Yong Belar - Quotable Quotes

"This ground is so sloping, every time I sneeze, I slide down 2 inches" - Simon in his sleeping bag



"U guys left me a space with two tree stumps" MK getting ready to zip in his sleeping bag

"What la u guys, he was gone half an hr n u leave him space with tree stumps. If he went n hr, he wud be sleeping outside" Sean poking his head out of his sleeping bag

"Its rite between my ass cheeks. I'm going to have one weird dream tonite" MK trying to make himself comfortable in his sleeping bag



"MK, stop shoving ur elbow into my ribcage" Sean in his sleeping bag

"R u sure its his elbow?" Abner in his sleeping bag

"OH MY GOD!!!!!" Sean sitting up in his sleeping bag




"U guys mind if I fart in sleeping bag?" Abner in his sleeping bag

"I wont, as long as its ur bag" MK in his sleeping bag

"Thank god for this Lafuma sleeping bag, if not i wud be holding hands with MK" Sean in his sleeping bag

"U guys stop making jokes or I'll end up in the river" Simon in his sleeping bag




"My butts r wet" Abner with drizzling rain beside him in his sleeping bag

"May be we shud all squeeze together some more in Simon's direction" MK in his sleeping bag

"I only got 8 inches" Simon snugly dry in his sleeping bag

"Wow, 8 inches? all the girls wud love u man" Abner with drizzling rain beside him in his sleeping bag

"Wide lah" Simon snugly dry in his sleeping bag

"Oh my god!!! All the girls wud be scrambling for u if only they know, man. They wud never had it that big" Sean in his sleeping bag




"This is what real camping shud be, we r hard core campers!!" Sean with wind blown spray in his face in his sleeping bag

"Yes, fly sheets is the only way to go, tents r for sisies" MK with wind blown spray in his face in his sleeping bag

"But I dont mind being a sisy for tonite tho" MK with wind blown spray in his face in his sleeping bag

"KEEEEEP QUIEEEET!!!!!!!!!" Unknown not so handsome guy in the next tent with no spray in his face in his sleeping bag



"Simon, r u there?"

"Yes"

"Simon r u there?"

"Yes, stop it guys, I'm trying to sleep"

"Just checking if u have slide all the way into the river"

Its lonely at the top

Not a single soul was there when I reached the summit. I didn’t really mind the solitude, even welcomed it, but the flip side was that nobody was there to help snap a picture of me hugging the Gunung Nuang’s Peak signboard. The last human I saw was 1½ hrs before, after I left puncak tipu and it wud be 1½ hrs again after that when I wud meet another fellow human being on my way down to Kem Pacat.

If the view is ur main goal, Nuang give scant reward for so much effort. After hiking for 6½ hrs, the view u will get is only limited to a few glimpses from between the trees. At 4 PM on a cloudy day, temp was at 20 degrees, n there was quite a blow coming from the east but still I wish I cud have stayed longer.

Time was not on my side. I left after about ½ an hr so that it wont get too dark before I reach Lolo where I have set up camp. With my busted knee (again), the going got real slow (and painful) so in the end I spent a lonely 1½ hr hiking in virgin jungle in total darkness except for the dim light from my small headlamp.

Wishes

I was a bit jittery as I started my climb this morning. Every move of the leaves, every shadow made me think of creatures of the jungle eying me with breakast on their minds. It was very early, there was just enuff light to show me the way. The fact that I know the trail like the back of my hands helped. I didnt meet a single soul, it being a weekday but later on my way down, from far away i cud hear sound of piling rigs and excavator warmng up their engines. It was a nuisance, but its comforting too, knowing that I was not that far away from another human being.

The sun was peaking thru between the twin peaks of Gunung Nuang while I was enjoying my second smoke of the day. Cool breeze was carressing my limbs n torso. Down below i saw a bunch of clouds being blown thru the hills, above the dam, only to be evaporated once they reach the cluster of terrace houses. The din of traffic on MRR2 still could not managed to drown the song of birds, and once in a while howlings of monkeys from deep in the woods. I wished I didnt have to come back here.

D Day Plus 1 Part 2

I was expecting to be tested but never in my wildest imagination did I picture my self to be so tested. Mian went bolting down what looks like a stack of boulders that is Lows Peak like a monkey. May be he needed a bit more exertion to generate heat than I did coz he was shivering like crazy when we were up there. With him goes my poncho flapping in the wind. I was telling my self I wud be ok with my real mountaineering jacket that I got from second hand shop for RM30. It proved to be what it said, very warm, but sadly was made for mountains with snow, not rain. Rain water was trickling down my neck n spine and I was a bit worried. Wished I have my usual blue hat with me, the one with the eagle feathers but I guess it wud have been blown away shud I have them on then.Half way down the peak, I met Eva again, now with all of her 3 frens. They didn't make it to the peak. They were climbing down slowly, all huddled together as protection against the wind. The wind did in a way help to make my way down just a bit faster. I took a more treacherous route in order to pass them n catch up with my poncho. A very strong gust at the wrong time disturbed my already inperfect balance n the next thing I knew I was sliding down a boulder headfirst before I lost consciousness.

Somebody, a guide I think, pulled me up to sitting position. The place was a bit protected and comparatively comfortable and I was in two minds to just lay down there n sleep the rain over. Luckily I didn't. They told me later that the temp was at minus 2 degrees n I wud have freezes over there n u wud be reading about this in the newspapers instead of at this blog.Grogily I made my way down, ZZ with me. He was still determined to perform his leadership responsibilities at that moment. Our own guide was there at the summit plateau, making sure that everybody got down from the peak. He wisely didn't climb up. Zaman was the last one to come down. I thot the worse was over. I was wrong. It was less cold then, but I was getting wet. The lining of my jacket was slowly soaking in water n its getting heavier, and so was the rain. We were surrounded by mist, visibility was about 6 metres but they have foreseen that n provided white shiny guide ropes nailed to the rocks. We followed the rope but we were actually following streams of water down the sloping surface of the plateau, with much less efficiency of course. Its ankle deep at places. My water proof boots have no defence against water coming from above n water was sloshing in them. I thot about food, but theres no way to eat in this driving rain.I spied a small boulder, just nice enuff to sit down n retie my undone boot laces. It cant be done. The fingers were still numb. Just to get hold of the end was a big challenge. I just sort of twirl it around and hope for the best. When I stood up, I cud feel my left knee. Its painful, starting to get swollen, must be from the fall that I had. Just in that short space of time, everybody but ZZ n the guide was gone from my view.

We soldiered on. I was so soaking wet, my pants was starting to drop down n it made walking that bit slower. Just as we neared the Sayat-sayat hut, there was a bigger stream than the rest n I slipped again, in the middle of it, for the 4th or 5th time that day. Luckily I was not carried away by the current. Its still not to be the worse drenching that I wud have, apparently. ZZ pulled me up n we said hi to a group of ppl shivering in the hut.There were 3 elderly female caucasians who looked rather jovial considering the state we were in but two of the girls there were visibly crying. One loudly. It was warm enuff to risk taking of my soaking glove. But for the first time, I shivered. And not due to close proximity to lots of females either. I opened my pouch n offered the bag of oatmeal cookies to the girl standing beside me. She didn't react, may be still in shock. But the boy behind her snapped it up n begins to distribute them to members of their group. I broke a snickers bar in half n pushed it to her face. This time she grinned n took it n started chewing rite away. May be she just got a more expensive taste than her companions.

U cant walk from Sayat-sayat to Gunting Lagadan. U have to climb down. Sometimes by aid of ropes. Its sure was a lot easier climbing up in the darkness as compared to climbing down in the day lite in full view of where u will fall if u make any mistake. And the rain didn't help. What were series of stone steps that we climbed up now turned into series of waterfalls. The places where u were supposed to have a foothold were then underwater. U just have to sort of poked around and try. But the worst one was that place. Theres a narrow ledge of about 30 ft that we have to negotiate by hanging for dear life to a rope that swing along it. That is bad enuff, but now in the middle of it there was a tumbling waterfall. ZZ went across first, with the guide shouting instructions. Then as if he forgot I was there, he the guide went across too. I was concentrating on the rope and when I was about to plunge into the water, I looked across for a bit of motivation n nobody was there. They were really gone. I only see them again at the rest house having a nice warm breakfast later.

Suffice to say that the good thing was that nobody was there to hear me shouting curses with every step for now both my rite n left knee was in pain. But there was a repeat of that show later when we were going down he 6.5 km from Laban Rata to Park HQ. I put on a brave face as I neared the Laban Rata rest house. The digital thermometer there says its 7 degrees Celcious. No wonder I felt a bit chilly in my drenched gear. I stood below the porch and opened my bag to take out my cigarette. I was looking fwd to my first smoke of the day. The box of duty free Dunhill Lena took back from Langkawi for me looks limp. I opened it n when I pulled, only the filters poped off. Everything else has turned to mush. That was a bit cruel, dont u think?.

D Day Plus 1 Part 1

It was 3 AM after a troubled sleep. The digital thermometer hanged outside the rest house says its 7 degrees but with woolen pullover n mittens, it was quite ok. I put off putting on my goose down filled jacket. I was even sweating a little by the time we passed Gunting Ligadan. My pulse rate was rather too quick. That was to be expected on account of the slight fever. Apart from that I felt fine, but still taking it slowly. I told the others to go ahead and fall in with a couple of Philipinas. It rained briefly and we put on our ponchos but afterward there were stars in the sky then. No sign of rain. Everybody talked of a glorious sunrise waiting for us at the peak.

After Sayat-sayat check point, the going was much easier. As we neared the peak, the sun broke for a few minutes thru the clouds. I missed the sunrise on top of Low's Peak but theres not much of a difference. The summit plateau is just a few meteres lower. The view was undescribable. Its hard to describe something that is so allien to what we r used to. But the weather cud change dramatically there. All of a sudden we were surrounded by mist. The wind started to pick up but I cud still see silhouette of the famous south peak on my left.

ZZ, the only one of us who was suffering from altitude sickness, was just 5 minutes ahead but Mian was already there waiting at the base of the peak, at the end of the summit plateau, for almost a quarter of an hr. He was shivering. He did try to go up but with his poncho blown to shreds, he cant stand the strong wind gusting in the -2 degrees temperature and came down half way. I gave him my poncho and with fingers that is getting numb, unrolled my jacket that was tied to my waist pouch. That was my undoing. It took sometime to put on the jacket and muffler in that condition that they got to the peak 5 minutes ahead of me and just manged to take thier pic when it rained.

It was about 6 AM when I got there. The wind blown rain felt like small bullets hitting the exposed parts of my face. I just stood there for about 2 minutes. The guides were shouting for everybody to climb down. We decide that it was too much of a risk to the camera n all the other pics we had taken just to take another one. It doesnt matter, I know I was there n that shud be enuff.

D Day

The overhelming feeling is of relief. I am relief that I cud cross this off my list of things to do before I die, but I am more relief that I managed to get down from the peak without breaking my neck.

Climbing to Laban Rata was a peach. Took it slowly, started at 10 AM n arrived at 3 PM. Rained part of the way, temp 11 degrees at LR, no altitude sickness but my body still felt flushed with slight fever. I was restless so I climbed to Gunting Lagadan, another 200 M after shower n change n chatted with the 2 guards there.

It rained heavily that night. Temp went down to 8 degrees outside. Went to bed afer dinner at 7 but sleep wudnt come. Its too hot in the room, we switched off the heater n open the door slightly. Still sleep wudnt come. Thats one of the symptoms of altitude sickness too.

What the hell?

I conceed that I've not been to this here pages for quite a while but thats no reason to erase what I wrote before, lacking in substance nor art as it mite have, to forever unrecoverable. When I logged in today, I was told by the power that be here that theres a new kind of blog, better 'n before (or words to that meaning) n asked mr to click my agreement. I clicked, not knowing that my old post has disolved into cyber space without saying goodbye.