Our first view paddling
Arise early the guide said he would be here but I bet after 8.00am sure enough 8.15am he putts in on the longtail. We add the military boxes to his boat and the jerry can and carry the rest on our kayaks. I spy the shotgun in his boat - whats that for - anything he replies anything which can cause us a problem - "ANYTHING". We Paddle off my my this lake is scenic and its nice and cool and the water so clear no bank just water and then jungle all as one just like the amazon. Yoke is like me she likes this lake more than Temenggor it's more scenic. I cast a bit blind try to lure out a mad snakehead but nothing.
Our camera is DEAD the Fuji waterproof XP150 camera is DEAD im gutted 30 seconds underwater taking a video of fish and it DIES. Its 4 months old double grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrh out with the samsung fone for the rest of the trip. Do not buy this camera it really sucks.
We stop for a snack and wow a school of Sebaru go rampant on something Yoke is stunned she has never seen this before. I try and cast int it but i'm too late to get there. Lunch is to be a hut about 2k further up. Lunch hut looms up and I see splashes. Sebaru in the shallows. I cast in amd get a miss what a miss. I change lures to a Sebarau spoon and cast again. Success the line goes violent I pull it in wow a Juvenile Snakehead. Wahoo a fish is a fish. Lunch is 50 meters so off the kayak and continue fishing from the shore and I land another with some spot on casting once againa Snakehead on a spoon.
Success a juvenile Snakehead
The lunch cook
Nice view of the kayaks at lunch
After lunch success again a scholl of Snakeheads and one on the end of the rod.
Lunch macaroni and cheese is wonderful followed by hot milo. Time to go but wait more rises and as we paddle along I land 2 more Snakeheads all on spoons. The dam wall is only 20 minutes from lunch spot and we arrive at the dam wall 1 day early my whistle attracts the attention of the security guard he is stunned they were expecting us tomorrow. TNB turn up after we share a can of peaches and have a chat and goodbyes to our guide. I am when I get back to work trying to organise a Seeing is Believing Eyetest for the Orang Asli villagesHow do we get in touch with him no fone cannot read/write we just turn up to the camp spot and he will come. I decide I will bring Standard Chartered Banks Eye Test/Glasses program here to his village and some goodies for the kids. It's all I can do for his kindness to us I have s discussion with corporate on my return. So as well as donating enough funds for a person to have cataract surgery I have this to organise.
TNB turn up late and appologise why we are early. They offer us accommodation and their TNB quarters and will look after our kayaks all we have to do is take our luggage. a few hours later TNB truck turns up with our KAYAKS wow its ABU BAKAR and the other 2 from Temenggor/Bersia again. Tomorrow morning they will return at 8.00am meantime our kayaks go in the truck back up to Gerik
Dam wall and we say goodbye to our guide
TNB give us accommodation for the night.
Day 7 Lake Chenderoh to Dam 48.5 kilometers
I'm up early 6.00am pack everything I can breakfast is cold food and hot milo we are waiting for the TNB truck to arrive. Meantime I have done a recce and decide we will start directly over the road from our TNB hut down the bank is a track and a safe point below the boiling rapids to start. There is only 3 rapids on this part of the river and the water slows 5k before Lengong giving us 20k of faster water then 28k of slow water to paddle today. TNB are wonderful they arrive LANDROVER and BOAT in tow and the truck with our KAYAKS. They are going to take our gear and meet us in the boat during the journey and escort us to the dam. 8.45am we are in the water and paddling goodbyes are said to the wonderful staff at TNB who could not do enough to assist us. Poor yoke her first rapids in a kayak 100 meters from the start she follows me like a shadow I yell advice so she understands what to do for me it's second nature for Yoke it's pure terror. Then there is more rapids wow the water is down revealing more sets of rapids.
I start casting into some of the rapids I miss a sebarau rats rats rats. 13k whizzes by in 2 hours. Then trouble i'm mucking around casting into a rapid and put the rod away too late and Yoke behind me hooks a rock and flips over as I paddle back and grab her kayak Dam then the rod hooks a low tree and 200 meters of line screams out I cut the hook off one handed as I hang onto Yoke and her kayak then the rod snaps as the line ends. Recovering she wants to kill me. Then I put my spare rod on her kayak and the next rapid the low tree I see coming I snatch my rod out of the holder and under I go Yoke doesn't react and my rod tips her KAYAK over on the tree. Crikey this one is bad stuff spills out and the pddle safety strap wraps around her leg. It's all part of kayaking I tell her. Anyway it was a nice warm bath. We drift and have a snack to recover.
Bailey Bridge
The views are spectacular.
Waterbuffalo herd
No idea I think Lengong man monument.
The river after 20k begins to slow and widen and the river bed is 12" or less under the kayaks. Lengong goes past 30k down we look for a lunch spot - a boat mooring looks good until I get off and sink up to my knees in mud. Lunch on the drift then drama Yoke has a tangle with an old sand barge. I missis it she cannot paddle out of the current. She beaches and by the time I reach her she has self rescued in the thick soft sand.
Stuck in sand
The dreaded 4.5k straight comes up and there is a boat waving at us. TNB guys with ABU BAKAR at the helm and wouldn't ya know it we run out of deep water. I drag Yoke across the shallow water then mine until the bow strap snaps sending me tumbling into the river bed damn that's the second strap to break on this kayak this trip. Eventually I get across the river to deep water. Back in the kayak this time I have a escort - I paddle 3k flat out trying to catch Yoke she is almost a kilometer in front the TNB boat beside me I think a little stunned at the speed. I catch Yoke as she pulls over at a Jetty for a smoke break I'm relieved and have finally caught her. A Sebarau feeding frenzy sends me off paddling in pursuit. Soon its time to paddle on we have 14k to paddle and 4 hours of daylight left. We keep paddling with 5k left to paddle to Suka Suka the TNB boyz return Suka Suka is empty. I pickup the fone and chance a call I get Aznir mate where are we staying Suka Suka is closed. He replies your coming tomorrow I sent you a email this morning with change of venue where are you. I'm 5k from Suka Suka come and rescue us. We paddle off and wait at the fish farm and meet the TNB boat we wait 30 minutes and they ring - keep paddling we will meet you. Soon a boat appears its Aznir and Aziz. They tow us in after we xfer the stuff from the TNB boat and goodbyes are said to the TNB boys they were wonderful. Round the corner there is a kayak waiting Aziz's son. I drop of the tow and he introduces himself 10 years old and wonderful english I'm Azam we paddle together following the tow boat for another 2.5k.
Paddling 3 hours of sun left
Tasik Rabin bridge
Less than 4k to camp
Rescue by Suka Suka Resort
Chomel the kitten
Arrival feast BBQ Chicken
Soon the lights of Suka Suka alternate appear as dusk beckons. Later we find out the water level is so low Suka Suka Island is closed as the boats cannot get there. Dinner is being preapred BBQ chicken and BBQ fish all Malay style food. Then I see the banner the welcome to Suka Suka for the Sg River Paddlers. Aznir has to leave back to Kuala Lumpur he only came up to deliver the banner and make sure everything was setup. Suka Suka mainland is a delight a man made malay village from houses moved froma ll around Perak to this little hideaway. We have 5.2k to the DAM to finish Part 1 of our journey and 3 days spare we elect to stay for two days and then head for home. We have 5.2k to paddle fromt eh rescue point to the DAM.
Day 8 relax and eat and have a 5k arvo paddle just because we can
Day 9 relax morning and fish a bit
What a place to relax go for a early morning fish - I land two peacock bass then come back 8.15am grab morning tea and watch the swiflets dive bomb the water an the fisherman pull in their chances while sitting above the water in the shade. Relaxing and refreshing.
I send time with Azam correcting his casting and Toman hunting technique and peacock bass and sebarau skills.
1k to go and yes another storm.
Soon it's time for home well home means visiting my mum in law in IPOH and we head off pack the kayaks first we gott drain the Stealth-14 its got over 15 liters of water in it sigh. The Ocean kayak not a drop toally dry awesome. Loaded up we head off at 3.00pm and are towed to the rescue point and 100 meters beyond and cast off to be on our own 5.2k to paddle we cruise off and sure enough the arvo storm looms and we get a little wet 1k left we turn the corner and see the Dam then we paddle down and have to detour back up due to a pip across the lake and finally the landing point beckons. Yoke wanders off to organise our Taxi to get in and I unpack the kayaks. Wow 170k in 7 days she did it I had no concerns whether I would or not and what does she want - more adventure and to finish the 202k part 2 of the trip in the next 2 months.
Our overall water average was 3.9kph not bad considering it was flat water etc.
The taxi arrives all fixed brakes pads replaced and alloy window installed and we load up and head to Gopeng unlaod the kayaks and back to IPOH 30k away to see mum.
Day 10
Head off back to Gopeng grab the kayaks and clean them with a wash and a coating of armoral to keep them nice and shiney. Inpect the gear andmake a list of improvements for the next trip. We gotta cut down the size of the cooking and lighting kit and all sleeping beds and the tent need to be in a waterproof bag the Stealth-14 leaks too much.
Total distance for Part 1 was 180kilometers due to TNB cutting off some 16k for security reasons.
