Friday, 21 January 2022

DRC 7.0 - Taman Negeri Rompin (November 6-9, 2021)

 

DAY 1 - JB to TNRP


Dinner time at our campsite

Christmas lights using 2 button batteries, courtesy of Nancy Lee's gift box 

This gateway comes not long after the dam which is located near to Felda Selendang 4

Right after leaving Route 3, we followed Route 2488's Jalan Felda Selendang. Initially, the road was flat and dusty but turned gorgeously quiet and hilly after Felda Selendang 4

Treelined roads once we passed the official gates to Taman Negeri Rompin. The gates are manned by security and will be closed and locked by 4 pm. All visitors will have to pay for entrance fees of RM30 beyond this point

Proper campsites. Chooi's tent in green. Her neighbour is a Malay family with 2 young girls

Bernie's "house" under construction

Ladies bathroom

Mandi gayung style. Water comes from the river hence it follows the colour of the river

Dining hall located 50 m away from the campsite

Dining hall is part of the new structures at TNRP

Spacious

Taking a peek at someone's lunch

Badminton courts opposite the dining hall. Further across is the main office, not captured in this photo

Toilets

Long sink for a modern feel. This can be a disgusting experience when you see someone's phlegm floating towards your end!

Stainless steel toilet to last a lifetime. This can be an embarrassing experience as the hollow steel amplifies your discharge   

At the end of our campsite is the builder's quarters

The quarters have an Australian Outback feel. TNRP is still in the midst of building more chalets

Old chalets already not in use

Picnic areas

Another old structure not in use

Gazebos near the river

Newly built suspension bridge

View of the river from the suspension bridge

Viewing tower at the end of the bridge

Unfortunately, swimming is no longer allowed in this part of the river. According to the ranger, it is to conserve the Ikan Kelah population. They have plans to open up the upper stream where canoeing activities are conducted, for swimming as well. 

View from the viewing tower. Note the gazebo on the right with access to the river. The stairs though is now cordoned off with tapes

The river is orange after the rain. According to the park ranger, it used to be clear until logging activities began upstream.

The rocks are perfect for spawning

View from the viewing tower

As tall as the trees

Afternoon visit to Mahkota Falls. Some steps are steep 

Suspension bridge to the falls

Mahkota Falls is located about a hundred meters down from the carpark hence the cliffside wall 

Hanging boulders

The view of the falls is spectacular

Who wouldn't want a personal photo?

View from the top of the stairs

The view

Another angle

Yet another angle. Very fortunate to have the sun during the start of the monsoon period

Keep the camera clicking

Gorgeous

Night time atmosphere

Relaxing but very humid

Suzie was bitten by a leech while taking these photographs

At night, we could park our cars on the gravel road next to our campsite


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DAY 2 - TNRP ( Jungle Trekking at Jeram Panjang / Exploring Selendang, check in chalets )

The Bold, The Brave and The Beautiful

Briefing for Jeram Panjang in the morning includes tips on how to handle leeches

No, you don't chop the leeches up with machetes...

...but pick them up with your fingers if they have not begun sucking your blood!

...alternatively, you can use vinegar spray!

...or a stick!

...but expensive sunglasses are not recommended for leech removal !!!

Check for leeches every time you stop !!!

The trek to Jeram Panjang was easy in the beginning

Soon you enter a lush rainforest

Obstacle course

River crossing

Go on all fours!

Wade in the river

...it just gets deeper!!!

While the bigger group battled Jeram Panjang, the smaller group went on an excursion, exploring Selendang. This was a pitstop at Felda Selendang for roti canai and teh tarik

Coming from Kuala Rompin, right after Felda Selendang 4 and not far after the gateway to TNRP is a small stream with a shaded riverbank suitable for picnics and camping. Unfortunately, the place requires some cleaning up as we found many soiled baby diapers. This spot is still some distance from the gated security checkpoint of TNRP, the point where entrance fees are required.

Picnic / camping spot

Small stream

Coming from Kuala Rompin, after Felda Selendang 4, is a dam. This body of water can be spotted by the road and is popular with anglers. There is a shaded area suitable for picnics and camping too but again dirty! 

We found some old boats which needs to be plugged 

Fresh tracks left behind by pick up trucks from the road leading to the dam confirms anglers often pulled in their boats by trailers

The dam flows into Sungai Anak Endau before emptying into the South China Sea

Long grass in the dam

At the entrance to the quarry

Note the iron ore on the surface of the soil

Mud cakes

Heavy vehicles on site

The dam is actually part of an iron ore quarry. According to the workers, the quarry has been in operation for 7 years but the yield is low 

One for the road

Too far to walk. Let the camera take us!

Lanchang Mining Sdn Bhd, incorporated in 2005

Felda Selendang 4

Checked into our Treetop Chalets

Living, pantry and bathroom downstairs in open concept

Grills only

Partly renovated 

Wooden stairs

Balcony to the rooms

Master bedroom with Queen bed

Double power fan and air conditioning

Twin beds

Elephant dung in the foreground

Dormitory


The dormitory is split into 2 rooms upstairs. Each room can accommodate 5 pax and is rented out on per room basis. The living area and toilets are commonly shared amongst the 2 rooms' occupants

The ladies 

The whole building is brand new unlike the Tree Top chalet which was refurbished

Upstairs balcony to the rooms

5 single beds for both Irene and Mr Tan. They can hop from one bed to the other!!!

Lockers

Party time before and after dinner at the dormitory. Thankfully, the other room was not occupied so we had the whole place to ourselves

The management bungled up when they did not serve lunch on our check in day. The trekkers returned from Jeram Panjang all weary with no lunch prepared. At the eleventh hour, they dished out very plain fried beehoon kosong which was served with keropok and 7 scrambled eggs to be shared amongst 13 pax! In compensation, they ensured a hearty meal at dinner. We had fried chicken, assam pedas fish and brinjals. They even offered a free lunch on check out date but we declined   

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DAY 3

Lost slippers nailed to a tree as deco at Rompin Beach Resorts

Rompin Beach Resorts

The stretch of beach in front of Rompin Beach Resort is relatively clean, possibly because of upkeep but we could still spot rubbish and debris washed ashore further away

ATV offered at the resort but we chose to enjoy the free parking and cycled out.

Checking out Pantai Hiburan. While a huge area of Pantai Hiburan has been cordoned off for upgrading works, this small section remains open to the public. Note the cat has been displaced by Zoe who literally pushed the chair down!

Only one restaurant is open but no toilets available in this whole area

An ideal place to camp but unfortunately no toilets. As we deduced it is safer to park our cars at Rompin Beach Resort, we returned to park and ride. Zoe who did not bring a bike decided to wait at the resort's cafe for our return. 

We were given permission to ride through the cordoned area of Pantai Hiburan 

Boats moored at Rompin River. This location is just beside LKIM

Pee, our boatman. He was chopping down mangrove trees to expand his jetty to include a restaurant. Thankfully, he stopped to take us over to Lanjut Peninsula when his friend summoned him for the 2nd time or we would have more mileage to clock!

Maybe the next time we returned to this jetty, a bustling restaurant will be in place. Instead, we had early lunch at Gerai Sri Ketapang's food court, opposite Masjid Al Hikmah, Bandar Lama Rompin

Sand dredging at the river mouth

The tide was low, so we had many steps to take to get to the boat

As there was a boat already parked at the jetty, our bikes had to be transferred across

Human chain

Here comes the big bike!

This posture is sure bad for the back!

The 2 macho men

Ok, we did it...

...all smiles...

...including thumbs up!!!

The Team

The jetty at Lanjut Peninsula

Between the jetty and Villea Golf Resort is a private bungalow with a beach front. The exterior gate flanked by 2 Malaysia flags was opened...

...another view...

...even the secondary gate was opened! There was a buggy inside!!

Checking out Villea Golf Resort

Open lobby and reception desk

Function hall and the entrance

Restaurant

Swimming pool

Poolside accomodations

Beachfront

Beachfront accomodations

Kampung Rantau Panjang, Rompin

4 cabana, perfect for hanging hammocks

Clean beach

A kedai runcit and a few restaurants cater to the tourists. There was also a food court which was closed on Monday, the day we were there.

Wawa Cafe hold the key to the public toilet. They made us sole custodian, handing over the keys to us for the whole night

Shower room

Toilets

After we recced our campsite and negotiated for the use of the toilets with Wawa Cafe, we continued our ride along the seaside

3.6 km of car free bliss along this stretch

1.5 km of lush greenery by the fringe of Menchali Forest Reserve

Kampung Leban Chondong's Jalan Pantai connects Route 3 to Pantai Leban Chondong

Junction to Muadzam Shah is famous for their Udang Galah

Gerai Makan Azizah Udang Galah. The prawns appear big but are tiny little morsels without the head and shell

There were stalls selling fresh Udang Galah along Route 3 near this junction. Most comes with RM150 per kilo price tags

After our Udang Galah, we returned to Rompin Beach Resort to collect Zoe and our cars. Here we are, back at Rantau Panjang Beach for our showers

Evening at Rantau Panjang Beach

Hometown Seafood. Kuala Rompin for dinner

After dinner, we returned to Rantau Panjang Beach to set up our sleeping gears for the night

Cosy cabana

Brightly lit with chairs and tables

Starry night...and Zoe claimed to have seen 5 shooting stars!!!














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DAY 4



Morning at Rantau Panjang Beach

Sunrise

No egg yolk

The stingray is the kampung's icon

The princess and her maidens

Rompin River along Jalan Kampung Ayau



TNRP Package Rates: 

2D1N TNR Campsite: RM10 x 1 night x 1 pax

2D1N TNR Treetop Chalet: RM180 x 1 night (maximum 4 pax)

2D1N TNR Dormitory : RM200/unit/night (maximum 5 pax)

Entrance fee: RM30

Meals (1x breakfast 1x lunch 1x dinner): RM45 x 1 pax

River crossing :

RM10 per person including bicycles

Contact Pee at +60 19-936 3145



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