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Lepar Revisited
29 April to 1 May 2006 (Saturday, Sunday & Monday)
Sorry, no pictures (forgot my camera) - just stories. My side of the story....
Well, I was almost certain that it would be a long while after the second Lepar outing that I would go there again. I do not know how I was lured into this second trip but it was most probably because of friendship and camaraderie.
With the locking hub on my elsie repaired (replaced actually) by Ah Guan (operates his workshop in Wangsa Melawati), I was in a way eager to put it to test. And since everyone agreed to November Hotel's proposed Lepar trip, I was really caught in a difficult situation. As the time drew closer to the trip date, November indicated the trip to be postponed - his son was admitted to the hospital. Romeo immediately made an alternate plan to Sungai Perdak ~ a two days one night outing which really suited my other plans for the three day weekend. I was relieved, but that was only momentary. On Satuday morning, I was informed by Romeo that we were going to Lepar!
The trip saw one Gugujah member not joining - Zulu Yankee. And the trip saw a guest participant in Ah Guan driving his turbo 1KZ engine , volvo axled, Jeep CJ6. But alas... no pictures!
We left rather late that day... waited for Whiskey whom was flying in from Kota Kinabalu. The group reached Karak around 5:00pm and reached Lepar well after 8:00pm. By the time we hit the trail (this was the same trail that we explored in our 2nd Lepar Trip), some of us was already tired and sleepy.
I thought that it would be an easy ride, but I was wrong.. very very wrong. Whiskey's car was stalling all the way that night - same problem with his carb and fuel pump; while November's car was overheating. With all the winching and the mudholes and the hill-climbs, we arrived at the campsite (same one as our previous trip) just after 5:00am! Though everyone was really really tired (and sleepy), we still had our dinner (or breakfast?) and right after, catch up on our sleep! Not a long sleep though.... by 10:00am, everyone was up again and ready to continue the 4X4 activity.
The previous trip we came, we stopped at the camp site, although the route up ahead from there was more challenging. This time around, we pressed on, and Romeo gave his thumbs up on the hardcore level of the route! Well, without my camera with me, the narrated story would not be really as interesting. But it is enuff to say that there were few SS that really tested our testerones! A few steep downhills, uphills and river crossings plus narrow track with deep ravines by the sides! Winching was abundant on this trip!!!
We arrived at the second campsite safely after more than two hours of travel covering 3km distance. Lunch was served around 3:30pm, and it was bathe time for most of us. For some, they were getting ready to go on a fishing hike. As for me, I had made my mind up even before the trip to return on the second day, i.e. I would not be spending the second night in that jungle! After a few "tensed" moments with the team members on my decision to leave, Romeo kept to his promise to follow me back, while November, whiskey and Ah Guan will spend another night and go back the next day.
Around 5:30pm, Romeo and I left that campsite, and we were faced with two major hurdles along the way which set us back by almost 3 hours! Firstly, my elsie's engine ceased for no apparent reason. After more than an hour of meddling, May finally found a burnt wire connection from the engine to the relay - replaced that and my elsie was purring again! The second was when Romeo's car got stuck when he slipped from a timber bridge. It took us more than two hours to get out of that hurdle! We arrived the civilization (i.e. Lepar town) at midnite.... more than 6 hours to cover the 9km distance.... And six hours later, May and I was back in Shah Alam....
The learnings from this trip - hmmmm..... I always felt that although the track was good, but the distance to get there (more than 6 hours travel!) is always of concern to me at least... Will we be going there again.... most probably yes....
: go back to gugujah's HOME :
story by: bravo lima, 24 May 2006
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