Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Malaysia Chengal Tree Visit

Why is the mat salleh running ahead of the other locals in their Toyota’s in his red truck bashing down the jungle for 4 hours, chainsaw, axe and winch gloves at a mere arms length away - read on to find out more.

This is a 3 day trip Friday Night to Monday and Monday is an annual leave day.

Scenic Sg Loh Campsite Example


The goal is to get to the Chengal tree in Far East Terengganu which is some 400k away from us in sunny humid and hot Kuala Lumpur. No GPS points nothing just recollections on previous trip here. Not even a map hahaha a wing and a prayer and some jungle detective work should get us there.

We had failed to get there in the 2008 RFC as our official marhsalls convoy (Tango Team) was told to turn around and setup Special Stages so we only saw the first obstacle last year in the pouring night rain and the daylight and what a obstacle it was over 8 hours of vehicles winching and revving engive to valve bounce to make the first 50 meter climb.

Participants

LC II SWB - 22R Jason and the kids - he is also the mekanik for all our trucks.
LC II LWB - 22R Sebastian and Loo
LC II LWB - 14B-T Adzhar (dad and shotgun) and Musa the up and coming classy 4x4 driver - Known as TYSON
LC II LWB - 13B-T Dave (cicak) and Robert - Known as RED (or little Dozer after the trip)
Hilux Surf - 3Y Paul - known as Daffy for the strange noises it makes.

5.40pm Friday night.

Rung the mekanik hey are you ready - the background whhhhhhhirrrrrr of Simex XT's on the tarmac tells me he is in the car and hopefully heading to Gombak Shell meeting place. No alas he is still going home. "I'm going to be late" is all he says.

We get to Gomback Shell at 7.00pm (1 hour late) such is KL traffic on a Friday nite and we are the first ones there. Adzhar and Musa have already gone ahead to forage for food in Genting Sampar (top of Genting Highlands). Finally Loo and Sebastian turn up then is the mekanik at 8.00pm and he brings two kids neither his. His nephew and the nephew’s friend. Cool he is now the official school bus.

On the way finally but no food so we have to stop 25k over the hill at Bukit Tingi. RED overheats going up Genting Highlands (750 meter climb) so a trip to a car wash at 8.30pm in Bukit Tingi sorts out the mud in the radiator problem from the previous trip.

Finally 9:45pm we are on the road and rolling towards the east coast. We collect Adzhar at Petronas along the way and the convoy of 5 Toyotas is off and running. The Petronas is crowed and there is no parking anywhere.

Several coffee breaks later just to get a break from the ever whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrring of the SIMEX XT jungle tires we find ourselves at 3.00am outside the gates of HUTAN LIPUR CHEMERONG (a waterfall state park). A quickchat with the guard lets us in to use the carpark for camping. Robert shocks him by speaking perfect Bahasa hahha. Little does the guard know we are having a 3am happy hour picnic to celebrate arriving. :)

Saturday Morning

We awake in the morning to the chorus sounds of birds, scrounge up breakfast and a wash and toilet break. All around is the sound of birds and Adzhar goes to the small waterfall for a walk. Then there is the sounds of a mekanik at work wah what is he working on its a holiday.

10:45am its convoy rolling time for the short 4-5k run to the start of the Chengal tree track. In no time we have aired down the tires and its time for the infamous RFC 2008 2nd night hill climb (each truck taking at least 60 minutes to negotiate this climb some more some a lot less) its dry now and the track has changed the infamous rock bend is worse - ruts and rocks either side a trap just waiting to be sprung. First up its RED I drive to the ROCK have a quick recce and then reverse pulling out a big rock oops. Then one attempt and minimal tap on the gas pedal punch in the diff lock and I’m up the obstacle with wheels clawing skyward and then back on terra firma I’m safe and now the anchor point should we need one. Someone ahead of us has used a ground anchor very recently. Wow its all over in a couple of minutes :) .

Tyson at the first rock.Example


Next it’s TYSON and Musa takes the wrong line and is all easy once I give him a few clues as it too claws wheels skywards before it is safe. Then it’s the Surf and it has a few anxious moments as the 3Y engine will not shove the 35" wheels forward without massive slipping of the clutch then it too is safe.

Daffy at the first rock.Example

Then its Sebastian in the stock LC II it slips sideways into the rocks "trapped" so it is winched to safety before any damage is done. Finally it’s the tail end Mekanik a little slip and slide then the lockers grab and the shorty LC II SWB) school bus is safe.

Sebastian stuck on the first rock before being winched. Example

This is the toughest obstacle however in the rain there would be plenty more to entertain people (turning this track to extreme rather quickly I would say) - log bridges, landslides and much more and we eventually drive the 11.2k and reach the peaceful campsite on the banks of Sg Loh amongst some wonderful large trees. However there is already people here - Ah the users of the ground anchor is found. They are all running around in their undies crikey is this some sort of strange jungle cult?

Time is a mere 12.35pm and we are there after crossing about 5 log bridges and a couple of hairy deeply rutted corners. Lunch time and then we are off to the tree across Sg Loh and 5k to the Tree we think.

Sg Loh crossing on the way to the tree.Example

Sebastian coming through the muddy cutting to the tree.Example

What a little jewel of a track overgrown and hardly used. Mud climbs, narrow muddy trails and ruts everywhere we take over 90 minutes to go 5k.

Red stuck on a rock near the tree Example

Red stuck on same rock near the tree Example

Red stuck - Robert's out with the winch cable. Example

I think RED liked this rock there were lots of pics taken.Example

Tyson climbing the bank by mistake at the pinning rock near the tree.Example

Red catches a few more dents on a RUT and rock and is pinned until the Toyota's version of the WARN 8274 pulls it to safety. Yup I also got 3 new dents from this rock. Sebastian tears out the rear wing and a tail light putting a huge dent in an immaculate LC II hahahaha. Musa almost tosses TYSON up a bank as he finds out how good lockers are when you step on the gas pedal a little too much another meter and we would be trying to put it back on its sneakers as it would have rolled hahaha. The mekanik at the same RUT/ROCK as me spins him round like a top and he has to winch. Same for the Surf - finally it has to pull its virgin winch out. Then the track stops suddenly at a log and the distance marker has no markings on it. Walking time - plodding off not knowing if this is the Chengal Tree track or not we come across a marker with 450m on it ah so the walk must correct and be about 800m long then. Climbing slowly we get closer 200m marker, 100m, 50m then there it is in front of us - ok its BIG some 11 meters in diameter and the same size all the way up the trunk for at least 50 meters.

Group pic at the mighty Chengal Tree. Example

Me at the tree.Example

Me at the tree.Example

The tree is rather large is an undertstatement.Example

What a beauty but i give it 10 years and it will be dead the roots are showing signs of bad decay. See it while you can.

By this time its 16.30pm and time to head back to camp. The trip down is uneventful until I cross Sg Loh at camp and decide to turn around to take pics of the convoy :) bad move a little tickle on the gas from the mighty 13B-T sinks me into the sand. I run the steel cable out and wait for TYSON to go past and hook a winch it takes me over 20 meters of pulling to get to terra firma. Me being winched at the river crossing at camp after stopping to take pics of the convoy crossing the river.

Return acoss Sg Loh after the tree back to camp.Example

Musa using Tysons roof as a camera platform at SG Loh.Example

RED stuck at Sg Loh at the camp after the tree while taking pics of the convoy.
Example

The wonderful clean and scenic Sg Log this is a animal warehouse mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.Example

The neighbours kitchen camp in the river - note them all in their undies - we are the clothed ones.Example

Dinner I remember nothing apparently exhausted with food poisoning and a lack of food during the week from a previous bout the friday before I sit on my partially made up bed as I was putting it together and fall asleep for 14 hours even missing the shotgun blast which our neighboring campers use to blast a civet cat less than 20 meters from me. They cook the cat much to our disgust - they also blasted a flying squirrel and ate that also :( and another civet cat. Robert was even more distressed as he had spotted the cute cat while walking back to camp when he put his torch on it they blasted it from abut 2 meters beside him without warning. His ears were still ringing 2 days later :(. The Civet was eaten - we were not impressed.

Our neighbours who spent the weekend running around in their undies - not sure why or if they belonged to the "show your undies cult".

Sunday Morning

Next morning casual breakfast to the sounds of birds and monkeys - yeah sure suasages, omelettes with red chillies, onions, chicken sausage and chilli padi, tomatoes and tea/coffee. Hilton Hotel cannot cook better :) . Monkeys!. We think Gibbons from the noise are close to camp they stay for over an hour around the camp but not close enough to see them. I had awoken in the middle of the night freezing no sleeping bag and my truck locked. I slip my arms inside my t-shirt and go back to sleep. By 11.00 we are ready to depart. Once again the trip down is uneventful so much so I have time to do 7+ donuts in 3rd low while waiting for the group to catch up in a soft patch of dirt :). Then its the blacktop and a short drive to the next turn point of Sg Loh we cross Sg Loh something we could not do during the 2008 RFC while Sbastian and Loo go for ICE and I once again do many many donuts in RED on the soft river bank.

Mekanik crossed up on a set of ruts on the way from Sg Loh Camp to Sg Kelemin camp.Example

Example

In RFC 2008 the water was over the roof of RED and at the base of the bridge the pic was taken from. However there is a problem and the 13B-T turbo Waste gate has broken its welds and the turbo is smoking'. Oops. No No no more money on RED. We tie it up but it does not look good nor does it sound good.

Next is a 8k blast along a gravel road. I have fun along with the SURF hanging out the rear end we decide to follow the action and also drift - so much grunt from the 13B-T it is effortless to do this in RED in 2wd HIGH range.

The SURF is in LOW range to do the same. Eventually we arrive at a river (Sg Kelemin) and its wet sneakers time and then its the camp site and we are on a big stony river bank for camp. Sg Kelemin I believe - crisp clear healthy water and the sounds of birds everywhere yes and fish. Camp is set and a much needed bath taken.

Just on dark there is a loud crack and I look up to see a tree fall off the bank and land on TYSON. It’s eerily quite and no sound can be heard we all creep slowly silently to Tyson. Where is Adzhar and Musa. They are safe they ran as soon as they heard the crack. Their camp area a mess as the falling tree pieces have blasted stuff around. The door which was open is shattered - no one is hurt that all that matters.

The dead tree which destroyed Tysons door and the tarp.Example

Tysons door after the tree fell on it.Example

Tysons door after the tree fell on it.Example

Then we burnt the nasty tree to ashes, door to recycle hahaha.Example

The tree was about 18" in diameter as I cut it up with the chainsaw and we burnt it as a offering to the jungle gods. Boy does rotten wood burn well :).

Dinner and beer and a wonderful full moon night.

Monday Morning head home day

On the 3rd day sunrise finds us up and having breakfast in the very damp morning air. Take the long way home - "SuperTramp" is ringing in our ears. By 11.00am we are ready to rock. The mekanik is leading from the rear there's something up. Rats I’m in front. I soon find out. The track is narrow and muddy until I come to the second creek crossing then it’s over a sand bank and up the creek bank. RED tears the sand bank away trying to climb the 2 meter bank eventually I give up after multiple goes and pull out the winch cable and out come the shovels to make it easier. Surf drives it yet again and the Stock LC II is winched as is the LC II Shorty.

Clearing another tree on the way home. Example

Red with the mekanik keeping a close eye on it. Example

Example

Red stuck in another creek crossing - out with the winch cable. Example

Paul in DAFFY hung up on a V-Gully crossing.Example


Then the fun starts we have some 4 hours of a single motor bike track to follow on a overgrown and disused 4x4 track with V-gullies and fallen trees.

Damn the mekanik makes it look easy after winching out RED.Example

Sebastian and Loo getting a hand out of a creek.Example

RED just smashes its way through (later we find many new dents on RED) with Tyson in hot pursuit smashing more for the others to follow a clear path. The tools used are as follows in order of physical demand:
1. RED - bulldozer for everything
2. CHainsaw
3. Axe
4. Shovel/Chunko

Fallen tree - chainsaw or axe - drive smash crash - v-gully fix and winch or drive - carry on smash crash bash our way through so much that the chainsaw chain cries enough and is totally blunt.

Tyson at the gully drop.Example

Mekanik not wanting to dent his truck.Example

See no dents.Example

Paul in DAFFY hung up on a V-Gully crossing.Example

DAffy on a log bridge - check the right front wheel where it is on the bridge :)Example

Daffy coming down a drop off.Example

Eventually the sky is visible we are out at a set of scarecrows guess this must be civilization. Red is full of insects, ANTS, FLies, Praying Mantis's and every other crawling insect known to the jungle after the 4-5 hour bash. We head home after a meal stop near Hulu Dungun for 60 minutes where pictures and videos are swapped then its the long slow crawl home and I finally claw my way into bed at 12.30am dreaming of when I can afford to take another days leave and go back.

vIDEO cLIPS

look at http://www.youtube.com and search for GECKOADVENTURE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpP9GqUcVQA is the summary video from Sg Loh Camp to the tree and back to Sg Loh camp a distanceof about 11k.

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