A heavily delayed post.
Last minute decision to climb one of the toughest hill in Peninsular. I don't know much about Gunung Nuang but I'm just going to copy and paste what I found on Wiki.
Mount Nuang (Malay: Gunung Nuang) is located in Malaysia with the height of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). Its peak borders Pahang dan Selangor state. The mountain itself is the highest point in Selangor and part of the Titiwangsa Mountains.
There are three hiking routes to the peak and all of them were built by Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Two of them start in Selangor; one at Kuala Pangsoon in Hulu Langat and another at Kampung Kemensah in Gombak. The third path originates from Bukit Tinggi in Bentong, Pahang. Genting Highlands is visible at night from the peak.
Sani picked me up from my place at 6:15am (come to think of it, I am like super in the KK mood, waking up goddamn early, earlier than my usual work days during the weekends) and we went to the usual mamak in Sungai Besi for brekkie.
Ordered 2 half-boiled eggs for fuel and grabbed a banana for snacks later on the hike. We reached the mountain a little after 8am. Paid RM1 to hike and then proceeded to snap a few group pictures before we set off (I guess so that we all look a bit presentable as compared to the 'after' pictures - sweaty hair plastered to forehead, bits of grime and dirt stuck up the nose, large sweat stains around armpit area, you get the picture).
By the way, I am extremely sad coz most of the pictures that I've taken which were saved in Boy's PC were all deleted after he reformatted the computer. Though I've told him to back them up but apparently he forgot. Shit.
On the way there, we passed by Ampang Look-Out point (where people usually go to, for the city landscape. Quick use of the loo, and we were on our way again. Drive took us about 30 minutes I think.
Overview map.
Anyway Nuang is famous for its very long walk steadily uphill before you even actually start the climb. They call it the Neverending Road or something like that. And of course it's true. The walk is not exactly difficult but it still goes slightly uphill and took us about an hour before we complete that.
A (not-so) quick group photo. Fewer people joined the hike as compared to the Gunung Datuk hike. I guess it's because their group are leaving for Mount Kinabalu around a little over a week later and also Nuang is known to be pretty tough. 12 hours round trip.
Some views along the way, loads of bamboo plants. Nothing much interesting. But no worries, things will get interesting from here onwards ;)
First stop point which marks the end of the Road that Never Ends. Waited for the others to gather around before we proceed. Had to cross a river too! There are some strategically placed rocks that you tiptoe across.
By the way! Did I mention that I bought a new pair of hiking shoes? *wink wink winksss* You'll see the beauties in a bit.
Meet Uncle Tung
I don't know how old Uncle Tung is, but judging from his looks, around 50-60? But he is super fit! Makes the rest of us in Dri-fit Nike pants and ClimaLite Adidas top or whatever put to shame in his simple shorts and T-shirt. UT is a regular in hikes and I tagged along him wherever he goes. Gave me a load of great hiking tips too and what to prepare for Mount Kinabalu. Swell guy.
Not a boring moment in Nuang, eh?
First river crossover. This taken while I was halfway crossing, on a rock.
I think I am in love with moss shots.
Uncle Lim, Uncle Tung's buddy. But UL only joined us a quarter into the trip because he has an appointment in the afternoon. While I took shots of the moss, UT and UL were very encouraging hehehehe. I was a bit hesitant to take too many pictures in case I slow the team down but they were very nice about it and saying things like this is how you enjoy the hike, take it slow and take photographs, bla bla bla.
Then Uncle Lim insisted that he take a picture of me with my camera. Lol. Not I asked him to okie.
Then take one not enough.
Second river crossing. This area marks the first camping spot. Lolo Camp. A number of tents were still perched here. Took us around 30 minutes from the first river crossing to Lolo Camp.
The first boulder as described in the map. lol.
Anyway, at this rate most of us were feeling a little tired already because the hike is getting steeper and we were also quite tired from the Road that Never Ends.
A group of three locals out here in the mountain to collect petai jering.
We are getting close to Pacat Camp!
And yes, unfortunately, we didn't make it to the summit - I am still a bit beh ka muan with this fact - because the time was already noon when we made it to Pacat Camp. It would probably take us another 2 hours to reach the summit and from the summit we might need an extra 4 hours to make our way down. So sadly, Nuang has not been conquered, yet.
Pacat Camp.
Mist starting to roll in... it looks like it's about to rain, another reason the group is not going on. There was this one guy called KK, who did hike all the way up. Salute. He joins marathons too.
Chok fighting with Debbie.
The rest of the group fills in.
There are only a handful of campers on this site. A group of them were already cooking :(
One of the hikers from our group was kind enough to pass us a sardine sandwich to recharge lol. Otherwise I only brought along a bar of Snickers and a banana lol.
Lucky Hisham having his mom-in-law's nasi with sambal kerang :(
Everyone looks sweaty with hair all over the place. The Aftermath lol.
We then made our way down. Uncle Tung was darn fast and nimble! I tagged close to him because he said that he will be bringing us to a waterfall that only he knows of! Some more he claims that the waterfall is 30 feet high wei! How to keep that paradise a secret I wonder.
We made our way past Lolo camp, and all the way through the first check point. I think Sani just desperately wants to dip in the cold waters but Uncle Tung just plunged on, saying his waterfall is much more beautiful. Around halfway through the Walk that Never Ends, UT made a sudden turn into the bamboo bushes. There are no landmarks whatsoever and I have no idea how UT can know this little path.
Little path is quite an overstatement. There are bushes all over, dried leaves clogging the grounds making it very hard for us to make our way through because it's just going downwards.
Then we see it!
Beautiful!
I highly doubt that we are getting the cleanest water since we are at towards the bottom of the mountain, but nevertheless, the water looks clean.
At first I thought I would just dip my feet into it and call it a day. Trust those other pesky guys to persuade me, refreshing la, this la, that la. Last skali I did make my way into the little pool, clothes, underwear and all still intact.
This picture is darn funny. That's Dr Hisham on top like a wolf waiting to pounce on us innocent fleshy beings.
Thanks to Uncle Tung for bringing us here. This was his paradise. The last time he was here was 5 years ago. He used to come here with his friends and they built all this cool stuff, bed frames, stove and tent.
If I may gush more about UT... simply geng... See that bamboo stick over on the pool of water? He used that to transport a few of us towards the waterfalls lol. Some more so manly, plunged in to the waters and assisting us over and around. Like we were the little kids and he's the big macho man lol.
The beauties! Got them at a very good price! From RM599 to RM270 ;) Plus, it's Gore-Tex and it's water-proof *gloat* The soles are made of recycled tyres so they're really tough wah I can become Timberland spokesperson.
Pretty butterfly.
Check out the ceramic top and stove! Uncle Tung is super proud of this place.
Erm. LOL.
Spring water.
Somewhere while trying to cross the river on our way back, I slipped over a wet rock and soaked both my feet through lol. Darn shoes punya grip not good enough to avoid the fall lol. Bad thing was, because it's waterproof, water couldn't get in, but if water does get in, it's not able to get out.... FML. Socks squishing in my shoes on the walk back.
The sort of terrain we had to pass through to get to this place....
When I asked Uncle Tung, how did he find this spot to get off the road when there's no landmark, he pointed the banded blue strips of ribbon on the opposite side...lol.
Then carefully removed all signs of entry in order to protect the area...
By the time we were back to our cars, it was already over 4pm... dead tired, Sani brought us to a KFC outlet where he tabao-ed for his wife and kids and I did so for myself. Nothing beats a cold shower followed by oily greasy food after a long hike :)
I will be back, this time all the way up to the summit!
Serves more than just curry noodle.
Spring boiled egg, just the way I likey! There's all the usual pan mee condiments, minced pork in dark sauce, deep fried anchovies and half a lime to mix. The ingenious addition is the dried chili flakes and the spring boiled egg..mmmm. Can also ask for extra chili.
Mix everything together evenly and there you have a bowl of absolute goodness! It may not look like much in here, but trust me, all those condiments are perfect matches. The egg lends a sticky texture to the noodles and the chili flakes are a must. Similar but not alike with the pan mees I've tried before in Penang and SP.
Next is the sui kow. Essentially dumplings with minced pork/chopped vegetable fillings and boiled in soup. It's nothing special la I think. I find the skin a tad too thick and Madam Chiam certainly skimped on the fillings.
