Camping Latar Seminyang

Another lovely weekend spent camping with some good friends. Some photos below. Enjoy. :)

You  need a 4x4 to get to this place

 

Easy road in the beginning

Road gets muddy

Obstacles such as this boulder to cross. Fortunately for these drivers, getting scratches and knocks means making it worth the investment put into the trucks! I guess the dents and scratches give em a story to tell?

Lovely river right by our camp ground

Jo loves mushrooms and pink and pointed out this to me.

A spider...called..err...daddy long legs??

alright! Tents all set up! :)

Trekking to the falls, lotsa boulders to cross. All the children did very well! :) Proud of them.

Even little ones went with us. Here's big brother helping little bro cross this path.

There were a few steep slopes, but exciting. A few people collected souvenirs, or rather the leeches collected blood for their blood bank as we crossed their path. Jo actually had a tiger leech on her thigh.

But see..the leeches and jungle trek are worth it, just to see this beautiful, huge and refreshing falls!!

Fun for children = playing with torchlights and spade under open sky by the river

Enjoying the simple things, chilling in  hammock by the river

Making new friends and hanging out by the river..how wonderful :)

Early Morn by our campsite

Overall just such an exciting and wonderful trip with good friends and good food! Yeah! Temperature at night was about 21 degrees, lovely! Looking forward to next adventure.

@Martha . 2011

Rafflesia and Raja brooke at the Ulu Geroh National Park

A Day after our wonderful Caving at Gua Tempurung , we headed towards
Ulu Geroh Forest Reserve which is located approximately 11 KM from Gopeng MCA. The 11 Km is a slow drive through very narrow and bumpy road. When on forest road, beware of traffic coming from opposite direction as you don’t want a collision.



Caught em' mating ---male on top??

 If planning on going, do contact Ngah at this number 017-5691227 to check first if there’re any Rafflesias in bloom. We called ahead and Ngah said there was only one, and it was “cacat” (retarded) with only 3 petals. We’ve seen lovely Rafflesias twice in bloom at the Gunung Gading National Park  before, but decided just to go ahead here to view a different species of the Rafflesia.

the beginning of the trail, just an easy walk through a muddy path

don't be fooled by its beauty, it's a LEECH!

The Trek to find the Rafflesia can take any duration between half hour to 2 hours, mostly through hilly paths, depending on where the Rafflesia is. Ours was just a short trek, but through VERY muddy paths with VERY HUGE  and HUNGRY leeches which will trek your feet down!

I had several huge ones on my pants, but thankfully none had the privilege of sucking my blood! haha :).  Some say applying Tobacco on your shoes and shocks will prevent leeches from crawling up. Let me tell you, it certainly DIDN’T work with the hungry leeches here. Our brave children went ahead and none got bitten. Just be watchful and keep walking.







 We found the Rafflesia after half hour of continuous uphill climb, and true it was cacat! Problem here is many tourists go through these tracks, and also local people go in and out several times a day to harvest durians. Our guide told us, when some people carelessly step on Rafflesia buds, the flower that blooms is then abnormal.



A bud, will probably bloom in less than a month from now

the 'cacat' Rafflesia. Probably deformed coz someone stepped on it while it was a bud. (so said our guide.)

So it's important to teach our children to trek carefully and not destroy the buds, which can be found on host vines.

After the slippery climb, we headed to find the Raja Brooke, and saw some Stick Insects on the way. Now this, was an AWESOME sight!

very huge stick insect!

A Close up of the Stick Insect



Raja Brooke Butterflies. According to the guide, they love the warm water here



closer look





 

  

The guide caught one for us. Some of us held it, but very gently so as not to harm it, and only for a while before we let it go. the children were all excited over this.



Close up of it's head

Finally, if you're at Ulu Geroh, do head to Gua Tempurung for some caving adventure!

Do visit this post Gunung Gading Rafflesia too.
@martha, 2011

Endau Rompin

(bits taken from post March 2010 on previous blog)
 Endau Rompin,  I have wonderful memories of the time we had there. I miss that place. The whole vacation was just absolutely beautiful….Beautiful weather, the sound of the gurgling river right beside our camping ground, the singing of the gibbon early in the morning, the funny “three tone” toad as I call it coz of it’s song…the singing of the insects…the cool weather...all created such a  Magical  place.

Our tents all set up

There are several trails there, each taking you to a different waterfall. Do ask your guide which would be more suitable for your children's age. Also, it is wise to trust your guide more than the information given at the office in Bekok. Your guide will know more! We trusted the office at Bekok and ended up on a very long, tiring and strenuous trek for children. So tiring that our youngest trekker Du (aged 4) fell asleep and his dad had to carry him out, and we arrived back at campsite almost dark!  Thank goodness we had sufficient food and water, plus change of clothes. It is always better to have extra food/water on a long trail then too little.   The waterfalls there are worth the trek! but just remember that waterfalls can be dangerous and take extra caution with your children. 



A nest of millipedes which we saw while trekking



Our guide cooling down in the middle of the falls (Takah Berangin). Some of us topped up water at this fall too.

What did our children do every night? They visited each other’s tents, had  fun doing shadow shows, playing with  torchlights, building sand castles at night and telling jokes and stories.

Refusing to sleep they played late into the night under the clear moonlit sky... So lovely to hear the giggling and laughter of children playing their hearts out..

We went during Cap Goh Mei and had a FULL moon to brighten the nights



We set this up to attract insects. Later kids used it as platform for shadow skits :)



I’ll definitely be there again…… When I asked the children “do you want to come back here again?” All 11 children shouted with a unifying “YES!!!!”

children feeding fish before jumping in to swim

Finally if you plan to go, you'll need to prebook your campsite. There will be a fee per camper, and guide fees (compulsory.) You'll also need a 4 wheel drive to get in there, or hire the ones provided there. They'll drive you in, but I hear the charges are rather steep.

Finally if you're gonna go on the trails there, you need to be extra prepared in case you take longer then intended. We brought with us:

-Extra Water

-Lots of food (we trekked a total of 6 hours!)

-Enegy bars, chocolates

-First Aid

-Change of clothes

-Mosi Guard

-Trekking poles/sticks..whatever you call em. (this came in useful when my bro sprained both ankles coming down a steep slope)

-whistle

-torch light (also useful coz we came out later than expected)

-Camera for the amazing things you'll see on  the way.

@Martha, 2011

When did my children start Trekking?



It's rare finds like that this that make
trekking so exciting! (cup fungi)

  I grew up as a city kid, who began loving the great outdoors somewhere in my teen years. When I became a mum, I decided I wanted to bring up my children differently. No endless tuition classes, no TV (well..ok, yes when at grandma's place), limited computer time and no PSP or whatever you call those games. Call me old fashioned, I don't care.

When my first was born, I had her in a sarong (baby carrier) strapped to me whenever I went for long walks. I used to talk to her and point out things that we saw along the way. When she could walk, she never sat in a pram longer then  5 minutes. Strapping her in was tough!! Thus, as a young toddler, she'd walk with me, 200 metres at first and then longer and longer distances. At age 2 plus, she walked 1.5 KM uphill to see a lighthouse with me (I love lighthouses!). I didn't force her too, but she chose to. From then on, she's always told me, "I love walks, I love trekking, I love nature." She's passionate bout animals and wants to be a vet. Her favourite activity? walking, trekking.



Little Jo and daddy crossing a shallow
stream



My second is Different. From the time she could walk, she still chose to remain glued to the pram or me. However, she does love the great outdoors. The difference is that while my oldest loves to trek, this one loves exploring nature, minus the long treks. The outdoors is a great playground for her  which is full of lovely unexpected surprises. She gathers twigs, flowers, sand, mud...anything she can get her hands on, to create her imaginary play world. She's also  the braver one when it comes to creepy crawlies. To date, the list of things she's caught with her bare hands is rather impressive for a 5+ year old. She's caught cicadas, roaches, snails, worms, grasshoppers, RATS!, leaf and stick insects, lightning bugs and a variety of beetles. Impressive right? She will whine on trails! she still whines occasionally, but despite all the whining, she's made it to the end of every trail we've been on.

To date, our longest trek would be in Endau Rompin, three hours of steep climb in, and 3 hours out. If this little person can, so can your children!

I know some parents are hesitant, afraid when it comes to nature walks. I often hear this "wait till my child is a little older." Thing is, once they're older they'll find the great outdoors boring, coz they would've gotten addicted to their TV and playstation. They'll say "it's hot, yucky, boring etc." So, I'd recommend that parents get them interested from young instead.

I remember starting mine early by allowing them to JUMP in puddles of rain water in a wet wet field after the rain,       Walking bare footed over grassy fields and muddy paths.          Catching insects for them to observe or stopping to watch a little bug cross the road,      standing still on trails asking them to listen to the sound of nature,      birdwatching with them etc.     Slowly..my children began to love it. Nature has much to offer..it's a wonderful learning ground, I believe it helps your child develop confidence in him/herself. It helps a child feel, see, listen, observe and think in a whole new way.

If you're a nervous parent, try to relax and enjoy the trip yourself, or go for a simple trail first like the ones in FRIM or Frasers Hill and remember to enjoy.

Things to bring on a nature trip with children:
-Drinking water/energy drink
- Energy food
- Junk food (for motivation),
- First aid
- Mosquito repellant
- Wet wipes and tissue
-binoculars/magnifying glass/camera

 

 Once all set, enjoy your adventure.



Nel and cousins having fun hiking :)



@Martha, 2011



Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut), Taiping

We never thought of visiting Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut), Taiping till a friend invited us. If you're the sort who loves nature, quiet and peace with little to do, except for walks , hiking and photography; I recommend Maxwell Hill. It's a lovely hill with fresh cool air, and I hear that they have tulips there certain parts of the year!

The only way to get up there is by taking a jeep from the bottom of the foothill, or by hiking. They charge 7RM per adult for the jeep ride (fees may have changed), and only three jeeps go up every hour. So to be sure you get a place,  you've got to get there half hour before time to secure your seats.

Let me warn you that the ride up is like a roller coaster ride! the roads are steep and winding. The drivers SPEED like hell and manage the bends at neck breaking speed which can cause the less bold to emit high pitch screams! :) 



 

bug on a blade of grass

So, what's on Maxwell Hill? Nothing, except narrow tracks, lush beautiful forest, flowers, birds, insects and 7 bungalows all located about 10-20 minute walk apart (ummm...tiring walks sometimes..coz of the slopes). That's all there is. Blissful peace. :) I have to mention that out of the 7 bungalows, 2 are private and in beautiful condition, while the rest are government owned and was not in very good condition when I visited. I hear that they've upgraded them recently.

Anyway...it is truly beautiful and peaceful there. The sunset and sunrise is BREATHTAKING....it makes you feel so close to God.

The night we were there, several years ago, there was strong wind at night that howled right through the windows! (which can create some excitement or fear..depending on the type of person you are!) The rain around 1am, created strong winds, which in turn created loud booms and bangs as shutters on windows swung open and shut. Some might start to think of the haunted stories of Maxwell hill, but I chose to think not!

 Anyway, I went out to look....and it was just plain heavenly beauty.

Rain trickling down past midnight,  cool cool wind of about 10Celsius, and the night lights flickering in the distance from the town far below the hills made the night on Maxwell breathtaking!

Did my children love the place? Definitely.

Below are some shots taken from Maxwell. Some taken by my children.



Where we have our meals at Cendana Hut



Balcony outside our rooms at Cendana

Rumah Hijau


All Pictures copyright of Martha @flourpaint.blogspot.com

Can children climb Broga Hill?

Oh YES chidren can climb Broga! Our youngest climber was just 2 years old. With help from his mum, he made it most of the way by himself. Our 3 year old climbed almost the entire way with little help.

We arrived Broga at 7:30am, although ideally 7am would be better coz it gets hot.

the start of the climb. palm oil estate and the jungle in the first 10-15 mins of climb.

Anyway, I discovered that my daughter and my bro’s 2 older kids, just 5 and 7, are way way fitter than me! They ran while I was taking it step by step. (Man! I’m so UNFIT!) There times when they were a peak ahead of me!

Altogether there are 3 peaks at Broga. I think the longest climb would be the climb to first peak. That climb is steep, and some parts very sandy/slippery!
Once you make it up first peak, the rest of the climb is much easier, although the constant climbing can be tiring for an unfit person.

beautiful view from the top

2nd peak, where we were off to after the short break on 1st peak.

3rd peak! the children's favourite !

Children loved 3rd peak, coz there’s a tiny portion where you have to use ropes to help you over the boulders. They absolutely loved that.

All together we took 3 hours (up and down hill), which included stops for sandwiches, lunch, snacks, drinks, and chit-chat.  I think my children alone would have done it in much shorter time, coz they were running most of the way.

Be extra cautious on descent.  Coming down was a little more tricky coz the path is mostly sandy, so it was a slippery descent. On certain paths where there were hardly any clear steps, the children took the opportunity to slide down. And mind you, they did it at quite high speed, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Almost like sledding on ice! Haha… (I overheard some adults saying “we should try sliding too but none did. Haha..

Sliding down some paths

Climbing down carefully  

Journey Down

Lastly I think anybody can do Broga, coz even little Lo who’s 3 and half made it all the way (but it included several tiny falls) and sheer determination, coz he practically crawled some of the steeper paths and all without complaining too!

Little Lo (3 yr old), refused to be carried, and climbed like this most of the journey

Things to bring along if you’ve got young kids climbing-
1) power drink (ribena)
2) junk food for motivation 
3) chocolates for energy 
4) tissue for emergency toilet breaks
5) wet wipes to wipe off dirt and sand
6) change of clothes coz they can get really dirty, especially if they're gonna slide 
7)  band-aid
8) hats - it does get very hot
 9) good shoes!

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To cool off after the climb, we proceeded to the Sg. Tekala waterfall at Hutan Lipur. Very suitable for children as it has a lovely, shallow stream with lots of sand for play.

Sitting on a rock, rowing an imaginary boat with 2 twigs.

Then we headed off to the famous ikan bakar (grilled fish) shop located behind the Chinese temple. We were very hungry and ordered about 5 fish cooked Asam, tomyam, spicy bean sauce, steamed and nyonya. Very fresh.

This is the restaurant which serves good ikan bakar in Broga

The children did not want the day to end yet, so we went to the rabbit funland, where they fed and petted goats/kids, rabbits, ponies and monkeys. The highlight was watching newborn rabbits….and of course chillin in the hammock with an icecream after a very long long exciting day.

newborn baby rabbits