Its been a while since Sox went out with us on a jungle walk. So, with a free weekend around the corner, we decided to bring her out to a patch of jungle not far from Kuala Lumpur. We headed for one of our favorite [...]]]>

Meun and Sox walking pass the bundles of cut bamboo

Its been a while since Sox went out with us on a jungle walk. So, with a free weekend around the corner, we decided to bring her out to a patch of jungle not far from Kuala Lumpur. We headed for one of our favorite trails, pushing off from our home as early as 7am. It was a nice day indeed, though we know the leeches will be waiting for us as it has been raining the day before.

With the car parked, we started to head for the trail. On the first hill, we came across several bundles of green, freshly chopped bamboo. As we were looking around, a couple of Orang Asli came to claim their ‘grass’. Seems that they are to be sold to buyers for making ‘lemang’. It was quite a distance to the car park but the Orang Asli lady seems to be at home hauling them bamboos down. The bamboos by the way are tied together with jungle vines.

The bamboos were bundled and tied together with jungle vines

The Orang Asli lady hauling away the bundled bamboos

A few meters away from the bamboo stasg, I spotted what looked like wild chestnuts or Berangan (in Malay). A check with the Orang Asli says that the ripe ones can be eaten. Obviously, the shells and some of the fruits are littered all over the place. Some animals up in the tree must be enjoying them and tossing down the leftovers. Naturally, I collected some ripe ones while the rest I pocketed just to have a closer look at them later at home.

The wild chestnuts we found littered all over the trail

It was a good day. It was cloudy, hence not too hot. We came to the small stream and Sox as usual gets overly excited. She went straight for the water, being very impatient about getting in. It did not take much convincing to get her to wade across the river onto the other side.

Sox checking out the river

Surprisingly, Sox waded through the river confidently

Along the trail, we spotted a Keladi Murai or Tacca integriffolia.

Keladi Murai

Sox coming for her food

Scouting around the area, I found some Bertam fronds. Decided to try my luck fishing. Put on a simple rig on the Bertam frond and using earth worms I dug nearby, I went out to the water edge. I used a really small hook from my minimum kit. Always carry them with me.

The bertam frond I found nearby

A line, small sinker, small hook and a rubber band

Well, there was certainly plenty of interest from the fish in the river. But I only managed to land some really small fishes. Probably suitable only for bait. I returned them into the water of course.

Manage to catch several of these (really) small fishes

Meun was busy attending to Sox. She brought Sox for a walk around the area while I fished. But it did not last long our stay there cause Sox is like a 5 year old curious about every single moving thing. Some ducks came close to us and that really got her excited. We had to restrain her, otherwise she would have probably gone after them duckies.

After an hour of fishing and relaxing, we decided that it was time to go. We walked back and after changing into some fresh clothes, set for home. We spend about 5 hours walking with Sox in the bush this time around and not long after we started driving home, Sox was already curled up at the back seat.

Sox had an exciting but tiring day obviously

One of the hardest things for us is to find a place close to KL that would be dog friendly. Kota Damansara Community Forest Park is one of the few places that we were told to be dog ‘friendly’. We have our doubts but decided to [...]]]>

Sox and Meun walking past a pile of leaves

One of the hardest things for us is to find a place close to KL that would be dog friendly. Kota Damansara Community Forest Park is one of the few places that we were told to be dog ‘friendly’. We have our doubts but decided to give it a shot. Whenever Sox walks with us, she would always be on a leash and when we start our walk as early as 7am, the chances are we will be the only ones around!

It was a cloudy morning that day. Rain clouds scattered above us as we approach the park entrance. It is obvious that it has been raining…probably the night before. The ground was wet and puddles of water on the road.

The entrance, being in front of a school is never free from rubbish. I have visited the park on a few occasions and it is always the same. Rubbish everywhere.

There’s always litter here at the entrance just opposite the school

Luckily…not so much rubbish can be seen inside the park. There are many trails in the park. I even got a booklet about the trails and some of the ‘attractions’ within the park itself. We decided to just walk and see where we end up at.

Meun of course had the responsibility of holding on to Sox. I kept an eye out for interesting things to see and hopefully, take some pics as well.

A nice sculpture I reckon

Some unusual flowers and plants we saw along the trail

The cloudy day and early mornings did not help with my picture taking. My flash camera’s built in flash just doesn’t cut it. But one thing I saw and really interest me were these fruits strewn on the ground at this particular spot. I looked up to find the tree but there wasn’t anyone that stood out with the fruits. The weird thing about the fruits is that they are almost palm size and shape almost identical to the ‘Genuak’ or ‘Kerdas’ fruit . I used my parang to split one of the fruits open, looks very much like the Kerdas but without the smell.

Some really oversized Kerdas?

The trails at the park are clearly mark. Some groups, obviously ‘dog’ related has been on the trail recently. We know this because we come across many of the little pieces of paper markers with dog paw printed.

We saw many of such markers on the trail

We decided to follow the markers. It let us around the park, to a small lake and through some pretty nice obstacle. We can tell Sox is having a ball coz she is like a 2 year old on sugar diet. She was ecstatic and just charged up to continue exploring the park.

Sox has a fascination with flowing water

Sox taking in the beauty of the lake

We found out a few things about Sox during this walk. Sox is fascinated but somehow very scared of water. Probably because she is not exposed to water bodies from a young age despite the fact that dogs are natural swimmers (well, that is what my vet told me). The other thing is that Sox is an acrobat! We came across this fallen tree trunk and had to go over it. Sox was hesitant but once Meun crossed over, Sox followed suit. Sox stood on the tree trunk and went up and down the log, sniffing and looking out like a watch guard on duty. She kept herself on the tree trunk for quite some time….until yours sincerely lost patience.

Sox seems to enjoy being on ‘high’ places

We walked our Sox a good 1 hour that day at the Kota Damansara Community Forest Park. We were glad we did not come across anybody that day. It is a nice park with nice trails and we would probably come back again.

Car camping is something unusual to us both. Our usual camping usually involves a backpack stuffed with gear to the brim. Huffing and puffing along treks to find a suitable camp spot. In countries like Australia, car camping and caravans are very common. OZs will drive the cars to [...]]]>

Our first car camping experience in Malaysia

Car camping is something unusual to us both.
Our usual camping usually involves a backpack stuffed with gear to the brim. Huffing and puffing along treks to find a suitable camp spot. In countries like Australia, car camping and caravans are very common. OZs will drive the cars to camp grounds and set up some really elaborate camp. After our trip to Australia couple of years ago and now back in Malaysia, we finally decided to give car camping in Malaysia a try.

We had a mission really. First was to of course get away from work and relax but the ‘ulterior’ motive really is to scout for a place we can bring Sox along. A place where she can roam free and at the same time will not cause a scene even if she roams into some of the nearby local’s house.
Our friend suggested a secluded place owned by some natives a couple of hours drive from KL. With a fully loaded Vitara, we set off on this journey in search of a Sox’s wild & free country.

With permission from the land owner (we called in advance), we finally found a nice spot to set camp. Moon and I got the camp up in minutes.

Our campsite

The car had everything we needed!

To be honest, the campsite isn’t much. We are actually on the edges of a rubber plantation. On the good side, we have good water source, friendly locals and more importantly the place seems very promising for Sox! There are even local dogs visiting our tents in the evening (hoping for food). Sox will make new friends here!

Plenty of furry friends for Sox to meet

I have to say that car camping is in a way like home away from home. Short of TV and HI Fi set, we are really comfortable. We have everything we need packed in the car, including 10 litres of drinking water and an ice box filled with goodies. Pleasures I can never carry with me on a typical ‘backpack’ bush camping.

Even our kitchen is awesome. The land owner was kind enough to allow us to use some of the logs available (not for fire wood!) as well the old abandoned fire place.

Portable stoves for cooking dinner

Frying eggs...my favorite

At night, we enjoyed the cold drinks we brought along with some fish we baked over an open fire. Aaaah…the beauty of life in the bush. Just went a few notches up with the convenience of car camping.

Well, I think I can (safely) conclude that this place is perfect for car camping…with Sox! It is definitely a furry friend friendly place. The next time we visit this place again, Sox will be meeting and making new friends while the both of us will be sipping cold drinks enjoying the stillness of the Malaysian outback.

Sox have been very apprehensive [...]]]> Our effort to turn Christmas day 2008 into Sox’s day out turned out extremely well. At Hulu Yam, not only did we manage to find a spot with no one around (that’s also probably because we arrive VERY early) but we also found a river with a small island on it!

Sox have been very apprehensive about getting into the water so far. She did not even attempt to go near the lake’s water edge on the way here. The island we thought would be perfect to let her off the leash without having her storming off into the jungle.

I carried Sox over onto the island but decided to leave the leash on. Just in case if she pulls that ‘sprint’ dash again, it would (hopefully) be easier for me to pull ‘catch’ her. I let go off the leash and she was on her way exploring the island. Me and Meun were both very happy seeing Sox exploring the island on her own. Sox seems to be enjoying every bit of it and we are like proud parents watching their daughter running around on her own for the very first time.

It wasn’t long before Sox got really comfy with the island. She was running around…round and round, chasing every single thing that caught her attention. It’s like a small kid in a toy shop…amazed with the world around.

Sox chasing and barking at a floating leaf

Sox and I playing chase on the river

We spent like an hour half on that island. Meun and I enjoyed the dip, Sox enjoyed her run around and ‘freedom’ in the bush. Soon, it was time to go back. The long leash came back to affect but Sox didn’t seem to mind. Perhaps she had her fill of freedom for one day. So much so that she fell asleep as soon as we started the journey back home.

Our angel sleeping in the car after a fun day out in the jungle

Meun was right. We had lots of fun with Sox on her first day out in the bush. The trip has also somehow changed Sox’s perception on car rides. The following day as I was finished washing the car, Sox jumped straight right in without having to even coax her with treats. Yeah…Sox had a real fine day out and we’ll definitely plan another trip again.

A young Sox

Here’s our little darling…Sox. Sox is a mongrel that somehow decided to make our house her home. I was away in Tioman island when she came to the house. Meun called in a frantically panic yet cute way “Dear…there’s a dog in the house. It won’t go away…it’s so [...]]]>

A young Sox

Here’s our little darling…Sox. Sox is a mongrel that somehow decided to make our house her home. I was away in Tioman island when she came to the house. Meun called in a frantically panic yet cute way “Dear…there’s a dog in the house. It won’t go away…it’s so cute”.

We have always wanted a dog and Sox chose us rather than the other way around. Its been close to half a year that Sox has been part of us. She is funny, energetic and full or expression. Though we try to spend as much time as we can with her, walking her around the housing area etc, deep down we know that Sox is a really an adventurer to bone. She’ll sometimes dash out the gate without her leash for a quick run, with me screaming at the top of my lungs for her to stop. She will look back but continue running. Right until she has had enough, she’d probably stop, give me that sorry face that will melt the coldest heart.

Anyway, Meun has been insisting that we have Sox as part of us on one of the jungle trips. Rather than Sox tagging along, it turns out to be us tagging along eventually! We want to make it Sox’s day out as well as an opportunity for her to learn to like car rides. So far, her car rides have not been pleasant as it has only been to the vet only. We want to change that. We don’t want her to associate car rides with sanitized, masked man with syringes and cold stainless steel tables only. Every time we were to start the car and call out her name, she would run away with tail between her legs.

So, we want to bring Sox out to the bush. Where she can roam free (on a VERY long leash), preferably a place with a river to see if she is okay with water. It is not easy to plan a trip in Malaysia for a dog. With a majority of Muslim friends, one has to be sensitive to their religious constraints. So, it took us a while to figure out a place that would be suitable.

Our curious and very ‘keh-po’ Sox

We packed the night before. Our minimum kits, Sox’s provisions, some food and a REALLY long piece of leash. The next morning at 6am on Christmas day and we were already in the car heading towards Hulu Yam area. Yup, it had to be THAT early in the morning to avoid the traffic as well as the public.

It was still pitch dark when we started our day

Along the way, we stopped at a big freshwater lake to give Sox a breather from the car ride. She was ecstatic!

Sox…checking out the surrounding

The quick stop at the lake must have made Sox realize that this car ride is different. We learnt a very important lesson during this ‘short’ stopover. We somehow ‘stupidly’ decided that maybe we can let her off her leash and let her roam free. The instance the leash was off…Sox went on her usual merry-go-round sprint. She even jumped over a big drain onto the road. That really freaked me and Meun out. Thank God there were no vehicles on the road. We finally manage to get her and the leash went on. Phew…

A freaky experience for us but obviously an exhilarating one for Sox. As we continued our journey, she took the front seat, literally.

Sox taking over the driver’s seat!

Well, the rest of the journey to Hulu Yam saw Sox perked up like a Cheetah looking out for its prey. Sox seems to be saying “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?….There yet?” Yeah…we got there eventually…

To be continued…

Hi there!…my name is Keong and I welcome you to my rainforest adventures blog. I am living in Kuala Lumpur (K.L) with my wife Sin Meun and our furry four legged daughter Sox. I started blogging about our adventures in 2008 after my wife introduced me to blogger. We initially started [...]]]>

Hi there!…my name is Keong and I welcome you to my rainforest adventures blog. I am living in Kuala Lumpur (K.L) with my wife Sin Meun and our furry four legged daughter Sox. I started blogging about our adventures in 2008 after my wife introduced me to blogger. We initially started a blog on our travels together but later decided to focus more on our rainforest adventures.

I grew up in a small town in Kedah (Northern Peninsula Malaysia), Meun’s hometown is in Negeri Sembilan and Sox home is with us. I have always roamed the rivers, hills and jungles around where I lived. Having moved to K.L for greener pastures, I have found it more and more challenging to find the time and opportunity to get away from the concrete jungle. Every weekend is nature time for both (sometimes 3) of us. Even spending time with Sox walking a trail beats malls anytime.

We are by no means hardcore adventurers. We both met when we worked in an Outdoor Education center in the beautiful island of Langkawi. We have traveled together since then to many places together, discovering new places and learning new things.

The more we involve ourselves with nature, the more we discover about ourselves. I for instance have discovered a new interest in Bushcraft. Bushcraft is sort of like traditional skills and knowledge that is needed to live comfortably in the natural environment or at the very least to survive in it. These skills are the very skills that have allowed our ancestors to co-exist with their natural world back then. Bushcraft taught me to observe and appreciate things better and most of all…patience.

Meun on the other hand is now a certified diving addict. She will scoot off for a dive whenever she can and spend many days after that sharing photos and stories of her dive trip. I finally managed to convince her to write and publish her stories here – though I wish she can write more (she hates writing).

Then there is Sox. Sox is forever fixated over the pesky fly and anything else that moves. We try to bring Sox out with us whenever we can but there are certainly certain restrictions in Malaysia when it comes to bringing dogs to public places.  She is the most adoring furry friend ever and we love her dearly.

We will continue updating this blogsite with our rainforest adventures. We are no expert bloggers but we do hope that our stories will inspire others to come and experience this magnificent world. This blog is our blog and we welcome everyone to visit us anytime. We have made many new friends from around the globe whom we met through this blog. To some, we have welcomed them to our humble home and have shared some travels with them as well.

If you’d like to reach us…you can do so by sending email to: ‘keong’ at (this website address) or you can write to us using the Contact Us form. I assure you a reply!

My Rainforest Adventures!

Keong, Meun & Sox