SPIDER-KORU !!

No, i din't willingly agree to go climbing with them but somehow that was the day, koru-chann became Spiderman! It was an absolutely unforgettable experience in my whole life! When the wake-up call came at 5.30a.m. from my cousin Winnie i grunted & moaned that i didn't wanna go... Nobody like Koru gets up at 5.30am to go mountain climbing!!

So with a heavy heart, me & Felix met up with the rest; Jenny & Ding Hui were late and Johnny wasn't amused. So we were introduced to Uncle Ronnie & Little that i know, he was the one who was gonna save our sorry asses on that treacherous mountain.... So we were informed that the mountain halfway through our feat was that the mountain stands at 480feet above sea-level ! I think my face turned green immediately but th e true horror was by far, much worse...

Who would've thought? In the midst of Taman Melawati there were two huge mountains sheltering a dam/ lake. So we began our climb, hmmm, piece of cake, thats what everyone thought except Johnny & Uncle Ronnie. If its like this all the way we could be downhill having our lunch by noon ! What a huge freaking disappointment we were about to face! The initial climbs were simple. Grab hold of a rock/crack/ secure your footing, & heave urself up. It really felt like being a Spiderman! It went up all the way to about the 150th feet or so, then the challenges really starts! All the climbing was just actually a warm up for tougher things ahead! When we stopped for a short break, Winnie threw up. The whole thing might've make her feel so sick. Things weren't going so great...

The 1st horror came in the form of a rope! We had to scale down the cliff about 1.5feet down and cross over to the next hill. You will have to hang on to the knotted rope and lower your body down. It looks really simple. But when it came to my turn i really freaked out. The fact that your entire back is exposed to 200 over feet below and your life hanging on that rope really isn't very comforting... Uncle Ronnie saved my life, he gave excellent directions “Now left feet land on this crack, right feet step over the other side ...” When it came to Winnie's turn she freaked! Her wailing led us no choice, Uncle Ronnie had to detour & took her an alternative route. Safe & sound, she threw up again.... At this point, even a Labrador named Carlton couldn't go on any further...

The climb got harder as we progressed. The altitude made me dizzy. The feat now is body balancing. The steps are narrower & slanting, if you lose a step, you're gonna lose your life. My confidence was waning... Then, i got stuck at my next climb. Ding Hui, Felix & me were leading, so Ding Hui made the climb 1st, I followed suit. I was halfway then i realized, shit, I cudn't find a secure grip and my feet was too short to swing across a protruding rock that was blocking my body... I yelled for help, Uncle Ronnie again came to the rescue! Felix managed to climb up ahead of me & was trying to pull me up. GOD my hands are actually sweating as I'm typing this! I was worried if he dragged me & if i failed to secure a grip i might pull Felix down to hell with me. I was also afraid my leg cramps would hit again. Uncle Ronnie said terrifying things like “Ok, I'm going to push your foot now, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU LAND YOUR FEET UP ON THIS STEP” Knowing if i fail, it could sent thre e of us tumbling down the mountain too...

I marveled at Uncle Ronnie! He was excellently agile & swift for his age! He could balance himself on anything! He was sitting on an old dead tree branch with his back exposed to the cliff by a meter! That freaked the hell outta me! I nervously told Uncle Ronnie not to sit like that! He said ohh No sweat! Its very strong and was bouncing on it!! Watching him made my legs turned to jelly.... ;( He would point out spots eagerly told us where climbers fell off, he said “Yeah, they found the guy, but dead for sure”, much to our horor. Slowly I began having difficulties to concentrate on my balancing. My temper was rising & i was trembling. It was about 300 over feet, the view was AMAZING! You would never have thought KL is such a gorgeous place... We took many photos with the Dam behind us... Absolutely beautiful !!

At 410 feet, Uncle Ronnie pointed our last peak to conquer... Shaped like a turned bowl... and there lies the second part to cross using ropes! This time i really froze. Terrified. I was the last to go, they encouraged me how easy it is, but i found hanging in the air at 410feet above sea-level, very disturbing. My numbed hands held on the rope for dear life. My life depended on it. I managed to cross over somehow by God's Grace. I was agitated with very very little energy left. At this point of time, Uncle Ronnie sat down for a break. He said some wise words that really hit my senses. He said, at the end of this you will be so proud of yourself. You have successfully conquered your own self. Many would have given up, but in those dangerous moments you are still able to look out for your team mates & care for them, you'd have reached an exceptional level. This climb builds character, most importantly, Patience. Patience by not blaming others. I smiled. If he only knew what was in my head....

The remaining 70ft up was very narrow, the sand so fine, looked like snow! All 8 of us, we made it to the top!! Quite exhilarating. But i guess were more excited to get out of the place. So the good news is, going down through the plantation only takes an hour... and the bad news is its so steep, your shoes might split. We couldn't wait to leave! We scrambled down immediately, Felix, Ding Hui & me leading. Uncle Ronnie warned us of bee swarms, so just be careful he said... Phew.. After 30mins i was walking like a crab- Sideways. My toes were hurting too much & knees bruised cos I'd squat low when it steep. Going downhill was equally tough! I whined & whined to Felix how many cartons of Ribena I'm gonna go buy....


We were parched... Winnie was walking with a stick, Din g Hui walked without shoes on, Yew Kuang walked barefoot while I was already limping... Our luck turned for the worse, it started raining!! According Johnny, if it rains, we'd be stuck! But we decided to risk it & carried on through the heavy pour... All of us soaked wet, cold & utterly miserable. I cursed myself for wearing a white T-shirt! Its been awhile since I've walke d in the rain and the process slowed us down further. We walked in the heavy rain for about an hour! At some points, Uncle Ronnie told us to keep very quiet... There were dangers of wild boars and Orang Asli. “Just a little more, we're almost there” Uncle Ronnie announced to our delight... Finally we were out of the plantation! We took shade at a house porch wiping ourselves , peeling leeches that were feasting away... There it was, a tiny one hanging on to me for dear life... Oh boy....

As I was supposed to be due at Kajang since 10a.m. I made a dash with Felix, planning to get to the nearest Petrol Station ASAP! He was kind enough to drive as my leg cramps made an attack... We were having KFC 10mins later, I told him, “This is the best tasting KFC I've ever had i my whole life! “ The fact that I was alive & sipping ice-cold ice lemon tea in the car while he drove, I couldn't stop thanking the Lord !~

When i got home I hugged & kissed all my teddy bears! I was overjoyed to see them! I tried to sleep but I just could not sleep a wink! My body was in shock and albeit the sores everywhere, I could not believe what i actually did accomplish! Being terrified of heights I had actually scaled a 480 ft mountain... Way to go koru-chann! 8-)