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.

Part Two

Tuesday 25 May 1999
7.30 a.m. While waiting for breakfast, someone reported seeing a giant scorpion outside the bathroom.  Upon hearing this, many rushed from the kitchen towards the bathroom. The scene was like a group of  orang asli of the yesteryears rushing towards a helicopter!  With cameras all clicking away, the black shiny, five-inched long scorpion must be wondering why the sun was blinking so vigorously that day. Nevertheless it stayed very still.
9.30 a.m. After packing our lunch of fried mee hoon, we set off to the jetty to board the boats. We got up from the same place.  After the bamboo growth, we trekked along the laterite road. About ten minutes later we turned into a path which would lead us uphill. Opposite the “entry” was the path leading to Kuala Jasin, where we had expected to end the day’s activity with a swim. The second day trek was expected to be a dry one, after wetting our shoes the day earlier. We stopped after moving for about 500 metres. Here Hazman, carried out an activity called — Identifying Trees. After pairing up, one of us was blindfolded. Then our partner led us to a tree where we had to find out the features such as the bark, the height and the type of leaves. After that we had to identify ”our” trees after removing the blindfolds.  Hazman then went on to explain in detail the features of the many types of trees, including the colour of the sap which will determine whether it is poisonous.  At the foot of Gunung Janing Barat, we passed by a damaged tree tower. It was once a 10-storey tower built around the exceptionally tall keruing tree, Dipterocarpus costulatus, and it was used to view the forest from the canopy view. As we trekked, the unlogged forest displayed trees like the keruing, rengas and meranti. According to Hazman, the black sap from the rengas tree can cause blister and rashes. Further up, changes began to appear in the surrounding vegetation. The lush growth of ginger, Palas licuala and Pinang pinanga palms is gradually reduced. Plants like the walking stick palm, Rhopaloblaste singaporensis, became commoner. The fan palm Livinstona Endauensis  began to appear. On the upper slopes, this fan palm predominates. The dry large tough leaves of these palms, noticeably resistant to decay, blanket the ground, smothering the seedlings of other forest trees.  This could be the most likely reason why there were no other plants around. We also noticed that the higher we went, these palm trees seemed to be growing on trunks. Anyone would have thought that it is just another tree until you look up. These palm trees form an aesthetic view, with its large fringed leaves forming regular silhouettes against the sky.   We were told that in the palm forest is a rock face.  Just as we were reaching the ridge, we had to pull ourselves up the steep sandstone slope with a rope.
1.00 p.m. We reached the top and stopped for lunch. After the short break, Hazman and gang took us for a short talk along the ridge. On the ridge of Gunung Janing Barat, at 450m, is a water-logged area where hill swamp forest grows. The fan palm surroundings seemed to disappear all of a sudden. The heath forest, which is better known in Sarawak than in Peninsular Malaysia, differs markedly from other forest types because its canopy is low and more open. The trees are much smaller and pole-like. Compared to the fan palm dominated area where the ground is covered by dry palm leaves, the ground here is water-logged and covered by sedges.  We found the ant-plants (climbing species of Dischidia interwine) and other insectivorous plants like the pitcher plants. The pitcher plants were found in abundance. These include the ground pitcher, Nepenthes rafflesiana, which grows very closely to one another on the ground; Nepenthes Ampullaria, which are a few inches higher from the ground and the slender aerial ones, Nepenthes Gracilis. We found unidentified fruits (blackish, round and the size of the rubber seed) stuck between two branches of different trees. A niche was carved on both sides of the fruit as well as on the two branches. After discussing with Francis and gang, we thought that it could have been the work of the squirrels. As there were no big trees with holes to hide their food and the wet ground was definitely not the alternative, the best way to keep their food was to place it between the branches of the small pole-like trees. It was an interesting discovery yet to be scientifically proven. Footprints of the cat family could be seen on the muddy round. According to Machang, we could meet Maybank if we spent the night there! From the plateau, we detoured back. We headed towards Kuala Jasin whereby we had planned to go for a dip in the stream.
2.50 p.m. Raindrops which began trickling down from the canopy dampened our plan. A few who
were in front managed to reach Kuala Jasin before it got heavier.  The rest were caught in the rain;
some shielded themselves with raincoats and umbrellas. Of course, there were also a few who had
brought either raincoats or umbrellas all the way from Ipoh but had left them at base camp! We noticed that there were facilities for picnickers at Kuala Jasin, like toilets and rest shelters. There were tell-tale signs of picnickers having been there earlier — rubbish. After finishing whatever food that was left in our bags (Hon Mun must be glad that finally, there were people to finish off his peanuts), there was nothing else to do except to watch the heavy downpour and to wait to go home.  When the rain subsided, some of us went down to the river (where the Jasin River meets Endau River) to have a look.
4.10 p.m. Left Kuala Jasin. Walked along the laterite path before turning towards the river. When we reached the river again, we had to walk along the pebble beach. Our boats were already waiting for us at the same place they had dropped us off earlier. It was about 50m down the river.  As the boats could not come to the pebble beach, we had to walk along the river to reach the boats. It was still drizzling.  Cold and wet, it was a quiet ride back to base camp.
7.30 p.m. Dinner time. Another sumptuous meal from Heah. We found that although we had trek-ked uphill, we were not as tired as the day before. It was probably because crossing the river many times had drained more energy from us. Disappointed at not being able to swim at Kuala Jasin, there were proposals to go there again the next day. Others decided to stick to the original plan to go to the sandstone cliff. So it was decided that we break into two groups. Before bedtime, as usual, some poured over nature books. We had a late night baking class. As Heah planned to serve bread for the next day's breakfast, he had to make his own bread! He prepared the dough in his big kuali.
26/5 (Wednesday)
7.30 a.m. Those who had 'attended' the baking class the night before helped to bake more bread. The birders tried to spot for more birds. Among the birds spotted here are Scarlet-breasted Flowerpecker, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Black Drongo, White-rumped Sharma, Chestnut-wing Babbler, Blue-wing Leafbird, Little Spiderhunter, Black and Yellow Broadbill, Brown-bellied Flowerpecker and the Bulbul. After breakfast, everything seemed to be a little slow-moving.
10.00 a.m. We were all ready. Seven of us went to the jetty to take the boat to Kuala Jasin while the rest trekked through the path we had used for night walk and headed towards the sandstone cliff. We were to be back for lunch. After crossing the laterite road, we walked along the stream. Wet and humid, the leeches were in full-force! They were just everywhere. Soon everyone was seen warding off the bloodsuckers. Some must have regretted not joining the picnickers at Kuala Jasin!
      Among the flora and fauna we saw on the way were the jewel orchid near the stream, the wild
banana tree ? Mempisang (Polyathia), a giant millipede on a balau tree, a spider cleverly camouflaged on a meranti tree, herbal plants like the kacip fatimah and the much-touted tongkat ali. We also found the stingless bee-hive near the bottom of a tree. The bees bite but do not sting. We were told that the hive in the shape of a tube (about 6 cm in diameter) horizontally 'attached' to the tree, was built from raisin and wax from the body.
      As we reached the clearer ground with more towering trees, we found the wild ginger with pinkish flowers (Zingeber grifitia). At this point the leeches seemed scarce. Dried brown leaves from the keruing, balau and meranti trees blanket the ground. As we ascended higher, the slope became
steeper. It was along the way that the much talked-about horned toad was 'miraculously' spotted. The horned toad (Megophrys mouticola), master of camouflage, whose kwang-kwang call foretells
imminent rain, could have been easily missed and trampled if Kok Kai had not spotted it. It could be dismissed as just another dried leave. It became the most (if not one of the most) photographed
specimen in our trip. Still thinking that no one had seen it, it stayed still enough for the photographers to capture it on films from all angles. The hard-to-spot toad was indeed a consolation to us who had to go through the kingdom of leeches earlier. It was then "guided" to the side so that we would not step on it on our way back. Hopefully it did not hop back to our path! The climb became a little more difficult as the steep sandstone capped the ridges.
1.00 p.m. We reached the cliff. We had to climb up the lumps of sandstone, which seemed likely to
break off and roll down the steep cliff.  With water trickling down into the surrounding tall forest, it
was cooler here. We climbed onto the narrow ledges and sat down for our snack amidst the slight
"shower" from sandstone. On the wet rock surfaces were the beautiful tiny purple flowers with grey
silky leaves of the African violet family, Loxocarpus tunkui,. It was named after the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, the patron of the ER expedition. It is not known to grow anywhere else in the world. After the short break, we came down from the cliff. The dried leaves made our descent a little slippery.  On our way back we wanted to see the elephant track but changed our mind since the track was already two-week old.
2.45 p.m. Reached base camp. The picnickers were also back. While they casually got ready for
lunch, the trekkers had a gory time plucking out leeches from the shoes and socks. Hazman's (who did not wear leech socks) blood-soaked feet caught Yoon's artistic eyes. She took a few snapshots! The picnickers too, had their side of the story ? a water snake was seen crossing the river at Kuala Jasin. After our late lunch, we had nothing to do as our next programme was scheduled at 5pm. The camp was rather quite as some took the opportunity to catch forty winks.
5.00 p.m. We got ready to go to the orang asli village, Kg. Peta. We went to the construction site to board the vehicles. Here, the Smaller Wood Nymph (Ideopsis gaura), the forest butterfly, was potted. The ride to Kg. Peta took about half an hour. After the rain the day before, the muddy road made our  ide very bumpy — almost scrambling our brain! One vehicle had a puncture upon reaching the village. We stopped outside a row of chalets meant for visitors. A restaurant had also been built in the compound. Apparently, there was no one managing the little "resort" at the moment. The little "resort" was just by the Endau River (about 10 metres above the river) with  Bukit Peta as the backdrop. The hill is actually on the Pahang-Johor border. The village dwelled by the Orang Hulu was not what we had expected — tilting wooden houses with chicken and ducks scattered all over. With TV aerials on almost every rooftop, there were also the solar system outside every house. Besides wooden houses, there are also a few brick houses, with one double-storey house under construction. A new restaurant at the jetty was under construction.
      Heah had told us earlier the villagers are very used to visitors and they would not be bothered by our presence. The village, with a population of about 300 people and about 30 families, seemed rather deserted. The headcount probably included those who are working or staying elsewhere. There are also two telephone booths — out of order. We met Buyin who works at the construction site workshop. We were told that the villagers had moved from across the river in 1979 when they found an easier access to the road at the present place. One smartly-dressed boy of about five years old, was friendly enough to greet us by obligingly kissing our hands. He left a "cendol" on Mew Mee's hand; the first one to receive the salam! Before we left the village, we went to Hashim's house and another villager's house to buy handicrafts. It was almost dark when we headed back.
8.00 p.m. Dinner time. After dinner, the last programme was the insect trap. A big white cloth was
placed in front a lamp to attract the insects. Many types of insects including the various species of
moth and bugs were caught on the cloth.
 

7.30 a.m. After having our last breakfast of chicken porridge, we were kept busy packing. We were told that the Selangor group would be coming.  We had our group photograph taken here. It was a long one as there were umpteen cameras.
10.00 a.m. After sending our luggage to the jetty, we walked to the construction site. Some decided to carry their own luggage.  Heah, who met us there, told us the right things to be brought along for such trips.  He must have been taken aback by the sight (or size) of our big haversacks! We had another photo and video session.
      Then off we went. About 15 km from Kahang, the van broke down three times —  due to poor
battery connection. Therefore by the time the van (last vehicle) reached Kahang, it was already 12.30 p.m. Some who were waiting were seen eating ice-cream. It was terribly unfortunate for Kok Kai as he discovered that his haversack was missing. Apparently, on the way out from base camp, the passengers in one of the land rovers saw the back door of the pick up truck was open. His bag must have dropped off without anyone's knowledge.
      After loading our luggage onto the bus, we set off without Kok Kai's bag.  Heah and gang went to repair their vehicles and to buy ration for the Selangor group.
3.00 p.m. Stopped for lunch at Yong Peng.After this, we made another stop at Dengkil. Here, Moon bought the Sun.
7.15 p.m. Stopped for dinner at Tapah Rest Area.
9.30 p.m. Reached Ipoh.
 

      It had been indeed a wonderful and memorable trip. The three full days were not enough. Perhaps we may pay another visit to the forest as we have yet to experience and see enough. For those who have missed this trip, you have really missed A LOT! So look out for the next trip.