We be Chiling

During my stay at Vig's place during the Deepa-Raya holidays, he told me that he and his mates were scheming to make a day trip to Kuala Kubu Baru, the usual site for Raleigh International's Introductory Weekends. When I took part in the event late 2004, I underwent the usual bootcamp routine that Raleigh plans out for their potential recruits. The only thing familiar this time round was the parking area, and that the obstacle course path would barely form half of the warm-up of a long hardcore trek to our true coveted destination, Chiling Waterfalls.

Vig's right-hand man Alan graciously took on the role of chaffeur. Together with Chun Ming and Pearly, the five of us headed out to fuel our bodies up first, and chose a hawker place that sounded veritably dubious.


The ride to Kuala Kubu Baru was not too short, neither was it long enough to stretch over into my fidget zone. Chun Ming kept the car buzzing momentarily with a sudden outburst of paparazzi panache.


Once we got to the parking area, we immediately got going with Alan leading the way. I decided to strip down to my swimsuit, since I only had one set of dry clothes to last me the whole day. Had trekking been on the agenda before I packed for Vig's place, I would have also included a pair of hardy sandals in my rucksack. Alas, the only available replacement for my delicate white trainers was Vig's flip-flops, 2 sizes too big. After several minutes of trudging through puddles and uneven terrain, the slippers proved to be more of a shortcoming than an advantage. "You know, I'd personally go without the slippers," Vig nudged me. I gave in to the logic behind that option, and off my feet they went.

The next hour and a half was an upsetting ordeal for my tender virgin soles. Slipping on rocks, tripping over roots, stepping on the unsuspecting thorn, not to mention having my heels chased by ants the size of my thumb. But it was riveting to feel the earth under my feet and soon enough, I was lapping up every step onto damp humus, fuzzy moss and the notoriously guilty pleasure of toes sinking into mud.


There were a few rivers to cross along the way, and treading chest-deep into an overwhelmingly strong current of chilly spring water on a rocky bed whilst attempting to keep your bag dry is a feat that only looks easy when acheived by either iron men or Raleigh members, both groups sometimes overlapping. I tried swimming at one point, thinking that it was easier, but got hurled downstream before finding a large stone to cling on to until the others waded over to lend me a hand. "You're such a rookie!" Vig teasingly said as he grabbed me by the forearm. Easy for a Raleigh-an to joke about it. Had I not shared the same physical density as cork, I'm sure river-crossing would have come to me more naturally.

We eventually heard an unmistakeable roar, and we stepped up on our pace. Alan ran out of my sight and I heard him holler with awe. We joined him in the open space, felt the wind and mist on our faces, and started screaming too.

It was amazing.


There was a massive stone facing the waterfall for us to chill and indulge in some photography.

I in the meantime inspected my feet after the long, exaggerated reflexology session.


There was a low ledge to the left of the waterfall which Alan had already begun to exploit. Vig set his camera to progressive-shot mode, and each of us took turns in capturing our creative take-offs.

I call this one 'The Lemming'.







How's the water? I'm sure you can tell.


While we were there, we also surprised Alan with a birthday present: a limited edition Ultraman figurine. He was very happy.


You Tarzan, me Lame


Our lack of heed to the greying clouds overhead got the better of us when we got hit with a sudden heavy downpour. We packed up hurriedly and Pearly started to run. "Why are you running? No point!" Chun Ming laughed. The 'Tard didn't understand why, and then remembered how far we were from the nearest roof. The rain died down halfway through our journey back to the car.

The jungle is full of strange and terrifying creatures.


Not your average afternoon stroll


After Chiling waterfalls, we drove further down the road to check out the natural hot springs, where some of the village folk were already utilising as their sunset hangout. The water was seething, and our skin flushed. Amidst the rustic sound of toads croaking and fragments of feathery blue algae floating around our shoulders, it was a dreamy end to the day.

I loved the company I had that day. It was the most impromptu getaway I've ever had, and the one didn't know I needed the most. I'm glad that they were to blame.


Most of the images here were taken by Vig. For more pictures of crazy dives, the Ultraman 'sexcapades' and other wierd things these people got up to that day, log on to Multiply and check out the album at Vig's account.