Life Is Something Like That

Besut, Terengganu - Nine students got lost on a trekking trip, but survived the ordeal and came out unscathed (not really). More details after the break.

It was dark and cold. The water was freezing to the bones. Somewhere, I could hear voices of people shouting. Yeah, it was 4:30 in the morning, the tap water was icy cold, and a group of people was at the television room watching live broadcast of a football match.

We were supposed to depart at 5a.m. but we got delayed by half an hour because Pau Yee was late (Hong Shin said she was making pau). So, after one and a half hour of drive, we finally reached our destination: the La Hot Spring in Besut.

Apart from the hot spring, people can go there for camping, jungle trekking, picnic and fishing. There were also chalets.

The place was kind of like a moat. The hot spring and hills were on the inner part, separated by a river. The river was shallow though, and green.

As it was still early, and the guide would only start service at ten o'clock, we decided to go trekking on our own.

There were a lot of 'pacat' and Pau Yee was screaming, a lot.

We already trekked for one to two hours when we realized that we might be on the wrong path to the waterfall. So, we made a turn back down, but we didn't follow the same way back. We got diverted, here and there, and the path was more difficult than our way up. Some places were steep, there were huge rocks which we need to get past, not to mention the leeches and thorny plants. In the end, we got some bites and minor cuts (Wen Li said she looked like she was tortured).

At some points, we had doubts. We wonder if we were going the right way, if we were lost. But then, there's Jien Yen. Him, his GPS, and his instinct. He'd go a bit further ahead and scout, and then tell us to follow. When some of us began to have doubts "Are you sure?", his expression and all would be like "Yup, there's nothing to worry. We're on the right track." You've got to give him something. I mean, you'd feel less worried seeing his confidence and it wasn't just the empty-can type. He did led us through. He's the kind of guy whom you can have faith in when you're lost in a jungle. I'm sure it applies outside the jungle as well. Haha.

After a few hours, we heard sounds of motor vehicles from afar. And then, we found a small river. Classic. "When you're lost, find the river and follow it." We did. We waded through the knee-deep river for a few metres. After climbing a ridge, we found civilization! We were back at the starting point. You could imagine the relief and excitement. It was like a dehydrated person in a desert finally finding a source of water. Yea, it wasn't as bad as that, but you get the point.

We trekked for close to five hours. We were hungry and thirsty, and our legs were sore. As soon as we reached back, we ate whatever food we brought, mostly biscuits, breads (including potato sandwiches made by Jin Chyuan, which was good) and junk food. It was a pleasant treat for our rumbling stomach. Haha. After all those trekking, it was good that we could still come out and laugh about it. No bitter feelings or regrets. The girls, especially, I've got to say, they were tough. Five hours of jungle trekking and hill climbing, yet they didn't whine or break down. It's not easy to find girls like them nowadays (just saying, I don't know if it is).

Next, we had a few dips in the hot spring. Just some facts: the water temperature ranges from 45 to 49 degree Celcius and it contains sulphur, which is said to have healing properties. At noon, the water felt extremely hot. I think you could boil an egg in there, though the rules prohibited so. I could only put my feet in the water for a second or two. But Wen Li and Jien Yen could get their whole body in for longer. Amazing.

After that, enough of hot water, we went for some splashing in cold water.

Time passed a bit too quickly. I'd hope we could have fun a little longer, but we had to be on our way. It was a great experience. In many ways, it was a first for all of us. It was the first time I got lost in a jungle (yeah, it wasn't a huge jungle but still, it was something). Then, the teamwork was just amazing. In our world nowadays, a lot of things are based on individualism; we work for our own personal gain. But in the jungle, far from civilization, all we had was one another. We were concerned for others and we helped one another to overcome obstacles. And the best part is: all the while, we were having fun.

(Click on the photos to enlarge)

More photos here: Gallery

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