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February 12, 2013 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Broadleaf Rainforests, Camping, Forests, Hiking, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mountains, Tropical Rainforest, Waterfalls

Tok Nenek, Bubu, Yong Yap (TNBYY) – Day 4

The camp woke up slowly and lazily as we were all aware that we had a lot of time to spare and that there was no rush. Since the camp was not shrouded in darkness any longer, I finally got to appreciate the size and space of Kem Agas, which was by far the best campsite of the entire trip. The camp was also in very close proximity to a large river that gave us access to clean water for drinking, cooking and washing; clean

Tags: TNBYY

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February 11, 2013 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Broadleaf Rainforests, Camping, Forests, Hiking, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mountains, Tropical Rainforest

Tok Nenek, Bubu, Yong Yap (TNBYY) – Day 3

I woke up fairly early as the camp slowly came to life and managed to get my hammock packed up and stored away well before dawn. As the sun rose everyone set about either clearing or cooking breakfast and contributing somehow, preparing for the day of trekking that lay ahead. We were all aware that after the Yong Yap peak it would basically be almost entirely downhill from there on so we had both one of the

Tags: TNBYY

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February 10, 2013 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Broadleaf Rainforests, Camping, Forests, Hiking, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mountains, Tropical Rainforest

Tok Nenek, Bubu, Yong Yap (TNBYY) - Day 2

The comfort of the hammock had allowed me to get some decent sleep the night before, so I awoke that morning feeling reinvigorated. The upcoming trek also gave me a lot to look forward to since the group was unable to make the peak the day before like was planned so were to instead head up to the summit of Mount Tok Nenek, then head down and back up to the summit of Mount Bubu all in the same day

Tags: TNBYY

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February 9, 2013 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Broadleaf Rainforests, Camping, Forests, Hiking, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mountains, Tropical Rainforest

Tok Nenek, Bubu, Yong Yap (TNBYY) - Day 1

The original plan was to depart from KL Central at 20:00 but there were a few trekkers coming up from Johor to join as well and were only expected to arrive around 23:00. As such, and after meeting up with my brother, we made our way to Kajang instead as the departure was to be from the DATS store much later on. The convoy itself arrived at the Gua Musang Police Station around dawn the next day where

Tags: TNBYY

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February 8, 2013 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Broadleaf Rainforests, Camping, Class 6, Forests, Guided Hike, Hiking, IUCN Protected Category 6, Kelantan, Malaysia, Mountains, Multiday Hike, Tropical Rainforest

Tok Nenek, Bubu, Yong Yap (TNBYY)

The loop that is known as YYBTN (Yong Yap, Bubu, Tok Nenek) or TNBYY if hiked clockwise, takes 3-4 days and covers three major peaks. One of the peaks is Mount Yong Yap (elevation: 2168 m), the 11th highest point in Malaysia and the 6th in Peninsular Malaysia. The loop has a wide variety of terrain, including tricky bamboo sections, multiple ascents and descents, as well as numerous river crossings. The peak

Tags: Titiwangsa, TNBYY

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February 2, 2013 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Broadleaf Rainforests, Malaysia, Running

Zombie Run Malaysia 2013

"The night is darker than usual. A lone man is walking near the remains of a shopping mall previously known as One Utama. Even the moon is sallow, the colour of a week old corpse. It illuminates 5 people walking down the deserted street. They’ve heard rumours that this part of town is infected. They should be afraid but they’ve swallowed some pills and are feeling euphoric, invincible. Ahead is the Bukit Utama Park

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December 29, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Broadleaf Rainforests, Class 3, Day Hike, Hiking, IUCN Protected Category 2, Lakes, Malaysia, Ridges, Selangor, Tropical Rainforest

Tabur West

We finally set off for the Tabur West hike after the trip having been postponed from the weekend before. Bukit Tabur is a quartz ridge, that is also known as 'The Dragon Backbone', located at Taman Melawati in Kuala Lumpur. It is apparently the longest quartz outcrop in the world that boasts a wide range of flora and fauna, including Dusky Langurs (Trachypithecus obscurus). I didn't actually see any langurs during

Tags: Tabur

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November 25, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Budget, Coniferous Forests, Hiking, Humid Subtropical, Mountains, Nepal, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 18 – Namche Bazaar to Lukla

The scenery that awaited me just south of Namche was absolutely gorgeous. The pinewood (Pinus sp.) forests that laced the southern hills were a mix of vibrant reds and greens, and the backdrop of white and silver layers of snow that adorned the southern slopes of Nupla (elevation : 5885 m) really brought out the contrast of colours. I found that it was significantly easier to appreciate the beauty that lay all around

Tags: EBC

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November 24, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Budget, Hiking, Humid Subtropical, Montane Savannas & Grasslands, Mountains, Nepal, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 17 – Lungden to Namche Bazaar

Despite the ferocious wind that was blowing up the valley from the south, it only took 30 minutes to hike from Lungden (Nepali : लुन्देन) (elevation : 4375 m) to Marulen (elevation : 4210 m). At first, Marulen was akin to a ghost town, as all the houses were bolted from the outside and there was not a single person in sight. I did however end up seeing three people right at the end of the town, which struck me as

Tags: EBC

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November 23, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Budget, Hiking, Mountains, Nepal, Passes, Peak Labels, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 16 – Renjo La Pass

Since today was going to be a big day, I decided to spend a bit more time 'fueling up' with three cups of coffee and macaroni and cheese, whilst enjoying the views of Gokyo Tsho that lay just outside the lodge. I left slightly later than the other hikers as I did not want to hike with anyone along the way. This was because I was in search of the feeling of complete isolation (or rather as close as I could get it), as the

Tags: EBC

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November 22, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Budget, Glaciers, Hiking, Lakes, Mountains, Nepal, Peak Labels, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 15 – Lakes of Gokyo

I had another lucid dream that night. For some reason I was in Singapore this time around, and was standing on a beach with a rented bicycle by my side. I was looking out over the ocean and was watching some world-class waves being churned up by hurricane-strength winds. Suddenly, a huge tidal wave swept through the coast and washed away everything in its path except for me. The dream had probably been

Tags: EBC

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November 21, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Budget, Class 6, Glaciers, Hiking, Lakes, Mountains, Nepal, Peak Labels, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 14 – Gokyo & Gokyo Ri

I slept for ages that night, going to sleep around 18:00 just after dinner and waking up around 06:00 the next morning. I am accustomed to getting about six hours of sleep every night, so such a long duration is very unusual and was an indication that the Cho La pass must have taken a toll on me. The 'Khumbu cough' had also finally caught up to me, leaving my throat not just dry but also a little phlegmy. I decided

Tags: EBC

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November 20, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Budget, Glaciers, Hiking, Mountains, Nepal, Passes, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 13 – Cho La Pass

It was still chilly that morning but the perfectly clear skies were an indication of good weather. I added an extra layer to keep me warm but began to perspire as soon as I started walking, so was forced to quickly take it off. Sweating in cold weather can be quite dangerous as sweat that is not wicked away can freeze and will end up lowering one's body temperature. The trail was fairly flat at first as it made its

Tags: EBC

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November 19, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Budget, Class 5, Glaciers, Hiking, Mountains, Nepal, Peak Labels, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 12 – Kalapattar

The day before had been the first day of the entire trip where I would actually have considered myself to have been exhausted. Perhaps that is why my dreams at that point were so vivid.. or maybe it was just the altitude? The dream that I had that night was strange and very muddled, yet was somehow very clear. Some researchers think that the decreased oxygen levels at altitude somehow affect the recollection

Tags: EBC

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November 18, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Base Camps, Budget, Glaciers, Hiking, Mountains, Nepal, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 11 – Everest Base Camp

That morning, a sad farewell took place in Lobouche (elevation : 4940 m) amongst a group of hikers from New Zealand. One of the party members apparently had been suffering from a bad headache and had just begun mumbling unintelligibly. It was wisely decided that he would need to make a quick descent back down to lower elevations, whilst the rest of the party continued up to Gorak Chep (elevation

Tags: EBC

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November 17, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Budget, Hiking, Mountains, Nepal, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 10 – Dingbouche to Lobouche

I left Dingboche (elevation : 4530 m - I stayed in 'lower' Dingboche though at an elevation closer to 4300 m) that morning completely enraptured after having watched the glorious sunrise crawl slowly down the face of Ama Dablam (elevation : 6812 m). The early part of the trek to Lobuche was pretty straightforward, with barely any elevation gain until reaching Dughla for lunch, which bode well for a few of the members

Tags: EBC

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November 16, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Budget, Hiking, Mountains, Nepal, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 09 – Acclimatisation at Dingboche

The plan was to spend a day acclimatising once again here in Dingboche (Sophie's group was doing the same, before heading up to Lobuche via Dughla the next day). I had decided to carry on with them for the next day or two and to skip the high-altitude pass of Kongma La since the pass was not on the GHT pass list. This meant that instead of trekking up to Chukhung from Dingboche, climbing up Chukhung Ri and then

Tags: EBC

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November 15, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Budget, Hiking, Humid Subtropical, Montane Savannas & Grasslands, Mountains, Nepal, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 08 – Tengbouche to Dingbouche

I woke up early to join a group of other hikers that were heading to the Tengbouche Monastery (Nepali : ट्याङबोछे गुम्बा) for the morning puja, an act of devotion that involves acts such as bowing, making offerings, and chanting. As we approached the monastery, a monk leaned out one of the second-storey windows and blew on a huge conch shell called a 'sankha' - a trumpet that is customary to be blown before the

Tags: EBC

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November 14, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Budget, Coniferous Forests, Hiking, Humid Subtropical, Mountains, Nepal, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 07 – Namche Bazaar to Tengbouche

Even though it was bright and sunny that morning, the temperatures outside hovered just above freezing - a sure sign that winter was just around the corner. Despite the cold, I quickly packed up my gear, eager to get back out on the trail and on to Tengbouche. After making my way up the narrow shop-lined alleyways to the northern side of Namche Bazaar (Nepali : नाम्चे बजार) (elevation : 3440 m), I turned right

Tags: EBC

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November 13, 2012 Posted by Ramon Fadli in Budget, Coniferous Forests, Hiking, Humid Subtropical, Mountains, Nepal, Pradesh 1, Solo Hike

EBC Day 06 – Acclimatisation at Namche Bazaar

The day started off slow and relaxed with a bit of coffee and lemon tea (NPR70+150) before I went out to look around the quaint little shops that were scattered around town. Namche Bazaar (Nepali : नाम्चे बजार) (elevation : 3440 m) is considered the business capital of the Khumbu region and is the site of a weekly market where you can find all sorts of goods and trekking paraphernalia. I ended up stocking up on quite a

Tags: EBC

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