Monday, September 27, 2010

Chengal Tree - Malaysia's Biggest Tree 19 JUne 2010

It started out with few trucks going to the TRee and then it dropped to just Zafrul in the Landrover D90 and Zafrul's kids - his Twins and (ah crikey twins) and Myself in the now ever on the road Madri Gra Float and

We elected to go as the kids had never been camping before and I did not want to let the kids down.

8:15Pm we are packed and leave my house 6 hours drive at 80kph to go to the nites camp spot.

I elect to skip dinner and have to stop for takeaway doughnuts at Gomback. I get an interesting look from the policemen with their MP5's as they are buying doughnuts also I guess I look a mess - CAMO pants, black GeckoAdventure shirt with CREW written on it and the tatto's haha.

We cruise up the Genting hill all 750 meters of it the GReen LC II pulling away steadily from the LandRover. 3.0 Diesel beats 2.5 anyday.

Then the handheld radio dies then another and finally the 3rd handheld dies - looks like someone I lent the radios too put them all away flat and the recharge has failed :().

Oh well least I have my IPOD over the roaring of the Silvertone 35" XT's the IPOD keeps me occupied and homesick for OZ and cruising at 85kph its a long slow 322k to the camp site.

50k before Gambang we stop for the last fuel stop fuel and then continue its only 50k to the end of the highway. Turn left into Terengganu and the toll. Then the highway becomes a nasty single track highway full of LORRi's we have another 51k to travel before the turnoff a roadside stall beckons and a welcome cold chocolate drink and a break is called for. 30 minutes late and sick of watchign a stupid black and while horror movie on TV we continue.

Soon its the turnoff - blink and you miss it. The signs tell us 35k to go. Windy wide road damn its better than the highway we turned off.

One big climb and there is Lata Cemerong Tourist spot. We negotiate with the guards to let us in and we are allowed to use the pergola to let the kids sleep in. Unload the kids and camp beds and happy hour with potato crisps to unwind.



Sleep beckons by 3.30am.

Saturday morning.

We awake 9.00am and decide to foridge for food back at the village rather than cook.

The Restaurant

What a disaster the restaurant has no food only noodles and they are all Curry (Kari) and the kids hate curry. THey get plain noodles and some vegies. I knick name this the foodless restaurant (I believe its actually Kampung Pasir Raja).



Back on the road - no no the kids have to ring mum and rats no fone reception here. oh dear pay fone needs to be found.

Finally we on the way and into the jungle - damn 11k its going to be easy its still suffering the niceties of being bulldozed 2 months ago. Green lopes along rather fast and I have time to play on obstacles I should not (steep banks etc). Then we encounter a washed out bridge.


The detour log bridge is the only challenge so far and yup you could drive it in a Kancil also.

The turnoff before the tree.


Soon we come to the turning to the tree - nah lets carry on and explore we give ourselves till 2.00pm we have 2hour almost to play.

We find ourselves on a overgrown long rutted narrow climb after taking a left fork 2-3k of narrow tracks polishing the paintwork. I get over 1/2 way up and realises its getting worse and the rut ont he left well would take me forever to get out of if I could find something (a tree to winch off). Zaful does not have a winch so that settles it REVERSE and another day to explore this. We go back and take the right fork and wow a small river crossing appears undaunted across we go and yup GREEN gets stuck on the exit - diff and suspension hooked up and open diffs and GReen is parked up on the bank meaning only one thing - WINCH!

Green Stuck


Easy winch out and Zafrul after a bit of mucking around gets the short D90 to climb up the CDL in the D90 making Green look stupid.

Another narrow track and we hack our way along then I spy a hard right dissappearing down I take that. Hacking rattan out the way with the parang we descend and then left or right - right and we end up at a little boulder strewn creek - time for a lunch break fruit and a cold drink.

Lunch spot

Where the hell are we. wow GPS shows us to be real close to Taman Nagara border.

What can be better than this sitting on a rock eating fresh cold fruit and a cold drink out of the fridge. SOme guys walk down the river hah its the middlew of knowehere they are casting a net as they travel down no fish though. Soon time to continue on and head to our real destination the TREE. driving back up we realise the left and tright forek is a loop hahaha.

Then its the small river crossing and GREEN gets stuck again on the exit - however letting 10lb of air out of the tire changes the traction level and GREEN walks out - so does the D90 but does it a little tougher some days LWB is best.

D90 stuck


Left turn to the Tree camp and a very MESSY camp site greets us (more later). Straight into the river and cross one at a time all too easy but good video.
Sg Loh

The track to the tree has been bulldozed last time and all the difficult parts gone damn. We come to a big mud hole and take the log crossing chicken track. Then we meet the Univertsity Malaysia camp doing a study of the tree and the wildlife and plants around it.we have to cross the river as they using the bridge for their camp. Then a long muddy climb - lucky for the D90 its dry.


Park the toyz at the carpark and walk the last 850 meters. Damn I almost walk into a finely placed net - they using it to catch big insects and bats and birds. 400, 300, 200, 100 meters then the TREE is in front of us - just as I remember IMPRESSIVE and IMPOSING.

We sit there for 30 minutes just admiring this 1300 year old living thing, remember it was planted in 700AD.

The drive back to the camp uneventful rats all too easy. Crossing the river and wow neat the University team camping on the riverback camp have left - wow what a disgrace playing card - decks of them everywhere food, cans everything just discarded. Malaysians do you have no pride in your own country.


The jungle destroying neighbours

We erect the jungle Hilton camp crikey a 18*24 foot tarp for 4 of us and then elect to cleanup before we leave in the morning. Its a great spot the river is so clear we can see 200 meters across the river into the bottom.


The kids collect fire wood and we show them how to build a rock circle for the fire and start one - no I don't use petrol or diesel to light it. Once burning we show Alif the exploding green bamboo trick he likes that. However, the exploding empty gas canister tricks are not allowed.



Dinner is cooked and mine well im not going to mention it as I survive on the rations I still have from the RFC 2009 trip and nice cold beers from the fridge.

Sunday morning - low mist and quite cold especially 5.00am.



Arise and put on the kettle and take a few pictures the river is wonderful low cloud and the chorus of mother nature - birds. Breakfast is the traditional ommolettes , bakes beans and hot tea.


Packup camp and then cleanup the mess the difference to the campsite is amazing not one bit of rubbish left.



Soon we are off and heading downhill we take a left turn to a disused track which leads to the river? No its a dead end but I spy a camp site on the other side of the river - I wonder how they get there - next trip more exploring needed.


Then another stop at a high cliff spot and way below us is the river still clear we can see right to the bottom of the river. Soon we are out as its only a 11k trip down and back on the blacktop for a few k's then a left turn and follow the track and we arrive at Sg Loh Bridge

Camp was up there

and before we can take a few pics we have to move so its down to the riverbed where I do doughnuts and wow the polis can not stop this it ain;'t a public road. However the D90 cannot do it the dam CDL takes all the fun out. The green mardi gra however runs rings around the D90 literally and is totally at home spinning 35" sneakers on soft gravel/sand in 2WD. Video coming.

Fun over or is it we head of down the track I scoot off at silly speeds sliding happily through the corners then there is a sharper one i touch the brakes and step on the gas flick it into the corner - oops damn whats wrong then my super brain remionds me we in 2WD not 4 and I change driving style mid corner and im safe then the bridge looms up slip across sideways and round the corner all to the audience of the loggers who clap and cheer as I scoot past in a cloud of dust and flying gravel - I continue this pace for another 15k the little GREEN wagon is a dlight However I stop and put it into 4WD its much more safer and fun to drive - squirt - dab the brakes flick it out and pour on the gas the auto and the diesel happy being flogged and dancing along the slick gravel roads covered in Elephant Dung.

Soon we arrive at SG Kelemin - I wait for Zafrul and I wait and wait hahaha. He pulls up and the loggers scoot past not over the bridge but through the river they wave us to follow.

Tapiar tracks


We corss and then pull into a camp spot further up Zafrul takes the D90 into the river for a picture session haha then he realises why I will not drive in its soft and deep.

We carry on we have till 2.15pm to either make it or turn around and head home. 7 gullies and 30k to cover. Well Gully 1 and 2 have been bulldozed and widened. Then after 2 it narrrows and GREEN is bashing jungle again. Gully 3 do I cross or not - Yup in and winch out -


We decide its time to head home as the next 4 are also going to be winching and they get harder from here.

Zafrul is also winched across and out then we turn around and winch back out - stupid exercise no I have to dive into the mud to attach the winch cable to the D90 dam up to my knees in mud - the D90 is easy for GREEN to winch and it makes good video.

Well the reverse trip is the same the gravel road fast and furious and this time im in 2WD for a change then I meet the grader - yikes - and I reverse and part up - stupid stupid stupid I drop it into a ditch damn cannot get out until its in 4WD.

Back to the blacktop how to get home? No! food first and we are not eating at the restaurant of no food - Zaful wants seafood - what he sets course EAST for CUKAI - damn thats over 50k in the wrong direction we live WEST and we end up on the east coast at about 4pm sitting on the edge of Sg CUKAI (CUKAI in Bahasa means TAX the river name coming from the drownings yearly on the river the deaths being seen as a TAX) having a Chinese meal.

Soon its time for the long haul home the GPS tells me 9.04pm arrival.

We drone along incident free. Oh the noise did I mention the noise. If Zafrul is standing outside the D90 when its idling you can yell at him he cannot hear you hahahah hand signals only. I think the LR engine project engineers were all deaf when they built the prototypes hahaha. Spying a storm I ring Zafrul to warn him he doesn't hear the phone. At Lanchang (120k from home) we stop for a really cold drink from the fridge. The D90's air cond is gone they are running on fans and open windows. He spots the missed call - what ya ring me for - "to warn you off the STORM but it doesn't matter we found it".

Soon its 9.20pm (a ha the GPS was wrong) and im back in Bukit Damansara and I ring the GF where are you im in Decanter - Ah yes the upmarket restaruant - PERFECT - pull up and PARK the mud splattered GREEN monster right in front surrounded by Ferrari's and Beemers and hop out knees down covered in mud. I get a distained look from the group using the IPAD and discussing world events haha I just seen possibly the oldest living thing on earth the IPAD is insignificiant. I scoff two pie main meals and desert the waiter tried to argue with me the pies were big haha one look at my clothes he gave up served the beer and dissappeared.

Another weekend is planned but the D90 needs a winch hahaha.

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