Ride and Camp at Lata Kijang (21-22 July 2018), Day 1 : Starry Starry Night!

The campsite

Kampung Chennah's roundabout, the meeting place

KC leading his flock

Jimmy and wife on tandem bikes

The village folks

The ATAS folks

The band

Keldai Betina at Kampung Chennah

Keldai Jantan at Kampung Chennah

Wild animals!

River just before the land clearing

VT returning from a successful mission to retrieve a lost water bottle

Chalets before the campsite

The suspension bridge leading to campsite

The Ride and Camp at Lata Kijang started off a bit slower for VT and Claudine. Languishing behind, they had to drop their boy in school before hitting the highway this morning. As they took things at a more relaxed pace, they watched and observed the chatroom....

While Team Dominant from Melaka had dominated the race to Kampung Chennah, arriving just before 10 am, some others were delayed for various reasons. Danny had to wait at Semenyih for a helmet to be special delivered to him while Simon’s team had to make a stopover at Semenyih’s wet market for supplies as our “drunken master” had conveniently forgotten the food in the fridge. Not necessarily drunk as he held his liquor well, the lapse of memory must have arose from a nervous state of mind. After all, he was hosting both his darling daughter and her future mother in law at camp!

Coming back to Claudine and VT, their four hours journey to Kampung Chennah was just as interesting as the Ride and Camp itself. After suffering the mild traffic congestion as they exited Senawang toll, Route 86’s Jalan Jelebu was a quiet route that passes many small settlements.

Connecting with Jalan Kuala Klawang, the passing sceneries turned breathtakingly beautiful. The road was virtually hugging the hills with glimpses of the valley below. At one segment, spring water was cascading down rocky hills while a landslide was spotted further ahead.

Along this 5 km stretch that ran continuously uphill, they could feel their ear drums compressing against their brains. Non life threatening but mildly uncomfortable, they couldn’t make sense why the roadies were screaming down the slopes at life threatening speed!

Stopping for lunch at Kuala Klawang, Restoran Jelebu served authentic malay dishes. But it was their Daging Salai Masak Lemak that actually struck a chord. Initially boiled and barbecued, the meat is then cooked in coconut milk and spices.

After Kuala Klawang, the winding roads continued on, all the way to Kampung Chennah. This time, the landscapes had taken a change with more durian plantations.

Riding out on fully loaded bikes and equally loaded stomachs in the hot sun was a torture. While the heated tarmac was releasing undesirable heat, so was the sambal belacan in their tummies.

The first half of the ride to Lata Kijang was one devoid of tree covers. A fairly new road that saw the occasional cars passing by, one section of the hill comes with a retaining wall which overlooks the valley and river below.

After much sun radiation, they finally escaped into rubber plantations. A beautiful route with thick tree covers, it does not allow any water stops. The briefest GPS checks will draw out the most ferocious, blood sucking mosquitoes!

At this juncture, they have left behind 5 stars road infrastructures but were threading on gravels instead. In fact, the road conditions became worse as they were approaching a land clearing.

Surprisingly, there were short segments of beautifully tarred roads in between. Things went downhill again in the final countdowns to the campsite.

Greeting them from the guardhouse at the first boom gate was a guard in proper white and black uniform. As the duo were late, the *secret password* had to be exchanged before access into the campsite was allowed!

Past their first hurdle, their second greetings came from a welcoming signboard on the gateway and raised boom gate. Beyond were chalets and convention halls that were either closed for the season or only operates when the need arise!

As they circled the building, a line of cars were parked at the back. Cikgu Tan’s white HRV, the mysterious car that had overtook theirs’ near Panchor Jaya and once again, when they were riding near Kenaboi Adventure Camp was amongst the lineup.

Feeling euphoric, they knew they had finally arrived! As they treaded across the suspension bridge, they received their third greetings from semi naked men in the river! Herbert’s voice though was the loudest, booming above the rapids. 

The village

The hermitage

The exclusive settlement

Wheeling their bikes across the campsite to meet their friends, they noted a few settlements. The larger “village” was clustered along the river bank while a band was set up on higher ground, near an exclusive settlement. The hermits though, preferred the quieter side of the river, partially hidden by bamboo trees!

Jumping into the river, VT and Claudine were thrilled to meet the gang again. Kelvin, the Judo master, was all trimmed, up to his size 23c belly folds! While Simon comes under light weight championships, Herbert totally missed the points portrayed by Atlas! Instead of carrying the world on his shoulders, he had the globe around his midriffs!

As they soaked in the crystal clear stream, some semblance of washing was taking place! Up stream, Cindy was taking a bath. Meanwhile, where the rapids hits the rocks, VT was washing his shirt in the gentle whirlpool it created. In the end, Jasmine wisely took a second bath by the hose in the toilets!!!

Soon after, the campsite was buzzing with activities as hikers returned from Lata Kijang and the famous blood trails. Some though never made it back on foot but had to be rescued by Danny via his borrowed pickup truck!

Setting up their tent on a small knoll overlooking the river, Claudine and VT enjoyed a high vantage point. They spotted David and Jayden, enjoying a ride around the campsite. Siew Yung was later seen dipping in the stream with the father and son team.

Adopted by Team Simon, Claudine and VT eagerly joined them for their communal dinner. Humbly contributing only chicken curry to the buffet spread, it was jaw dropping to see their lavish spread! While Cindy was busy cooking rice and vegetables over her two gas stoves, Jasmine’s steamboat buffet was already all spread out on the table!

Large enough to feed an army, Yoo and many others were later adopted by Cindy as well. Like a mother hen, she fussed over everyone but hardly ate at all!

Obviously new to camping, Claudine and VT were sporting third class seats at the dinner party. They had brought along non slip IKEA stools.

Slightly elevated, Albert was comfortably seated on a collapsible canvas chair with arm and back rests. But it was his wife that clearly won the first class seat! Mrs Jones’ traditional rattan chair stood out amongst all and became the envy of some!

Mingling around the campsite, Claudine finally met Adrian Chan, the president of PCC. Youthful and fair skinned, he doesn’t bear the trademarks of a cyclists. Perhaps, consciously selecting blood trails over smooth tarmac and tree canopies over sun radiation can preserve one’s youthful skin?

At nightfall, everyone were entertained by boy band, KC and The Boys. While Danny and KC took turns to sing and play the guitars, Simon became the main vocalist. Occasionally, Uncle, the lead guitarists will belt out a few Chinese songs.

 Elephant Dance

As the night wore on, guest artistes were invited to the stage as well. Team Dominant and Cindy nailed it with some Chinese renditions while the campers participated to a few sing alongs.

While the tired campers slowly retired to bed, some continued to party on. Drunk and happy, the occasional shouts of Happy Birthday could be heard until almost 1 am, long after the candles were blown to celebrate the July birthdays! Happy Birthday Danny and Siew Yung, not forgetting the other July babies as well!

Photo credits :

1. KC Tay

2. Kelvin

3. Yoo SC 



p.s. The secret password to many affiliations = KC Tay


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gunung Besar Hantu Forest Reserve

1. Lata Kijang is located at Gunung Besar Hantu Forest Reserve, aproximately 3-4 km from the campsite. It is an easy 2 hours leisure hike on gravel path.
2. Entrance fee to the park is RM5
3. Registration is required with the Forestry Department
4. The campsite comes with toilets and water supply
5. During the night, the campsite is lit with a spotlight

Add caption