MAYA passes obstacle 4
Toyota's first model bulldozer - total failure thats why Komatsu is the best still.
New bridges adorn the track as several of the old ones have collapsed. They are exactly 185cm wide no more no less they mean precise navigate to get over. The track is cool slightly wet as me and AXE find out when Blue slips into a dropp off and AXE ends up landing on top of me. DAFFY thought we were going to roll. A quick recover from having 90kgs land on me we reverse out and redrive the tricky bit and let out a warning.
We get to one with the center of the bridge all filled with logs and pieces of bridge and the WIRE rope strainer sitting up. I make my decision im taking the alternate river and steep bank climb. The D90 goes across the rickerty bridge to play winch anchor for me. I have to pull the winch cable out early as I get hooked up on the large rocks in the river. The 8274 pulls me up easy and a little step on the pedal and the Blue handbag Landcruiser makes another obstacle.
DAFFY shocks us it drives up and over the bank DIFF LOCKS and XT making it easy the rest follow driving it all on XTs. The two Hilux's take the bridge as it moves and flexes as each car slowly edge over it.
Soon another new wooden bridge I elect to skip it and take the bank. Stupid move the MT tires cannot climb out twice AXE lands in my seat as we precalriously tip up and over and the Handbag LC gets a mud coating as we try and get out before the convoy arrives. Too late and we have to winch off the D90 as the soothing tones of JJ Cale still pours out of the stereo (after midnight etc etc). The others all drive the hole the XT's offering that extra grip.
Then fun a broken bridge and a really tricky V-Gully alternate - I take the bridge but some mothers do have them.
DAFFY does the alternate courting disaster as the rear wheel slips into the gully. Then the Alan ("currylux") Hilux tries and ROBOCOP discovers its not really a Hilux but Toyota's first BULLDOZER as it is wedged against the bank. Drive it pushes tonnes of earth then stops. Damn WINCH however the winch cable is buried in the bank then it fails to pull it ain't got any juice. The D90 tries to winch with DAFFY and Blue holding it. Nah we all go backwards then the D90 winch cries enough. Easy Blue turns around and we double line pull it and the 8274 easily pulls out the failed bulldozer. Not to be outdone the other hilux ROBOCOP also wants a go. More winching this time self extraction. Not to be outdone VQ also pushes the LC II effortlessly through.
Almost on time we cruise into Sunga Loh camp site 11k of offroad travelled in 3 hours. Wonderful camping spot full of rubbish from recent campers sigh dispicable people. 2pm we decide camp and relax no walking to the tree as its a 4 hour turnaround. Hey wow a new bridge across the river and a sway bridge at that no moer wet feet crossings.
The rest of the day is declared a rest day camp is erected a 20*30' tarp is put up and 13 beds are added as furniture. Food is amazing the currylux is carrying our curry dinner for tonight. Blue has sunday nights dinner 3 chickens for the bbq and a whole host of community food. The river is tempting I fall asleep 2 hours sleep was not enough the others play in the river for some of them first time here or others second time for some of us the "manyth" time.
Fast asleep 2 hours sleep is not good for me anymore
Fire on and the ROBOCOP camp
The rest of us slum it in the communal Jungle Hilton
The upmarket Hilton kitchen and their celebrity cook
The spacial accomodation
The other Hilton kitchen at the other end of the tarp "yes the poor end".
Sungai Loh is wonderful pretty - clean and just soothing for tired dirty bodies.
Dinner curry and jungle potatoes (wok).
The new suspension bridge
Dinner is from opposite ends of the camp food comes everywhere to make a communal hot pot curry from here , chicken from there bread from over there and tonnes of cold beer and my now famous jungle fries with pepper.
For some it's fishing at night for me I need rest 9pm one 1/2 shot of whisky i'm in bed as the fire and the stories get bigger.
However, there is an incident Glen is fishing over the other side alone and hears crashing through the jungle coming towards him picks up his knife etc eventually a torch is shone on the wild animal only to reveal a shirtless KGB sneaking up on Glen.
Overnight it pours down we are all snug in bed and dry we don't care.
Sunday Morning
I awake 6.45am crikey over 10 hours sleep. Cruise around the camp taking pics of sunrise and get the breakfast ready.
10.30am rollcall for the hike we have 13 brave volunteers to cross the bridge and hike the 7k + 850 meters to the tree. What's the TREE well its a 1334 year old Cengal (say Chengal) tree and its big 16 meters round the base 65 meters high and it dominates all trees around it. Yes 1334 years old makes it around before gunpowder was invented. It's commonly known as cengal Besar (Big) We were told track to tree undriveable a sinkhole will stop us.
The walking pack.
The tree 1334 years old, 65 meters high, 16 meters round the base.
1 hour in we stop for a break its a undulating tough hot walk no air nothing 4 k to walk. The obstacle 1k in is driveable no sinkhole but just a collapsed bank damn we could have winched it. The river crossing is fun no one wants to get their boots wet including me eventually I fall in and get wet. Fallen trees block the track all passable stuff with a chainsaw.
Tree carpark 850 meters to go . Some trail searching finds the track and a few parts overgrown follow my nose and slash the trail back on the way. 100 meters then there it is the TREE imposing silent stong a symbol to us we are not logging everything the end of a 2 hour slog.
25 minutes we muck around and admire it. Then its time for lunch wait its back at camp. The walk back is fast its all downhill 1.5hours I am safely back in camp doing the rollcall as they struggle into BOOTCAMP haha some are exhausted.
The afternoon is spent sitting in the river drinking cold tinnies and watching Glenn toss the net to catch fish.
Then it's time to escort the D90 out 4pm DAFFY and MAYA volunteer(ed) . KK starts the JEEP only to be told ya got another FLAT. FIxed they are mobile. 3 others dive into DAFFY and 2 in the MAYA somehoe I think its going to be a boys trip back. I stay and prepare the chickens 3 for the BBQ and get the kettle BBQ fired up. 1 chicken in rosemary and wrapped in Banana Leaves, The other 2 in chinese spices and wrapped in foil.
6.30pm the rumble of MAYA pollutes the insect sounds and they fly into camp all smiles. Incident free - apparently not.
8.00pm Dinner is served. The chicken is succulent and yes of course jungle fries with black pepper and lots of other food is served.
After dinner the fire is stoked up (yup its 30c+ but still we want a fire) and dries all the wet boots and socks as the whiskey and cold beers emerge.
It rains again during the night.
Monday Morning
10.00am to depart breakfast is cooked and camp packed and one final swim in the river its time for a picture session and it's time to leave.
The return trip is uneventful no winching as its all downhill however the same care is taken. I drive the bank the rest take the rickerty bridge. It's a totally uneventful trip all the usual obstacle and bridge precautions taken.
Rollcall of the vehicles - vroom vroom present.
Oops MAYA makes a mistake
Damn HEEP makes everything look easy
Sungai Keleman
All that remains of the 7 gully track - logged to death gone forever.
Off the trail and back on the blacktop for 500 meters then a left turn and down to the river (sg Loh and the blacktop campsite) and I take them down a secret alternate track. The start fantastic a fallen tree is smashed outta the way by blue and then a trail that hasn't seen a 4x4 for over 12 months. Blue smashes everything outta the way the parang comes out a few times to clear the biggers stuff. 3K later we emerge again at Sg Loh at the 1/2 bridge. I do donuts in the sand while waiting for the convoy the rest are being slow and not wanting to scratch their paintwork.
Finally all rounded up and we follow the trail the Blue 1KZ leaps forward and slides it's way along the 10k gravel road. We get to a RV point and we have only 2 vehicles DAFFY waits while I head back along the track calling out on the radio. We get all the way back and see tire tracks aha XT's going left (how and why) we follow calling on the radio AXE hangs on the Blue truck is all over the track slide here gas it, correct wheels and slide out of the corners. Eventually a cackle on the radio we find them. Who turned off and made a bad decision sigh. I lead them out to DAFFy meantime they had a snackout.
The 7 gully track starts as soon as we cross the Keleman river. after 5k we find ourselves in the middle of a logging area the track has gone. We wander up and down steep tracks everything felled and nothing decent left total desctruction. Eventually I decide time for home 7 gully track is lost forever. We turn around and at the trailhead VQ takes over and leads us to Cuki Kemaman for stuffed Crab dinner. 8.30pm dinner is served and we head for home 9.20pm. I leave the convoy behind wanting to get home and we hera DAFFY stopping to put water in the radiator the 8,500rm rebuild is failing its overheating and shooting out water the 1KZ is sick. Meantime Blue does the same and we also have to top up with a liter of water every 200k. I think I have done another head gasket in Blue's 1KZ sigh. I crawl in home 12.15am after dropping off AXE. Exhausted but what a weekend.
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