Met Zafrul at 5pm at home 6:15pm Friday nite the D90 announcing its arrival with the massivley noisey diesel donk.
Wild Bill drops by in the Angry Hornet he is coming up tomorrow he has the spare car on the roof - no he's taking the go kart to the workshop for some mods.
We are on the road for curry chicken dinner at Raub to break fast.
A slow trip to the secret town the little D90 is not as fast as GREEN. A hot drink at Secret Town and refuel and its time to roll into the jungle.
We camped at the nite camp as planned and got there before midnite - awesome. No need to put the TARP up just camp under the pergola they have up.
The camp site at the cave.
Cave is covered in trees behind the camp.
Sat morning breakfast and walk the cave and get attacked by BEEs at the far end - run run run to safety - then headed in and got to a remote Kampung before we turn off and do some exploring before we meet Wild Bill around 7.00pm as they were very very late.
Cave
Zafrul's D90 started making noises going up the first hill climb :( oops after the log bridge.
The Bridge
We stopped and checked.
The breakdown for the D90
I got hold of Bill on the Phone via SMS and then damn it it rang at 500 meters up and 20k into the jungle he gave us an update so I ordered DIFF oil for the D90.
On the road again we headed in the direction we carried on the exploration following a water tank.
The delay until the bulldozer clears the logged tree from the track.
Me removing the drive shaft from the D90. Yes the rego plate is a ex-Peragu Dam project Landrover.
Logging is destroying large quantities of jungle (>400 hectares at a time)
The front prop was loose as was the rear :( . Checked the front DIFF and its a COFFEE colour oops time to remove the front PROP as maybe its lost the bearings already so better not damage the crown and pinion. Took me an hour to remove the PROP and tighten the rear - second time round lock nuts :( ?
The million dollar view at the lookout 500 meters up.
We headed deeper into the jungle until 4pm when we got we got to a nice flat muddy part followed by a long climb and the D90 would not move any more on the flat so we turned around and headed back to Secret Village for camp (it was 4pm by this time and Secret Village was over 3 hours away).
This is a PTO winch - check the hook.
Check the log bridge out a double decka.
Alsi Villagers
A beautiful River but we could not camp on it nowhere was accessible :(
The D90 on a muddy track
Around this time on some of the hills I could catch Wild Bill on the radio as it turns out he was over 20k away and eventually we meet up just as it started to rain (it poured as I was climbing the hill and it chased me up) at 7:10pm Secret Village is roughly 13k (exactly) away at this point or ½ hour normal jungle drive. We head off into the now rapidly setting sun.
We don't even get 100 meters and the D90 is in trouble it cannot move downhill without spinning around - Ray rescued it, but Bill being crazy goes to rescue it also leaving a trail of destruction as he backtracks. Once rescued the D90 I put in on the back of Green or in front depending on the hill and tow or hold him back. The Silverstone 35”XTs bite and pull the D90 around like a kid pulling a toy on a string. 5 minutes of RAIN caused absolute chaos to the track I was shocked as to how little rain turned it to almost impossible to drive on. MT's wow seriously no good at all.
The D90 held back on a descent.
It's pitch black and not its still raining steadily when we reach the steep Secret Village track turnoff and Zafrul has another problem SPARKS flying out underneath again it was not a mirage I saw. On this climb he gets stuck and Bill following right up his @rse decides to go left rather than wait or even go right which is the best way -- BILL There's a DITCH howwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwll engine screaming crash bang - yup he's in the ditch engine screaming. Its going to be a long night sigh! 320HP a monster PTO and a crap load of ECU’s and stuff ain’t going to get you out of this one real quick.
Wild Bill trying to recover using GREEN as the anchor no use it did not move GREEN is pulled down the hill.
Zafrul's stuck (he’s the easy one to recover). Up ahead on the left track I can see a HILUX stuck also in a ditch and BILLS in the ditch also. Ray comes past me. Bill decides he WANTS to drive out - CRUNCH GRIND - wow somethings not working front locker and PTO - PTO Winch is rolled out and attached to the HEEP - meantime since he does not want my help I rescue ZAFRUL and tow him to saftey he drives of to give us room to rescue the ANGRY hornet. I check on the loggers they are in the cr@P and up on 3 wheels also and I tell them I will rescue them after Bill - they are happy. Back to Bill - still mucking around - After he then realised his LOCKERS not working and engine oil pressure getting low he decides he needs help. He tried to get Ray to rescue him - no use the JEEP is way top light - Finally I offer to rescue him he agrees - I really think he hates having a stock little green wagon run rings around his $$$$$$$ toy.
I line it up with Ray for an anchor and wind out the full 35 meters of cable and slowly out he comes one hour later. They turn around and they head off I go rescue the loggers once again a full 30 meter winch recovery - GREEN just pulls and the batteries last. No sooner had I turned around on the steep slope from the loggers I get a radio message ZAFRUl's D90 is stuck and Bill cannot climb a slope. Hang on hang on hang on I will be there in a few minutes flat out I fly up the track sliding and the little 1KZ screaming away having a ball on the track - there they are stuck at the bottom of a steep climb I slip GREEN in front of the D90 hook up the strap tell RAY to GO - Tell Bill to Go (he does at 7000+ revs in rear wheel drive locker on and MUD everywhere - the loggers next - I drive GREEN from exactly where it is in the muddy slope and pull the D90 up the hill at 3000 revs damn its so impressive effortless it barely feels the D90.
I just leave the D90 on the strap the next downhill to the loggers camp is terrifying I use every piece of driving skill I have to drive and me sliding sideways down the slope holding the D90 from spinning sideways - quite possibly the best driving I have ever done and we are safe at the loggers camp for a TEH TERRIK and Bill to sort out his expensive problem. By this time its 11.30pm. Then the story comes out the loggers had cooked DINNER but discovered no RICE hahaha - so what to do drive 52K each way and get 2 bags. Simple but on the way back to save a minute they took the shortcut and dropped into the ditch. The loggers advise take the RIGHT up the landslide - I let the others go and hooked up the D90 again and up the landslide - I missed the right turn and holy cr@p trouble however GREEN just pulled the D90 up the steep rutted and bumpy slope and never missed a beat. Then real trouble a side slope ending in a ditch realising I would never make it I stopped and we dug a trench for the right wheels to sit on and GREEN once again shocked me it started on the slope and just pulled us through it but I stopped too early and ZAFUL could not drive and I could not move either. SO unhitch drive up the slope turn around come down and winch him. (No help Bill and co had driven off and left us alone) they radioed do we want help - nope im fine I know exactly what I am doing (helping a friend). I rescue the D90 turn around on the slope and hook up the strap again and FLOOR it we climb out of the landslide and Secret Village is only 500 meters away its 12.00pm over 5 hours to travel 13k and GREEN simply awesome for a stock truck. The Villagers recognise me and we are offered the community center by Amit.
Secret Village at 660 meters the hill above is almost 2000 meters high.
Next day its up and fix the LANDROVER and put fresh oil in the DIFF but leave the shaft off. Then ZAFUL finds the sparks - the power steering pump has come undone and lodged against the chassis and worn a hole in it with the pulley :( . He has a new belt so I fix it. Ray's power steering in the HEEP is leaking. GREEN is the only one intact. We pickup a guide from a nearby village to help us find a waterfall and camping spot. The Track the loggers has been bulldozed they used their bulldozer to clear the track up at the crack of dawn.
The D90 at the landslide our tire tracks from the nite before still visible oops.
On the way GREENs AUTO plays up and overheats. Damn im in HI RANGE and have cooked it on the long hill climbs for the past 20k. I give it 15 minutes - no good. I elect to pull out and dump AMIT (guide) in the HEEP. I decide to sleep to let it cool down before heading out as if one can sleep in the stinking hot sun but I do. 75 minutes later I pack up the bed and put GREEN into LO and head out - its fine. I get a message on the radio they’re at camp. By this time when the I have travelled 10+k. I elect to turn back as GREEN is now faultless. DAMN a bulldozer on a lorry goes past as I am turning - I follow this to way after my turnaround point taking video clips etc. Soon im close and they give me instructions - turn left at the village with the CAT996 at it. Soon I am at camp and have travelled some 30k by myself including a monster steep uphill of over 400 meters up and the little GREEN wagon open diffs and auto just ate it all up.
The Bulldozer passes me as I turnaround :(
The gateway to a nice camp hahaha.
I find the camp site by. Wild Bill went in search of fuel and they manage to buy 65 litres and they still might run out on the way out.
Shifting house because it flooded.
The river below camp a nice cool place to relax with a beer.
Camp and the fire
Jungle hike
THe crashed DC3 - mission accomplished
Inside the wreck
One of the engines.
We spent over an hour up there exploring.
After that we hiked out and we spent the day in the river and camping water and relaxing and stoking the huge fire. Thats was day 3 gone.
How do you scare WIld Bill - answer I toss gas cannisters in the fire hahaha then tell him.
This is how he gets us back - petrol
Day 4 home day. On the way out hilarious Oh year Wild Bills battery was flat despite not using it from Sunday - looks like he has an earth problem. We started it with the FLURO battery from GREEN.
A burrowing shrew so young its suckling the arm.
I pickup Ray’s front left Shock and mount off the road, then I dropped the guide off
Dropping the guide and goodies back to Secret Village.
The waterfall near Secret Village - next trip im walking to it. Taken with a 800mm lens from over a 1,000meters away.
and Bill said they might wait for me in Secret Town but I will be going too slow as they travelling faster than me so see them in KL - hahaha - 11k from Secret Town and I’m running on "E" for the past 43k freewheeling downhill and only 2,000rpm uphill when a tall Indian guy steps out to the road and waves - wait I recognise him its Ganesh. Turn around - Wild Bills in a workshop Bonnet up Left front wheel hub off rear just being jacked up.
Greeen after the trip yup it was a muddy one
The busted window.
Problems - SMASHED WINDSCREEN on the ANgry Hornet from Ray towing him - Front left HUB is DRY (its not been greased when repaired on Friday morning) and worse the circlip is off so no axle will work its hub is turned its MUSHED and ROsak. The rear DIFF is non existent all the teeth are broken.
The FRONT hub cannot be fixed - ROSAK so cannot go home we have to repair the rear. A Toyota dealer has a new pumpkin (on a public holiday and all) so Bill buys it and a new 8/39 front pinion and crown set. Its installed by this time its 6.00pm. Next a wrecker has a new window he will wait for us and install it. 8.30pm window fitted and ready to head back to KL we left Secret Town at 8.45pm and arrived in KL 11:47pm -
I flew in the little green wagon.
Ps Green only gets 3k a litre in the jungle 300k travelled and I used 97 liters LOL. Time for a manual gearbox and a 8274 winch for it with twin electric motors for GREEN.
I cannot praise a stock vehicle more than this one. GREEN is a delight to drive flick it into a corner and it slides wherever you point it and the gas peddle in 4WD its even more balanced what a wonderful little 4x4 to toss around it has enough power to slide the back around.
On the way back I flew 3 hours 2 minutes home from Secret Town.
Return trip in November probably - I hope we can take the rebuilt Volvo.
Hi Dave, this trip sounded fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI wish I was there, oh wait, I was! I was driving the HEEP (Jeep)! What an experience and what a tribute to Gecko Adventures for sending the GPS co-ords and support and Bill's dogmatic determination to see the DC3. It is one of those adventures that will stay with you fore ever because there was not a dull moment and believe me it started way before picking up Zafrul's rosak Land rover.
Any outing with Wild Bill is automatically an adventure, even going to the shops! While loading up Damansara Bill stopped of at the local shop and got some ice and 4 25 Kg bags of rice. I though to myself that we could not possibly eat that much rice. Duh, instead of asking I later found out that it is currency for the Orang Asli! He also picked up enough golden nectar to fill ALL his 6 can coolers and he owns a lot. Needles to say they were all but empty when you met us on the hill making the journey progressively more interesting. The weather turned for the worse and I knew we were going to have an interesting night. Talk about understatements. Some of those roads were outrageously dangerous and slippy as elephant shit. Did that slow Bill down? Ha. Anyway, as he came flying past me on the left I saw the ditch and then I saw the Angry Hornet go for turtle but somehow stopped with both diffs embedded in clay. Pulling 4 tons out with a 2 ton Jeep was never going to work but hey. It was meant to be as we were able to meet the Orang Asli that later became our guides.
That waterfall we found was spectacular and some of the roads that took us there were once in a life time experiences. I say that as I am also saddened by the 400 hectares at a time just being destroyed. Shame n folks who insist on Meranti wood as they do not know or care where it comes from. So for any reader of this blog and comment, if you want to see the Malaysian rain forest as we have then book a trip quickly!
The highlight of the trip was of course towing Bill the last 15 Km. The lowlight was cracking his window. Actually to get the 4 ton LCII going I had to go low gear first, even on tarmac, shift up to third with full power and then on the fly, not recommended at all, shift up to high gear first gear.
Awesome adventure though!