Lata Charok Waterfall : 18-19 May 2013

Last Saturday morning, I met up and join 9 other Cyber Trekker buddies at KPTMKL Cheras at 0730hrs .. as promised.

From left, Amir and wife, yours truly, Syafiq, Hj Yahya, Faiz, Muhammad, Akmal and Amy. Not in picture are Safwan, Hanafizah with wife and son. After re-packing and distributing our rations into 3 cars we convoy towards Genting Sempah for a simple breakfast ..  

I ordered a half plate of fried rice with bulls eye ..

Upon exiting Genting Sempah we turned left and drove up towards ILMU till Kampung Cheringin, Janda Baik ..

At this junction, you turn right ..

Drive up till you see this bungalow .. then turn left immediately (after the bungalow)

Just drive thru along the narrow gravel road beside the bungalow house .. You will see several fish ponds (Patin, Talapia, Lampam Jawa) on your left till you reach the dead end with a small make shift hut surrounded by several chalets .. You can park your car here .. The parking area is not very big but enough to accommodate 10 cars if parked appropriately ..

We were greeted by Mr Jafri Jais (man in blue), the 'land owner' who hinted a 'parking fee' of RM10 per car .. He asked if we were familiar with the trek and advised us not to leave any valuables in the car .. also reminded all trekkers to bring down all garbage for disposal ..

One for the album : group photo before the hike with 10 Cyber Trekkers ..

After a short briefing by Amy the organizer .. we recite a prayer for a safe trek and start walking towards this bushes .. Our target destination is that 'small' hill in the background ..

You have to walk through damp and wet ground with thick foliage of overgrown grasses and small trees .. Watch out for leeches !

Get ready to get yourself dirty .. At some point my feet sank into this soft mud until the calf level ..

Considering this wet and muddy terrain, it's best to wear rubber shoes / sandals ..

Most people do Lata Charok on a day pack. Since this time we are camping out so our backpacks are full of food ration, cooking utensils and standard camping gears such as tents, hammocks, sleeping mats, fly sheets, ground sheets, parang and ropes / strings ..

 A 'short' 60 degrees steep climb along the fence ..

 Taking a breather .. while checking for leeches .. ;)

And there you are ! A Double Jeopardy by the ever hungry blood sucking leeches ..

Natural health treatment .. some people say don't pull it out, just let them finish sucking your 'dirty blood' until they are full and will naturally drop off from your body .. huhu ;)

Akmal the Rambo-Man .. with kuali / frying pan on his back ..

Common sights in jungles of Malaysia .. wild mushrooms growing on fallen tree trunks ..

Fallen bamboo trees criss-crossing our treks ..

At this point you can already start to hear the roaring sound of waterfall nearby .. the trail now seems relatively easier with 'flatter' terrain ..

Finally, the Lata Charok waterfall came in view .. suitable for rappelling .. It is relatively clean and unpolluted, unlike some waterfalls i have been to before. After all, we want to preserve our natural resources for future generations, insyaallah.

Alhamdulillah tabarakallah .. TQ Allah .. what a nice and wonderful place to take a break from the hustle bustle of the hectic city life ..

Twin hammocks tied between two tree trunks provides the best place to take an afternoon short nap while breathing in cool fresh unpolluted air of the forest .. ;)

Our campsite .. quite small but nice .. suitable for 15-20 people max .. We found the environment around it to be well maintained and free from rubbish. 

Backpacks were left outside the tents but properly wrapped in large garbage bags to avoid getting wet and dirty if it rains during the night .. this technique was employed so that we can have more space in the tents for humans to dwell .. :-P

The water was very cold and refreshing .. making it all worth the hike and being bitten by leeches etc .. ;)

Solat time .. Jemaah style - Allahu Akbar !

Amy .. the most versatile young lady in the group .. she's The Organizer, Lead Trekker (recce) cum Master Chef ! .. all in one package ;)

Masyaallah tabarakallah .. what a sumptuous jungle lunch .. Bariyani Rice with chicken korma and mixed acar .. prepared by Amy .. our very own Master Chef .. ;)

After lunch .. simple light reading on the rocks ..

After Asar, went for another dip in the cool water of Lata Charok ..

Preparing for dinner ..

Headlamp (alternative to candle-light) dinner .. Chicken BBQ, Black pepper Beef Steak, Black pepper Lamb Steak, hot dogs and fried rice .. Perghh !

The next morning : at around 10:00hrs there was a sudden influx of visitors to our campsite .. 3 groups from Bank Islam staff, MSU students and City College students arrived .. The quiet and serene waterfall suddenly transformed to become like Mid Valley on Sundays .. Lata Charok was jam packed !

So we decided to break camp and start packing our things .. and get ready for descend at around 11.00hrs .. The way back seemed easier and faster, perhaps because we were already accustomed to the trail .. It was also mainly downhill without all the breaks.

Upon reaching the parking area we wash off all the mud and dirt with the cool river water provided in a large water tank by the land owner at this hut ..

Loaded our things into Hilux .. Feeling a bit tired but satisfied with the enjoyable experience and adventure. The average hiking time to the waterfall was between 30-40 minutes, pending on fitness level. While trekking back to parking lot at a non-stop relax mode took me only 25 minutes. Not bad huh ?

Bye-bye Lata Charok and all the blood sucking leeches .. When the time is right, we might come back to visit you again later in the near future .. ;)