Monday, June 05, 2006
I just scaled Mt Ophir!Guess not many ppl actually know i went, but due to my extreme carelessness, i'd an out-of-the-world adventure! U see the night b4 i actually came to realise that my passport had expired! And the next day train is due 0830. Like wtf! I was so thinking i definitely had to forgo this trip. But hell no i ain't going to give up the chance. So there i was 0800 sharp when the immigration registry opens, and by 0810 i was out of there, passport extended till 2011 and ready to go M'sia. However sadly when i was on the cab i was told the train would be leaving in 5 mike time, in no way i could make it there. So i decided to carry out Plan B. Making a trip to the foot of ophir myself!
At about 0900, i was told the train just left the station. Like wtf! I should have went straight to the station and i would have made it. But hell, by then i was already physically out of S'pore. Took some cab then johor express then change another 3hr bus ride that ended me at tangkat, which supposedly has another bus to the foot. But screwed up ticket sellers sold me the wrong info and so i couldn't do anything except cab there. Well after like 6hrs, i finally made it! And whats the coolest thing of all? I was there even earlier than the main body itself. Hahaha.. So proud of myself. That must be the craziest thing i've done, to venture to somewhere unknown, in a bunch of ultra-cannot-speak-english people country and find my way to someway so uluated that u can't get there unless u cab.
Back to the trip. Mt Ophir was quite shiong in fact. Maybe it's just too long since i chiong-sua but really, i felt quite tired carrying the load. And people say, shang shan rong yi xia shan nan (means going up the mountain is easier than coming down), that's really very true. Going up only requires pure endurance and little technique, but coming down requires lots of thinking and sense, and alot of balance. A 3 day 2 night climb, where we ascended about 1/3, camp for the night for the first day. 2nd day we reached the summit by lunch, and descended till evening. 3rd day we packed up and descended into civilisation.
As usual, the trip isn't really about the activitiy itself, but about the company. But i dare say the activity itself was terrific enough to impress. The view near and at the summit was really breathtaking, perhaps due to the fact i haven't been around much beautiful sights. The climb itself, though physically demanding, was made interesting by stuff like ladders and ropes, with different obstacles to challenge urself.
Back to the company, i've to say i really enjoyed them. Fyi only audrey, bacca and myself went. The teachers too was damn fun to be, and they make really nice outdoor food. Quoting mr.ho year after year camp after camp of course have to eat good can't be always eating instant food. Now i learn to see it in a different way. Use to think that for camps, after a shagged day won't have energy or time to cook, so instant noodles. But really, when u see the end-products it's really like wow what a feast, and u just forget everything, the whole day's fatigue.
What a great trip!
