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Activities Report 1999 Sept Newsletter

Endau-Rompin Trip (23 – 27 May 1999) : Part One
(Painstakingly noted by Ng Kit Wan)

      We were all set to go. It was very obvious that we were looking forward to the 5 day-4 nights trip. Despite being told that we needed to bring only our clothing and personal toiletries, most of our haversacks were packed to the brim and the pockets/compartments were filled with an extra this and that and whatever that came to mind (and of course, novels, magazines and pillows).
      The bus started picking us up at 6.30 am first at the Pasir Putih Maybank, then at the Ipoh Garden Bank Bumiputera and lastly Wai Yee from the Gopeng Esso Station. After that the bus cruised down the Expressway. At 8.00 a.m. we had a quick breakfast at the Tapah Rest Stop. Here, a few bought newspapers to catch up with the latest news. We would spend the next four days in the jungle, completely cut off from the outside world. Moon bought The Star. The bus stopped again at the Sg Buluh Overhead Restaurant for us to do some output.  Nice toilets there!
      We wanted to stop at Seremban for lunch but it was still early. So lunch was at Air Keroh Overhead Restaurant at about 12.pm. We stuffed ourselves with fast food (there was no other choice anyway). At 12.25pm, we proceeded towards south again. Along the way, biscuits, keropok, assam and what-nots were passed around on board the bus despite the "No food & drinks" sign.  Well, when you are ferrying a bus-load of M(akan) N(on) S(top) members, it cannot be helped!
      2.06pm. We exited from the Expressway and headed towards Kluang. An interesting thing to note was that along the way, there were many fishing ponds available to anglers for a minimal fee. After 20 minutes, we reached Kluang which is quite a big town. The shops were closed, as it was a Sunday but we noticed some shophouses with unique architecture — the staircases were made public. We almost got lost here and had to go round a roundabout two times to get to the right exit.
      3.10p.m. At last we reached the small town of Kahang. Two land rovers, a van (converted into a 4WD) and a pickup truck were waitin. We were supposed to reach there at about 2 pm. After unloading our luggage it was reloaded into the waiting vehicles. Heah (who takes charge of the camp and the construction of the new centre) introduced his team to us: MNS Officers — Hazman, Chew, Francis, Nik and their helper, Machang. Heah then briefed us on what to expect next.
      3.40pm. We squeezed ourselves into the two land rovers and the van and set off to the base-camp. It was going to be a one-and-a-half-hour ride! After about ten minutes we turned into a laterite road. Initially it was oil palm plantation on both sides but later the logged forest marked our entry to the National Park. Soon the road became narrow and the ride became bumpy. At some parts where new bridges were being built, the alternative roads provided more bumps. We had to sit tight. With six or seven people packed into each vehicle, we helped to cushion each other. Somehow the hazardous ride along the old logging tracks and rickety bridges was quite exciting.
      5.00 pm. The free roller-coaster ride came to a halt. The "Taman Negara Endau Rompin" signboard greeted us at a T-junction. The road to the right leads to Kampung Peta. We turned left as we had to register at the Park Staging Point. We took the opportunity to look around. One poster which caught our attention was the one on leeches. The huge illustration of the bloodsucker hardly deterred our enthusiasm to explore the national heritage. Well, seeing is believing. We were pretty excited seeing the picture of  Buaya Sangkut Waterfall but our excitement was short-lived as we were told that we would not be going there. An officer from the Johore National Park Corporation gave us a briefing on the location of the forest. Later we took a ten-minute ride into the base camp. The path was layered with cement slabs on both sides. According to Heah, the slabs were made by his orang asli workers who have been con-tributing the manpower to set up the Nature Education & Research Centre (NERC). We reached the site where the new centre was being erected. From here we had to go on foot for about 500 metres. Our luggage was sent in by boat. Just before reaching the base camp, we had to cross a hanging-bridge made of bamboo (the width of three bamboos). No wonder our heavy luggage had to be sent in by boat! The crossing caused much anxiety as every step we took was followed by a "creeek, craaack" sound.
      Soon we found ourselves passing by a makeshift bathroom and two toilets. Ta! Da! After almost twelve hours! Heah gave another short briefing about the base camp. A little smaller than a quarter of a football field, the campsite comprised of the dormitory on three sides and the working area-cum-kitchen on the other side. There was also a food store. For the dormitory, sets of wooden rails about a metre off the ground ran the length of the sleeping quarter.  A piece of canvas was stretched between two poles. This was then placed on the rails. So that's a bed. There were about twenty-five beds under the plastic sheet roof. The kitchen was equipped with two long tables, two gas stoves, a gas oven and two sinks in addition to all the pots and kettles, a big steel kuali, plates, spoons, cups and knives. On top of the tables were everything we could have — Milo, Nescafe, tea, coffee, milk powder, condensed milk and a tin of biscuits. Another table was actually their office table. Next to it was a big box filled with books. That's the library. Well, a five-star campsite! It was
actually situated by the Endau River (behind the kitchen) and on the other side was the range.
      We were divided into four groups with Nik, Francis, Chew and Hazman taking care of each group. Each group was to take turn to help to prepare our meals and to do the washing up. We quickly settled down. Each of us was given a mosquito netting and a blanket. Soon we formed a beeline outside the bathroom which comprised of four cubicles. Each cubicle was equipped with a tap and a basin placed on a plastic stool. Some of us preferred to have dinner first. All the meals were prepared by Heah himself. The generator was soon roaring away but there was no light in the bathroom. So we had a quick bath. When everyone was back in the kitchen (our meeting place), Hazman briefed us on our tentative programme.
      8.30 p.m. Our first programme — night walk. Armed with torchlights, the almost one-and-a-half-hour stroll along the jungle path revealed the many splendours of the jungle at night. On Sharon Chan's list was a Banded Gecko, the red-eyed beetle, the spotted cricket, an orange cock-roach, a freshwater snail, the huntsman spider, a caterpillar, the borer beetle, the bush cricket, the fireflies, the false scorpion, the katydid cricket with a three-inch long body and four-inch long hind legs, the stink bug and the white fungi which measured about nine inches across. The jangkang (Ixylopia ferrugonelia), a lowland riverine tree with stilt roots was also spotted. The most amazing thing was the glowing fungus on the ground. In pitch darkness, the luminous glow from the fungi, which grow on the dead rotten leaves, created the most awesome and mysterious sight.  It gave the impression of dappled moonlight even when there is no moon.
      There were some apprehensive moments when the heat and vibration sensitive bloodsuckers came seeking for a meal. A few followed us back to the camp. One even followed Chew to bed! The other end of the trail actually met up with the path, which we had used earlier to come in. We stopped for a while (to check for leeches). The silhouette of a few birds was seen up on a dead tree. Then we trekked back. The generator automatically turned off at midnight by then everyone had gone to bed. Mew Mee reported that she saw a porcupine in the kitchen at about 3 am.
Monday 24 May 1999
7.30 a.m. We had breakfast. The avid birders took the opportunity to watch birds while waiting for breakfast. After packing our lunch of bread, sardines, mayonnaise, cucumbers, onions, apples together with some plates and a can-opener, we went to the construction site where Heah explained to us the architecture of the buildings that would be erected for the new centre. All the workers were the orang asli from the nearby Kg. Peta. Some of them have undergone skill training. He also brought us to the workshop where Hashim was setting up a bed — one of many to be made for the new dormitory. Keng Yee commented that the beds were too short for the foreigners but Heah explained that they were of a standard size. We were amazed by Hashim’s skilful work which included a table made from wood remnants. The furniture to be used in the new centre would be made here. The wood came from as far as Kelantan while the asbestos came from Perak.
9.40 a.m. We went down to the jetty where two boats were ready to take us up the Endau River
The boat-ride would take about twenty minutes. Our boatmen, Machang and his friend had to be careful in manoeuvring the boats as water-worn pebbles and rocks formed most of the river beds.
At shallow parts they had to slow down.
      We landed near Kuala Jasin and trekked through the bamboo growth along the Jasin River. Rattans were in great abundance here. There were signs of wild boar having been there as the ground was newly dug. The trail met up with a laterite road leading back to the Jasin River. Here, Francis conducted the hydrology session. Each group was provided with two nets (one for inverte-brates and the other for vertebrates), a mini aquarium, two magnifying glasses and a worksheet. For those who are familiar with our own Children Camp in Papan this is the Endau Rompin version of Fun In the Stream/Stream Ecology. Fish like the T-bard and the Sebarau were caught. We then waded across the stream. In fact, for the rest of the day we had to cross the stream many times. Most parts of the Jasin River were quite shallow with pebble beaches. At one juncture we were separated with one group zigzagging the waterway while the other chose to move along the stream.
11.50 a.m. Eventually all of us met up and decided to take a break at a pebble beach. Biscuits and fruits were quickly unloaded from our haversacks into our stomachs. Here, Francis conducted a survey on the speed of the water using a buoy, a fishing line and a stick. A leech made its appea-rance. We found signs of anglers having been here. We were told that anglers need permission and have to pay a reasonable fee.
12.15 p.m. We set off to Kuala Marong. Along the way the team was split up again as avid photographers could not resist "capturing” the beauty of nature.
1 p.m. The first group reached Kuala Marong and waited for the others. A hut and a few toilets have been built here, indicating that visitors can spend the night. The second group was not in sight so the first group decided to proceed to Tasik Air Biru, which was about 500 metres away.
      At Tasik Air Biru, some of us went for a dip in the cold water before tending to our growling stomachs. The cold water was refreshing and the food was energising. Even the tiger leech could not stop us from enjoying our food and the swim.
2.30 p.m. We were actually a little behind schedule so we had to rush off to the Upeh Guling Rapid, our last destination. Again we had to cross the river several times. We were told later that on the way we actually crossed over to Pulau Jasin. This little island is well known for its stunted and gnarled vegetation. Montane trees, like the Leptospermum, and the fern, Matonia pectinata, found elsewhere in the country on summits above 1000metres, are growing less than 50 metres above sea level. We saw the large purple ground-pitcher plants, Nephenthes rafflesiana. Somehow, we did not explore the island (as we did not know we were there).
3.10 p.m. The first group reached Upeh Guling. Huge boulders formed most of the parts near the rapids. When the second group arrived we went up the rapids from the side. We had to use a cable to pull ourselves up. We found round "bath-tubs" near the top of the falls. Francis measured the depth and found that they were about one-and-a-half metre deep.
4.10 p.m. We headed back. After about fifty minutes, we reached the riverbank where our boatmen were waiting for us. On the way we had to cross a seesaw like hanging bridge — one that needs to be repaired. In less than twenty minutes, we reached the jetty at our campsite.  Somebody noted that the rungs were quite far apart not suitable for the short-legged locals. But Hazman said that even the foreigners complain about it.
      Those who headed straight to the kitchen found that Heah was waiting for us with food meant for a King! It was actually tea time. There were lontong and pumpkin soup waiting for us. We were quite shocked to see so much food for tea as we thought it was near dinnertime. When Heah told us that dinner would be at nine, most of the food was soon gobbled up. At nine, we had a sumptuous dinner. Heah was really recharging us as the second day's trek was expected to be tougher as we were to go uphill. How thoughtful of him! No one wanted to go for night walk. A mousedeer was spotted near the generator. Most of us were dead tired and went to bed early. A few decided to wake up at three to wait for Mew Mee's porcupine. Some even slept in the kitchen.
(to be continued)

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Created on 3rd Sept 1999