day was a tiring day. Resting in my hammock, I was amazed at how noisy the jungle is. I
remembered the night well. It was about 8pm and just as I was about to doze off, a loud single
burst of ‘uuung’ went off and this ‘call’ was responded by a similar call from the opposite bank of
the river where my camp was situated.
Seconds later, more such calls rang out in the jungle. They appeared to be frogs and they kept on
‘uuung-ing’ to each other for the longest time. I came out of my hammock, reached for a stick and
tried to disturb the ground, hoping that the frog near my camp would just move away. It did…for a
few minutes, that is. Soon it was back ‘uuung-ing’ away.
Well, nothing much I could do. I lay in my hammock, thanking God for the good and safe journey
and slowly drifted into sleep.
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PART IV:
Camping in the real jungle of Taman Negara
I have walked and camped in my fair share of jungles but this TRAILBLAZER trip was one
of the few rare occasions where a jungle experience was stretched a few notches up. An
absolutely satisfying experience with a sigh of relief at the end of it all.
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This is a real primary jungle. It is an area in Taman Negara that has neither been logged nor
seen much human activity. A place inhabited by flora and fauna of all shapes and sizes.
Where humans are probably the aliens and misfits. The sort of place that stretches your
comfort zone and tests your ability to mentally overcome challenges. This is the place
where once inside, there is no turning back. As exotic and postcard-like it may look and
sound, this is not a place to be taken lightly.
Droppings of our ‘BIG’ friends are a common
sight
Big, towering and magnificent trees
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This caterpillar gave one of us a nasty sting
through clothing!
See if you can spot the kungfu master in the
picture
There were just no certainties. After days of walking, having a fire not only helped to warm our
bodies, dry our clothes but it also helped to lift the human spirit. Hammock camping made sense
due to the lack of flat ground for tents. Even with the scarcity of trees, one can always be creative
and build an apartment of hammocks.
My hammock partially set up on uneven ground
Two hammocks stacked on top of one another.
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Fire is a matter of survival and in this case, it helped to dry our equipment,
keep us warm and lift our spirits.
The terrain we walked on was mostly hilly terrain. They were not mountains by any means but the
fact that it rained during the nights of the first few days made walking difficult. We were slipping
down on our bums, tumbling down river banks and walking cautiously across tree trunks
that linked us to the other side of the river. Each step we took was a calculated risk. Lower
one’s guard and one might find oneself hurt very badly. Having parangs worn at the side of
our waists made such accidents even more potentially dangerous.
It may not seem dangerous but that stick was the only thing that kept us
from the deep mud and steep ravine on both sides
Finding a good campsite beside a river was a blessing. It provided ample water for consumption
as well as for cleaning up. After days of walking, we were practically drenched in our own sweat
and blood from leaches. Our sweaty bodies attracted a host of insects, particularly sweat bees
which were really annoying. At our river campsite, we took every possible opportunity to clean up.
After having worn the same sweaty shirt for days of walking, a well rinsed shirt was very much
welcomed, even if it was to be worn again wet. At least it smelled better.
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Our Perhilitan friends taking a break beside the
river
Wee Siong taking the opportunity to rinse
some clothes in the river
It was a great relief being able to clean-up
in the jungle river
Taking every opportunity possible to rinse
and dry our daily worn clothes
Camping in the real primary jungle can be a challenge but not impossible with common sense and
mental strength. There may be more seasoned and experienced campers around you but if you
know what you are doing and are doing it safe, you will be okay. The key to jungle camping, as
a mentor of mine used to say is to be humble and respect the things around you. You are
after all just a passer by. And as Benjamin Whichcote saying goes, “None are so empty as
those who are full of themselves.”
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