Gunung Stong

Mountain Intro:Gunung Stong State Park (formerly known Jelawang Jungle) gazeted as state park on October 2005 and is listed among the top five unique eco-tourism destinations in Malaysia, situated on the fringes of Malaysia’s massive Titiwangsa range. The mountainous backdrop is made up of a chain of majestic peaks, waiting to be conquered – Gunung Ayam, Gunung Stong, Gunung Tera, Gunung Saji, Gunung Koh, Gunung Baha, Gunung Beirut, Gunung Che Tahir..One of the main attractions at the state park is Gunung Stong (1,422 meters), a dome-shaped granite complex more than 500 million years old. Here, the seven-tiered Stong Waterfalls, reputed to be the highest in Southeast Asia, drops from a height of about 495 meters above sea level.

Crew:Khai,Fairul,Iskandar,Roslan and Ayie

Date:13-16 January 2012

Well....off we go again for our majestic journey to explore the unknown.This time around we have 5 of us in our crew(the more the merrier).Having prepared for this trip for almost a month since after we conquered Gunung Datuk.Since this expedition required a long train ride(12 hours sharp from JB Sentral)...we knew this gonna be one hell of a trip....We bought our train ticket a week earlier since Chinese New Year is around the corner,tickets are selling like hotcakes...We all met up at JB Sentral train station at around 4pm on 13/1/12...the train was scheduled to move at 7pm but due to us being so excited about the trip,we met up early..Took our lunch at City Square and at around 6.45pm we boarded the train...The ride was one hell of a bumpy ride,enduring our sore ass for 12 hours.Sleep was like on and off due to the bumpiness.

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We reached Dabong(Kelantan) at 7am the next morning.But things cork up even before we start trekking,thanks to the spoilt P.A system and our sleepy head...we miss our stop.Next stop is Kuala Krai which is about another 1 and a half hour trip from Dabong.Lucky for us there is an Express train goin southbound so we bought a ticket again to take the train which will bring us back to Dabong.Overall 3 hours wasted....Lucky for us too the guide waited for us....As we are. running out of time,we straight away went caving at Gua Ikan due to time constrain

A flooded forested area....

Crossing the railway trek...

Entrance to the cave..

Entrance to the cave is on our left...

A step at a time...

Us with a keris like sculpture at the back..

Poser boy...

????

No idea what he's doin..

Our Shy Guide....E.D

Rock Climbing??

Ever so beautiful...

This is why people call him poser boy...
 

After done caving for about 2 hours,we head back to our ride for our lunch at a local stall,the food there wasn't bad and its cheap...while we were eating we met up with our new mascot...Moolah Jamilah......Nice!!  

After having our lunch,we continued with our journey,the time was 12pm...We continued with our van ride to head to the foot of the mountain...along the way,we catch a glimpse of the ever so beautiful Stong Waterfall....There's a word Allah engrave in jawi on the rock of the waterfall...Try figure it out....

We reached at the foot of the mountain approximately 1pm,since time is a concerned we pack up our stuff as quick as possible and set off on foot to reach the base camp which is located on top of the waterfall...The trek up wasn't so friendly,there is time the climb is almost 90 degrees up,with our backpack being more of a burden,we took more rest time then necessary...It took us about 2 and a half hour to reach the base camp,as it has been raining for the pass few days,the trek was more like an ice,making us lose our footing on every step....To make things worst,my adidas kampung succumbed to the trek...Every step i took is like a balancing act,making fatigue the only option...

Its tiring alright....

Once we reached the base camp,we throw away our bag and have a good rest,we didn't use our tent as there was a makeshift hut available for rent at RM10 per person...Due to the bad weather condition we take up the offer...After settling down we can't wait to jump into the pool which is known as Kolam Puteri(Eerie Name)...But before that we make another short climb to catch a view of Telaga Tujuh,but unfortunately the weather was mad and the water was too strong for us to pass,so we head back down to enjoy our swim...

Kolam Puteri....

This is where i injured my leg...

Our makeshift Hut...

After taking our dinner we make our way to the 'Kitchen' to have a chatting session with our guide..Eerie stories,funny stories and experiences are all shared around the wooden table...We were lucky enough that while chatting,a poccupine emerge from the darkness to eat some leftover food...Snap,and lucky too that i manage to get a picture...There was even a cat,normal cat that is whom frequently trek up and down on its own...Unbelievable....

Hand carved miniature keris from a black wood....

The cat i was talking about...

It may look like a rat,but its a poccupine alright...

We head back to our hut soon after and catch some sleep,need to wake up the next morning to catch the sunrise,but again the weather wasn't so kind on us...The sun was nowhere to be seen as the morning was full with the magical mist...

 

 

 Soon after we continue with our climb to Stong Summit,the journey would required 4 hours up and 3 hours down journey...The climb was no child play...Coupled with the slippery terrain this is one of the hardest climb we have ever been...After the first pit stop which is at the river crossing,my leg put a stop on my journey,having strain my hamstring doin a sommersault off the rock at Kolam Puteri...I decide not to go on the climb as i would slow down the rest of the team,me and roslan head back to base camp while the other 3 continue on their journey...The 3 guys went up the summit at reached back at base camp at around 4pm...having a rest for awhile we continue descending at around 5.30 pm bake to the foot of the jungle....As our train was at 11pm,we sat at a nearby stall to have some last chit chating session with the guide....

There's even a terrapine crossing our path...

Overall this journey was one hell of a ride....Even though i didn't manage to reach the summit,it was still fun as ever with laughter and enjoyment...Even the backbreaking journey back on train was not enough to dampen our mood on a trip well done.....Now looking forward to our next climb which is Gunung Tapis of Pahang....Till now...Cya

P/S:Forget to thanks my co-photographer...Even holding the camera wrongly doesn't stop him from taking great shots....Thanks Ayie(Numbskull)

Salah Takpe,Janji ada gaya....