Taman Melawati -a quiet and peaceful neighborhood in the Klang Valley. The place I grew up, my back yard, my playground. A perfect abode, and one I call home.
It is famous for Bukit Tabur, an imposing 300 m quartz ridge, shaped like a sleeping gargantuan prehistoric leviathan. A great hiking hill, yet reports of accidents -serious and fatal- were on the news these recent years. The collection of my climbing photos here demonstrate how relentless it was. Unlike Mt Kinabalu or Tahan which are lengthy and laid-back climb, this one is brief and jagged -kinda 100 m dash of mountaineering. Let the ascent begin!
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| Team Tabur, right to left: Emri, Haris, Eivon, Ajib, Ina, and Pak Ali. |
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| Bukit Tabur - Our lil' Everest. We hiked peak to peak from east to west (right to left). |
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| Ulu Klang Dam from the base of Tabur. Nice shot from Emri. |
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| Ajib was way ahead of us! |
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| Eivon almost threw up from the initial climb. Girls, take note. |
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| View of Melawati from one of the peak. |
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| Like a tiger sneaking for the prey... |
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| Sermon on the Mount -with reluctant audiences. |
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| Facing Bukit Tabur Timur. Notice the dam on the left and forest rape to the right. |
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| In awe of the Nature's bounty and beauty. |
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| Rugged climb on razor-sharp rocks. |
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| Ajib celebrating his victory over the painstaking ordeal. |
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| "The sky is blue. And God's evidence is elegantly everywhere..." |
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| Girls standing a few centimeters to 200 m cliffs. |
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| I'm about to bungee jump down the dreaded abyss! |
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| R&R on top. Titiwangsa Range in the background. |
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| Another team trudging for the next peak. |
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| Almost noon, no wonder it's searing hot. |
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| Best rock climbing position of the year. |
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| Pak Ali tried to imitate, but failed miserably. |
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| Ascending to touch the face of Heaven. Were we almost there? |
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| Portal to the land of elves... |
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| At the westernmost resting site. Drank water of joy (air bersuka ria). Planning for our next hike. Note the comfy moss. Pure bliss. |
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| Detail of the moss from earlier expedition. |
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| At the westernmost end. No more peaks to climb. |
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| Ascending is one helluva challenge. Descending is another. |
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| One of few points with ropes. I believe this one is accident-prone. Don't worry guys. If she could make it, so could you. |
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| The kings of Tabur. Emotions ran supreme. No word could express more..... |
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| Indeed, we were the king of the World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| Special encounter with origami cranes. We believed they were placed there to ensure safe journey for hikers. |
Overall climbing, I must say the initial climb was the most demanding. The rest was fine, with intermissions of pointy climbs and scaling cliffs. Yet, the ordeal was rewarded with awesome views of mesmerizing Mother Nature and a satisfactory sense of being there -one only mountaineers could ever feel. The overall journey back and forth took about
3 hours. I lost a few kilos as well! Also, the climb might look hard at first that many turned back after reaching the first peak -with barely nothing to see. No matter, exhilarating fun awaits for those who dare.
Last but not least, I found an article about Bukit Tabur from a fellow blogger. His climb was extremely harsh yet gilded with ethereal beauty.
Click here to discover more
RESPECTO.
