I survived Taman Negara!
It has always been my wish to experience trekking/hiking, as I never had the opportunity to do so during my younger days. So when my Sec 3 daughter has to go Taman Negara, I jumped on the idea.
We gathered in school hall for briefing.
By mid-morning we passed Tuas second link.
We stopped for lunch....
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.... and for snacks.
Scenes we passed along our way...
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To while away our time on the bus, we slept.....
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... and slept.
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| A contented cat and her kittens |
Gua Balai Campsite
We arrived at the Gua Balai Campsite.
There was a great rock cliff where we were gathering.
Rules that must be obeyed.
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Going up to the sleeping quarters...
It's a long climb....
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A really long climb...
It was sight to behold! Imagine a large cave with tents!
What a snug fit inside the tent.
At the cave entrance.
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| Collecting their "rations" |
Time for dinner - Outdoor cooking. The menu : instant noodles, sausages, eggs & crabsticks. Campers are supposed to build a fire between some bricks and using the solid fuel given.
All these girls know how to cook instant noodles...
The boys, too, can cook.
It was a good evening, having simple dinner, under the stars.
Teachers' quarters
Day 2
It's Abseiling!
The Instructor was teaching us how to abseil
- the do's and don'ts.
It is very important to wear the equipment correctly.
All ready for abseiling. Was that a "Michael Jackson" glove on her right hand?!!
Waiting for our turn.
We have to conquer this.
Ms Chin Kean Kean trying her hand at Abseiling.
I couldn't resist the thrill of abseiling.
One of the boys dropped his shoe when abseiling. We used the rope to return the shoe to its owner, at the top.
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Mr Huang Ying looked very professional as he sailed down the cliff face with ease.
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What a happy "family" - Father, Mother and their 2 children.
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Hey! No resting on the rock ledge, please!
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I think he should be facing the rock face, right?
After the Abseiling, it's cave-exploring.
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There was a lot of climbing. One has to be careful, as it was easy to take a wrong footing and fall. But everyone was helping each other.
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We also went through dark, seemingly inaccessible entrances and tunnels - that were not for "out of shape" adults like me. But we perservered.
And we were rewarded with a most wondrous sight!
It was worth all the hard work, all the squeezing and squirming through the dark.
We just sat there in the huge cavern in the dark, letting the sights sink into our senses.
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It was certainly a huge cavern - see the person at the bottom left of the picture, to have a sense of the cavern size. Also, can you spot an elephant?
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I found the ray of light shining down particularly meaningful.
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Can you see Mr Huang Ying at the end of the ray of light?
At a deeper end of the cavern, was another cavern.
It was no less awe-inspiring, with a ray of light shining through a crack in the rock face
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3 Humility, after their experience
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The long walk back to camp.
See the very muddy pants.
But I wouldn't trade the experience for anything else.
Experience God's creation.
Experience His Hand all around us.
Rafting
Building a raft, using the materials on hand.
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The test is that the raft can hold together and float with everyone on board.
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Meal times at the camp
"Modern Kampong" feel
Breakfast
Double-decker beds in the dorms.
Convoy of buses going to Taman Negara
Crossing over to Taman Negara.
On the trail to Canopy Walk
Mushrooms!
Other kinds of mushrooms can also be found in the forests of Taman Negara.
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.We saw elephant shit (left). Yes, there are wild elephants in Taman Negara. The guide told us to be alert and to avoid them if we do encounter them.
Wild Ginger
Peacock plant - the shade of green changes with the different light in the forest.
These thorns on the bamboo can inflict painful scratches, if you are not careful, while walking through the forests.
Where is the arrow pointing to? Toilet? looks like you've got to do it in the bushes.....
Waiting to go up to the Canopy Walk.
Ms Jasmiyanti - looks like a professional trekker, ya?
Thrilling experience on the Canopy Walk.
Enjoying that "Top of the World" feeling.
See the fast flowing water.
Sharing session on the last day.
I really enjoyed myself.
It was the first time that I did abseiling and to me, it was a lesson of trust. A trust in the ropes, hooks and knots that held me in place, while I lower myself down to the ground. Once I have put my trust in the equipment, it was easy.
I was reminded of a verse:
When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in Thee.
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?
(Psa 56 : 3, )
The cave-exploring was tiring. It was a lot of squirming through the various uneven cracks in the cave, up and down the rocks, and almost contorting your body, to get through the openings in the cave. We had to wade through almost knee-high muddy water, in some parts of the cave. We also had to be careful where and how we step on the rocks, so that we would not slip and lose our footing. We were in the dark, lighting our way with torches. When we finally reached the huge cavern, it was worth the hard work getting there!
The Taman Negara forest walk and the Canopy-walk was a celebration of God's creation. It was a humbling experience to be in such a lot of "green", and to know that wild elephants roam freely in the forest.
Honestly speaking, if you ask me, would I go to Taman Negara again? I will say, "why not?" But then again, I will have to endure the bruises, muscle aches, weak ankle and risk encountering the dreaded leeches again.
So my final answer is "maybe".
Mrs Celia Lee
