The short trek

Once started it is difficult to stop. The fire that is burning inside pumping me to explore further after I have hiked the Trek at the Dam side. "You need to carry on." I heard someone is talking to me.

It was yesterday that I did something differently. I started to go into one of the place that I pass by every week without understanding what and how it is. The level of curiosity has not been fired up before this.

This outlet from the jungle was located not too far from the car park. I have not noticed anybody either coming out or going in the jungle from here. But I had to greet good morning to the stump of a tree before I moved further to the other unknown end.

It was not a difficult pathway actually as I strolled along. A little attention may be required during the rainy day, as you can see, the concrete slabs are covered by a thin layer of moss, it will turn out to be wet and slippery by that time.

After making two continuous sharp turns, I saw a bright open end lied in front of me. No surprise, and no wonder, and I reached the other end of this trek that is shorter than I can imagine, shorter than my excitement and shorter than what I have written over here.

As I moved further, what a coincidence, I found myself standing besides the small dam which was at the left end of the picture.

Sometimes reality could never match the expectation. I concluded.

By the way, because of the simplicity of the new world, I have a clear mind to discover a stupid finding. The familiar smell that I can sense no matter where I am in the jungle is not something from the woods, not something from the swamp, nor something from the dropping, it is from my sweat. OMG.

Pulai Tree

What can be seen in a jungle? This is kind of stupid question. In this rainforest at Cerok Tokun, giant aged trees with perimeter of more than the arm-span of two men can be found scattering here and there along the hiking trail.

This tree which has been my closer friend recently and starred in my previous posts are named Pulai Tree. I dare to declare openly only since I learnt their name from local newspaper last week. (You are not going to show your mum your girl friend without first getting known her name, aren't you?)

I am fond of elderly trees, not only they have been rambling to me decades long of history, they also show the kind of sturdy and rugged shape which cannot be matched by a young one. This is the beauty of an oldie, like me.

In the other hand, besides being benevolent enough to serve as a helpful staircase along the trail, its vine is always a good friend indeed for us to hold the balance or to pull ourselves up from the steep slope during the hike.

(Many places in Malaysia are named after a variety of trees. Simpang Pulai has been better known since the launching of the highway that takes us from Ipoh to Cameron Highland easily. Pinang of Pulau Pinang, or Penang Island, is the Malay word for Betel Nut or areca nut. A small village which is nearby to where I live is called Nyior Satu Batang, or A piece of Coconut tree. My familiar Mengkuang Dam is the same whereby Mengkuang is actually one type of tree. There are many more such examples).

Inside the Jungle

How do you feel about the jungle?

"The dense woods would have left me standing there crying", what "a challenge for those who are not into regular walking or hiking", or "as intriguing as it looks beyond all those vines and rocks...I would not have the courage or stamina to go and check it out"!

There are a few outlets to the main road, the tar road, along the Trek at the Dam Side. This the reason why many rather hike using this trail than others. One of my fellow hiker told if any strange or uneasy feeling haunted him and persisted during the hike, he would then leave the place and re-join the crowd at the main trek.

I have a few experiences in the past as well. When I first started my date with Cerok Tokun, I had lost the sight on my next trail beyond a flatland and was almost led into the wild by a false one. I was lucky enough to turn back and there it was. Why it was missing earlier?

I did run or sprint a few times inside the jungle. It was once during a heavy rainfall, the rhythm of fallen rain behind me sort of similar to thousands of people chasing after me. I ran to branch off from the jungle trek, and to return to my community. Do you still think I am adventurous enough? But those experiences are exciting.

To hike inside a jungle means I have to alternate between brightness and dimness. I always have problems with my point-and-shot camera when I am surrounded by dense woods until I bring along my DSLR.

To be able to feel the sunlight and blue sky is a blessing, especially after a long stretch of steep ascending path. This matches the feeling about seeing the light at the end of a tunnel.

But if you ask whether I like the track, the hike, and the jungle, then I have to ask again, why not?

Rocky Trail

Do I like my new found Trek at the Dam Side? If you have asked, then the result must be positive. I am not telling new always means good, just like "some other things", but you really need a lot of energy and stamina in order to fully indulge in this one. No no no.... I am not trying to show off, I really mean it.

I needed no any extreme act like what Sylvester Stallone had done in Cliff Hanger for which I am too old to envy. Anyhow, there were big and small rocks along the trail. I just squeezed myself through some of them, stepped across the others, but I needed to climb over a few.

It is sort of different from my normal Trek at Pond Side mainly due to the long stretch of mossy rock, lying on my way instead of saying hello along the trek.

It made me feeling strange and mysterious as well in front of these entangled and giant vines. What can be the stories behind them?

Some rocks are properly stacked at a few places as you can see in the next picture. I wonder whether they are natural or the other way round. There are certain religious beliefs in some countries that link to the stacking of stones.

I like all these weird encounters that require less words to explain. Of course, I also know you do not like an old man keeps murmuring all night long. I am going to zip my mouth now.

Good night.

New Hiking Trail

When I returned to Cerok Tokun last Sunday, it must be my luck to meet the man whom I have talked to on previous week. I checked, and we agreed, and, here we go, we started the hike on my new hiking trail.

I really felt so excited to try a new trek and started recording my trekking experience in pictures immediately. He really felt so surprise what on earth I was doing at the place that was nothing extraordinary to him. But he was then never talked much, I continued to busy at shooting at here and there between my huffs and puffs.

The starting point of this track (I shall call it Trek at Dam side) is found nearby the small dam.

To make it more interesting, this starting point is marked with a wooden "arch". On the left of the picture that is the dam. Observation on the trek itself I confirmed that, though not as many as my normal jungle trek (I shall name it Trek at Pool Side), it must have been regularly used by fellow hikers.

This portion of the jungle exhibited no animals except the butterflies again. The small blue one led me at the beginning and the big black butterfly hovered around in the usual manner. Yes, see no is never equal to hear no. The overhead smashing sounds told me who they were. Plentiful of half bitten fruits or skins which were found scattered along the trail concurred to that. Luckily those monkeys have yet to learn to throw sticks at me.

Fallen trees and rotten woods are forever parts of the jungle, they can be seen everywhere, either in a friendly or ugly manner.

The smell the jungle was as usual, but it was a little odd not to find a creek nor waterfall around, the prolong dry weather recently may have effect on this.

As it was my first trip to this Trek at Dam side, I had yet to acquire the sense of timing and landmarks on some parts of the trek. It took me one hour to come out from the jungle after numerous guesses for the end, and to re-join the tar road through a small path beside a base station at the peak.

And this is the end of my today post as well before I say good night to you. I shall talk more on the Trek at Dam Side in my next update.