Kluang is a small town in Johor state of Peninsula Malaysia. my family are familiar with Kluang as my mom's sister lived there with her family. It is also a 30-min drive from my maternal grandma's hometown, so we would often have meals (Tangkak beef noodle, Cin Cin restuarant, The Star restaurant, assam fish etc) at Kluang.
Some months ago, Kluang was starred in one of the Channel 8 variety shows. Shortly after that coincidentally we chatted about it with er gu and er gu zhang, and they were super excited to visit! In addition, despite being in their seventies, they lead very active lifestyles and when they learnt of Mt. Lambak they were stoked. So, many years after first learning of Mt. Lambak at Kluang, I finally organised a short trip up north with wifey's family and extended family.
(shall not talk about the most horrible jam encountered in our lives)
.
.
.
.
.
(shall not rant about how our driver pangseh us at 6.15am, leaving us to find our own way to Gunung Lambak)
.
.
.
We commenced the hike at 7.30am and reached the peak, Telecom tower, at about 9.00am.
I would break up the ascend into 5 parts:
1) The foot of the mountain started easy, because the path was a wide, well paved road. Many elderly folks were strolling and doing their morning stretches.
2) About 10 mins later, the path led into rocky, sandy soil of a slight gradient. One could walk easily. There were sufficient shelter provided by the medium height trees and foliage.
3) 15 mins later - you would reach mid summit, marked out by this characteristic signboard you won't miss:
4) From here on, the ascend comprised steep climbs and rocky ground. Though challenging, it was made easier with the ropes and sturdy trees and branches.
5) Finally, the summit! All your efforts rewarded with a panaromic view overlooking Kluang city and the mountain ranges in the background:
-----------------------
Man, I must say the hike was more challenging than my expectations! Though there were steps carved out and ropes for climbers to hold on to, many of the steps were very steep and slippery (due to morning dew I assume). Had it not been for my long limbs and climbing stick, I would have slipped on the soil, fell on my buttocks or perhaps scrapped my knees.
I was madly impressed by the fitness and agility of er gu and er gu zhang (in their early seventies) - they were slow but steady and completed the two-way journey in 4.5 hours. Sore muscles and aching joints aside, they were absolutely delighted and radiantly beaming from a newfound sense of accomplishment! IDOLS!!!
I always enjoyed hiking and trekking, so I enjoyed Gunung Lambak too. Thankful for cool and dry weather for making the hike more enjoyable, I also found company throughout with the two teenage brothers (surprised we shared a few common topics after all, despite the huge age gap lol). What stood out for me from the experience was the thick sense of 人情味 (human social relationship) we encountered, such as:
- Stranger hikers were greeting one another as they crossed paths. Many said 'Hello' to us!
- Came across a skinny elderly makcik in her late sixties who was slowly making her way up. I complimented her, "Wah, awak pandai ah (wah, you are awesome)!" I learnt this was her 3rd time up Mt. Lambak, and her previous time was 40 years ago. WOW! Mt. Lambak must hold some brilliant memories for her.
- At the peak, a group of local auntie uncle friends from Kulai were resting. One of them was distributing her homemade tea leaf eggs. She warmly offered them to me and insisted that I should take them. Turned out to be the best tea leaf eggs I've ever eaten!
And of course, the angel who made the climb possible. So what happened was that our driver was supposed to pick us up at 6.15am but was uncontactable for 45 mins. Having already woken up early and fully geared up, we decided we would walk to the main road and flag down a teksi to take us to G. Lambak.
Halfway walking out, we tried our luck asking for hitch rides (native method using our thumbs signalling to passing vehicles, not using Grab), but to no avail.... 10 mins later we finally succeeded getting a driver to stop to hear our plea. The Chinese lady offered to drive us there without hesitation. Said she, "大家都是运动人士." G. Lambak wasn't along the way for her so she was really kind to drive us all the way (20 mins drive).
We felt mighty grateful to receive such warmth from a stranger. We chatted happily and exchanged contacts. Li Mei jie even offered to bring us around Kluang, if we were to visit again next time. Such an angel!
#faithinhumanityrestored
Some months ago, Kluang was starred in one of the Channel 8 variety shows. Shortly after that coincidentally we chatted about it with er gu and er gu zhang, and they were super excited to visit! In addition, despite being in their seventies, they lead very active lifestyles and when they learnt of Mt. Lambak they were stoked. So, many years after first learning of Mt. Lambak at Kluang, I finally organised a short trip up north with wifey's family and extended family.
(shall not talk about the most horrible jam encountered in our lives)
.
.
.
.
.
(shall not rant about how our driver pangseh us at 6.15am, leaving us to find our own way to Gunung Lambak)
.
.
.
We commenced the hike at 7.30am and reached the peak, Telecom tower, at about 9.00am.
I would break up the ascend into 5 parts:
1) The foot of the mountain started easy, because the path was a wide, well paved road. Many elderly folks were strolling and doing their morning stretches.
2) About 10 mins later, the path led into rocky, sandy soil of a slight gradient. One could walk easily. There were sufficient shelter provided by the medium height trees and foliage.
3) 15 mins later - you would reach mid summit, marked out by this characteristic signboard you won't miss:
4) From here on, the ascend comprised steep climbs and rocky ground. Though challenging, it was made easier with the ropes and sturdy trees and branches.
 |
| Very cool weather underneath the thick foliage, hence not perspiring much (yet) |
 |
| See! Morning rays peeking through the tree tops! 100m more to the summit! |
5) Finally, the summit! All your efforts rewarded with a panaromic view overlooking Kluang city and the mountain ranges in the background:
 |
| Is this Malaysia? |
 |
| Beware the monyet(s) eyeing your snacks |
-----------------------
Man, I must say the hike was more challenging than my expectations! Though there were steps carved out and ropes for climbers to hold on to, many of the steps were very steep and slippery (due to morning dew I assume). Had it not been for my long limbs and climbing stick, I would have slipped on the soil, fell on my buttocks or perhaps scrapped my knees.
I was madly impressed by the fitness and agility of er gu and er gu zhang (in their early seventies) - they were slow but steady and completed the two-way journey in 4.5 hours. Sore muscles and aching joints aside, they were absolutely delighted and radiantly beaming from a newfound sense of accomplishment! IDOLS!!!
I always enjoyed hiking and trekking, so I enjoyed Gunung Lambak too. Thankful for cool and dry weather for making the hike more enjoyable, I also found company throughout with the two teenage brothers (surprised we shared a few common topics after all, despite the huge age gap lol). What stood out for me from the experience was the thick sense of 人情味 (human social relationship) we encountered, such as:
- Stranger hikers were greeting one another as they crossed paths. Many said 'Hello' to us!
- Came across a skinny elderly makcik in her late sixties who was slowly making her way up. I complimented her, "Wah, awak pandai ah (wah, you are awesome)!" I learnt this was her 3rd time up Mt. Lambak, and her previous time was 40 years ago. WOW! Mt. Lambak must hold some brilliant memories for her.
- At the peak, a group of local auntie uncle friends from Kulai were resting. One of them was distributing her homemade tea leaf eggs. She warmly offered them to me and insisted that I should take them. Turned out to be the best tea leaf eggs I've ever eaten!
 |
| Enjoying lovely food with mesmerizing scenery |
And of course, the angel who made the climb possible. So what happened was that our driver was supposed to pick us up at 6.15am but was uncontactable for 45 mins. Having already woken up early and fully geared up, we decided we would walk to the main road and flag down a teksi to take us to G. Lambak.
Halfway walking out, we tried our luck asking for hitch rides (native method using our thumbs signalling to passing vehicles, not using Grab), but to no avail.... 10 mins later we finally succeeded getting a driver to stop to hear our plea. The Chinese lady offered to drive us there without hesitation. Said she, "大家都是运动人士." G. Lambak wasn't along the way for her so she was really kind to drive us all the way (20 mins drive).
We felt mighty grateful to receive such warmth from a stranger. We chatted happily and exchanged contacts. Li Mei jie even offered to bring us around Kluang, if we were to visit again next time. Such an angel!
#faithinhumanityrestored
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