Errr.... Yet Another Visit Part 1

Call us Crazy if you like. But this is our third trip to Taman Negara Kuala Koh since March 2009. Well, actually the children & I were planning a Father's Day Getaway for my husband. To make a long story short we finally chose to spend time with nature (well, the weather is hot and dry in Shah Alam and cases of H1N1 is increasing in the Klang Valley, so this trip is not just a "getaway" but a "runaway" too!) - at least that's how our 3 days 2 nights "getaway" to Kuala Koh (again!) began.

We left home around 6.30 after performing our Subuh prayer. Though at first we planned to spend only one night in the jungle while the other two at the Chalet, we soon revised our plan. Once we reached Kuala Koh and learned from Mat the Boatman that Lubuk Kaloi is not occupied, we decided to take the boat ride straight away.


Since it was already around 5.30 pm by the time we reached Lubuk Kaloi, my husband & my eldest son, Danish started to unpack our tent equipment to set up tent. While they were doing this I was busy taking out the camping gas and the kettle - I always start our camping with boiling water and preparing tea (or coffee for that matter). Once done, it's time to cook rice (the formula? water has to be one part more than the rice - this never failed us and the rice will always be nicely done). Next, I rummaged our Coleman box while formulating the recipe for dinner in my head. BTW, a peep into our tent? Here it is :

Our Living Room












Our Bedroom













Once we fulfilled 2 out of the 3 basic needs - it's fishing time for my husband & my second son Hakim. As can be seen here, Hakim in his elements, reigning his own fishing kingdom. And if you were wondering what became of my other 3 children, here goes :





Danish and Damia - no fishing enthusiasts but they love being close to nature. They love playing in the water and supposed the Theory of Evolution works, during our stay perhaps they have developed some kind of breathing structures attached to their noses or lungs which enable them to live underwater.


And Aqil... Oh dear... busy "building the dam" for the fish. Well, whenever they caught any small fish, my husband & Hakim released them in the dam-like structure (can be seen behind Aqil) "built' by the three children. And they enjoyed watching the fish swimming - as they realized after their observation, different specie of fish has different movement.


The Dam.












If you look closer, you can see a yellow baung "relaxing" by the rock - if not thinking of an escape route!


Well, at first though I was the one who suggested camping at the Lubuk, I was quite unsure as to whether my children will enjoy it. My husband dismissed the idea in the beginning thinking of safety and a lot of "what ifs... - what if it rains during the night? what if they catch fever, what if they fall sick? etc,... " But that changed once he saw the children's enthusiasm when we reached Lubuk Kaloi. Here, they are free though we still keep an eye on them. Back at home, they are "locked" behind the front and back gates confined to the safety of the house - the older boys have stopped playing badminton or cycling since there were flyers informing parents in our area to always be watchful & not to let our children out of our sight as there was a case of attempted kidnapping in our neighborhood not long ago. Pity the children, back home they do not have anywhere to go. But here, they really let themselves go! During our two night stay in the jungle, they are FREE. I do hope that this area of Taman Negara stay this way - I hope it will not be commercialized. For it is a real Getaway for some of us. Well, wait for my next entry, ya!