Mt Ophir / Gunung Ledang : 2nd May 2009
Harsh and unfriendly!
That is what I think Mt Ophir has become. Nostalgic? - not even close. Revisting Mt Ophir after more than 15 years lapsed had me all excited. I certainly love at a chance to walk down the memory lanes in Mt Ophir .
That is what I think Mt Ophir has become. Nostalgic? - not even close. Revisting Mt Ophir after more than 15 years lapsed had me all excited. I certainly love at a chance to walk down the memory lanes in Mt Ophir .
But oh my. Was I wrong abt her. I mean Mt Ophir! She was not the same anymore and did not welcome me gracefully. I don't think she even recognise me at all. Or was it just just plain jealousy that I now revisited her with my beloved ratu and my kids after more than 15 years absent? An affair that went all wrong? Bummer!
I used to frequent Mt Ophir when I was younger ? between 15 yrs old 27 yrs old ? I'm 45 yrs old now with 3 kids. More like 20 times if my memory still serves me right - leading groups of friends and at times I've even trailed to the summit alone and still wanting more. Of course I conquered other mountains too - in Malaysia, Asia, Brazil etc. But Mt Ophir has been my all time favourite. It gives many novice climbers a good taste of the in-betweens of other harsh mountains. Fortunately or not my adventurous life ended 3 years before I got married.
To think that I've painted some wonderful and exciting (not to mentioned challenging) memories of Mt Ophir to my family and my 2 guests (Rahim and beloved wife Sapiah), I had them fooled. Ok, I was fooled too by those yesteryear of memories.
My vivid images of Telaga Puteri and the Kolam Gajah and some other pools I've once encountered had me (and my guests) all excited. I was sure we could just get wet and "berendam" on our ascending or descending trails. But instead, we were welcomed by the Bukit Semput (more like Bukit Pancit to me) and then tested by the gruelling KFC. Kentucky Fried Chicken my foot! No finger licking good feeling at all. It was truly a Killing Field Centre. Not to mention the various ladders and apscaling we had to go through.
Moments-after-moments of enduring the harsh terrains and pushing ourselves to the limits. Opps! I exaggerate. It was more like torture for my ratu (and maybe me). I almost forgot that I am 45 years old, and I was trailling Mt Ophir - not Mt Tahan that has the reputation to offend its conquerrers by its harsh terrains. And I did what I would normally do during such trips - i.e I kept cursing myself for putting myself into such agony - as we crossed one obstacle after another. For some moments there, I was almost certain that either my wife was about to break down or would even push me off the cliff as I tried motivating her to continue the journey to the summit. Mind me, it was her 1st time ever in jungle trekking - let alone mountain climbing.
But at long last! Our pains were rewarded and "healed" by our final climbs to the summit. What a feeling! The sudden sense of achievement rushed to our brains and the rest of our body! But of course, the thoughts of going back to the foot of the mountains sent jitters to our knees. The next following hours was truly yet another knee-jerking experience. But we made it anyway. Thank God!
Considering all the pains, it was worth it. In total we had walked up and down Mt Ophir approximitely 14 hours. Setting off at 845pm on 2nd May 2009 and we reached the foot of the mountain at abt 1045pm on 2nd May 2009.
Ok. Don't get me wrong here. I still love her (Mt Ophir) just as much. But not as much as my love for my beloved Hanim and Putera, Puteri and Budi. And in spite of the gruesome obstacles we have had gone through in Mt Ophir, I do encourage anyone and everyone to climb it at least once in yr life time.
The fact that my wife and kids are safe and sound throughout the journey is truly a bliss. Oh yes, the rest of the MNS (MNS-Johore (Malaysia Nature Society ? Johore) team and the guide too. The company was superb. Our different backgrounds made this event worth gruelling.
I used to frequent Mt Ophir when I was younger ? between 15 yrs old 27 yrs old ? I'm 45 yrs old now with 3 kids. More like 20 times if my memory still serves me right - leading groups of friends and at times I've even trailed to the summit alone and still wanting more. Of course I conquered other mountains too - in Malaysia, Asia, Brazil etc. But Mt Ophir has been my all time favourite. It gives many novice climbers a good taste of the in-betweens of other harsh mountains. Fortunately or not my adventurous life ended 3 years before I got married.
To think that I've painted some wonderful and exciting (not to mentioned challenging) memories of Mt Ophir to my family and my 2 guests (Rahim and beloved wife Sapiah), I had them fooled. Ok, I was fooled too by those yesteryear of memories.
My vivid images of Telaga Puteri and the Kolam Gajah and some other pools I've once encountered had me (and my guests) all excited. I was sure we could just get wet and "berendam" on our ascending or descending trails. But instead, we were welcomed by the Bukit Semput (more like Bukit Pancit to me) and then tested by the gruelling KFC. Kentucky Fried Chicken my foot! No finger licking good feeling at all. It was truly a Killing Field Centre. Not to mention the various ladders and apscaling we had to go through.
Moments-after-moments of enduring the harsh terrains and pushing ourselves to the limits. Opps! I exaggerate. It was more like torture for my ratu (and maybe me). I almost forgot that I am 45 years old, and I was trailling Mt Ophir - not Mt Tahan that has the reputation to offend its conquerrers by its harsh terrains. And I did what I would normally do during such trips - i.e I kept cursing myself for putting myself into such agony - as we crossed one obstacle after another. For some moments there, I was almost certain that either my wife was about to break down or would even push me off the cliff as I tried motivating her to continue the journey to the summit. Mind me, it was her 1st time ever in jungle trekking - let alone mountain climbing.
But at long last! Our pains were rewarded and "healed" by our final climbs to the summit. What a feeling! The sudden sense of achievement rushed to our brains and the rest of our body! But of course, the thoughts of going back to the foot of the mountains sent jitters to our knees. The next following hours was truly yet another knee-jerking experience. But we made it anyway. Thank God!
Considering all the pains, it was worth it. In total we had walked up and down Mt Ophir approximitely 14 hours. Setting off at 845pm on 2nd May 2009 and we reached the foot of the mountain at abt 1045pm on 2nd May 2009.
Ok. Don't get me wrong here. I still love her (Mt Ophir) just as much. But not as much as my love for my beloved Hanim and Putera, Puteri and Budi. And in spite of the gruesome obstacles we have had gone through in Mt Ophir, I do encourage anyone and everyone to climb it at least once in yr life time.
The fact that my wife and kids are safe and sound throughout the journey is truly a bliss. Oh yes, the rest of the MNS (MNS-Johore (Malaysia Nature Society ? Johore) team and the guide too. The company was superb. Our different backgrounds made this event worth gruelling.
Kudos! We deserve a pat on our backs!
To Encik Hamid and Wife ? to being good host and organiser. We truly had Makan Non-Stop! To Dr Francis Hoe and Family, Dr Tan, Albert, Karen, Zalina, Rahman, Rahim, Sapiah and names I could not recall. You guys are Fantastic! We had a wonderful trip. Obsolutely! And I don't mean maybe. We are looking forward to the next trip when time permits. Hooray!
All other links:
1. Photos for faster viewing http://www.picasaweb.com/one.dzan
2. Photos for downloading and printing : http://dzan.org/ goto PHOTO GALLERY - More than just a Photo Gallery!
3. Non MNS members who wants to join the MNS-Johore:
4. YM egroup to those interested on the MNS-Johore news and events http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mns_johor/
/dzan
4th May 2009
posted by dzan at 5:15 PM
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3 comments
