Broga Hill in 2011 - Things Have Changed A Lot Over The Years

It is almost like a ritual now for me to hike up Broga Hill at least on an annual basis. I did write about how things have changed tremendously at Broga last year. This time around, our plan to climb Broga Hill was a last minute thing. It was something that has been brought our during my losing game of bowling. Hehe. Despite thinking that Bukit To'kun hike at Bukit Mertajam, Penang could possibly be the closing hike I would be doing this year, I was totally wrong about that. I'm game and all gear up to do more outdoor activities during this year ending holiday season.

So let's get talking about Broga Hill at least from how I see it last weekend.

What is new at Broga Hill now?

- I spotted a couple of make shift toilets hidden away at the corner of the oil palm parking lot and another one just at the beginning point of the hike

- There weren't a lot of people last week comparatively to the throng of human processions I've seen over the days. I'm blaming the holiday seasons so people are getting out of town.

- There are more food stalls and the usual Chinese aunty who sells her cold drinks is still there but she is sitting way up to the starting point which will be the first stall hikers will meet as they reached down from the hill. Business is getting really competitive these days at Broga Hill. hehe. Surprisingly there is also a burger stall. I was like WT* for a second there thinking that it is so out of place. People someone should note to them that people who are hikers are usually health conscious and we care about what goes down into our stomach. Burgers will mess up with our system dude!

- As for the track itself : it is the usual track. I was wearing someone else sport shoes and it does get a bit slippery on some trails. We didn't climb up the last point of the track too. It was rocky, with a bit of rope climbing and not to mention slippery because we were people watching and so quite a few slipped down and got them hanging on the ropes. But not to worry, it is fairly safe provided you have people around to give you a hand.

- I think quite a number of people were actually climbing up Gunung Tok Wan which starts at the highest point of Broga Hill. Yes, I was somewhat suggesting to my fellow hikers to do this Tok Wan hike last month but we didn't because the timing was all off. So yeah, I have enough reason to come back Broga Hill again next year so that I can finish up Tok Wan.

- The view has always been stunning at Broga Hill so I didn't bother to really pose and have a nice shot taken. I'm silly like that so silly is the only thing I know when it comes to posing for pictures. It's fun though and you should do it too!

There you go! The final report on the things that has changed at Broga Hill for 2011. I'm expecting things to 'develop' more at this place. I hope it's only  for the better. You still have this weekend and next week to hike up Broga Hill if you haven't already. Go there. Get hiking. Get sweating. It's really fun and hiking never gets old despite how many times you walk up the same trail.

Hiking Up Bukit To'kun at Cherok To'kun, Bukit Mertajam | Tokun Hill BM, Penang

The last of my hiking activities with my fellow hikers was back in early January at Bukit Tabur, Taman Melawati. Oh goodness, that was ages ago. Haha. Hence to wrap things up for the year end, I had another last hiking trip for the year somewhere up north which was at Bukit To'kun or  it is either known as well as Bukit Tokun or Tokun Hill located at Cherok To'kun, Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Most of my fellow hikers resides in Penang and they have been posting loads of beautiful hiking pictures at Bukit To'kun with the Mengkuam Dam view that made me said to one them that I really need to go there and check that place out. Thankfully, I had a chance to drive down to Penang for a wedding and of course, I had to extend the stay for another day to check out Bukut To'kun.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Mengkuang Dam, Bukit Mertajam, Penang"][/caption]

If you are thinking for directions to Bukit To'kun, I truthfully cannot direct you from here because my friend was driving us all along and the next thing I new, I saw the Cherok To'kun signage, we passed the Mee Ketam Pak Man Restaurant around the corner, approached straight to Taman Rimba Bukit Mertajam, drive farther up a bit and the journey begins.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bukit Tokun clouds taken from the wooden platform"][/caption]

I was told that there are 2 routes to hike Bukit To'kun which is the off-road jungle tracks or the tarmac road which was the one that we used since all of us girls want to take it easy and slow and no wants to get wet and dirty in the jungle track.

What do I feel about Bukit To'kun?

I think people in Bukit Mertajam (BM) are really lucky. The place is jam-packed, loads of people are hiking, young and old - I'm talking grannies and grandpas with sport shoes and walking sticks hiking solo all the way up the really steep hill. It is a tough hike because of the gradient level/slope and these veterans are really rocking it out man. For younger and more adventurous ones, they are really a lot of cyclist - properly dressed of course, cycling up the steep hill and I saw one guy, he must have cycled a lot and I thought his calf muscles is going to break out of his skin at any time. That is exactly how intense it really is to climb up Bukit To'kun with your bicycle.

[caption id="attachment_2579" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Cyclist at Bukit Tokun, Cherok Tokun, BM"][/caption]

We pretty much took our time to hike and there were lots of stops and picture moments. Hence we round up the hill as in our return trip up and down took us about 2 hours 43 minutes. We only took 44 minutes to come down hill so you can guess how much time we spent for the photo taking sessions. I was really looking forward to see the view of the Mengkuam Dam at the wooden platform area, somewhere just a couple of meters away from the peak and that was basically the highlight of the whole Bukit To'kun hike. We had a pretty good day, cool and it rained the night before and we got to see beautiful clusters of clouds just beneath us, as though suspending right below from where we were standing and it was hands down the best view of the day. At some point, it didn't feel like we were in Bukit Mertajam but felt instead more like we were up on a really beautiful mountain view.

Most people who hike up the hill are usually regulars and it is really a very vibrant and exciting place to meet a lot of people. I really love that kind of exciting hiking vibes where everyone is so friendly and nice. We even met with a friendly bunch of guys and one guy fell victim to become our unofficial photographer. Friendly guy, very nice to chat with but no one bothers to at least get his Facebook name. Hahaha.

Anyway, if you are a Penangite and hiking is your thing, this is the place to go. With 2 routes to choose from, there are more fun to come back at Bukit To'kun often enough. For you hardcore bikers, this hill is the place to be! I'm thinking probably some path may be up to 45 degrees incline or slope which is really intense and will make you work it, man! For social hikers like me, this place is really worth to find and hike especially if you intend to travel down to Penang although this place is located at Bukit Mertajam not in the island. So yeah, Bukit To'kun or Bukit Tokun or Tokun Hill or Cherok To'kun hill (however you want to call this place) is really great, vibrant, happening and has an incredibly beautiful view right at the wooden platform. This is a must place to go hiking all the way in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

*pictures thanks to Miss M :)

Bukit Tabur : Things you need to know about Tabur

Updated 24 Jan 2014 :

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE ON BUKIT TABUR:

Due to several life threatening incidents occuring at Bukit Tabur, currently you:

- MUST get a PERMIT from Pejabat Hutan Daerah Selangor Tengah, Cheras before entering Bukit Tabur.
- Visiting hour is only ALLOWED on Saturday & Sunday from 7am-5pm.
- A fee of RM 5 per person is incurred.
- You will be considered as trespassing if permit is not obtained.
- Some people has managed to get a monthly pass to enter Bukit Tabur, so that’s good news.

* For more updates and info, it’s advisable to join this FB PAGE : The Trekkers

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bukittabur/

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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BUKIT TABUR

Finally, I got the chance to hike up Bukit Tabur and many thanks to our hiking 'kakis' (inclusive of meeting 2 readers from this blog)  and  guides for making it possible.  No doubt the hike will be nearly impossible if I were to just go alone with my partner, FF like how we used to do go hiking just the two of us at Broga Hill. If you are a first timer to Bukit Tabur or simply Tabur, there are a few important things you may need to know about this hike. Whatever listed below is subjected solely to my own personal opinion and my first time experience at Bukit Tabur.

[caption id="attachment_1896" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bukit Tabur lake view. Looking a bit hazy no?[/caption]

Here goes the list of things that you need to know about Bukit Tabur / Tabur :

- Bukit Tabur is located at Taman Melawati and if you don't know your way like all first timers, you are for sure to get lost. Haha. Don't bother asking the people near the little town of Taman Melawati for directions because most of them will be plain clueless about the place. Oh wait, if you ask the wrong type of people, probably they just don't know about a quartz hill somewhere in Melawati.

- Get your exact directions checked with people who have been to Bukit Tabur before to avoid getting lost. You have to go through the hilly housing area with big houses and coming down to a narrow path to get to this place. Puncak Niaga should be a good landmark to ask around for directions from the locals.

- Bukit Tabur is a combination of a short uphill hike from the start and then the rock climbing sections and a little bit of relaxing hike (nothing really crazy uphill hike like Broga Hill) to get you to the peak with the Malaysian flag. I lost count of the number of peaks you have to go through but it is kinda a LOT! About 4 at least.

- Bukit Tabur is NOT a suitable and safe training ground if you are thinking to train for Mt.Kinabalu. It gets a little bit dangerous when you are climbing the rocks at Tabur and in case you don't know this, Mt.Kinabalu does not need rock climbing abilities to get you to the top. It is funny to claim that, a couple of us were thinking that Bukit Tabur is way tougher than climbing Mt.Kinabalu ( we went up Mt. Kinabalu last year). Haha.

- If you are a shortie (like yours truly) you may have a bit of trouble descending with the rope at the rocks. The reason being :  you can't see the next landing point ( a safe rocky surface to land your feet)while you are descending and you need people from below to guide on your steps , since you can't really reach your feet further down - the next best thing to do is to lower down your body by hanging on the rope with both hands and lower your body to reach the next step at the rocks. This part of the descent can be challenging ( only for short people, haha) because you have to trust yourself that you can hang on to the rope strong enough and of course trust on the rope too! Take your time during these rocky downhill descent with the ropes, stay focus and don't even think about panicking. :)

- The lake view at the top of the rocks should be really beautiful and it is a great place to fiddle around with your cameras  if and only if, you depart from the starting point really early. Let say depart while it is still dark so that you can catch the sunrise. In our case, we departed while most people have already left. Ouch!

- The returning route was fairly easy. We went through a downhill track towards the durian orchard. Don't worry, there will be no more rocks to ascend and descend on this route if you have been totally traumatized by the whole rock climbing experience earlier. As of the basic rule of any hiking, bring a lot of water, food and drink a lot of them water. If you are experiencing cramps and light headed, it is a sign that you need to drink more water. I would say a good 1.5liter of water is what you need to be carrying for this hike.

- The whole gang clocked a pretty good timing about 3.5 hours (is that good timing?) for the whole hike (up and down) but I'm pretty sure it will take longer time if we decided to come down the same way the came up ( the rocky hills) or continue forward towards the East side ( I think it is East, I may be wrong about this).

In conclusion, I'm saying Yay! I've done Bukit Tabur and will I go there again? I need to think about that first. I would like to think that I can upped my endurance and stamina with a safer training ground on other hills instead. Whatever the verdict is, Bukit Tabur is definitely challenging thanks to the rock climbing experience and it is something different from what you will expect from a typical hill jungle trekking.

Breathing techniques while running or hiking

If you are finding yourself gasping for air after a short time of running or ascending hiking, you may want to try out the proper breathing technique for your run or hike. So, how is it done?

It works simply by following the standard 3:2 ratio of breathing where it is a 3 deep inhale for the first 3 steps and 2 slow exhale for the next 2 steps and repeat. As you get used to this 3:2 breathing technique, you can see yourself running or hiking steadily but most importantly you will be relaxed and are able to keep a constant pace or momentum throughout your run or hike.

Do note that the way you breathe differs from one individual to the other and following the 3:2 breathing ratio may be difficult for first timers. I know that very well because initially, I did find it hard to get used to the 3 deep breathe with 2 exhale and at the end found myself gasping and panting even harder than before. If that is the case with you, you can vary your breathing to 3:3 breathing ratio and alternately changing to 3:2 ratio later on during your run. For fast running or sprint, most runners implement the 2:1 breathing ratio while most elite long distance runners do the 2:2 breathing ratio throughout their miles of running.

It is also vital to know that good breathing techniques particularly as I have recommended which is deep breathing may help your body to function well and efficiently. It works quite simply by making your body more oxygenated. Enough oxygen in your blood cells help to process more energy for your body to function better especially during strenuous long run or hill/mountain ascent. Moreover, deep breathing can give you a calming effect during your run or even your daily life and it is the easiest fix for stress.

Keep on practicing and working on your breathing techniques to build your overall stamina and performance. It is also very much recommended to breathe (inhale and exhale) using your nose instead of using your mouth and nose because nose breathing helps to filter impurities from the air and regulate the body temperature. Will that all said, never take your breathing technique for granted because if you get the technique right, it will do wonders in your running or ascending hiking performance.

What's new at Broga Hill this year?

We've been up Broga Hill for a couple of times last year with each trip being uniquely different from the previous one. By all means, 'we' represents myself and my equally adventurous partner,FF. If you have read my older post about my hiking trips on Broga Hill, I was proudly mentioning that

you can never turn down an invitation for a hike at Broga when the sole purpose of climbing is to capture images of the scenery and the climbers!

As far as I am concerned, that statement was so last year. It is because there have been a lot of changes going about in and around the hill. It is sad to say that the changes I have seen a couple of weeks back will draw me further out from making future hiking trips up this hill. Here are the reason why.

To begin with, every frequent hiker at this hill knows about the palm oil plantation parking lot. It used to be a free parking for all visitors but not this year. Either pay up a parking fee of RM 2 or decide to park else where like by the roadside which is right before entering the plantation. A lot of people resorted to parking by the roadside because of the parking fees and if you are a frequent hiker at Broga Hill, I find it just not worth the money simply to pay some fees for parking. Just not worth it.

More over, you get to see a couple of sign boards from the starting point of the hike right to the summit. Putting up sign boards of course is a good thing because it shows that the hill is properly taken care of. Well at least that is what we think.

[caption id="attachment_735" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The grass started to grow green again despite being totally pitched black a couple of weeks black. Only the branches left blackened."][/caption]

Next, for the past couple of weeks, the hill for some unknown reason was badly burnt at the summit and the formerly green, tall grass turned into tall strands of blackened sticks and leaves. An aerial view of the hill shows that a good portion of the hill was badly burnt down. The only possible reason for the burnt I guess was because of the dry spell, the grass got all dried out and eventually burnt on its own due to the heat. That is what I think though.

Lastly, ever since the hill has been getting a lot of publicity thanks to television - I suppose it was the 8TV Quickie Show, weekenders varying from youngsters, students, families and hikers like myself throngs the hill like a tiny procession towards the top right from before sunset. The last thing I wanted was to brush shoulders with some bunch of strangers on some hill. Hill hiking suppose to be a fun-filled outdoor activity to be closer to nature, not closer to more people.

Therefore if you have yet to visit Broga Hill or have some thoughts of going over there this weekend and if you are an ardent hiker trying to explore new terrain at this hill, try going after my suggestions here:

1. Avoid early morning weekend hike because that is the peak hour time where many will flock the hill to view the sunrise. Come on you can have better sunrise view elsewhere where it is peaceful and serene.
2. Recommended timing for hiking will be around 8 am or later. You can also try evening hike or best do it on weekdays.
3. If you are thinking to save some bucks because if you are coming from KL or PJ area, it is a long drive to get here, thus it is best to park free by the roadside. Just watch out for the immediate left of the roadside right before the plantation entrance because the surface area there is slightly steep and not stable. You do not want to see your car toppled to the side at the end of your hike.

With that all said, FF and I figured that the hike we had at Broga Hill two weeks ago will be the first and the last at least for both of us this year. But come to think of it again, you'll just never know. We may make our return trip here but just not anytime too soon.

Hiking up Broga Hill, Semenyih

I'm proud to announce that I've hiked or climbed up this Broga Hill for the third consecutive times now! YAY! I figured that on the second climb that would be the last of Broga for me, but what the heck, who could turn down another invitation of Broga  when the sole purpose of climbing is to capture images of the scenery and the climbers! The 'cam-whoring' addition to the climb was good enough a reason for me to continue on the third Broga Hill hike of the year and I wonder if there is going to be more hike on this hill after this.