Gunung Datuk Hike

Gunung Datuk hike on Saturday, 16 Nov 2019 ... the hike this morning was also a big group, comprised of members from the teams of ChanHN, Khor Leong Huat and KC. While busy taking photos, I was the last person to report with the number count at 43 – one number more than the Gunung Angsi hike the week before.

Do CLICK HERE to view photos courtesy of yours truly, KC Leong.

 A group photo at the spot formerly with a huge wooden kris

Due to the short distance, most of us arrived at the peak almost the same time. We also have more time to chat and talk humorously while brewing coffee at the peak. 

A check in my blogsite, the last time I hiked at Gunung Datuk was on 28 Jan 2015 –  almost a lapse of five years! Previously, the registration counter was located at the car park; it is now strategically located at the trail head. The registration fee of RM5 per hiker is still applicable.

 At the registration counter strategically located at the trail head

 The peak of Gunung Datuk ... fine and breezy weather

 Another group photo at the G. Datuk peak

ChanHN asks ... Who would want to try the best Hainanese style chicken chop in town?

Posted by KC Leong

Gunung Angsi Hike

Hiking Gunung Angsi on Saturday, 9 Nov 2019 ... it was a big group with hikers from ChanHN's, Michelle Lian's, Elaine Lee's and KC's teams. We started the hike from Bukit Putus to the peak, then descended the hill via Ulu Bendul way. At the trail head, I guessed there could be a few hundreds hikers. Registration for hiking is RM5 per person.

Do CLICK HERE to view 65 photos courtesy of yours truly, KC Leong. 

A big group of hikers started at Bukit Putus trail head

The weather in the morning was cloudy, looked like the spilled over from the seven hours of drizzle the day before. But at around 12 noon, we could see blue sky again; overall, it was a nice and cooling day for outing in the morning. At the peak, it was full of hikers at the small clearing with trees and hut. Most hikers would queue to take photos at the signage that has the sign "Gunung Angsi". Most hikers after having their refreshment, would hurriedly descend the hill to make way for other hikers. 

 Gunung Angsi peak

The trail from Bukit Putus is wide and clear, able to accommodate large number of hikers. The trail from Ulu Bedul is comparatively narrow, with many obstacles caused by fallen trees with the big trunks blocking the path. With years of soil erosion, the trails at Ulu Bendul are with wide steps at the steeper slope, making descent a little slower. At the stream crossing, I was surprised to see that despite the daily rain for the past few weeks, there wasn't much water in the stream. One way to the peak from Bukit Putus trail head is around 1 hr 45 min (moderate pace); while the descent to Ulu Bendul Recreational Park is around 3 hours (comfortable pace). 

 Even making drinks and having light refreshment is also having so much fun

Together with Shu-Lin, Emily, Claudia, Rachel, Nixon, it was a fun and enjoyable hike together. We completed the outing with a nice noodle lunch at Yi Poh 姨婆老鼠粉 Restaurant in Seremban.

 Descending the hill via Ulu Bendul way

 Emily descending the obstacle course area

Not much water in the stream despite weeks of rain recently

 Many fallen trees blocking the path

 Arriving at Ulu Bendul Recreational Park

Left: Emily, Rachel, Nixon, Claudia, Shu-Lin, KC Leong

Posted by KC Leong

Vibrant Sunset

Vibrant sunset this evening, Wednesday 6 Nov 2019; the photo was taken in front of my house (not in the photo) at 7:10 p.m. when it was almost dark.

(click on the photo for enlarged file size)

Posted by KC Leong

Cooking Lunch in Apek Hill

Hiking at Apek Hill via the extended Watergate trail on Sat 2 Nov 2019 ... with the closure of hiking trails in the forest reserves of Selangor, Perak, Pahang from 1 Nov 2019 to 31 Jan 2020, there are not many hills in Selangor where the hikers can go. Lately, we heard that one group of hikers went hiking at Gunung Liang, Perak without permit and was fined a few thousands Ringgit. Hence, hiking at Apek Hill in Cheras is a good choice. The hiking today consisted of a few groups, and the big number of hikers.

Lawrence and Michelle Lian did something elaborated while at the Saga hilltop station – cooking a full scale lunch! It was a fun moment with the gotong-royong in helping to cook the lunch. Having a freshly cooked meal in the forest sure tasted fantastic. I quipped that the food was so good, it is even better than the chap-fun (mixed rice) in Econsave building near to the trailhead car park.

Do CLICK HERE to view photos courtesy of yours truly (KC Leong).

 A group photo before Station 1

 Meeting other hikers at this junction

 Crossing the Watergate ... with the daily rain, crossing this area requires helping hand

 Making tea at Saga hilltop station ... KC, Ong, ChiaCF, Sylvia, LeeGC

 Vince, DC Tan, Eldon, Elsie Liew, LeeWY

 Adrian, friend of Ervie, Yoke Leng, Brono, SC Yong 

 Gotong-royong in preparing the food ... Wong, Wendy, Lawrence, Michelle Lian, Edance Tong

 Great effort - seven dishes for lunch

                                    hmmm... a delicious meal

Posted by KC Leong

Vibrant Sunrise

I went to MPSJ for my morning run at 6am on 29 Oct 2019. Seeing that the gate was not opened, then only I realised that it was closed for a function; so I went to the playground nearer to my house. At around 6:30am, I could see that the sky transformed into a vibrant glow from the long hours of drizzle the night before. So I ran home as fast as I could, rushed into the house, whipped out my camera and just in time to capture the moment of a colourful sunrise ... sharing with you photo below.

(click on the photo for enlarged file size)

Posted by KC Leong

Holidaying in Turkey

I went with my wife and USJ Zhineng chi gong friends for a 10D7N holidaying in Turkey via SA Tour (Sri America Travel) from 12-22 October 2019. Overall, it was a good trip. Here are my observations:

The road – most of the roads are dual-carriage way, similar to our PLUS Highway; but the condition is much better with the smooth tar road and very little bumpy ride;

The bus – the Mercedes bus was an excellent transporter, very comfortable ride and it is twice the height of a normal person. The first few days involved many hours of travelling in the bus; hence, a good vehicle is the better choice;

Hotels – the rooms are big and clean, very comfortable stay ...

Do CLICK HERE to view 290 photos (with captions) courtesy of yours truly (KC Leong).

 Hot Air Balloon ride at Cappadocia

The only group photo taken by a professional cameraman for 10 Turkish Lira a photo (scanned from print)

Food – most of the time, we ate in the hotels for buffet breakfast and dinner; lunch in the restaurants at the R&R area of the highway. All salad dressing used olive oil and vinegar. Overall, food is Ok.

Walking on the street (at the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar of Istanbul) – I felt that Turkey is a safe place to walk on the street. 

People on the street – Istanbul is a melting pot of cultures for people from other countries to come here; so, it is not easy to distinguish the nationality from the way they dressed.

 Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia Museum

Religion – they are Muslim at birth but only 10% practise the Islamic way; most people there are modern thinking.

Our Tour Guide – Mr Metin is a Muslim; he told us a true story: when his good friend passed away, he went to pay the last respect. He was surprised to see that a priest was there for the funeral wake. He then realised that the person whom he has spent many years as his good friend was a Christine. He said Turkish people respect other people' religions.


Hot Air Balloon Ride in Cappadocia – We missed our chance because of unfavourable wind condition forecasted for the following morning. We were then put in the waiting list joining the subsequent day's group; and later, we were informed that vacant slots were not available. Though the ride is not cheap - at USD 230 per person - but the black market rate for those wanting to ride is USD 400 to USD 500!

 The site of ancient TROY

Istanbul New Airport – opened in April 2019, it is one of the most modern and largest airports in the world. The check-in process was fully automated, fast and with a new concept: usually, the officials are behind the counter, but in this airport, they are with the passengers. The boarding gate waiting areas are spacious and with comfortable chairs; passengers can even lie down to sleep. Compare to our KLIA airport, passengers have to travel to the satellite building via the Aerotrain; but with the new concept in design, aerotrain is not needed. 


Cherries – according to tour guide, the trip in 1 June will see an abundance of cherries being sold by farmers along the road.

 Asklepion – an ancient Temple of Healing
(front, left: KL Tan, Frankie Yap, Eunice, Alice, Annie, KC Leong)

Other than the main photos below, the other activities/ places that we have visited (photos in the album above) were:

Boat transfer from Instanbul to Canakkale (together with the big bus);

House of Virgin Mary – people believed that Virgin Mary lived here with St john towards the end of her life;

Sirince Village – an old Orthodox village which claimed to be the only surviving place for 2012 dooms day;

Sultanhani Caravanserai – an ancient inn and rest stop for the Silk Road travellers in the olden days;

 Ephesus – an ancient Greek city that was regarded as the most important and largest centre of the old Mediterranean world

Underground city of Cardak – once a place of refuge for 15,000 Christians; 

Avanos pottery village; 

Goreme Open Air Museum – fascinating rock-hewn Churches; 

500-year-old Grand Bazaar – for souvenirs, local products and handicrafts;

Lunch at Kumkapi for grilled fish meal – in the evening, a happening place where there is performance in most of the restaurants;

Taksim Square – a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shopping and hotels.

 Cotton Castle – white travertine terrace formed over thousands of years

 Obruk – a sinkhole lake where water is used for irrigation of crops

 Turkish Belly Dance show

 Rock castle and the magnificent view of the Cappadocia landscape, which is well known for its unique moon-like landscape, underground cities and cave churches

 Caves Hotel at Cappadocia

 Salt Lake

 Ataturk Mausoleum – dedicated to the 1st President of modern Turkey

 Bosphorus Cruise at Istanbul – get a good view of the long strait between Asia and Europe linking the Black Sea and Marmara Sea

Spice Bazaar for delightful dried fruits and spices, and Lokum (candy) shop for traditional Turkish delight tasting

Posted by KC Leong

Phu Kradueng Mountain

I went with Lam to recce Phu Kradueng mountain in Thailand from 4-10 October 2019. We spent 4D3N up in the mountain. It is a camping-friendly site complete with tents and clean toilets; besides, sleeping equipment (mattress, blanket, pillow), food and groceries are easily and readily available at a reasonable fee – just bring sufficient Thai Baht will do.

In hiking up the mountain, one can let porters carry the bags. They have a very good porter service system where all bags are weighed and tagged. Each porter will then carry the load according to one's ability. At the mountain top, luggage is reclaimed by ID and payment is paid directly to the porter; for every kilogram, the porter fee is 30 Baht.

I could not ever imagine that at the peak of a mountain, it is a flat land with many cliffs and waterfalls. This is a fun and enjoyable place for hiking, camping and cycling; we will sure go again next year, do let me know if you would like to join us.

Do CLICK HERE to view 50 photos courtesy of yours truly, KC Leong.

 Day 2 cycling around the mountain top visiting view points and waterfall

About Phu Kradueng Mountain: 

(1) It is located about 500km north of Bangkok;

(2) Trailhead to the peak = 5.5km (moderate hiking pace takes about 4.5 hrs); 

(3) Peak to the National Park Office/campsite (walking on flat land) = 3.5km (about 1 hr);

(4) There are five (5) food/drink stations lined from foothill to the peak;

(5) Difficulty level: moderately tough (similar to hiking from Kem Lolo to Kem Pacat of Gunung Nuang, Selangor); 

(6) Area of flat summit plateau of the mountain where major attractions are held = 60 km²

Note: the hiking photos are in Lam's camera.

 They even have designated area for parking of bicycles at popular view points

 Shop selling food and drinks at every view point area

 Blue sky and scenic view

 Signature landmark of Phu Kradueng ... Lam in action at Lom Sak Cliff with the protruding rock and the lone pine tree. Most popular and perfect place for viewing sunset; returning to campsite takes about one hour on wide-tyre bicycles.

 Yours truly double up as the model for this photo

 Sunrise view ... we gathered at the park office at 5am and a ranger would guide us to arrive at this view point

 There are about six (6) waterfalls at the mountain top

 Neatly arranged tents; there are a few hundred tents being set up here. The tents under the trees would be cooler in the afternoon; at night, the entire mountain top is quite cold starting from October onward.

 National park workers cleaning and drying the sleeping equipment (mattress, blankets and pillows) under the sun. On 5 October 2019 (Saturday), there was a trail running event been staged here; we were told that 1,000 people camped here involving 300 porters to send goods/bags up to the campsite.

 Neatly stacked mattress ready for the next campers

 There are many clean toilets surrounding the campsite

Many eatery shops where food and drinks are abundance. They sell Thai style rice and noodles, mixed rice, stew pork rice, steamboat, soy milk, raw papaya salad, canned food, biscuit, chocolate bars, soft drinks, etc. They also sell hiking and camping related stuff.

Posted by KC Leong