Surabaya, Oh Surabaya!

Posted on February 13, 2013 by jipp

So, I opened my travel adventure this year by going to the East Java of Indonesia last week – the island with the most number of active volcanoes in the world.

The trip was actually intended for doing a climb to the beautiful mountain of Semeru, the island’s highest mountain and which is still very much an active volcano itself. Unfortunately, news that the trail was temporarily closed due to the rainy season came to my ears a week before the trip, shattering my hope of doing my very first climb quite in style this year. Uhuk!

But still, I decided to go on with the plan of hitting into East Java and see what other options that we could probably look into.

We flew into Surabaya after spending the night at the LCCT Airport in Kuala Lumpur. It’s been awhile since the last time I slept on a cold concrete floor but looking at how Air Asia has been quite tricky with its passengers lately, I just thought may be it was probably worth it after all. Continue reading →

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How to Arrange a Trip to Mount Trus Madi

Posted on January 20, 2013 by jipp

Mount Trus Madi at 2642 m is the second tallest mountain in Malaysia after its neighbor Mount Kinabalu. It can be reached via Tambunan which is currently closed due to some ongoing upgrading of road and Sook which is the one that I took. If you’re thinking of conquering the beautiful mountain, there are a few things that you need to know.

Arrangement

Whoever wants to climb up Trus Madi nowadays shall first get a permission letter from the Director of Sabah Forestry Department. When you’ve got the approval letter, you should then go to the Sabah Forestry office in Keningau (I think everything can be arranged via phone though) and pay for the necessary fees (refer to list).

Trips to Trus Madi used to be arranged through tour agents in Kota Kinabalu but the Forestry Department has recently stopped any business connection with them so you have to deal directly with the department itself. The department has appointed their own agents with whom you’d have to deal to arrange for tour guide, porters and accommodation. Just be careful though because what they ask you to pay might differ from what the Foresty Department has told you so always keep everything in check. We found a lot of inconsistence in the fees that they impose. Continue reading →

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Mount Trus Madi: UP to the Peak

Posted on January 19, 2013 by jipp

The trail from the camping site to the peak of  Mount Trus Madi was much tougher that we had all expected. It was so hard that we were so glad that we didn’t have to bring our backpacks since we were going back down to the camping site instead of camping at the peak like most climbers would (used to) do.

So near yet so far .. The peak is the one at the further back o.O

But it was also one of the most beautiful forests that I’ve ever been to really. We were there during the rainy season of the year when all the plants were in full bloom. Most of the ground and the tree trunks were covered in thick green carpet-like mosses so we really were trekking through such a beautiful surrounding. Continue reading →

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Conquering Trus Madi

Posted on January 13, 2013 by jipp

I had always wanted to climb Mount Trus Madi. I grew up looking at it every morning since it could be clearly seen from the village that I grew up in. One day – I said to myself – I am going to be standing up there and tell the world that I am a man of his words. 😛

Being the 2nd tallest mountain in Malaysia, surpassed only by the over-rated Mount Kinabalu, conquering Mount Trus Madi has proved to be not an easy task. I could easily say that it was by far the toughest climb that I have ever done in my life.

Mount Trus Madi could be accessed from either Tambunan or Sook’s side. Since the one via Tambunan was still closed to pave way for some upgrading of road, we were left with no choice but going via Sook which was unfortunately the tougher trail between those two. Much much tougher actually. Continue reading →

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Riding the Crests of Kampar River

Posted on December 7, 2012 by jipp

Being a self-proclaimed adventure lover (ehem!), I had always wanted to do white water rafting be it in Sabah or here in the Peninsular of Malaysia – so when the opportunity of doing it came about recently, I was MORE THAN EAGER to do it! LOLz

It would be my first time doing white water-rafting so I was so damn excited. I was told that it wasn’t as challenging as the one on Padas River (soon baby, soon) in Beaufort, Sabah but still it was quite challenging especially for a first timer like me. I had never done Padas River before so I didn’t really know what to expect. Continue reading →

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