Gunung Bujang Melaka and Sungei Kampar White Water Rafting (Y2010 MTT Collab)
BASIC INFORMATION
Trek: Y2010 MTT Collaboration with Kayak
Date: 22 - 25 Feb 2010
Location: Gunung Bujang Melaka and Sungei Kampar White Water Rafting
Elevation: 1,233m
Duration: 1D Hike to Sungei Kampar River
BRIEF ITINERARY
Day 1
Transport to Bujang Melaka in Kamper Town
Day 2
Trek to Gunung Bujang Summit
Day 3
White Water Rafting at Sungei Kampar River
Transport back to SG
This is the first ever combined event between SMUX Trekking and Kayaking team, organized with the rationale that trekkers never go kayaking and kayakers never go trekking! So now, at least some of us have done both in our precious week 8 break, and even many others from different other teams get to experience both events
Day 1
All of us met at 1800 at Kranji Mrt, and of course, just like any other SMUX event, there were many others who were late. Fortunately for the very hungry group 3 and 4, all our members reached on time so we were able to set off earlier to City Square for our dinner. We were then joined by group 1 and 2 at Secret Recipe for their dinner and our dessert. After dinner, we then set off for our trek at Bujang Melaka in Kampar town at 2130. As there were many new faces for this event, we had an intro session on the bus which asks for one interesting fact about each person. We also had other games on the bus to accompany us through the long 8-10 hour ride. Finally, we reached Kampar early in the morning.
Day 2
The trek started off a little weird because we didn’t get to have any breakfast. After a round of warm-up and toilet break, we finally began on our trek. I believe most of us were very excited for the trek because for me, it was my first trek event with SMUX, while for many others it was because it was their virgin trek. However, this sense of excitement was quickly drowned out when we were tired out by the up slopes all the way till our campsite and we had many leeches sucking our blood along the way. Wee Kee and I even got attacked by bees. Nonetheless, I was still glad to reach the campsite after about 6 hours of trek. The campsite was relatively big, fitting about 6-7 tents.
After a short rest, we decided to set off for the summit which was about 1 hour away. However, even after 1.5 hours of up and down slopes, we still could not reach the summit. It even began to pour, and we had to return back to the campsite. So we only managed to return to the campsite after 3 whole hours of fruitless trek. Many of us went to the nearby river for a wash up, and then returned to prepare our dinner.
Dinner was the most fantastic thing during this trek. Group 3 and 4 had super awesome food for this trek, namely the BA DING (Spicy Pork Cubes). We stir-fried the ba ding with eggs and sausages, and ate it with very delicious pineapple rice, and maggi noodles. What made dinner even better was BA GUA, Herbal Jelly and canned Longan. We even Lo Hei up on the mountain!
Day 3
I woke up to the sudden downpour at about 5 am as water was seeping into the girls’ tent. Soon, our tent was completely flooded with water. The trek down began at about 11am and it was much less tiring as compared to the way up, even though tiring on the knees. Group 1 was attacked by the bees that attacked both Wee Kee and I the day before! Many of them got stung and we had to change a route to get down. The new route even though not an almost vertical slope like the original one, had loose soil and little hand grip. Thus, we had to swing ourselves over with extra care. The way down was slow because of the slippery slopes due to the rain in the morning. Thus, I had a lot of time to think through about the entire trek itself.
Even though the trek wasn’t fantastic because the slopes were plenty, and there were bee stings, leeches and rain, and there was just no scenery, I still enjoyed the trek. Making your way down allow you to reflect on how much you’ve accomplished. If going down was tough because it was steep, it also meant it took a lot just to make your way up; furthermore it’s with a heavy bag pack. Defying the laws of gravity, challenged with the unpredictable weather and surroundings, all 21 of us had still conquered this mountain and that meant an accomplishment for all. Thus, despite all the complaints through the trek, I know I will still see some of us on other treks again.
After making our way down, we went to the waterfall nearby to clean ourselves up. The water was cooling, and it is certainly a short rewarding time after a tiring trek. We then took a bus and lorry out to our campsite, after having some Ramly burger and drinks at the starting point of our trek. Took photos along the way, and settled down at the campsite near our white water rafting area. The campsite was good because there was a sheltered hut, lighted toilets and shower facilities. After a long wait, and some group games, we finally had our bbq dinner! Food was little, but quite tasty on the whole. After a short debrief, we continued with card games which lasted to about 3 am.
Day 4
The night was cold and sleep was little. We woke up early so that we will be able to reach back Singapore before midnight. However, we waited for at least 1.5 hours for our breakfast which was fortunately, delicious as well.
So, we finally managed to proceed on with white water rafting at Sungei Kampar river! After a short safety briefing, swim test, we finally got to rafting proper! The entire event lasted about 2 hours, with 3 great rapids that were grade 2-3 in nature. The water level was low as compared to the day before, which our guide explained that it was as tall as the dam and will be really much more fun!
Having white water-ed at this river before, it was a little boring for me albeit with new experiences. Namely, a different group of friends on the raft, who were found either out of the raft or flying in the raft, jumping off a tree into the waters, and body rafting down the last stretch of the river. Thus, I still enjoyed my time at white water.
We then returned to our campsite for a quick lunch and shower, and took the lorry out to take our bus back to Singapore. The ride was long, and many of us were simply knocked out by then. We had delicious KFC along the way back, and finally managed to reach back at City Square around 2230.
Photos by: Wee Kee
Written by: Siew Hwee
