07072016 : As we all know, the sun rises earlier in East Malaysia. It is 6.50am and the sun was hot, and bright. We were to make a move by 8am, and it was still early to take some morning shots and enjoy my breakfast of nasi lemak! Can you believe it? The kitchen staff cooked nasi lemak. It was a simple one but so delicious. I love the tempeh. It is fermented soybean that has turned into cake form and this one was crunchy. I was afraid that this meal will give me stomach upset but fortunately, I was fine. Phew. I am not sure if I could manage easing myself in the nature.
After breakfast, I saw a few wildboars wandering in the compound of Maliau Basin Studies Centre (MBSC). They were different from the ones I see in West Malaysia. I thought it was a different species because they were fair. My sister tells me they are the bearded wildboar species. I asked her why is their snout so pink and protruding. She mentioned that this is because these wildboars are used to putting their snout in drains and rubbish waste looking for food resulting in the protruding snouts and also hairless too.
At 8am, we were ready to make our move into the 4WD to bring us to Agathis Camp. I am dressed in my usual hiking attire but this time I am wearing something new, a pair of leech socks! This is my first time wearing them. One of the members in the group mentioned that wearing them will be hot and sweaty, but I think I rather have that than leeches sucking my blood. I think we are all well aware that Maliau Basin has a lot of leeches. It is the reputation of Maliau Basin. But guess what, we were so fortunate that we did not have any leech bites during our trek because it was the hot season and it did not rain. The Universe has been really kind to us.
We were also provided lunch packs for the trip as we will be eating midway during the trek. We also got an apple and a few tidbits. So, I happily pushed them down into my backpack hoping the food won't leak.
The wildboar made her presence before we left. The rangers told us that her name is Patricia. Haha.
It was about a 30 minutes drive to Agathis Camp from MBSC. The roads were under construction. So, it was a bumpy ride and not a very pleasant view.
Here we are at Agathis Camp at 8.35am. This camp is no longer inhabitable as it was destroyed by a herd of elephants. Those who hired the porters weighed their bags here and transferred their bags to the porters. I weighed my bag too and the bag weighed 8.5kg. I hoped very hard that I could carry them without the help of any porters. For many, this weigh is probably light but for me with scoliosis, I was a bit apprehensive. I hoped very hard that my months in the gym had paid off, giving me some strength in my legs and back. And I am happy to say the sweat and 'almost-threatened-to-spill' tears in the gym were worth it and I had the strength to carry my bag. I need to add that in my 8.5kg bag is 3 bottles of 500ml water i.e. 1.5 litres of water. After my trek, I still had about 800ml of water left. I was afraid my water is insufficient because almost everyone in the group was expressing their concerns about thirst and dehydration, but I was also worry that I cannot manage to carry a heavy load if I bring more water. I am thankful I was not dehydrated and I had enough water. Note to self : Do not self-doubt.
I sprayed myself with Baygone Cockroach Spray because it is said this insect spray will ward off leeches. Well, I am willing to try it as long as it distracts the leeches.
Now, the group is ready to go. Today distance is 9km to Ginseng Camp. We started at 9am. As usual, in all hiking groups, we have the super fast group and the ones who walk with the guide i.e. the last ones. I walked with the guide and an Uncle Mak spotting lots of different kinds of mushroom. The trail was lots of ascending and a few descending. The plus point is that when we go back, we will be using the same route, and it will be lots of descending and a few ascending. As we walked along the trail, I realised that there was not much wind and the air was humid. I figured that the shape of Maliau Basin which is like a basin made the air hot and humid. I sweat so much during the trek.
Check out this 5-tier mushroom.
Oh, I forgot to mention that along the trail, there are distance mark at every 1km. Yay for that. We can anticipate the distance.
Also, I saw lots of nicely built wooden benches for trekkers to take a rest. The place is really clean.
Here, we stopped for our lunch break after walking up 2 hills. The legs felt so heavy with the humid air. Check out our lunch - white rice with stir fried cabbage and fried chicken. My food still looks in good condition. Yay to that!
Another umbrella-like mushroom. Untouched because it is poisonous. The animals can sense it.
Another mushroom and this time, it is covered with jelly. The guide told us that once the mushroom is matured, the jelly will fall off. How interesting is that!
Mushroom that has chocolate chip on top.
This is me and Uncle Mak. This is the final bench stop before we reach Ginseng Camp. I am holding a stick which the guides found at Agathis Camp. Uncle Mak is very fit for his 62 years of age. I hope I am as fit as him when I reach his age. Here, Uncle Mak saw a pitcher plant. A very small one too. Oh I need to mention all the mushrooms' photos that I posted were spotted by Uncle Mak. Yes, I am not that sharp in identifying the mushrooms.
This is another unique mushroom that can store water.
This is the bridge that leads us to Ginseng Camp. From here, we can already hear the Ginseng Waterfalls. The water that flows under this bridge goes to Ginseng Waterfalls.
At 3pm, we reached Ginseng Camp! Yay. After 6 hours. This is the speed of a leisure walk. I was very happy to see how clean Ginseng Camp is. The camp is sort of a longhouse kind. There were double decker beds, probably 20 of them, with mosquito nets.
The toilet at the end of the camp. The water to shower is really cold too. The source is from Ginseng Waterfalls.
Everyone hangs their clothes to dry, and immediately, all the bees came hovering over the clothes. The other end of the hut is our dining room.
Water is boiled here with wood. The kettle used is bigger. The rangers cook the food on a gas stove in the kitchen.
Can you see my still-swollen toe (it is the toe on the right foot) that was stung by the bee or wasp on my first day in MBSC? Gosh, my veins.
After a short 30 minute rest, we were off to Ginseng Waterfalls, which is just 300 metres away from Ginseng Camp.
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