HPB Voices Reloaded
January-February 2006
Have you ever wondered what your colleagues do on weekends? Well, 16 of us, including some friends, did the craziest thing on 15 Oct 2005. We hiked up the 825m Gunung Angsi in West Malaysia.
The journey to Gunung Angsi started on Friday night from the Kranji MRT station where we took a bus headed for Johor Bahru. From there, we boarded an overnight coach bound for the Ulu Bendol Recreation Forest, where Gunung Angsi is located. This is about 20km from Seremban, the capital of Negri Sembilan.
Trekking on some gradual path...our smiles tell it all.
Up and Away
We started the climb at 8 am, following the path of the waterfall that meanders through the park to ascend towards the summit of Gunung Angsi. Along the way, we encountered steep slopes which proved to be daunting especially for first-timers like myself. At times, the trail was inclined at a steep 45 degrees for stretches of 150m long!
My first attempt at abseiling the slope....
it's fun but risky!
With a little help
The terrain in Gunung Angsi was physically challenging for me but fortunately, there were always “Charlies” and an Angel (ie. Colleen) in our group who took turns to take care of me. They were constantly guiding and encouraging me to make every step up the steep slope to the summit.
The long trail ahead to complete the journey.
We Made It!
We finally made it to the summit by around 12 noon, and we were rewarded with a good view of Seremban and the Straits of Melaka below. We had a nice and relaxing lunch with a well-deserved rest beneath the shade of some trees at the summit.
An hour later, we descended Gunung Angsi via a different route. The descent was more gradual on some paths, so it was much easier on our tired feet. However, as it started to pour during our last stretch of the descent, the terrain got more slippery as we made our way down the slope. Fortunately, our group managed to reach the foot of the mountain without any mishaps.
We left Seremban with a great sense of achievement even though it took us seven hours to ascend and descend Gunung Angsi. Before heading back to Singapore, we had a celebratory dinner in Yong Peng.
I Did It My Way
The trek to Gunung Angsi was very tough for me. However, if I was asked to choose between seven hours of trekking versus seven hours of shopping in an air-conditioned shopping centre, I would rather choose the former. Although it takes a greater effort, experiencing the cool air in the forest, getting close to nature, building camaraderie with my fellow hikers, overcoming personal inhibitions and limitations more than compensated for my post-hike aches and pains.