aL, you’re not SO young anymore.
As the day unfolds, it became an amusing (yah! I still find it amusing) yet undeniable, a fact.
I was looking forward to this day.
NOMAD ADVENTURES @ GOPENG
The day started with my buddy dropped me at McD. Then, a sexy black Honda City and 2 other cars (lolz… 2 other cars) arrived and the 11 of us made our way to Gopeng Recreational Centre. The 11 of us is like… a model team for 1Malaysia. From different walks of life, from different locations, and definitely different skin colors. Malays, malay mixed Brit, malay mixed Arab, Indian, Sikhs and Chinese. From knowing one friend, Chee Lynn, I met another 9 interesting people.
So here we are, 11 young people, in search of a taste of adventure!
Our team met up with the Sime Darby KL team at Earth Camp and the first thing that happened to us was Mus.
‘Hello, I am George Alexander the third!’ Huh?
‘Okay, just kidding. My name is Mus. Everyone, to your carriage please!’
Gosh, our native guide can speak the lingo with the accent. And the carriage he meant was a logistic lorry with open back. About 25 of us climbed in and began the bumpy ride to the starting point of the White Water Rafting.
The lorry is not a small lorry, mind you. But yes, the road that we traveled on was narrow indeed. It just fits our carriage. If even a motorbike come from the opposite direction… Anyhow, the ride was cool but the sight of us wasn’t. We passed by other tourists groups and their heads turned to us as if watching a group of illegal immigrants being transported back to their home country.
‘So this is how the transported cows feel like.’ Somebody mentioned.
And so we reached the starting point of the White Water Rafting adventure. Mus geared us up with life vests and helmets. And he pepped us with the safety procedures. I must say, the amount of safety warnings he gave was kinda worrisome, even to a comfy swimmer like myself.
‘In case you drop into the rapids…’
‘In case you drop your paddle…’
‘Listen to the whistle we blow to attract your attention….’
‘If your raft capsized…’
‘Catch the rescue lines when….’
Bla bla bla…
‘You look worried,’ I told my new friend from Sime Darby.
‘I can’t swim…’ There’s no fear in admitting one’s fear.
The first hurdle was the White water Swim. Mus already gave us the theory. Just as many of us thought that theory would suffice for emergency, he made everyone did the White water Swim, that is he released us one by one over a section of rapids, and we are to immediately practice letting our bodies be led by the white water to a calm water area, rather than fighting against it.
It was quite a grueling start, some drank in water. Rescue lines were thrown out. Myself, I didn’t fasten my helmet tight enough, it tilted to the front and covered my eyes =.= I swam to the side anyway. Grueling. But I must say it made everyone a braver person. If you can do the white water swim, you are less afraid to face the waters.
Next, Mus and team introduced us to our rafts, and the terminologies.
‘PADDLE FORWARD…. PADDLE BACKWARD… When we say HANG ON, hold on to this Oh Shit line here….’
‘When we say BOOM BOOM, everyone sit/squat within the raft!’
I forgot who told me some time ago, when the guides give you the command Boom Boom, be careful and brace for fun capsize on purpose.
And we began white water rafting. My raft consisted of Fariq, Rubin, myself and Helmi, our own guide. Water rafting is Helmi’s part time. His day time job is to teach Mechanics in prisons, how cool. Ours is a small raft, according to Helmi, better control but easier to capsize. Well, my rafting mates are fun.
So we negotiated one rapid after another. As a whole, the Chee Lynn team took up 3 rafts, but we moved together with the Sime Darby team. I must say, it was the guides at the back of the rafts doing most of the work. Hahaha. All we did was follow instructions, sometimes poorly.
Being in a smaller raft, our raft never got stuck. By rocks, by swirling currents, whatever. While I watched other bigger rafts have to technically negotiate their way out of rocky area. It happened very often.
The rafting river route was excellent. Not too short, as if leaving you wanting more. Not too long to make one exhausted. Nice and worth it. It was exciting. If anyone wonders what is the percentage of getting wet, it is 100%. Along the way, I dunno how I got them, but I suppose cuts and bruises are normal.
When the rafting is over, Helmi took us slighty back upstream on foot. He made about 8 of us form a human chain, and let the rapids lead us down like a roller coaster. However, we reached a huge rock under our bums and the chain broke. Lolz.
By the time our carriage took us back to Earth Camp, we were starving.
Check out the curious black things which served as toilets and showers. With faulty doors. Definitely one of a kind, and they gave that kinda close to nature feel.
After a good meal of lunch and some rest, it was time for afternoon activities, which are Abseiling and Leap of Faith, categorized under Personal Challenge.
Mus, our man again.
‘We’re doing the Leap of Faith first. Put on this full body harness, and our people will attach these safety ropes to your back. Then, you’ll climb up to that platform up there, which is about 10m high. Look around, enjoy the view first. OK. See that takraw ball all the way up there? Set your eyes on the ball. Jump forward and touch it.’
Oh my… that ball hanging some 10.5m in the air. For a moment, I think everyone had mixed feelings and pondering for a brief moment if they have enough faith to do the leap of faith… Davina was a brave gal, she volunteered to go first. Zeid second. I went third.
Davina climbed to the platform, and on the count of 3, fearlessly jumped 10m off the platform. Being the first one, all eyes were on her, and we all broke into applause as the ropes slowly lowered her down after the jump. Zeid tapped the ball effortlessly before the forces of gravity worked on him, but also safely suspended by the ropes.
My turn. O my, that was terrifying. They hooked the ropes to the back of my harness and I made the climb up. I didn’t look down until I reached the platform, when I remember that I do afraid of heights. I hugged the tree, stood up properly upon the jello-ing feet, my hands holding on to the ropes behind me.
‘Let go of the ropes.’ I think it was Fariq, encouragingly.
I was kinda contemplating at that moment if I should let go, because once I do, I know what’s gonna happen next. O Lord. I focused on the ball ahead of me, released my grip from the ropes, and surely too soon…
‘One, Two, THREE !!!’ One of the guides from below shouted.
I wished I can do my own counting, but in the split second I decided not to think so much about it, get that dose of faith, and just JUMP.
10m above ground, I missed the ball and my friends below came into view, as my body fly (ok, drop) forward. Oh my gosh, from the look on their faces, I must be terrified. I only remember silence, I don’t even remember hearing any cheers or claps, because Adrenaline was pumping deaf all over my body. The guides lowered me down to the ground, and I can’t even find the strength to stand up. Lolz.
Later Chee Lynn told me ‘You look calm and expressionless when you made the jump.’ It’s better than looking terrified =.=
Chee Lynn was so cool. She climbed to the platform, focused on the ball, let go of the ropes, and leaped. Without any annoying 1,2,3 from the annoying lady guide from the ground.
And Yasmin was so cute! She was given the cue 1, 2, 3 !!! And we all heard shrill of ‘Aaaahhhh !!!!!’ but she was still up there. The gang cheered and shouted words of encouragement, she leaped. We’re proud =)
Then on we go towards Abseiling. My first time too.
Another ropey business. I like this one more, and I find this one more technical. You learnt something and you apply it. I felt more in control, there is more room for physical reactions and responds compared to the Leap. The best part was vertically scaling down the rocky surface and then slide off the edge, down the rope, onto the solid ground.
I’d like to do that again. Probably attempt a waterfall abseiling later.
All in all, we reached Ipoh around 6pm. Exhausted.
Like I said, we are not so young anymore. Although tiring, there is a sense of accomplishment =) I went home, got a shower and crashed to bed.
Looking forward to the next activity : PAINTBALL.
aL is here 