Pos Simpor and Kg Rekom Charity Trip Part 1

I give my time freely to anyone who wants to do good charity trips to the Malaysian jungle provided it meets my rules and the gangs rules. No RELIGION, No Government LInked companies, No POLITICAL alignment then we will donate our time and vehicles.

This time 5 vehicles - All Toyotas - LC II 22R stock, - LC II GREEN AUto Stock apart from 1KZ and the auto and 4" lift kit hahaah - HILUX Surf 1KZ and Locking rear from a ISUZU - LC II 14B-T Monster - LC II Shorty 22R.

The charity trip - pickup 5 staff from Pfizer (Jason the mekanik has organised it all how he did it I will never know but well done) and one Doctor at 10pm on a Friday nite from Kuala Lumpur and head into the jungle dumpoing them back at their office we hope late Monday nite. I am the designated COOK and cargo wagon the rear seats of GREEN folded up its all cargo and food. We have no TARP nothing for camping out no room we are all fully loaded.

The start of the journey after 279k (approx 5 hour drive) to Gua Musang and then 26k to the trailhead its the end of the blacktop. 42k to Pos Simpor (690meters up) and another 10k to Kg Rekom (920 meters up). THis is 8am we have had 3 hours sleep at the restaurant at Gua MUsang (Gua = Cave and Musang is fox or civet cat so its the town of "Fox CAVE" or "Civet Cave". I slept on a outdoor table in my sleeping bag.

The Mekanix jeloppy a cute little SWB LC II its only fault its a 22R under the bonnet. Yuk its a GASSER (or petrol burner).



Left to right the mighty 14B-T (Tyson) in the LJ77 (REDs twin brother), DAFFY the HILUX Surf, and GREEN the cute MArdi GRa Float. Wait a minute WhatTheF**K where is Red. REd is still BLACKLISTED and cannot be registered at present :(



My winch wench DAFFY's drivers wife. DAFFY in the background and then Loo in the STOCK 22R LC II after he pulled the 1G-GZE out as it was useless and dropped a 22R back in.



Soon its signs of lots of logging the logging signs indicate they get 400hectares or 900+ acres to log at a time :(



The loggers have nice huts and company TRUCKS (LORRI HANTU or Ghost Trucks as they have no REGO)



LORRI HanTU's as we have found out are world war 2 era fitted with MERCEDES 6x6 axles and usually a NISSAN v10 Normally aspirated DIESEL (no CC rating available)
Soon we cross the mighty Perias River and its the dangerous climb of about 300 meters totally at the mercy of a LORRI HANTU fully laden with 26 tonnes of logs. GREEN is the lead truck and calls the other through when its not been crushed haha don't laugh this is serious shit stuff. Then we are safer!. I head off some 200-400 meters in front to give warnings out.

DAFFY on the dusty climb


LOO in the stock 22R gasser




Ok they are friendly (whats so friendly about a 26 tonne truck driven by a smiling truckie) but they have rules of engagement.
1. They have the BANK side when laden else they take the CLIFF side.
2. You are smaller they always have the BANK unless they are passing another LORRI Hantu.
3. They cannot stop when fully loaded and will crush you be warned its happened.
4. They do not go slow downhill.
5. They are intimidating.
6. Never never let your concentration slip when at the front they will get you.
7. When it rains they just park up and leave them wheereevery they are middle of the track uphill or downhill slope.



They look narrow until you see the logs sticking out the side.



Like this DUCK, move scoot just get of the road.



Then 11:03am drama DAFFY throws a U-BOLT and the threads are stripped on a DUSTY hill its going nowhere.


I turn back 500 meters and assist then I meet a LORRI HANTU just after I turn around


And DAFFY and the crews all dissappear in a cloud of DUST.


Call for help on my SAT FONE! Nah stuff it the mekanik is with us. A passing LOGGER HILUX offers help and is going to town and offers to buy U-BOLTS.


While this is happening Adzhar is still complaining about his suspension and TYSON running all over the road while we a re standing on the bank after helping put the axle back in the right spot all we need is new U-BOLTS. He said I could not even keep up with you at 80k on the highway on the way up. I tell him I know whats wrong with your truck. He looks at me funny I reply go put a BOLT and a nut on your front left trailing arm its fallen out. A Hi-Lift jack is dismantled and the hi tensile nut and bolt fitted to the trailing arm - problem solved. Adzhar said how did you see that!

We offload kit and swap people around and take the Pfizer staff and kit to Pos Simpor and I return to collect the last Pfizer staffer and my Co-Pilot its a 20k journey back to the broken DAFFY.


The "LOOKOUT" at 500 meters as we call it. Pos Simpor is 2 hills over at 10oclock and Kg Rekom is about 3 hills over at 11oclock in front.


A LORRY HANTU passes as we are at the LOOKOUT


Coming back to pickup the broken DAFFY the loggers arrive at same time with new U-BOLTS here is the two now BANDITS playing in the stinking HOT DUST


Do I look cute in the bandanna?


Then a miracle I take a different route of the main track at the turnoff to Pos Simpor and spot this waterfall between two huts which I never knew were on this track even after coming up here for 5+ years. This we late find out os waterfall 4 of the 5 in the area. I'm coming back in June to walk all 5 over a 3 day trip. THis waterfall appears to be some 2k from where i currently am.


Soon we are back at the clinic which in my time away 3hours has been run and complete so the nurses are bored and guess what thery decide to test the drivers - blood pressure, blood sugar, and colestoral. I fail the sugar test as I expected even with a change of diet for the past 18 months. My colesterol does not even register its that low. Adzhar beside me fails all 3 tests and immediately is warned to change his diet else he has a heart attack driving home. It sinks in hahaha. This is us holding our test results.


Babies are everywhere all held in slings to the parents or grandparents. One lady was 35 and had 9 kids already.


These kids are tough no doubt about it they make city slickers look like dainty faries.


The local national sport SEPAK TAKRAW played on a small court with a net about 6feet of the ground using head and feet and the ball must be kept up same as VOLLEYBALL spectacular when played well.


Meanwhile others are bringing in scraps from the logging


A moth - put ya hand flat and then think the moth is bigger than my hand.


Adzhar helping with dinner - curry chicken then worrying can I eat it hahaha.




The sunday morning clinic for the stragglers and its registration.


All is well until a local faints at the sight of his blood and the baby on his back is crushed rushing to help pickup a fainted man with a baby on his back is not fun or easy.


Pfixer also give out goodies.
Young mums they start at about 14-15 having families.


A young dad and baby




11am the clinic is over so I decide to take the Pfizer staff to mighty Lata Tas about 2k away or a 45 minute walk.







LOO at the Waterfall (Lata Tas)


This picture cannot do it justice - over 100 meters wide and about 3 stories high thundering down getting everything wet. I would not miss it for the world I love coming here and bringing Malaysians to see something they do not know exists in their own country.


The waterfall flows down here. Its dirty from the logging :(


Two of the nurses with me and Adzhar.


The guides and Qi Lin the Pfizer boss.


This is where we cross the river to go back to Pos SImpor. The afternoons destination is way up in the distance on top of the hill (Kampung (village) Rekom.


Soon we are off to Kg Rekom for the next clinic. 10k Away it might as well be 1000 its at 930 meters but we have to climb to 1200 meters then up and down some of these climbs tough in the dry in the wet impassable. THis is DAFFY and the LOO truck at 930 meters at Kg Rekom the clouds are GREY oops.

Kayak Fishing Merchong River 25 October 2009

Kayak Fishing Merchong River 25 October 2009



24 October to 26 October Travel from Kuala Lumpur to the other side of Malaysia some 4-5 hours away in our trusty nice fishing wagon the ISUZU pickup.

Day 2 Kayak the Merchong River fishing and nature photography trip. The Merchong river west of Kg Merchong is all mangrove swamp and hence packed with mosquito's sand flies and other human biting insects.

We get up late again and have breakfast in Kuala Rompin before driving the 30+k up to Merchong so we eventually arrive about 11.00am and packed with supplies all from 7-11 (oreo biscuit grapes etc) including that invaluable item ICE which it today going in my live bait box as I am only lure fishing today. Mainly we are out for a paddle and a nature trip.

By 11.30am we have the kayaks in the water and are finally ready to go. The river is slightly silty and flowing slowly we are planning to paddle up with the incoming tide and them back down with the outgoing tide. Yoke has the Malibu Mini-X a 9ft fishing KAYAK and I have the 14ft S14. Dam it's hot as we head out as we are almost 3 hours late. High tide is at 1.00pm I have the all important cooler full of cold drinks and the ever refreshing cold grapes.

Scenic is all I can say and relaxing we paddle up river slowly sticking to the shade.


We cannot ascertain if the tide is coming in or out. We pass a very small fishing village and then all sign of human habitation disappears. We see a boat coming drifting and being paddled (16+foot wooden boat) downstream.




They have load of ferns stems for making roll your own cigarettes and a fishing net.


Soon we start to see birds such as this flight of white egrets









Then this bird the name of which suddenly escapes me.



and then the sounds of a troop of monkey's soon we are quiet enough to get so close to take a couple of pictures and see the baby monkeys running through the trees within 20 meters of us. All the while I cast into places I hope/think there is Mangrove Jacks or Barramundi but nothing. Soon we spy kingfishers which is a good sign of an abundance of baitfish.



A howling noise suddenly starts and I realise military JETS low and fast. Looking up and behind and trying to get the camera out we are rewarded with the sight of a very very low flying military camoflagoued Mikoyan MiG-29 and it goes vertical just after passing us at what seems to be around 800k awesome - hot on its tail and doing the same manoeuvre is a new Sukhoi Su-30. Man I snap of the camera but later I am only rewarded with sky shots. Back to the real peaceful world and a kingfisher is next in the camera lens in fact we managed to also capture tow of them together but the image is blurred.






Then another boat slips downstream carrying a similar load. They are very friendly and asking where we were going and we were very surprised to see us there. Another boat goes past and they are tourists and camera's go off everywhere. This time its us being snapped.

I watch seeing what he is catching in the net - very very small fish noting large but then the net is very fine.

The I spy a water monitor on mangrove but Yoke paddles in front at the wrong point leaving me with only a blurred shot.



Then suddenly I am peckish and its hungry time. We pull under a large mangrove tree and in the shade have a meal of grapes and cold 100+, oreo's what else could a pair of adventurers want to eat. So far we have hardly been touched by the man eating insects. During lunch a kingfisher sits in a tree near us but I cannot get a clear shot through the mangrove roots. Time to continue the journey upstream so far we have travelled about 4kilometers and we decide at 5.00pm we would head back using he outgoing tide. The wind was everywhere and totally unpredictable each turn of the river has the wind changing direction. we come to a small side river and the sounds of crashing fish and rises indicates maybe toman but definitely Seberau. I fish and fish slowly working my way in but nothing not bites. Bitten alive we decide to head out and its time for home. The tide is with us but the wind against us to its a slow slog keeping to the sheltered side. Since its 4pm the birds are starting to head to their nests

We come across a egret roost and I spend an age here and manage to capture a few good clean shots with the 400mm lens as you can see the with this sequence of a egret landing.

















Transparent wings on a egret looks cool.










But the then the sight of the afternoon a pair of otters which makes my day. It the first time Yoke has ever seen an otter in the wild its chewing on a freshly caught fish.




Finally its the last 500 meter haul to the jetty but its a in your face wind. Yoke is struggling along so I head off and paddle up to 9kph for the last 500 meters into the wind just to prove I’m not too old still.

Food and rest were exhausted after paddling only 11k. Want to go back sure I do early next year after the monsoon season is over for a longer paddle and with different bait there is so much to see on this river either side of Kg Merchong is very different.

Regards GeckoAdventure

Kayak Fishing for SailFISH Malaysia Pahang

24 October to 26 October Travel from Kuala Lumpur to the other side of Malaysia some 4-5 hours away in our trusty nice fishing wagon the ISUZU pickup.



3 day trip 1st day Kayaking on Rompin Dam buit we called that of when a thunderstorm struck on our way top the dam and we took the ISUZU offroad instead with the kayaks on top looking for other entrances to the dam.

Day 2 Kayak the Merchong River fishing and nature photography trip.

Day 3 Kayak Fishing for sailfish in the south china sea.

What could be more scary meeting my x-wife or being tossed into the ocean 20k offshore in a 3.5meter Kayak and going ocean fishing for the worlds fastest fish the Indo-pacific Sailfish (68mph or 120kph). Read on to find out what happened.

We meet the boat man (Zul) at the jetty at Merchong in Pahang Malaysia at 7.00am on a hazy misty East coast morning.



after preparing all the kit a little earlier myself and Loban are ready. Loban was taking the Mini-x a 2.9M Kayak and I am paddling the S14 a 3.5M Kayak purely designed for fishing with a live bait well and a very stable piece of kit and supposedley well able to handle the pulling power of a Sailfish.

We loaded the 2 kayaks onto the front


of the boat leaving damn little room for the 3 of us to sit anywhere. Yoke was the offical camera person. One of the boats at the dock refuses to start and some 30 minutes are lost while they have covers off and tools out. I'm glad were not in that boat. malaysia adventure geckoadventure kayak fishing sailfish blue water

7.25am we are off for what I thought was a short ride down the river well smooth water 18minutes later we reach the river mouth which has a notorious reputation for being dangerous to cross. The kayaks behave themselves on the boat in the nice chop in the South China Sea. Soon we are at the first bait stop and its out with the appollo rigs and see who can haul up 6 bait fish in a go. No one does. The closest we get is 4 yellow tails and the apollo rig is rubbish after they wind them selves round it. With 10 bait fish we are good to go. While we are hauling in the baitfish a fisherman in a 16ft dinghy is circling hunting for Tengirri (mackeral to you westerners) he hooks a couple on the rod and then hauls them in by hand and gaff then starts hollering -

however he dumps them on the floor of the boat without any ice. Shock horror then he is going to sell them later! A 10 minute trip further out and we are supposedly in the sailfish lane so Loban and myself unload the KAYAKS into the ocean. Apprehension nah cannot be any worse than going face first down a set of whitewater rapids on the riverboard. The boat leaves us and anchors a couple of hundred meters away while we settle down and get bait fish out and hook them up to a balloon and start fishing for sail and also commence the never ending task of bait fishing with the other rod. Our kit consists of baitfish in my live baitfish well one rod drifing a live yellow tail and a box of hooks and balloons, spare shock leader, spare apollo rigs and a few weights, pliers, knife, drinks and snacks. My sailfish rig is a Shimano Type J rod and a Okuma Titus BC 10S reel.




and suddenly we are fishing alone in the big wide ocean with shore barely visible way to the east.



and its only 9.30am sureal! 10.20 Loban has a hookup and it takes boat forever to come over.




The sight of the sailfish jumping out of the water lets us know its a successful day already. 10 minues later LOban hauls the sailfish out of the water onto out two Kayaks for the picture then we release it.




I have hauled sailfish out of the water before but never as close as this only a plastic boat and the sailfish. It is slow to recover but soon its swimming away to fight another day. Soon Loban is hooked up again but looses it. There is no more action but the boatman decides we have drifted too far so tows us back into the sailfish zone and then tells us to follow him he drives of we paddle slowly after him




The swell is pleasant. Soon its lunchtime and we decide to head back to the boat for the lunch. We tie the kayaks up and haul ourselves into the motherboat. Yoke is up fishing and she gets a bite bigger than the ordinary baitfish. Wow she hauls in a trigger fish.



We also bait up the rods and leave them in the water and are rewarded with the magnificent sight of a school of todak leaping in uniform chasing a school of baitfish - awesome. I am just about to jump back in the kayak when my line went mad. Jump into the kayak and Loban hands me the rod. Wahoo i'm off we have no idea what it is but we know its not a sailfish. Then it starts leaping out of the water 'todak' after a few minutes the todak is tired enough to be hauled in as it is definately no match for the sailfish rig. However it dies in my hands as it has swallowed the hook.



It's time to go hunting sailfish again and we paddle off and our escort boat dissappears amongst the other boat about a kilometer away. However, the baitfish have gone off the bite I catch a yellow tail by hooking fish pieces onto the hook then its quiet. However soon my line runs out and I strike only to pull in a empty hook. Was it a sailfish I will never know. Undaunted I rehook and drop the bait in the water and still have the balloon in my mouth when the line runs out yet again dam I think its a sail but i never saw the dark flash under the kayak and the strike brings back an empty hook. Damn now I am out of baitfish one of our friends turns up in a mother boat they are having same problem (no baitfish) and very few sailfish have been landed with a lot of hookups lost. Anyway I scrounge one live bait fish from them and hook it up but being a pink snapper it will not last as long as a yellow tail which are just awesome swimmers with a hook in them. Soon its very boring no bites and the wind gets up heaving us around a little but nothing compared to the acute v-hull narrow fishing boats. Its sureal being out here I am quite comfortable on the big S14 and it is easy to paddle in any conditions and very stable even beam on. No more fish and by 5pm we decide to call it a day we haul ourselves out of the kayaks and onto the mother boat and pull in and tie down the kayaks. Man it's rough ride for the 20kilometers back in we are soaked as we bounce literallly into and out of troughs then we run out of fuel twice the 85hp two-stroke appears to eat fuel. The waves are that bad I cannot even get the camera out as we are all holding on for dear life. Worse when we reach the river bar the fuel is changed then as we just finish crossing the boatman realises there is no fuel and he has not done the line up right :( yikes man it could have been dangerous. Soon we are back in smooth water and I am told the water is teeming with Baramundi and other fish however we caught nothing yesterday - then they tell me I used lures not live bait. Soon our trip is over and we unload and wash the kayaks down. One of the other boats comes in late under tow - its the one that did not want to start in the morning!.

Dinner is a feast of crab and prawns at the resort all fresh from the river. Then its time for the long drive home and its way after 1.30am when we crawl into our beds for a well earned sleep.

Am I going back out - try and stop me but it will not be next season as the monsoon winds and rain have started making the east coat out of bounds for ocean fishing until March 2010.

Malaysia Rainforest Challenge RFC 2007 The Final Recovery

Day 27+ - 27 December 2007

The final recovery. I get a phone call 26th December 2007. Give us a lift back to Laloh to collect 3 vehicles at Kg Miak as the track is now open. 7.00am 27th The rescue commences we drive back to Laloh (I have my kids with me from Oz so they tag along for the adventure). The day starts badly when YELLOW overheats at bottom of Genting Highlands and I burn my hand badly when the radiator explodes. We buy ICE
and I wear a glove for the rest of the trip with ICE in it and a local chemist visit to kill the pain. OOPS! Arriving at Laloh at 3pm its been along day. We meet Marcus (to rescue Sri Lankan Car) and Max to rescue the Ozzie Toyota and I have Jason to rescue the Ozzie Nissan.

After much stuffing around we get the green light to proceed in by this time its after 7pm and its dark in minutes. I ask only 12k to the Kg right so a few minutes drive? "No" replies Max its 32k and it takes over 2 hours and there is a couple of washed out bridges - GREAT single vehicle and no help if we get into trouble. Signs of the rain are everywhere raging rivers, muddy banks where the bulldozer has made a new track for us. Soon we have a double crossing single log for each wheel with YELLOW on at least a 10degree angle. We inch across the double crossing then its the remains of a huge bridge every cross member ripped of by the raging flood leaving 4 logs each about 400cm wide. Funny I get a 3 man guiding team in usual competition driver carelessness the flood water rages below us you can still hear its anger. We soon come across a Pajero or what's left of it. Abandoned when it stalled in the rising river it was left and was completely submerged. The dozer pulled it out of the way and its totally stuffed mud completely covers the interior and engine bay - total write off. Soon we pass the Ozzie trucks and we drop Jason and Max of to
check them out. An ants nest has made its home in the Nissan poor Jason. Max and myself head into Kg Miak to find the Sri Lanka Landrover on the way in we see vehicles in various states rollover damage panels smashed - interiors covered in mud - interiors turned inside out its like a war zone. We chat with the X-
men guarding the vehicles then its time to roll. The big log bring on the return is fun 3 drivers in unfamiliar vehicles have a tough time especially the Nissan which cannot idle due to a ECU problem. The Nissan falls into a hole and its up to its axle Jason eventually reverses out he cannot do anything else someone has whacked all the plasma winch rope YELLOW is the only one with a functional winch.

Soon its the double log bridge and a few v-gullies and we are out at just after 11.30pm.

Now we have a problem 3 vehicles and 2 drivers as Max and Marcus have their own vehicles. We elect my son to drive the Landrover and Peter gets the Landcruiser (it has almost no brakes as the mud as worn out a set of discs and pads). We are driving to KL 60k south however we have a problem the Landrover has overheated - we cool it down and start again but only get 30K when it does it again. This time its terminal and we discover via torchlight there is a switch for the radiator fan but no warning light that it's off. However there us a warning light for the inter cooler fan not working! The Landrover has blown a head gasket. We elect top tow it the remaining 20K to Gua Musang. However we have to wait longer as Marcus pulls a rear shock mount off. Finally 5.00am we arrive Gua Musang with the sick vehicles - the Toyota is all over the road and is now considered undriveable. The LR is undriveable and the Nissan cannot idle. On the phone and over the next 4 hours rescue is called in. Someone manages to get a tow truck $2500 for the 4 vehicles - Marcus's Jeep, Sri Lanka LR, Ozzie Nissan, Ozzie Toyota. Max and Marcus will drive the Jeep and we can go when the tow truck turns up. 11.00amn we leave Gua Musang and will follow the progress of Max and Marcus via phone. We cruise into KL early evening but not before Max and Marcus have their own dramas with the Jeep dying and they have to unload the Nissan and use that. Mission accomplished and the 3 sick vehicles are dropped at Jason's workshop for the cleanup to commence.

RFC 2008 I have already volunteered my services and both RED and YELLOW again

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