Thursday, March 24, 2011

Hiking up Bukit Tabur (West) - 396m (The Longest Quartz Rich Ridge in the world)

Date climbed : 13 March 2011

How to get there :
Travel time : 30 mins from Seri Petaling to Bukit Tabur
Travel on MRR2 heading towards Zoo Negara - at the exit to U turn to Zoo, turn right at the traffic lights (to Taman Melawati)
From there go straight until a roundabout - take 12 o'clock
Go past the mosque on the left and then turn right into Jalan Melawati (just after the mosque)
Follow the road until you come to a small road on the left, turn in and then turn left again
Go till the end and turn right
Park along the road towards the end

At the base :
No proper shower and toilet facilities available for use
Cleaning up can be done at the petrol stations nearby (10 minutes drive away)


Trekking time and terrain :
On moderate speed with some photography - 2.5 hours, coming down on plantation 45 mins or coming down on the rocks 1hr 15 mins
Terrain rating 5/10
Description of terrain : 90% rock climbing, walking on rocky paths (crystals). Clear path with no visible forks. Follow the number trail. 2 sections to let yourself down on ropes. Upper body strength required. Do not attempt if afraid of heights.

At the peak :
There are many peaks as you are walking along the ridge (360 degrees view)
Beautiful view of the Selangor dam and of KL City

The attraction :
360 degrees view on all the peaks
Mossy forest at the end of the trail
On fruiting seasons, coming down the plantation one can see all types of fruits
Some rock climbing challenge which no other hill offers (please be mindful that this is a dangerous hill to attempt!)
Beautiful day to be up in Tabur... we are above the thick clouds..




View of the dam

Rock climbing

Mossy forest

Please obtain a permit to climb this hill

Monday, March 14, 2011

Lessons learnt from 127 hours

1. Never go trekking alone
2. Always inform someone where you are heading to (and of course when are you expected back)
3. Bring static instead of dynamic rope
4. Learn to tie the knots with one hand 
5. Always bring emergency food 
6. Bring more water than you need
7. Learn some basic rescue methods
8. Always stay calm!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Travel to Laos - Day 3

Date of travel : 26 Feb to 1 Mar 2011

While walking the streets, I was amazed to find that the caretaker for the public toilets stay right next to the toilet!

We took bus no.14 (inform the driver that you are headed to Buddha Park so that he can let you off accordingly) from the Talat Sao morning market and headed to Buddha Park, approx 24km away. The bus journey took about 50 mins with a major stop at the Friendship Bridge that one may cross over to Thailand. (To return you just cross over to the other side of the road) The park is littered with religious sculptures and was built in 1958.
The pumpkin shaped monument - has 3 levels and it represents heaven, hell and earth. One may enter the opening through the mouth of the demon head and climb the staircase from hell to heaven for a bird's eye view of the park
We climbed the stairs!
View from the top of the stairs



Nam Phou Fountain (but no water)
Can you see the cableman? Troubleshooting is a tough job!
Nightfall by the river
Hand woven silk - a lot of work! and requires lots of patience..
I must trek when I return to Laos next... the country is still rich with greenery and must return during the wet season to visit the waterfalls............

A to Z on Stress Management

I am sure everyone's expeienced some form of stress at one time or another... here are some tips that I was given!

Always take time for yourself, at least 30 minutes per day.
Be aware of your own stress meter: Know when to step back and cool down.
Concentrate on controlling your own situation, without controlling everybody else.
Daily exercise will burn off the stress chemicals.
Eat lots of fresh fruit, veggies, bread and water, give your body the best for it to perform at its best.
Forgive others, don't hold grudges and be tolerant -- not everyone is as capable as you.
Gain perspective on things, how important is the issue?
Hugs, kisses and laughter: Have fun and don't be afraid to share your feelings with others.
Identify stressors and plan to deal with them better next time.
Judge your own performance realistically; don't set goals out of your own reach.
Keep a positive attitude, your outlook will influence outcomes and the way others treat you.
Limit alcohol, drugs and other stimulants, they affect your perception and behaviour.
Manage money well, seek advice and save at least 10 per cent of what you earn.
No is a word you need to learn to use without feeling guilty.
Outdoor activities by yourself, or with friends and family, can be a great way to relax.
Play your favourite music rather than watching television.
Quit smoking: It is stressing your body daily, not to mention killing you too.
Relationships: Nurture and enjoy them, learn to listen more and talk less.
Sleep well, with a firm mattress and a supportive pillow; don't overheat yourself and allow plenty of ventilation.
Treat yourself once a week with a massage, dinner out, the movies: Moderation is the key.
Understand things from the other person's point of view.
Verify information from the source before exploding.
Worry less, it really does not get things completed better or quicker.
Xpress: Make a regular retreat to your favourite space, make holidays part of your yearly plan and budget.
Yearly goal setting: Plan what you want to achieve based on your priorities in your career, relationships, etc.
Zest for life: Each day is a gift, smile and be thankful that you are a part of the bigger picture.

Daily life tips

1.. Hot and spicy to tears, what to do?
If you accidentally eat the hot food that makes you shed tears, your first thought will be probably a glass of water. However, hot water is not a solution, it will make it more spicy.
In fact, the best solution is to drink hot milk. OR EAT A SWEET

2. Keeping tofu firm.
Soft tofu in the cooking process is very easy to break into pieces.
If you want to maintain the integrity of tofu, you can soak it in salt water for about 30 minutes before cooking.

3. Soup is too salty
Making soup with too much salt, the subtle taste of the soup will be destroyed. If this happens, the remedy is to add cooked potato pieces for few minutes. The potato will absorb the salt. When soup id served, then remove the potato.

4. Soak a little vinegar before cutting taros
Cutting taro can make your hands itching.
Soaking your hands in vinegar before cutting taros will prevent your hands from itching.

5. How to remove the wax from an apple?
If you often eat apples with their skin, then you would need to remove the wax first before eating ....
(a) place the apple into hot water, the apple's wax will vanish.
(b) Apply toothpaste on the appple to clean out the wax.

6. How to slow down potato germination?
Potato buds contain toxic alkaloids which can cause abdominal pain and dizziness.
Placing an apple in potatoes can significantly delay thier germination time.
Ethylene gas produced by apple has hampered the effectiveness of potato development.
Putting apples together with papayas or kiwi will make them ripe faster.
Further, apples can make persimmon astringency disappear but sweeten after a week.

7. How to make good rice?
After washing rice in water, add a few drops of lemon juice, (or a few drops of oil),
cooked rice will turn out good and fragrant.

8. How to keep biscuits crispy?
When storing biscuits in a container, put a sugar cube in it at the same time.
As the sugar absorbs the moisture in the container, biscuits or cookies can remain crispy and delicious.

9. What can be done if clothing stains with ink?
If ink gets on your clothing or fabric, you can use cooked rice or paste with a little detergent to remove the stain.
Use your fingers to smear repeatly on the spot, stain can be removed quickly.
Then soak it into fresh water with ordinary cleaning agent for a period of time before washing.

10. How to treat smelly shoes?

Put a small amount of baking soda directly into the boots, sneakers or shoes, that are obviously smelly due to dampness. Baking soda powder has the effect of absorbing moisture and odor.

11. Ring around the collar, or spotty under the armpit area of the clothing?
First brush some shampoo, shaving cream or lotion on the dirty area for five minutes. Then wash off the stain.

12. How to keep flower fresh?
Adding a little beer in the vase can keep house flowers fresh for an extended period of time.
This is because beer contains alcohol whic is both antiseptic and disinfectant. Beer also contains sugar and other nutrients for the leaves.

13. How to sharpen scissors?
Stacked three aluminum foil together, then cut them with the scissors to be sharpen. You will see surprising result.

14. How to remove annoying gummed labels?
It is quite annoying when comes to remove the price tags on merchandise. To remove the gummed lables neatly, all you need is to use a hair dryer to apply heat on the label before taking them off.

15. What can you do with beer beside drinking?
Most people know milk is good in cleaning foliage plants.
In fact, use leftover beer to wipe plants is even better! Dip a cotton ball into beer, lightly wipe leaves to remove dust and keep them lustery. Furthermore, this method also prevents ants from coming to the plant.

15. What to do with unwanted perfumes?
Before throwing them away, unwanted perfumes could be useful.
You can use unwanted perfume to clean indoor light bulbs with cotton balls. When the bulbs light up and warm up, the whole room would be filled with the aroma.

17. Remove crayon graffiti from wooden furniture.
If you you kids at home, wooden furniture are subject to crayon graffiti.
Crayon stains can not be removed with water.
Although the use of paint solvents can do the job, the paint on the surface could be damaged.
The most suitable method is to use toothpaste. Not only it cleans, it does no harm to the furniture.

18. Use vinegar to help mopping the kitchen floor.
The kitchen floor is often easy to get greasy. Before mopping the kitchen floor, pour some vinegar on the mop. This will enable easy remove of grease.

19. How to remove stains from tea cups?
Stained tea cups can affect their appearance.
To clean up the stain with a man made loofah cloth the cups would have scraches in the long run.
Just spread a little toothpaste and hand-wash the cups, stain can be removed easily.
If the stain is too thick, wait a few minutes after applying toothpaste before washing.

20. Improved floor sweeping
The unused stockings can be attached to a broom to clean the floor.
Stockings can help sweeping up cotton, hair and other particles that are difficult to sweep with an ordinary broom.

Let me know if it works!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Travel to Laos - Day 2

Date of travel : 26 Feb to 1 Mar 2011


Looked around for accomodation for the next two nights and walked the streets of Vientiane. Finally found this place... lovely and clean at affordable price.

Accomodation at Mixay Paradise, 02 Unit 01 Francois Ngin Road, Chanthabury District. Contact : +85621254223 or + 85621254224 Email : laomixayparadise@yahoo.com
These are the prices of the Guesthouse


The little details! The towels are arranged this way on the bed
Exterior of the guesthouse

We got the last room! They were full for the night and the next night.... so be sure to book early if you are heading to this place. After settling the accomodation for the night, we headed out again and visited some places of interest.

We saw this place while we were wandering around the streets... this is called the Black Stupa or That Dam which the locals believe that this structure was once inhabited by a seven headed dragon that protected the city from the threat of the Siamese.

Its in the middle of the city and its used as a "roundabout" - at the cross road of Chanta Khoumane and Bartolini Road
We took the "tuk tuk" to That Luang and Patuxai (Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph) costed Kip 40,000 for two of us (return) - one needs to bargain for this price
Patuxai - Built between 1962 and 1968 it marks the respect for all those who fought in the struggle for independence from the French. It bears the resemblance to Arc de Triomphe, boasts of 4 archways and one can climb up for a city view from the top at a fee. At night, the fountain plays a synchronized performance of music and light

The interior of the arch

That Luang - A symbol of Lao's nationhood and the country's most sacred Buddhist monument. Its situated 2 km east of Patuxai and it is closed on Mondays. The opening hours are 8am to 12noon and 1pm to 4pm

The contrast of the gold against the blue skies - absolutely worth a visit!
At the entrance of That Luang there is a man who sells coconut ice cream - its a "to die for" and "must try"
We had 2 helpings!

In the evening we took a walk by Mekong river
The pathway - hardened and dried up..... as this is dry season!
Mekong river.... with "not so good" camera..

Travel to Laos - Day 1

Date of travel : 26 Feb to 1 Mar 2011

This is my first time to Laos, was told that it's an undeveloped country but I was greeted with a surprise that there are a lot of Mat Salleh tourists! (Asian tourists are far and few in between)  The streets are dusty and there is a layer of smog in the air which makes my lungs work harder than usual! Its a laid back holiday for me, no trekking this time and enjoy the city for once!
Exch rate : USD 1 = Kip 8000 / RM 1 = Kip 2600
Can change at the airport or in town, all the rates are almost the same.
Kip is the main currency but USD and Thai Baht is also widely accepted even by the street vendors
This is a "must have" map when you are touring the city of Vientiane http://www.sinisini.com/laos/map/images/map_vientiane.jpg

Day 1 - Transfer from airport arranged with the hotel for USD 7

Accomodation at Hotel Khamvongsa, Khun Bulom Road, Ban Vat Chan, Vientiane. Tel + 85621 218415 or +85621 223257 Email : hotel.khamvongsa@gmail.com www.hotelkhamvongsa.com


Wat Inpeng which is just opposite the hotel... look at the details of the entrance!

Trying out the local street food

Yummy food wrapped in 3 types of vegetables! Thumbs up! (Kip 5000)

We just walked around the shops for the day and hit the streets again for food, eager to try the local food
We tried the grilled fish (Kip 35000) by Mekong River and downed it with Lao Beer (Kip 10000) (yummy!)

The streets are made comfy for customers to have their meals

Hiking up Gunung Nuang - 1493m

Date climbed : 5 March 2011
(Note : Just as a training ground and for its challenge I usually climb up to Pengasih only as I do not fancy the muddy trail from Pengasih to the peak)

How to get there :
Travel time : 45 mins from Bukit Jalil
Head on to MRR2 and exit to Taman Connaught/Cheras. Once you turn left after the exit, turn right at the next traffic lights.
This will take you pass Giant/McD on the right and BHP on the left.
After BHP keep right and follow the road (there are 3 forks, go on the right fork)
The road will curve to the left where you will see a Petronas, just go straight until the tol.
After tol take the first left exit and follow the road and look out for road signs to Hutan Lipur Gunung Nuang
There will be a left turn to take at a traffic lights (right side is a police block I think)
Just follow this road until the end and take the right fork, follow the road until the end and turn left
There are car parks on the left and right side of the road

At the base :
Proper shower and toilet facilities available for use

Trekking time and terrain :
On moderate speed with some photography - up 5 hours 30 mins, down 4 hours 30 mins
Terrain rating 7/10
Description of terrain :
First 1.5 hours on gravel road shaped like a M - you will pass by 5 huts on the right and 2 huts on the left
Once you get to the 2 huts on the left, take the path in the middle (dont go left to cross the river and dont go right) and this will take you to a small stream
Cross the stream (won't get wet), you will notice water pipes on the left - follow the water pipes
After approx 20 mins, you will need to go under the pipe to cross to the other side of the pipe (at this point a waterfall can be seen on the right) and then up the steps
Another river crossing awaits, if you are skillful, you won't get wet
Cross it and walk on for another 5 minutes (path on the left after the river crossing) and this will take you to Kem Lolo (already about 2 hours into the journey)
Another river crossing and this one chances are you will have to get wet. Cross it and just follow the path until another river. Cross it and walk up the path, you will see huts on the right hand side. (There are no more river crossings after this)
From Kem Lolo take a path on the left (opposite the first hut) to Kem Pacat - 45-50 degrees incline for 1.5 hours. Most people would choose to stop at Pacat for a rest. 10-15 mins approx.
From Kem Pacat to Pengasih (false peak) 60-70 degrees incline for 1 hour 15 minutes
From Pengasih to the peak (muddy trail) fairly flat shaped like a W for 30 mins

At the peak :
At Pengasih it can be cold.
At the peak, there are a few squirrels that will come and feed from your hands.
Not much view.... conquering this mountain is purely for satisfaction and it is a good training ground

There are visible signs to direct you the way to the summit


I wonder what plant is this?
Look like cobra!

Last week this climb has presented me with some challenges... for the first time it rained so heavily that all along the way down it was cascades of water. The path could no longer be seen and each step into a puddle of water is a guess of how deep that would be. Because of the rain, the river swelled and the under currents was stronger than usual.... please be very careful if you are crossing the rivers after a rain!
It has also taught me that always have a jacket ready because if you have to wait in the rain for your friends, it will be cold....

Every trek will bring one new experiences and new challenges... that in itself is a reason to enjoy the same place over and over again!