A Historic Gathering Of Waterfall Experts in Malaysia

In life, we hardly encounter historic moments of epic proportions. The gathering of fine men and women are rare and special. There were a few notable occasion of this grand spectacle :

1. The gathering of 5 living American presidents - Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Bush Snr, Bush Jr and Barack Obama

2. The peace signing ceremony between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat


3. The star studded cast of "We Are The World"

I have mine and that is the gathering of Malaysia's foremost waterfall experts and they are Mr Jan Stuivenberg and Mr Lim Siang Hui.
Right most: Lim Siang Hui and Jan Stuivenberg in the center
This gathering of gargantual proportions sadly excludes another waterfall expert, Mr Harry Nian who passed away last year in a waterfall incident and it would have been a grand best of the best gathering if he were here today. Anyway, I have known these two great men for a while now and finally, the three of us will finally scale to greater heights ..literally.

Our target is the unknown, unexplored and remote Upper Tebing Tinggi Falls. Located in the Northern region of Malaysia, this yet to be discovered waterfall lies in the Black Area during the 70's and 80's era where the Communist flourished. Undeveloped, this area has been wild since the olden days.
Lower Tebing Tinggi Falls
Rani and Aric tagged along this time and in Rani's Nissan Xterra, he drove us to Lenggong, Perak - a sleepy town known for fresh water fish dishes. Lenggong is the undisputed champion for fresh water fishes and also ...caves. Malaysia's oldest human being, the Perak man was found in one of the caves in Lenggong.
Here are some pictures of our fresh water fish meals :
Malay Style Chinese Style
We have all decided to trek the Upper Tebing Tinggi Falls on Sunday so the day before, we visited a not so known waterfall. It's been a while since I trekked and with the full force of the sun and inclination of the mountain, I showed signs of fatigue. It was also visible in all of the men and we deduced our suffering to an overeating session.
Taking a break from the heat !!! Tall waterfall in Lenggong
The next morning, we checked out from the Lenggong Resthouse and headed to the starting point of our waterfall quest. Along the way, I spotted a wild boar and this goes to show how remote this road is. A fairly large pipe became our starting point and boy oh boy , did it angle itself close to 90 degrees.
The horror of climbing upwards
We trekked, bushwhacked, chopped and climbed every imaginable tree trunk, rock, root, thorny twig, log, salt lick, puddle, overhanging branch, etc. Not to mention leeches...
Tired men
After 3 hours, we finally heard the mighty roar of the Upper Tebing Tinggi Falls but we still couldn't view it due to the thick foliage.
Just a little bit more from the fringes of the jungle
As soon as we emerged from the side of the jungle, we were in shock and awe because this is truly a tall magnificent waterfall and we're just tiny specks at the bottom of it.
Upper Tebing Tinggi Falls
A marvelous achievement

The first thing I did was jump into a pool and refreshed myself because throughout the 3 hour trek, there was no pool in sight and we were only glistening in our own sweat. There's something about jumping into a pool of really fresh natural water. Everyone should do it.
We hung around, took pictures, made coffee, measured the height of the waterfall with a measuring device and after an hour, we were on our way home.
On our way back, we rewarded ourselves with a hearty meal of ... fresh water fish again.
Temoleh Fish. Only to be found in the rivers of Belum
The Upper Tebing Tinggi waterfall was spectacular, the meals were delicious but most importantly, it was the company of passionate waterfall loving men that made it a defining moment in the history books of my life.
Great company and Upper Tebing Tinggi Falls

Pulau Weh - Diving & Scootering

Everybody knows Aceh. Aceh was made famous tragically by the 2004 tsunami. Prior to that , nobody knows about Aceh nor what a tsunami really is. And after Aceh, tsunamis started happening albeit in small doses but the second major one struck in Japan two years ago. And after the tsunami in Aceh, guess what.... Aceh flourished!! She flourished into a bustling, active and lively city. According to the locals, prior to the tsunami, even stray cats avoid Aceh because it was so dull and unattractive.

I landed in Aceh's Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport. Here's my advice and please heed this advice seriously. If you are a foreigner, be the first in line at the Immigration Counter Foreigner's Lane because if you're the 8th foreigner, you'd have to wait at least half an hour until it is your turn. I was Foreigner No. 19 so I had to wait until Moses appeared with his 11th Commandment "Thou Shall Wait".

Firdaus waited for me at the Arrival Hall. With his giant welcoming smile and his warmth, I felt at ease and was whisked away to a local Acehnese restaurant for lunch.
There's the chicken, the vege, the fish, the rice.... Haaa ..same Malaysian food
I was also taken to this Tsunami Monument whereby an uncommanded trawler which was struck by the tsunami saved 56 lives who were washed away. They climbed themselves up onto the boat to save themselves. After the seawater receded, the trawler stay put ontop of a house.
25/12/2004 : Zinc Roof
26/12/2004 : World's Most Expensive Roof
Time to board the ferry. Firdaus took me to the Ulee Lheue (try pronouncing that) ferry terminal which connects Aceh and Pulau Weh. Remember, Aceh was struck by the devastating tsunami 9 years ago. Look at their jetty :
Clean and proper Don't get me wrong. I love our country very very much but I think the Mersing Jetty can do better.
The ferry ride was a breeze. 40 minutes later and I was on Pulau Weh's Balohan harbour. I took a taxi to my dive centre located at Gapang beach. Without going into details, here are some underwater pictures
A pair of Chromodoris Geminus Juvenile Tambja Sp - I love nudibranches like Christians love Jesus One of the hardest marine critters to photograph!!!Very very frusrating but hey, I have steady hands !! One of the weirdest moray eels I've seen.In Pulau Weh, the moment you backroll, you'd see morays 360 degrees. I kid you not Some guys like red sportscars. I'm a simple man. Give me a red frogfish anytime Rare - Fu Manchu Lionfish. Twin Spotted. This rare lionfish species can be easily found in the waters here but in Malaysia, it's rare... like a punctual Air Asia flight Did I mention that I absolutely adore nudibranches? Just so you readers know, diving operations cease every Thursday from 6pm onwards right up until 2pm on Friday the next day. This is to respect the holy Friday prayers. If you are restless, fear not because you can rent a scooter and that's what I did. I rode all over the Weh Island. Went to a waterfall, ate local breakfast , watched a local tennis tournament and dropped by a secluded beach.
Cool scenery Waterfalls - My No.1 Passion !! Pulau Weh Breakfast ..sorta like Kelantanese breakfast Local tennis tournament Secluded beach!!!!! How do I feel about this island? It is definitely an island I will come back again. However, being a dive snob, I've practically seen everything before I dived Weh Island
Dive Snob

Just Jerangkang

Jerangkang Waterfalls and Berkelah Waterfalls are next to each other. I have been to the latter and have proclaimed it the most dramatic waterfall in Malaysia. It truly is because I have been to numerous waterfalls and I can't find any waterfalls as close to being dramatic as Berkelah's.

Berkelah Waterfall - Oh So Dramatic

I have no idea what kind of vehicle that can be used to access this waterfall but I was told that a normal kereta is impossible. Hence, my Boneshaker was ruled out. FYI, "Boneshaker" is referring to my old Proton Iswara Aeroback. I once dated this stewardess and took her out with my Proton Iswara Aeroback. She dubbed it the Boneshaker after our date was over : (

My Boneshaker

Anyway, I chucked my mountain bike into my Boneshaker and drove all the way to Maran, parked at the roadside, reassembled my MTB and put on my back pack. My back pack consisted of my Coleman tent and food supplies. With enthusiasm and a heavy backpack, I jumped on the seat of my MTB and rode away. The iPod blared the song “Nobody But Me”, adrenalin rushed through my entire body like a bat out of hell and it was like the last scene from the movie "City Of Angels"

FREEDOM !!!!!!

30 minutes into MTB ride, I stopped and puked !!

Backpack in the background
Reason : Fatigue, a heavy backpack and lack of MTB training.

You see, I have been diving a lot and waterfalls have pretty much taken a back seat. Don’t get me wrong. I still love my waterfalls but for the time being, the underwater world is my passion. With the MTB by the side of the road, I waited for a 4WD with an open cabin to drive by. How do I know there will be one? I just know. And true enough after 10 minutes, a 4WD with an open cabin drove by. The driver is a Chinese man who manages a timber camp further down the route to Jerangkang. And funnily enough, he said he has never been to Jerangkang despite passing by the Jerangkang entrance so many times.

Prior to puking my guts out, I was already pushing my bike and three cars drove by. They asked me the direction to Jerangkang and never even offered me a lift. Their 4WD had no open cabins but a courteous gesture warms the weary heart don’t you think?

The old uncle dropped me off and I thanked him because he had the courtesy to give me a ride since I was in a remote and desolute place.

I was happy I had reached Jerangkang but I sighed when I saw six to seven 4WDs. Also, the three cars that did not offer me a ride just arrived and I rode pass them and said “ Thanks for offering me a ride”. They looked confused from my statement.

Crowds are my kryptonite so I locked my bike and trekked further up to look for a suitable place to camp. As usual, my requirements for a camp site :

1. Open Space - I’m a bit claustrophobic

2. Water nearby

And this is the spot I chose.

All by myself Along the way to my campsite, there were numerous emerald jade color pools which made me jumped in over and over again. Who could resist these pools?

After setting up camp,

I decided to trek further up. In the beginning, I used the jungle trail and I hate...just hate canopies. Then, I came to a section where the inclination was very steep and decided to use the sides of the waterfall for an easier route albeit, a deadly one. One slip and …......

After one gruelling hour and having tonnes of confidence in my Teva’s,

I reached the top and was rewarded with an infinity pool. Love love love natural infinity pools. My last natural infinity pool was at Jangkar Falls with Michael Lo.

Such a coincidence that both Jangkar and Jerangkang Falls had an infinity pool and they share the same J, A, N, G and K alphabets !

Mucking around the infinity pool and feeling a little hungry and tired, I decided to swim to the other end of the pool before going back to my campsite. When I reached the other end, to my astonishment, there was another mega waterfall and rightfully so, the Jerangkang Waterfall.

The Jerangkang Waterfall

The Jerangkang Waterfall..Wonder what's beyond?

Coming down, I used the jungle trail because coming down via the sides of the waterfall would be suicidial. The time clocked at 5pm and I did absolutely nothing but swim, sat by the rocks admiring the waterfall, admiring the clear river water, admiring my tent and also admiring the feat of getting there by myself with all my gear. Good classic outdoor stuff.

Being alone once in a while is like refueling

Jeram Penitih

As I have been travelling quite regularly to the East Coast, I decided to make quick stop at Jeram Penitih which was first explored by our Godfather Of Waterfalls, Mr Jan Stuivenberg.
Using Jan's info as a guide, I also obtained info from www.kemamanguide.com and called up the number to ask for general directions since it's a kampung road. Iinitially just wanted to meet up with the guide and have him point out to me the direction but he vehemently insisted that if I went on my own, I would not find the falls. Sigh, little did he know, he was talking to Malaysia's No.3 ranking waterfall hunter. When I asked for payment, he said I could give him any amount I liked but usually he charges RM180 per person. Sigh, again, little did he know, I have a waterfall named after me.

We went in 2 cars as he has his plantation and fish farm inside. At the beginning of the road going into the plantation, I suddenly braked because the road ahead was filled with huge potholes. To those who has driven into Lata Kijang, the road leading into Jeram Penitih is 10 times worst and I've driven a couple of times into Lata Kijang with my Proton Boneshaker. So , go figure.

Like Jan's picture depicts, you can see the border between palm oil plantation and pure virgin jungle. The fine line between safety and lawlessness. Halfway in the jungle, the guide stopped his car and got out to show me tapir footprints. I'm not an expert in tapirs so I just accepted what he said and truth be told, I got a little excited.

We stopped and crossed the stream. Super duper clear. Like Ayer Hitam kind of clarity.

Along the way, he pointed out to numerous herbs and even memorized their scientific names. Very impressed. My initial token of payment went from RM30 to RM50 now. He also showed me that if someone is lost, they should use the back of a parang and knock on the giant tree root and when he did so, the sound resonated throughout the whole jungle. He said this is the way to be found. RM70 now. Right before we reached the first fall, he asked me to find my bearings - North, South, etc. I couldn't tell because the sun was covered by the canopy above. He said all I have to do is ask the trees. Just ask the trees. So we went closer to one tree and he gestured me to come to the other side. I could see moss growing only on one side and the other side had no moss whatsoever. He explained that the side that had no moss is the side where the sun shines, therefore, that is your East. Wow...increased to RM120.
First Fall
The first fall was not tall nor impressive but the the water was magnificently clear. The pool could fit at least 4 people and it was deep too. From the starting point to the first fall took half an hour. First Fall
If the guide did not stop every 5 minutes to inform me that a labisa pumila could enhance the penile function, we would have made it in 10 minutes.Kacip fatima?
OUr journey continued to the 2nd level which was a cascade and reached the 3rd level in 5 minutes. The 3rd level was more impressive. Slightly higher falls but no pool.

According to the guide, there are probably 30 more falls above but level 5 was the limit. I wanted to continue but he said it may take some time and looking at my schedule, I agreed and we turned back. On the way, he showed me his fish farm and how he would like to turn it into a homestay complete with fishing, waterfall and jungle trekking. Currently, his fish ponds and shack are extremely basic but he has already hired 3 security guards Security
to protect his property. I gave him a few advice like to add in night walk services, etc and wished him luck. He sent me back to my car and I bid him adieu. All in all, it was a very informative trek seeing that I always trek alone and he went out of his way to accomodate me. At the end, I gave him RM100 for his effort.