mun's monologue

A rather personal entry. 2014 is a challenging year for me. I went to embracing my new year with a nervous breakdown, battling depression of unrequited love, divorced and discovering that my bestest fury friend is battling cancer. It took me almost a year to recover. January 2014, after my panic attack, I couldn't function normally for a few months. The underlying problem was still living inside me, with me and around me.. cooking up a storm. Little did I know, that I was living in denial, putting on weight on my shoulders to fix something that was already long broken and unwanted. Me. And then he is out of your life. It took 3 years to build up the courage to face the fact that it will not last, and when it happens, it was the biggest relief. Maleficent got her wings back! Maleficent got her wings back! Maleficent got her wings back! Maleficent got her wings back! Maleficent got her wings back! Maleficent got her wings back! I am a happy...

10th November 2014 Petra, Jordan - A family trip, but nonetheless was a good family trip, simply because I get to hike the beautiful Petra. Al-Khazneh / Treasury : My first thought of this place was a place to collect taxes! Simply because the route to the Treasury was long bin the Siq. At the end of the Siq, you will come upon this beautiful building right in front of you big as life! Naturally, you are expected to pay some form of payment for using the Siq route! But I was wrong hehe! According to our guide, the Treasury is a tomb for the high ranking socialite back then. Some say that the Treasury was actually used by the Pharaohs to hide their treasures while some believed it is used as a temple. Petra is used to connect traders from as far as the middle east and the Mediterranean and the main meeting point to Egypt. The Nabateans carved Petra and it has since then become the most beautiful places to visit before you die and I was lucky to be given the chance to visit ...

22-24 August 2014. So I decided to write an overdue entry. Bear with me. My long time friend from Germany came to Malaysia in August and asked me if I could take him for hike in Malaysia with his fiancé. Most tourists from Europe will go to places like Taman Negara or Mount Kinabalu to seek some Malaysian rainforest adventure, but I planned a private tour for him and his fiancé in Terengganu. Located in Hutan Lipur Chemerong. I hiked for the second time with my outdoor friends together with Holger & Tina. For those who've never head of this place before, you are not alone. It is better known as CBL and it stands for 3 popular spots in the forest reserve ; Chemerong, Berembun and Lansir Chemerong waterfalls - known as the 2nd highest waterfall in SEA. Berembun  - The highest peak in the forest reserve Lansir - The magnificent, magical waterfall and where the campsite area is for happy campers! The hike is magical and personally different than any other mountain...

Gunung Bunga Buah (GBB) - Revisited & Rewritten 25/10/2014 Revisited Gunung Bunga Buah in Genting Highlands for a few reasons. Firstly, its been a while since my last hike (back in August 2014 - CBL; Chemerong, Berembun and Lansir, with my 2 friends from Germany) and; secondly, to accompany my friend who wants to revenge the mountain as he failed to conquer it back in 2013. In summary, I would like to personally rewrite history on the mountain itself. I was an inexperienced hiker who gets to taste her own medicine. 'padan muka' kau! So it started today! My gift for remembering trails and identifying markers made the journey smooth sailing for the 5 of us to hike GBB  For those who wants to give a GBB  a try, here are some pointers. Do take note. The tarmac road before the Pintu Rimba is a long one. It's about 45mins to 1hour long depending on your pace. It may get boring after a while. Do not give up! Enjoy the trek as much as possible. The tra...

Words cannot describe the feeling when we got this at Puncak Yellow, Cameron Highlands

May 2014 A little before my trip to Rinjani, Indonesia; I managed to squeeze another mountain training session. By this time, I have been hiking almost every weekend since beginning of 2014. It was already a toll on me; I miss lazing at home, reading books and hanging out with family and my non hiker friends. Truth be told, I am a mountaineer. I will get bored - and, I love to hike!! I decided to have a go on another trans mountain hike. I am somehow addicted to start a hike on a different mountain and end on another mountain. A year ago I hiked the infamous mossy forest, Irau and it was magical. Fist time being in a mossy forest was absolutely fairy-tale like! The moss, the silence (animals are rarely seen in mossy forests due to its slippery and cold condition.. I think!) This time, it is different. The hike to Irau will have to take less than half a day because we have to reach the Yellow peak before the sun sets. Adventure mindset begins. Irau (2,110m) Ever since I start...

Camping! This weekend I will be climbing my favourite mountain, Yong Belar and will be spending the night at Kem Kasut, and I guess it would be great to blog about my camping essentials. Granted, there are mobile apps to ease the packing for a one night camp, but I would just like to share mine with everyone. Basic Camping Essentials are: Tools - such as knife, duct tape, accessory cord and a multi-tool. These items are really handy and important during any camping trip. I use my Victorinox multi-tool for many things, among the many handy tools is a small scissor to cut things and a pen to jot down things. The accessory cord will come in handy in every camp site and no cord is ever enough. I use mine to hang wet trekking clothes, well, not just my clothes but my team mates can hang their wet clothes too. Sharing is caring! Please don't let anyone 'mistakenly' take your cord as their own! This happens a lot. I don't have to jot down the many things that has ...

28/3/2014 - lata hammer, bentong, pahang Marks my first trip on my one month long break from work. The cool and chilling sounds of the waterfalls was calling me and I thought it would be a good start to my month long 'break'. We have no experience on getting to Lata Hammer. All we had was directions from other blogs Thanks guys! How to get there Generally, Lata Hammer is in Bentong. Getting there wasn't really a problem. Once we parked, we realised that we are not in a jungle where there would usually be an entrance, instead we were surrounded by orchards! We parked shortly after the entrance by the river. I imagine this river is frequent by visitors in the afternoon as there were a few gazebos around the parking area. It is clean and the water is cool for a swim. One thing about me, I am not really a fan of waterfalls and rivers. I am grateful to camp by any river after a long hike for there will be endless supply of water easy for cooking and cleaning, but not ...

21/3/2014 - Gunung Angsi This time I hiked the famous Gunung Angsi, next to Gunung Datuk in Kuala Pilah Negeri Sembilan. Generally it is a pretty good hike as it covers a gradual incline throughout the whole hike. Starting from the foot of the mountain at Hutan Lipur Ulu Bendul, a family recreational area. It has clean toilets and proper changing area. Fees for toilet and shower differs, but the cleanliness is great! Entrance fee to the park is free however a fee of RM5 is charged to anyone who'd wish to trek the forest reserve (and that is to Gunung Angsi). It is quite pricey as the maintenance of the forest reserve is poor. You can see trash almost everywhere, especially at the vertical climb section. We did some cleaning up before we leave the reserve. We started the hike at 11am. It is late by hiking standards because you want to enjoy the hike as much as possible and if you are unlucky, on your first hike to in that place, you might get lost! It is always advisable to ...

16/3/2013 - A weekend retreat to Sungai Lepoh in Hulu Langat. For those seeking a little adventure and making a 'discovery', you should give Sungai Lepoh a go. Lepoh waterfalls has mild and steady trail.It is quite close to Gunung Nuang from Hulu Langat. Special feature of the waterfall? A natural mother earth waterfall slide! Be sure to wear suitable clothing on the slide as you will be sliding on the slippery rocks! Lepoh Waterfalls The hike to the waterfall is fairly easy. On a steady pace, it should take no more than one hour to the waterfall. The tracks are clear and well marked. Halfway to the waterfall the tracks, you will find the waterpipes from the top of the hill. Keep following the water pipes, the waterfall should be just around the corner after you reach a hut next to the river. clean and clear To get the the main entrance, head to Asli Base Camp. A parking fee of RM3 will be charged. There is a washroom and changing area located around th...

its been exactly a year i have been climbing. a great personal achievement and i am proud gunung datuk gunung irau gunung pine tree (2x) twin peaks (2x) bunga buah yong yap bubu tok nenek kutu (3x) tabur (2x) nuang  kinabalu korbu gayong junction yong belar (2x) - my personal fave! charlie  three boundries can i call myself an outdoor freak yet? haha not until i get my diving license!! i will post on some pics from the climbs the last year in my coming posts i hope i will also start climbing mountains from other countries ! craving for more adventure!

26 Oct 2013 - happy birthday baby! sorry I am not there with you.. but here is my shout out to you! I love you and hope you have a good time celebrating your birthday!! (throwback Kinabalu 2013) That was me, with bad case of AMS, can't even get up for a decent photo! LOL! Before I started climbing, Having read alot about AMS, I ignored every single rule on mountaineering. Basic mountaineering rules, I practise : drink plenty of water munch sweets, anything that gives you energy throughout the climb NEVER EVER climb faster than your usually trekking pace, REMEMBER it is NOT A RACE! I was never a fast trekker, but having been hiking, climbing and trekking in preparation for Mount Kinabalu, my pace improved alot. Much to my dismay, it was not enough. I am not Killian Jornet ! Haha!  Everything happened for a reason. After kilometer 3, I got separated from my group and I realised then that I was actually trekking alone. Coincidently leaving them behind The weather was...

Happy new year. I find myself not much of a blogger. But its fun to post a few things eventho the post comes a few months apart.  29th January 2014. Burden Run. I decided to join the run because of a few things: 1- mainly to keep maintain my fitness 2- to look good for my Rinjani trip in June, Insyaallah. 3- cause my sister forbid me from going to long hikes, fearing I might really lose an eye this time. (almost did during my V1 trip) 4- to see how fit I am with my hiking friends  I'm glad I did it 😊