Day 0
For this trip we have had some wonderful assistance. TNB offer to look after us between the dams for security reasons and give us permission to be in restricted areas. Because of my whitewater and previous trips iN Malaysia they decide we do not need to be escorted. Ultrafilta assist us with discounted self filtering jerry cans and drink bottles. Our employees are our rescue if we need to be transported out quickly.
Thursday night the trip starts badly we leave some 12 hours late I'm exhausted fromm the Johor 4x4 trip and get home at 1.30am in the morning. The day when I finally wake up is spent checking and buying Yokes food and checking the checklist as everything is loaded into the Trusty Blue landcruiser.
Day 1 12.00am (10 hours late) we leave Kuala Lumpur we have to meet the guide(s) 8.00am sharp some 400k away. All that came to a shuddering halt at kilometer 470.2 on the highway when BLUE blows a tire a quick call has Paul still awake and he gets a 35" tire to us in an hour. The highlift jack falls backwards as we are swapping wheels bruising my leg badly as I frantically try to hold Blue till everyone is clear. 4.30am we crawl into Gopeng load up the final Kayak and wake Kenny and Jasray to drive us the remainder of the way to Tasik (Lake) Temenggor still some 2.5 hours away. Sunrise and 50 minutes to go Kenny makes a wrong turn at Gerik it's 15k before I realise. Then he is too tired and I take over driving. 8.05am we arrive at the Jetty at Tasik Temenggor (Pulau Banding or Banding Island) and meet our guides for the next 3 days Kassim and Roshini.
Day 1 Pulau Banding to Tiang River 18.4k
We load our kit into the guide boat and tie the Kayaks to the rear for the 90 minutes tow to the start point about 3k from the Thailand border deep in the Royal Belum Forest. But first breakfast. Finally our journey starts at 9.30am two kayaks in tow and a gentle 23k cruise north for 90+ minutes.
First stop the military checkpoint the designated start of Royal Belum Forest Park, the soldiers want to know which country I'm from. New Zealand they nod approval as this is expected from a KIWI. Next checkpoint 500 meters around the corner is The Royal Belum Ranger Station. Then its cruising time again. The views spectactular jungle then the bank about 15 feet as the water is down then the water hot (28c+) as we wind our way with an ever narrowing waterway. 8k to go then 5 and our guide stops at a campsite he asks us start here or upstream at Kejar rapids where you want as that is a mudbath (and it's also dangerous - TIGER beach it is called for nothing). We elect to start here some 4k short of our original target. We thought we were alone up here until we run into a house boat full of fisherman all casting at obviously a big group of Tengas and another 3 or 4 in a tinnie bombarding a Toman rise (I'm then reminded how conservative fisherman I am and only cast once at a rise different fishing education). Then Kassim and Roshini inform us it's lunchtime as 11.15am we arrive at the jetty once the kayaks are prepared and we are guided to a waterfall (Lata Mas) where MAS river meets Perak river as it feeds into the lake. OK good spot to start out journey then. Lunch is prepared baung fish in sauce and RICE with vegtables. Meantime we have visited the waterfall and filled our self filtering waterbottles our only source of water for the journey its a GREEN thing and a weight issue 10 days and 5 liters a person a day minimum is over 50kg of water to haul on the kayak. The environmental savings of also not using plastic water bottles is immense. I teach Yoke how to take water from the bottles.
Lunch is delicious as we consume the cuisine and admire the LONGNOSE (Elephant) footprints in the campground around us
Lunch being prepared
We start here Lata Mas (Mas Waterfall)
Fashion Police please quick Lata Mas Jetty
In Malaysia we do not call TIGER and ELEPHANT (or any other dangerous animal) by it's name due to that it could be CALLING it to us so the name LONGNOSE and MAYBANK (The symbol of the local bank) is used instead.
Start jetty
We are later than our planned 1pm max departure and we have 24k to paddle to get to the top of Tiang River to camp.
It's a slow start but we manage 4k an hour which is our set average for the trip. An orang asli looks like he is walking on water fishing with a net till I realise he is on a narrow bamboo raft and it's under water.
Walking on water?
Approaching camp Day 1
Sunset
The guides have all our kit in their boat I only have fishing gear 2 rods and a box's of lures. Paddling along is nice and pleasant not hot or cold however it is overcast. The river slowly widens into the lake proper and we cruise past the houseboat full of fisherman still casting away. after 4.00pm the wind gets up and we find ourselves heading into a breeze. 8k to go to camp then its 1k left of this scenic paddle and the guide boat pulls into a remote village ahead of us. Wow camp no need to paddle up Sungai Tiang. Our camp and its 20 meters above the water is a surprise no power no water until they start the generator. We inspect our surroundings LONGNOSE footprints everywhere and droppings all fresh. Least the toilets are new. Yoke looks enviously at the chalets across the water with power and hot water. I erect out beds in the no walled shelter while the guides cook dinner. 9.00pm we are feed and and I need sleep the union carbide lamps are lite for us and its sleep time as we crawl into our nets in the beds.
Day 2 Tiang River to Pulau Banding - 23.5 kilometers
Bedroom view
Heading off
Houseboats
We arise and it's overcast camp is packed while breakfast is cooked then we wait and wait for the clouds to clear finally 9am we hit the water our goal is to get out of Royal Belum after a map reading session last night the guides tell us 3 days we can be at the dam. We paddle off I try a few casts at toman rises in the water nothing. Soon its 11.30am and Ruok River beckons we elect to be towed up since it's not part of the trip route to save time and lunch is being cooked on the way.
Mobile Lunch kitchen
Ruok Waterfall Entry
This place is scenic
Fish - smile
The water is down and we have a short hike to Ruok waterfall while lunch is further prepared. Yoke doesn't think much of the watefall but she loves the fish in the water. Back for lunch sitting on the jetty these guys are good cooks outta the back of the boat we have fish in sauce, rice and vehtables and watermelon. I elect to paddle back down the river and fish once I get out of the sanctuary area the two guides are adamant I am not to fish in the Sanctuary area simply fantastic attitude. Yoke joins me when we get close to the end and then we see storm clouds gathering and the cross winds start.
After the storm light rain
Then it hits I head for the nearest shelter after breaking out the jackets and Yoke tries to follow the wind drives her backwards. I turn to assist and so does the escort boat. She refuses all offers of tow and carries on soon making headway and we get to the shelter of the island and wait till the worst blows over. 3k till we are out of the park 2k further until civilasation. We check out of the park then past the smiling military checkpoint with a friendly wave. Then turn the corner and we can see Pulau Banding (Banding Island) was off in the distance. Shortly after 6pm we pull up at the jetty its rained the whole way down and tie off then the big houseboat we saw way at the start of our paddling turns up they unload one huge 7kgplus Toman and a icebox of tengas (sigh they are fishing the river out). A drink and our guides organise accommodation 500 meters away in a floating chalet - Luxury the wife likes this camping trip. Still no Toman caught
.Pulau Banding beckons
Day 3 Pulau Banding to the Dam - 17.5 kilometers
Breakfast arrives
Glorious morning we are packed and ready 7.30am breakfast is delivered I cannot eat it it's way over the top in chilli padi - I chase a early morning Toman while Yoke finishes her shower. Then we are off 8.45am some 14k to the Dam wall easy - 3 hours at our rate. We paddle south down using the islands as shelter from the sun.
The morning view - lets paddle
Telapia farms
10.00am too perfect and the wind gets up and yup it's a headwind no matter which way we turn. 11.30am the wind is quite strong (stop paddling backwards you go) as we cruise past the really open water of the Telapia fish ponds the guides tell us lunch is at a hut on a island. Right now I want that island. It's very hard to paddle when you can smell lunch being cooked in the boat. 12.30pm the guides pull up at a point and step out. Wow FIREMANS ISLAND and in the distance I can see the dam looks like 5k away.
Lunch venue
Lunch is delicious again chicken and rice and vegtables and watermelon. Soon it's time to be on our way. We elect to cross over into sheltered waters and a boat turns our way. TNB (Power company staff) they pull up we been waiting for you we will meet you at the dam.
Getting close to the dam
Soon the Dam is in sight 600meters hard paddle and I step out to a welcoming committee of 6 people at exactly 3pm the time I stated we would arrive. I wait a few minutes for Yoke to paddle in.
Discussion on our plans they will not let us camp below the dam too many Longnoses down there and it's too late to start paddling Bersia Lake - so they give us the TNB houseboat sitting in the spillway for the night - our Kayaks are loaded in the truck and the truck left with us. 8.00am they will return. What a night we can see the storm coming we are thankful for the houseboat as run down as it is. Still no Toman caught
.Roshini and Kassim
Our camp site at Temenggor Dam
Yes we stayed in the jaws of the spillway
Our cook
