(note: when in Picasa photo album, click Slideshow and press F11 key to expand photos)
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Front (L-R): Lisa, PK Chan, Alexis, Fiona, Wong, Joseph.
Pei Ling (holding camera).
Lush greenery
Thank you KC Leong for inviting me and fellow trekkers to escape from camp Guantanamo, Cuba to a new torture in moving towards camp G.NUANG. Actually on reaching camp PACAT, my leggy (opposite of skinny) calves were almost PECAH.
Just into 20 minutes of trekking from the starting point, I realized that majority of the 'Amazon' trekkers vanished up in front, while 'Kebun-trained’ (garden) trekker like me pretended to admire the trees and bamboo leaves, gasping to catch up. Okay, shall we have another challenge next year?!
Yeah, another 20 minutes, all past memories came flooding back: not how to climb faster but of the many torturous climbs and the vows that nothing will get me on hill or mountain trekking again… so who showed me that fateful The Star newspaper article about this Everest Base Camp in Nepal thing? click here
But then this G. Nuang trek got incentive-loh, nice folks including me, of course. And Amazing AmaZon ladies and uncle something.
Then we reached a welcoming Hut at the river and got down to business – eat, eating and drinking. Oh, I got the chance to sink my tooth, or well many teeth … deeply into my juicy yummy yellowish, crunchy Chinese oversize but not so cheap PEAR washed with 100Plus.
Crossing the rivers a few times was a piece of cake. Everybody got through with no Pentecostal baptism involved – immersion in water.
Now 20 minutes after the river, I gently swing one leg after another over a fallen log. Man, I twisted my left leg. What a shock?! I tried to push it back in shape. I could feel it twisted and yeah, it was painful! I could not take the next few steps forward.
Then a FAIRY in white came by, no wings but nice short skirt. She said, "You have a leg cramp?" Like all defeated Bull, I said "Yes!" She said, "Stand on your feet and rest awhile and then moved on". I stood up and press my feet down. Oh! Praise GOD and Bless her! The muscle untwisted. I had to stand for 2-3 minutes while my buddy, fat Wong stood by me in case I have to fall into his manly arms.
My sincere and heartfelt thanks to Fiona for being at the right place, right time and with the right person – it was quite a serious injury then.
The story is that 98 % managed to reach camp Pacat; the team has a simple lunch: biscuits, bread while higher ranking trekkers boiled water, have Maggie mee… but not me.
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Then the good news … the team members all put on their smile. We have a group photographs session and we headed back down to civilization again...of course that is a noble goal to attain.
Twenty minutes in the descent, we all meet up with PK Chan who was shepherding Lucky up. She made a snap election… Ahhh, decision, made a u-turn and descended with the rest of the team members.
On TPP down (Toe Pain Pain), Pei ling, Lisa Wong and Fat Wong descended with lucky Lucky. She has a blister and we helped her to attach two Smiley Handiplast on her feet. And she rested to wait for PK Chan, KC and Uncle Chin to catch up with her. We then moved on down.
We finally reached the river again and have a ball – cooling feet in the healing cold water of the little falls and small stream but very rocky rocky.
On the last leg of down hill, after a few minutes, all the Amazon trekkers have disappeared round many corners leaving fat Wong, Uncle Chin and me … and a few more with lucky Lucky.
Then we were joined by Henry. Another marathon-thon guy with a big camera. We talked and he said he is into weight management. Wow! You sell Gym equipment? No, No? “I help people lose weight." Ah Ha! Sorry brother. I am dying to put on tons of weight. Well, muscle, muscles. Oh, Henry is a nice chap, he offered me a ride in the morning; suggested that I left my car at a nearby petrol station. But I guess it would be inconvenience to turn around in the evening to pick up the car and further more. we all can't wait to rush home and complained to anybody's mom on our suffering.
So Henry moved on to join his next victim, fat Wong. Actually he is not fat but anyone heavier than me would be technically fat. All this while Wong said, “Oh, another 2 - 5 minutes more, until one Malay group of trekkers walking uphill said at least 20 over minutes. To be exact, it was 30 minutes.
So there I was, waking ALONE… unluckily no snatch thief around. Otherwise I must insist that they take me as well together with my wallet down hill. So I prayed that GOD will give me the strength to walk the last 20-30 minutes down hill to FREEDOM....our car park.
Suddenly, I heard thundering sound of running feet many yards behind me, I turned and LO AND BEHOLD, our Commanderer K.C. Leong was running full steam DOWNHILL. He was holding his trekking stick and his backpack with both hands. I was stunned and amazed and distressed – a 3-IN-1 FEELING. Man, this thing, I mean Guy is running – RUNNING downhill all the way displaying with half a smile. I was praying that I could still walk – what an anti-climax to my trek.
Truly, K.C. Leong is the Guru nanek of Trekkers. Another is probably Dr Hamdan. I understood after what was to me – a killer trekking. He was going on a 40 odd cycling trip the following day somewhere in Fraser Hill. Mana Boleh! Another Humanoid with fiber glass muscle fueled by Nuclear power!
So what to do? Faced with such evidence... such unearthly humanoid agility; I did what the BEST always did "Just Do It!" and "when things get tough, the tough gets going " and that is me. The story is I reached FREEDOM and mind you, a few of the trekkers already "mandi ". Mana boleh!
But the best is yet to come. The majority went to dinner together. Uuummp, the food was yum yum yummy. However, almost all dishes are with chilly stuff. Of course a few could not take the hot stuff. I must say even if I don’t qualify to continue the training for EBC (Everest Base Camp). Just tell me where you folks will meet for dinner for each session and I will be there to help drown your sorrows or up happiness.
Meanwhile, I am on 1 week's M.C. not medical leave – mechanical change. I have to have a new leg design by SC Yong (Civil Eng) and financed by LT Lee (Finance).
My thanks and appreciation again to KC Leong, PK Chan, Dr. Hamdan and the Gang.
Written by Joseph Yong
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Drama (not on the High Seas but) on the Plain
Written by KC:
Let me explain the running part (in a trekking trip)? ...One of the trekkers developed pain in the legs and have difficulty in walking normally. At 3pm, she managed to arrive at the starting of gravel road (Stage 1 of Gunung Nuang trail where it is accessible by motorbikes). PK Chan, the main Sweeper, and yours truly (KC) were accompanying her. Still having another 1.5 hours to go (as for a normal trekker's timing), I told her that she may take 3 to 4 hours and by that time, the sky would be dark.
How I wish we were in the James Bond movie that we just walked to the bush where a Dukati 1198 Superbike was hiding in the bush! On the other hand, even a kap cai (small motorbike) that can move will do.
Finally, we found two Malay guys ridding motorbikes and we engaged them for a fee to send the trekker out.
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Finally, it was a happy ending with the issues all solved. We concluded the trip with a sumptuous dinner. After the incident, Alexis was satisfied that her car was not easily opened without the proper key.
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