Treking again

For the last two days I have been watching VCD movies (some good, some not so good), wandering around the towns of Tanah Rata and Brinchang during the day, reading all about Thailand, eating out and sitting around the fire at night chatting to fellow travellers. After a couple of relaxing days I thought it was high time I attempted another trek before heading back to KL. It had been raining a little everyday during my stay here, another reason I was not too keen on going up any slippery mountains. However this morning the sun was out and it looked like it would stay dry for at least a few hours. I would have felt a little defeated if I came back all the way here and not even tried another hike in the hills; so I packed a bag (sandwiches, water, raincoat, compass), put on my tatty trainers and headed out.

01 Gunung Berembun

As much as I wanted to exorcise a few demons by scaling Gunung Brinchang again (but this time carefully staying on the trail) I also wanted to see some of the other sites the highlands had to offer. In the end I opted for Path 9A that was fairly tame according to my map and guide book. On the way to the start of the trail I bumped into Stuart (from Wokingham) and Michael (from Munich) who were also staying at Daniel's Lodge. They were going up Gunung Berembun (at 1812m the second highest peek in the area) and after a little deliberation I thought I might as well join them.

02 View of Gunung Brinchang in the distance

The start of the trail (Path 8) was quite steep but after a while it settled down and was not too arduous. The jungle canopy did an excellent job of keeping the walk well shaded and relatively cool. Path 8 was clearly marked and it would have been actually quite difficult to get lost on this trail. It didn't take us long to reach the summit and although the views of the valley were a little obscured by treetops it was still pretty impressive looking down on the town of Brinchang far below.

On our way down we took Path 3 and then Path 5 to make a circuit. At one of the path intersections there were very confusing signs pointing to Path 6, which according to my map should have been on the opposite side of the valley and no where near this mountain. We stuck to our trail and in about two hours had made the round trip. Although a little tiring in steep places I was left feeling that it was actually a fairly easy and straightforward climb. I am left wondering now whether Trail 1 would have been as straightforward if we had managed to keep to the poorly maintained path.

03 View of Brinchang town down below

After a late lunch and shower I was not in the mood to attempt any other trails that day so I will have to save Trail 1 for another time.

P.S. Congratulations to Claire and Phil on their engagement!

04 The internet cafe in Tanah Rata