Gunung Datuk - August 25th, 2007

With fresh images of the Gunung Angsi climb two weeks back, I prayed extra hard for no rain at all. But when we met in church at 7.15am, the rain started to fall and I was a little disappointed. Only a handful of us (11, to be exact) were there and we decided to have our breakfast first.

By 8am, the rain stopped and we made our way to Rembau. To our surprise, the ground there was dry. It didn't rain that morning.

Before I continue with my story, let me tell you that Gunung Datuk is not a place where all the Datuks or VIPs (or grandfathers) have their luxurious scenic log houses built. It's a mountain, 870m high, where hikers and avid climbers come to have a good workout or training.

Unlike Gunung Angsi, we hit some very steep terrain even at the begining of the hike. And as you know, your truly has a case of breathlessness whenever strenuous any climb is required. And so, I was panting all the way up.

We stopped many times to catch our breath. The humidity level was great, which made me perspire a lot.

We saw many interesting things that day. Monkeys seemed to be actively verbal but we didn't catch sight of them.


At last, arrived at a small clearing, where I thought was the summit ... until I saw more boulders up ahead. We stopped for a light meal and hot drink. And went further to venture into the impossible.

From the pictures up here, it doesn't look dangerous for one to climb up. What you can't see is the angle and position of the rocks and the very narrow pathways between the boulders. This is even more tough than pilates. You gotta bend a certain angle so that your head doesn't hit something solid , and at the same time, balance in such a way that your feet doesn't slip off the ground.



The majestic view from the summit. This is certainly worth all the risks. The wind was strong and with the help of the sun, we dried off quite quickly.

Okay ... climbing up is one thing BUT going down is definitely very scary.

Which leg goes down first? What do I hold on to? What if I fall down? What if I slip? Yes! I manage to get one of my legs onto the first rung of the ladder below but ... ouch! my head! The rock is in my way. Do I angle this or that way? Somebody, help me! Is there a better way down? Let's radio in a helicopter. Oh man! My foot is stuck in this cleft.

Well, needless to say, we all got to the clearing intact. No broken bones whatsoever. Thank God for that. After that, it was down hill all the way.

We reached the bottom on the mountain at 2pm and after a good dark (because there wasn't any lights) shower, we proceeded to have our lunch in Rembau.