I gave a 3days2nites outing two weeks ealier ~ where Romeo and Whiskey joined the Temerloh group on another fishing excursion ~ a pass. From what I learned later, that trip was similar to the recent Kuala Medang outing. Hmmmm.... I suppose I didn't really miss anything although I earlier had agree to go on that trip. But, I had a change of plan to tend to some family matters (actually, it was a long CNY holidays and my two daughters - whom are in boarding school and had some time off - wanted to go on a family holiday ~ so we went to Cameron Highland.....)
Anyway, Romeo pestered me for a hardcore outing, and Kerling came up in the conversation. Our first trip was not satisfying enuff as we only managed to cover the 'light and easy' trail of this Kerling track. So plans were made to go on a 3days2nites outing to Kerling. However, upon checking with one of my friend whom had 'graduated' the Kerling track durig the recent CNY weekend, we decided that a 2Days1Nite trip would be sufficient....
Days before the trip, Whiskey informed the other team members that his new rig wasn't ready for any outing. Ohhh... by the way, Whiskey has recently bought a 1980s Daihatsu 4X4 prepped with a Toyota Hilux 2.5 Diesel engine plus Rocky's axle and fully loaded with centipede tires & winch ~ but with some mechanical faults that needed repairs. While his usual Trooper has been grounded for tarmac duties only. So, we kept our fingers crossed that his rig could be ready on time. However, when the day came, Whiskey turned up in an almost standard Pajero LO47 (except for a winch) with his cousin, Abang Nor.
So there we were again, Me in my LC-Shortie with Azilan as my co-pilot; Alpha in his Jimny with his co-pilot Din, Whiskey with Abg Nor in the Pajero, and Romeo alone without his co-pilot son in his Suzuki. And ohhhhhh..... Romeo had a week ago bought a diesel LC-Shortie similar to mine! But, I guess that rig, which he bought in standard trim, is yet tricked for 4X4 outings such as ours. And as for his co-pilot, Afif is sitting the UPSR this year, so to the books he'll go; and I couldn't find anyone to join as May is away 'balik kampung' since last month....
The troop stopping for a breather at the first camp-site location ~ base camp for most 'light & easy' groups. The water is clear and nice...
According to Abang Nor, this was the furthest he'd been in his pajero.... but today, the pajero will be charting new territories! With Whiskey behind the wheels, the pajero did its owner proud and was able to keep up with the other rigs, albeit in a more careful and slow manner....
Whiskey maneuvred the pajero brilliantly to avoid deep ruts !!!
and fallen trees..... as well as jutting rocks
To a certain extent, we were lucky the weather was bright and sunny that day.... the tracks would have been muddy with water and would be very slippery. The dry earthen trails, despite the ruts were manageable enuff for all....
Our first real obstacle came in the form of a damaged timber bridge..... with a beautiful waterfall nearby...
My LC-Shortie was first to cross this special stage....
The real challenge was for the pajero to overcome this obstacle.... whiskey gave it a try, but the low clearance made it difficult to pass through the depression .
So, what do we do? We do what we normally do, ad-hoc engineering to reduce the steepness of the slope....
... and voilaaa.... the pajero made it down the damge timber bridge.... what an effort!
As expected, it was just a breeze for Romeo's Suzuki..
.....as well as for Alpha's Jimny....
The scenery was exhasperatingly beautiful.....
The SS was challenging....
This damaged crossing gave us quite a challenge.... a wee bit too steep for some....
But we made it through....
Even the pajero was successful.... !!!
For Romeo's Suzuki, it was like a walk in the park....
There were also this still intact timber bridge/crossing...... piece of cake for the pajero...
However, the following rocky trails posed a wee bit of a problem for us. And to add to the tricky ruts and rocks, it started to rain - heavily - as we ascend this rocky hill....
This Kerling trails apparently offers a few man-made obstacles. It felt like we were in a comnpetition....hehehehehe....
Whiskey's self portrait.... hehehehe... I guess he was tired of taking pictures of others..
As soon as we arrived our final destination ~ the campsite ~ spme pitched the tent while Alpha & Din went fishing
I didn't see this animal as I was down with a spltting headache and was trying to sleep and recupperate in my tent, but Azilan took a shot at this animal, locally known as 'PETIKUS' - lives on bamboo roots and shoots and other plants...
The sleeping pads...
Azilan's bunk for the night...
Well, as I was sleeping, Alpha brought back loads of fish... seen here Romeo preparing for dinner...
The Morning After
It was still quite dark, but Abang Nor was up and running to prepare his special breakfast that morning. Who would have thought that Abnag Nor came prepared with the traditional coconut scraper or 'kukuran' as it is known locally. This 'kukuran' is an essential gadget in the preparation of 'pulut nyior', our special dish for breakfast that day!
Whiskey having a go at the 'kukuran' while Abang Nor concentrated on frying the fishes.
The result - glutinous rice or 'pulut' and grinded coconut.
So, the morning meal was tasty and delicous... plus it's a departure from our usual french toast, baked beans & such....hehehehehe.....
Some photos of the cool, serene and nice river. Note that when we arrived the night before, after a heavy downpour, the water was milky & murky... But in the morning, it was as clear as crystal...
As it was with other trips, after our morning rituals (breakfast, bathe etc), we started to break camp. I had a bit of a problem in packing my supposedly easy and hassle-free pop-up tent...... so, Whiskey & Romeo came a helpin'........
Our return leg was a bit easier as most were downhill effort.... and I managed to snap just one pics on our way back.... not that my camera ran out of battery or ran out of memory... but mainly because the ride was much easier and we got through with little effort..... So, until next trip... keep 'em 4 wheels lock at all times! Adios muchahos....!!!
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