Relaxing in Endau Rompin

Trip Start Feb 03, 2007

Trip End May 01, 2007

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Flag of Malaysia Endau Rompin, Malaysia
Friday, March 16, 2007

~ 1.5 days in Endau Rompin National Park ~
endau-rompin national park comprise 49,000ha of virgin lowland tropical rainforest. the park is also the habitat of some 230 species of birds, 179 species of butterflies and the great malaysian mammals (tiger, elephant, tapir, sumatran rhinoceros).
this was a v last minute trip for melissa, tongling and myself but i liked the spontaneity! melissa initiated the trip as she was keen to see how the park has changed since the floods in dec06 / jan 07.

ktm train1

ktm train2

view from train

melissa, tongling and i met at the tanjung pagar train station to board the 8.40am KTM train heading for KL. after 3hrs (incl clearing customs), we arrived at our destination - kluang.
melissa had made pre-arrangements with the park to pick us up at the kluang train stn as it was another 55km fm the town of kluang to the park and abt half the distance was off-road and thus a 4-wheel drive was needed.
reached the visitors' complex of the park at abt 3.30pm after a v bumpy ride. just in time to obtain shelter fm the impending thunderstorm.

we stayed in the dormitory for just RM10/ pax and had the whole 20plus bed dorm to ourselves! according to the cafe chef, we had brought the rain with us as it hadn't rained for the past few days. i was q happy that it rained as i loved the rain (except when i'm outdoors) and it was really nice listening and watching the rain. we spent most of the time chatting while waiting for dinner, which was v delicious and v well-presented nasi goreng. spent the rest of the night reading and playing cards (chua dai di) with the chef and his friend.

longboat 1

longboat 2

longboat 3

campsite at kuala jasin

lunch of bread and tuna

the next morning, we met our orang asli guide, osman. we first took the long-boat towards kuala jasin which has a v nice and well-equipped campsite. continued trekking towards kuala marong followed by upeh guling. the highlight of the trek for me was upeh guling along the jasin river. the 'bath tubs' of cascading waters looked really lovely and refreshing! we had our picnic lunch here and soaked our feets in the rushing waters.

swimming at kuala marong

after upeh guling, we headed for tasik air biru which had waters that looked blue-green from afar. but up close, the waters was so clear that we could see the fishes. we swam and waded in the waters and enjoyed the natural jacuzzis. it was such a pleasant day! after which, we headed back to kuala marong where we did more swimming and wading. the only unpleasant part of the trek was the leeches and tongling was esp freaked-out by them as it was her first experience with these blood-suckers. thanks to the leech-proof socks that we purchased at the park, we were not that badly bitten by the leeches.

me in my trekking gear

wearing leech proof socks

river crossing 1

river crossing 2

along the way, we did 8 river crossings as the bridges had been damaged by the floods. just before we headed back for the visitors' complex, we passed by kampong peta, an orang asli village where 800 orang aslis lived.

all in all, it has been a most pleasant weekend trip for me. enjoyed the peace and beauty of endau-rompin. all the park staff were extremely nice too. and of cos, enjoyed the company of melissa and tongling, am definitely looking fwd to gg KK with them next yr!