Pahang, Malaysia Feb 2009
We left JB at around 3am and drove non-stop all the way to Pahang. Chatted most of the way and was quite excited about the upcoming days to explore the jungle. At around 6am my friend was quite "steam" already and we pulled over infront of some Asli's house and took a nap.About half an hour later my friend woke up and started driving again. I took a peep and went back to sleep. The next thing I knew, I was rudely woken up and we were parked beside a makan joint and the early morning sun was in my face. It was breakfast time.Bee hoon mee goreng with fried chicken and egg. If this stall was in Singapore, the queue will be 10m long because its damn good.
There were many road kill along the way. Stop to look at one of them.I think its some sort of civet cat. There were two of them on the road, the other one was too gruesome to post.We spent quite a few hours going in circle looking for the forest entrance and finally got some local residents to point us in the right direction. Once we hit the dirt track there was no stopping my friend from reaching the location. When we got there we realise it was the wrong place!!! WTF!!! One over hour of driving down the drain!! We turned around and went to the first place that we actually turned back in the morning. From there under the advise of some Asli we drove in about two hours on the dirt trail which was bumpy and dusty, luckily there was no rain.
We collected some specimens and took all the pictures that we wanted and left the place.
Mission accomplished. Dinner time.
We took a long overdue shower and repacked some of the plants. my friend was knocked out quite early and was snoring away while I watched TV till about 2am.
Went on a trip to Malaysia on the 28th of Feb recently with my Japanese friend . Left Singapore on Saturday morning 2am. The woodland checkpoint was all clear and quiet at this time of the night. Stop by a makan joint in JB as I was damn hungry. Had mee goreng and some fried chicken, damn sinful eating junk in the wee morning hours.
We left JB at around 3am and drove non-stop all the way to Pahang. Chatted most of the way and was quite excited about the upcoming days to explore the jungle. At around 6am my friend was quite "steam" already and we pulled over infront of some Asli's house and took a nap.About half an hour later my friend woke up and started driving again. I took a peep and went back to sleep. The next thing I knew, I was rudely woken up and we were parked beside a makan joint and the early morning sun was in my face. It was breakfast time.Bee hoon mee goreng with fried chicken and egg. If this stall was in Singapore, the queue will be 10m long because its damn good.
After our hearty breakfast, we spared no time hanging around and left for our targeted destination......The Jungle.
There were many road kill along the way. Stop to look at one of them.I think its some sort of civet cat. There were two of them on the road, the other one was too gruesome to post.We spent quite a few hours going in circle looking for the forest entrance and finally got some local residents to point us in the right direction. Once we hit the dirt track there was no stopping my friend from reaching the location. When we got there we realise it was the wrong place!!! WTF!!! One over hour of driving down the drain!! We turned around and went to the first place that we actually turned back in the morning. From there under the advise of some Asli we drove in about two hours on the dirt trail which was bumpy and dusty, luckily there was no rain. 
You know you are deep inside the jungle when you step on elephant shit!
We spent another hour or so spinning around the final location and still could'nt find the damn stream we were looking for. We gave up and went to look for the Asli at his house to guide us there. We woke him up from his afternoon nap and he offered to take us there. We followed his scooter to the place and it was even more bumpy than the dirt trail in!! Naka was worried that the car will get stuck on the tracks. Then the sky began to pour! Great!
We spent another hour or so spinning around the final location and still could'nt find the damn stream we were looking for. We gave up and went to look for the Asli at his house to guide us there. We woke him up from his afternoon nap and he offered to take us there. We followed his scooter to the place and it was even more bumpy than the dirt trail in!! Naka was worried that the car will get stuck on the tracks. Then the sky began to pour! Great!
Luckily, it did'nt last long and soon it was clear again. We followed the Asli to a clearing and he stopped and pointed to the forest ahead. From here we were suppose to walk another 200m to the river. Damn, by this point I was quite beaten already but there was this urge to see the river we were looking for and I just went for it. We had already come a long way so we took our gear and dashed forward. Reaching the edge of the forest, the Asli pointed into the forest and mumbled something which I did'nt understand as my Bahasa Melayu quite limited. But my friend was having an exciting conversation with him and they went into the forest. It was actually a steep slope downhill, very tricky and dangerous I might add, not for the faint hearted. We reached the river hidden in the small valley and I was stunned.
From the top it looked like the river was 2-3m deep but when the Asli stepped in, it was only up to his ankles!! Weird. The river was so murky that it was difficult to judge the depth. There in the river lay the patches of Cryptos that we were hunting high and low for! Jackpot!!
From the top it looked like the river was 2-3m deep but when the Asli stepped in, it was only up to his ankles!! Weird. The river was so murky that it was difficult to judge the depth. There in the river lay the patches of Cryptos that we were hunting high and low for! Jackpot!!
We were so relieved to find it at last, we thought we were going to go back empty handed. There river was cooling even though it was murky as hell and it provided a moment of relief from our sweaty bodies from the hot humid forest. My friend was already plucking away at this point and I can see the happiness in his face. The Crypto was fantastic I must say, really exotic and evil looking, especially the flower. It looked lewd in some contex as it resembles the clitoris of the female anatomy. Maybe that's what attracted my friend to it!!!! LOL!
We collected some specimens and took all the pictures that we wanted and left the place.Mission accomplished. Dinner time.
We drove out and saw a hornbill along the way
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We had a quick dinner at the same joint we had breakfast this morning. I ordered from the Mak cik and changed my order halfway but I guess she could'nt understand my broken malay and servered us 3 nasi goreng! So we whacked all of it! LOL! It was really cheap & good. We then made our way to Mersing to have some seafood but by the time we reached there it was 9pm and the restaurant was already closing. So we had some seafood at another restaurant that was still open and whacked somemore food!!
.We had a quick dinner at the same joint we had breakfast this morning. I ordered from the Mak cik and changed my order halfway but I guess she could'nt understand my broken malay and servered us 3 nasi goreng! So we whacked all of it! LOL! It was really cheap & good. We then made our way to Mersing to have some seafood but by the time we reached there it was 9pm and the restaurant was already closing. So we had some seafood at another restaurant that was still open and whacked somemore food!!
Mmmmmm.....Yummy.
By the time we finished, our stomachs almost exploded because the 3 nasi goreng before was still inside our tummy!LOL! Greedy bastards!
We left in a hurry and started making our way to Kota Tinggi as my friend was feeling very sleepy already. The journey to Kota was longer than I expected and I was dozing off most of the time. I was afraid my friend would fall asleep while driving so I gave him some super lemon sweets to wake him a little. When we reached Kota, it had been raining for the last 1hour already. It was about 11pm and we managed to get the last room available, it was a suite! with two king size bed. The room was pretty big and had your usual stains all over the carpet and wall, not many people I know will be willing to stay in this type of motel.
We took a long overdue shower and repacked some of the plants. my friend was knocked out quite early and was snoring away while I watched TV till about 2am.
We woke up the next day refreshed and ready for more action. My friend wanted to explore a particular area for his crypto at the Kota Tinggi falls. We had a nice drive after breakfast and the weather was good,I requested my friend to drop by the Kota nature park for me to collect some crypto and rasboras. After that the route to Kota Tinggi falls was scenic and had a clear view of Gunung Panti where I would like to climb one day as its where the famous Paphiopedilum Johorensis occurs. We tracked about an hour and ended up in one of the waterfalls. There was no cryto to be found and my friend decided to call it a day. On the way out, I collected some pitcher plants and star plants. When we reached the car and started packing, I noticed something on my leg, near my ankle.
My blood sucking friend had paid me a visit, it was a leech happily sucking away my blood. My friend extinguished it with his cigarette and left my leg bleeding away. Nasty little sucker!
Next we drove back to Kota town and had lunch. Again, I over odered the food and my friend was worried. Halfway eating, the rain began to pour and we had to shift the table inwards. By the time the rain slowed down we had our stomachs filled and I was ready for my shopping spree at the market. Unfortunately, there was'nt much to buy so I end up with some potato chips and local produce. We then headed to the causeway to make our way home. Friend wanted to buy some durian but we did'nt manage to find any. I packed some satay and BBQ chicken and we left for JB. A short car wash at JB and we headed for the custom.
So our journey had ended and it was a pretty good trip compared to my previous ones with him because this time he drove his Toyota instead of his tiny Honda classic. Looking forward to the next trip.
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