Nine Hours Journey To Nowhere

I started the journey not knowing what to expect, full of hope and yet trying to prepare myself with as many worst case scenarios I can think of. Nothing prepares me for the reality. Nine hours after I began my journey this morning, I came back to the starting point feeling more alone than before. If only I can drive straight into the clouds and leave this numb feeling behind.

Such a high price to pay for happiness. The support and blessings are elusive.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces. (Bridget Jones Diary)"

Belum Temenggor Series: Bamboo Rafting

It was a cloudy and misty morning. Our plan for the day was bamboo rafting. Looking at the weather, I initially don't feel like going into the water in the cold weather. But it would've been a waste if I did not participate. It is not like I will be going to Temenggor again anytime soon. So with that thought, I decided to try the bamboo rafting even if the water is freezing.


Misty morning...


Cloudy weather...

Surprisingly as my feet touch the water, it was comfortably warm. I then remembered my primary or was it lower secondary science subject that a lake will retain the day's heat over the night so it will not get very cold. The clear water looks very inviting. Despite not knowing how to swim, I felt so tempted to play in the water. The deepest part of the lake was 124 metres. That's about 400 feet ladies and gentlemen. Feeling secure in my safety jacket, I hopped onto the bamboo raft and walked on it feeling so proud I can balance myself.


The organizer inspecting the rafts... I can walk on it like that too :)


Yours truly feeling so excited...

We had fun circling the lake near our island Pulau Tikus where Lembah Belum Recreational Center is, enjoying the view; the greeneries, the warm and clear water, the serene lake, the cool weather. Imagining it now can transport me back to that unforgettable moment. So peaceful. I really miss that moment.


Having fun...


Photo taken by the organizer, Uncle Yap.

Another unforgettable incident during that bamboo rafting activity... something bit my butt. It can't possibly be something from the lake so it must be from the bamboo. Possibly some insect trying to get out from the water and in its enthusiasm to get out, bit my innocent butt. Luckily the ointment applied worked quite well which means less demand for me to scratch. With about 30 people around, it would be difficult if I want to scratch discreetly :p It has completely healed now by the way :D But I still have the bite mark from a leech on my little finger though. It is still itchy. Wonder when will it heal.

Anyway, despite the leech and insects, I really enjoyed the trip and bamboo rafting was one of the trip's highlight.

Belum Temenggor Series: Jahai

There are two main orang asli tribe at Temenggor Lake. The Jahai and Temiar tribe. We went to visit the Jahai tribe. They were dressed in their best clothes and the ladies have flowers in their hair and they wore make-ups.

The kids when we just reached their village.


The kids later.... they are all smiles. We brought biscuits, sweets and chocolates for the children. One auntie 'santarina' also brought a lot of hair accessories and make-ups to distribute to the girls. It was fun watching their faces when they received the gifts.

I like her smile. If only I can take better photo like making the background blur and maybe have a better angle. But in that instant, I have no time to think of my camera settings.


This boy was playing by the lake with his group of friends. I managed to capture this shot showing a lonely boy by the lake side.


Every hut has a solar panel. We also saw an astro dish there. We're not sure if it's working though.

We were warned by our guide not to ask silly questions. They probably have had enough of silly questions from visitors.

Belum Temenggor Series: The Police Station

After procrastinating for so long, I'm finally going to continue with my Belum Temenenggor series. We reached Gerik at 9 a.m. Everyone was supposed to meet infront of Gerik police station (Hulu Perak Police HQ actually) at 10. So while waiting for the rest to come, we took some photos of the police station, the flowers, the trees... anything that caught our eyes.



A short while later, a guy on the motorbike approached us (a plain clothed policeman or a policeman after his shift) and asked where we come from, where we're going and so on. I initially thought how friendly the people in Gerik was. Not long after that our organizer came to meet us and warned us not to take photos of the police HQ.

I told him we just did and a policeman did approach us asking questions. Our organizer loves photography as well and he said once when they took photos of the police station at Kuala Kubu Bharu, a group of policemen surrounded them asking a lot of questions and those policemen didn't sound friendly at all. Only then they know police stations are considered sensitive area and you're not allowed to take photos.

Who knows if the camera were actually a surveillance device or something like that. So the next time, be careful when you take photos of police stations. We were lucky Gerik policemen were a lot nicer than KKBs.

Fever and Flu, Pizza and Steroid

I'm soooo.... tired. I've been cleaning house the whole day. I'm supposed to continue my Belum Temenggor Series but I just don't have the time and energy for it yet. I was down with fever and flu for the past few days. I only started to feel normal today. Though the fever has long gone and the lingering flu wasn't so bad but my head and neck felt so heavy. Maybe because I've been blowing my nose like nobody's business since I got the flu. When I prostrate in prayer, I felt like the whole brain got squashed onto my skull from inside and when I sit, it returned to its normal shape again.

It would be nice if I can get some neck and shoulder massage but I'm OK I think. Let's hope the headache won't return tomorrow. I've been eating rice porridge or soup for a few days too. My tastebud seems OK but I just don't have the appetite. I thought to myself, I can slim down if this kind of appetite continues for another week of two but tough luck. Yesterday, I had pizza fest with a friend. The first thing that comes to my mind when I started having my appetite back is pizza and between the two of us, we really cleaned the plate. It was quite funny :) She has never been a big eater herself but yesterday we ate like two starving women hehehe... We really were starving actually since both of us didn't have breakfast and lunch and it was almost three by the time we reached the pizza place.

I also discovered I've been taking steroid. Aaarrgghh.... I went to the clinic twice after I got sick. The second time, I have never been checked by this doctor though I normally go to the same clinic. He asked about my medical history and when I mentioned this particular pill that has always been prescribed for my allergy, he was surprised and asked me to stop taking them. It contains steroid and not only will it make me put on weight, it may also destroy my kidney function in the long term. I felt like screaming at the doctor who has been prescribing me that pill for quite some time already. I have been blaming age and slowing metabolism rate for putting on weight and it turned out steroid was the culprit. Now that I've gained weight, it's not easy to shed the pounds. Sigh! Anyone for extra fat?