Date: 24 Mar 07 - 27 Mar 2007 [4D/3N]
Location: Redang Island, Terengganu, Malaysia
Transport: Car
No. of dives: 6-7
Accessibility to dive sites: 8.5
Marine Animal Density: 7.3
Dive site terrain Quality: 8.5
Marine Animal Diversity: 7.6
Visibility: 6.0
Overall Score: 7.6
Entry: Boat
Difficulty: OW-AOW
Dive Sites: Fringing reefs/Sandy Bottoms/Pinnacles
Underwater Camera: Canon Powershot A80
Underwater casing: Canon Waterproof Case WP-DC900 for Powershot A80 by Canon
Underwater Strobe: NIL
Land Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Land Lens: Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC
Land Filter: Hoya CPL
Post editing: PS CS2
Oraganizer: Dan
Members: Winnie, Rockson, Lucy, KL Tan, Choon Wai, Doreen, Lilian, Sam, Alvin Low
My reason to go there: Many friends were interested in getting their Open water scuba diving certification, that’s why I did this trip, at the same time I can do a few dives.
I have been to Redang many times, for almost every year for the pass 13 years or so, sometimes twice in a year... On the surface everything look pretty much the same except that there are more concrete resorts now, like Laguna... it used to be all wooden resorts on the island. The water remains crystal clear and the beach clean ..... however what is ugly lies beneath the surface, there were evidence of littering into the ocean, plastic bottles, plastic bags, paper, ropes, empty sun block bottles, etc etc are found around the house reef .. .away from the sight for ordinary tourist, but not from scuba divers like us .... also there were evidence of corals dying, as I saw patches of dead corals almost in every other dive I did....
Never the less Redang remains pristine in its own right, there are still hidden paradises to be found below the surface, and teaming with marine life ... I wish it would remain like that forever...
We need to conserve, be eco aware.. safeguard and protect what is left of places like these…
SLIDESHOW
Date: 03 Mar 2007 - 04 Mar 2007
Location: Gunung Yong Yap, Perak/Kelantan
From: Kuala Mu, Lasah, Sungai Siput, Perak
Altitude: 2,168m ASL
Difficulty: 7.2/10
Hike duration: 2D1N
A.K.A.: G6 of Semenanjung Malaysia
A.K.A.: G11 of Malaysia
Camera: Canon Powershot A80
Lens: add-on wide angle adapter
Filter: NIL
Post editing: PS CS1
Organizer: Micheal Phoon
Members: Dan, Lucy, KL Tan, Doreen and FYC group from KL
Guide: Micheal Phoon
My reason to go there: My first “G”, joint this trip to see if I would like hiking “G” mountains. And I love it!
Location: Sg. Siput(Perak) -> Lasah -> Kuala Mu -> Pondok luar -> Pondok dalam -> Summit(Perak/Kelantan) at 2,168m ASL
Thoughts: It was a good trip meeting new friends, camping at the summit of Yong Yap and blessed with clear morning sky. With less than RM100 we had some clean healthy fun away from our daily lives, 2.5hrs of bumpy 4WD journey, 8 hours of hiking, great food, camp and most of all I did Yong Yap, now I know what is G6 like. …… Doing this trial in 2 days is absolutely possible, however if it is done in 3 days then it would be even better coz we’ll get to camp at Pondok Dalam along side with a nice flowing stream. Parallel with our group was another group from PJ which also did the same trial same time, we rubbed shoulders and exchanged greetings several times along the trail and finally met up at the summit, fascinatingly some of them are multiply users too ….
Mount Yong Yap in Sungai Siput, Perak, is one of the higher mountains in the peninsula but can be climbed in three days.
To get to the base of the trek at Kuala Mu, you will need to hire 4WD to the Orang Asli village, which is 2.5hrs away. You may also need to hire guides from this village.
The trek up this mountain is very steep at many parts. Surprisingly, elephants are known to visit the peak quite regularly.
The peak is rather big and offers magnificent views of Mount Korbu, Mount Yong Belar as well as Mount Brinchang.
SLIDESHOW
Date: 21 Jan 07 - 27 Jan 07 [7D/6N]
Location: Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock and Koh Bon, Thailand [Dive]
Location: Khao Lak(Phang Nga), Ao-Nang(Krabi), Trang and Satun, Thailand [Stop over]
No. of dives: 15
Dive mode: Live onboard 4D/4N
Dive Operator: South Siam
Dive type: Fringing Reefs, submerged seamount
Depth: 15 - >30m
Visibility: 15-20m[Similan Islands], 15m[Koh Bon], 10m[Richelieu Rock]
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Calm
Water Temperature: 26 - 29°C
Experience Level: Beginner - Advanced
Transport: Car (Penang-Khao Lak 10 hours)
Camera: Canon Powershot A80
Underwater casing: Canon Waterproof Case WP-DC900 for Powershot A80 by Canon
Strobe: NIL
Oraganizer: Dan
Members: Rockson and Ah Kang
My reason to go there: One of the many famous diving locations that I have dreamt of going to.
Togather with another 2 friends, we drove for 10 hours; all the way up to to Khao Lak and get on a 4D/4N Similan Islands dive boat. The entire journey was smooth and always interesting with new discoveries everywhere...
The Journey
Departure Day
18.30 Pick up from your hotel
20.00 Dinner on board
21.00 Departure to the Similan Islands
1st day Similan Islands, 2nd day Koh Bon, 3rd day Richelieu Rock, 4th day Similan Islands
07.00 Wake up call
07.30 Light breakfast
08.00 1st dive
09.30 Full breakfast
12.00 2nd dive
13.30 Lunch
15.30 3rd dive
17.00 Snack / Visit to a beach
19.00 Night dive
20.30 Dinner
Last day
12.30 Traveling back to the pier
15.00 Arrival at the pier
and 2 nights at Ao Nang....
Similan Islands can certainly lay claim to being one of Phuket, Thailand's top scuba dive sites. Thriving reefs with abundant hard and soft corals highlight the dramatic terrain, the tremendous diversity of marine life makes it a fantastic observation point for the larger pelagics. Richelieu Rock has the reputation as being the place to see Whale Sharks and Manta Rays in good numbers. The Similan Islands lies about 100 km Northwest of Phuket, Thailand. Declared a National Park in 1982, the Similans are comprised of 9 islands which run roughly North to South and numerous smaller rock outcroppings. With snow-white beaches and a tropical jungle above the water and spectacular scuba diving sites in often crystal clear water below, it's not surprising that the Similans are ranked as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world!
Nearly all of the 9 islands are surrounded by huge underwater rock formations, eroded by the action of a relentless sea. These stone giants are home to an amazing variety of marine life and reach down to 40 meters or more, with passages, caves and gorges forming a unique underwater landscape. All this has made names like Elephant Head, Shark Fin Reef and Christmas Point justly famous. A world of giant underwater boulders, caves, narrow passages, some 500 species of hard and soft corals and an amazing variety of marine life including Leopard Sharks, Guitar Rays, Whale Sharks and Manta Rays is waiting to be explored.
Koh Bon is an island located 13 miles northeast of the Similan Islands. You can dive all around this island but mainly on the west tip where we have seen Manta Rays so often during the years that it has led me to believe they breed there. Whale Sharks are also seen here occasionally while scuba diving. Diving down the west ridge you can see Big schools of Trevallies and Tunas as well as big Marble Rays and Leopard Sharks. On the way back to the shallows you can see schools of Yellow Snappers, Oriental Sweetlips as well as mating Cuttlefish, Octopus and Banded Sea Snakes. Definitely a site not to miss.
Koh Tachai is an island located 25 miles north-east of the Similan islands. Tachai Reef is a round reef located at the south of the island, the reef is surrounded by big boulders and big fans where you start the dive enjoying the site of big barrel sponges and encounters with leopard sharks and rays lying on the sand. The top of the reef is all hard and soft corals of incredible variety. We've also seen the most rare Nudibranches you can imagine. The encounters with manta rays and whale sharks are frequent. We’ve seen up to three Manta Rays and one Whale Shark in a single dive!
Surin Islands National Park lies just a few miles south of Burmese border. Surin Islands are more appropriately famous for their beautiful coves, bays and dense jungle than they are for their diving. The five islands are closely grouped together; the main islands larger than any of the Similans and covered in verdant rainforest. A small Sea Gypsy community lives on the east coast. The diving here is mainly on fringing hard coral reefs, similar to the east side of the Similans. Besides hawksbill turtles one can also observe juvenile tallfin batfish and a wide variety of colorful reef fishes.
Surin Islands National Park has an ace up it's sleeve though:
Richelieu Rock is one of the most amazing dives sites we’ve ever done in our entire lives. Located 9 miles east of the Surin Islands, this rock comes out of the water approximately 1 meter during low tide. Diving around this pinnacle is something not to miss. There are schools of Barracudas and Big-Eye Trevallies, so many of them you can’t see your buddy anymore. Schools of Batfish, Sergeant Majors, Long Nose Emperors, Snappers, Rainbow Runners and Cobias are always around. You also find big Potato Cod, Marble Rays and, during the last two seasons on the north and west side, about 200 Blue Spotted Stingrays were lying on the sand. The best are the White-Spotted Shovelnose Rays and the Whale Sharks, a rare site in any other part of the world, but a very common here. During last season we saw Whale Sharks while scuba diving on every trip from the end of January to beginning of May and on four different occasions two swimming together!
All shots here were taken using a
Canon Powershot A80 compact camera with its' underwater casing.
Richelieu Rock
Accessibility to dive sites: 6.0
Marine Animal Density: 9.5
Dive site terrain Quality: 9.0
Marine Animal Diversity: 8.5
Visibility: 8.0
Overall Score: 8.2
Entry: LOB
Difficulty: AOW
Dive Sites: Pinnacles/Walls
Koh Bon
Accessibility to dive sites: 6.0
Marine Animal Density: 7.9
Dive site terrain Quality: 8.5
Marine Animal Diversity: 7.7
Visibility: 8.0
Overall Score: 7.6
Entry: LOB
Difficulty: OW
Dive Sites: Open water
Similans
Accessibility to dive sites: 7.0
Marine Animal Density: 7.9
Dive site terrain Quality: 8.5
Marine Animal Diversity: 7.7
Visibility: 8.0
Overall Score: 7.8
Entry: LOB
Difficulty: OW-AOW
Dive Sites: Fringing reefs/Boulders/Pinnacles
SLIDESHOW
Date: New year's eve of 2007 [2D/1N]
Location: Gunung Bintang + Gunung Bintang South, Kedah/Perak
From: Sebonton, Selama, Perak
Altitude: 1,862m ASL
Difficulty: 8.1/10 (http://danlow.multiply.com/journal/item/50)
Camera: Canon Powershot A80
Lens: add-on wide angle adapter
Filter: NIL
Post editing: PS CS1
Organizer: Taiping Goh
Members: Dan, Lucy, KL Tan, Doreen, CS Law and other from KL/Johor
Guide: Taiping Goh
My reason to go there: Because I wanna hike Gunung Bintang, a mountain I see in front of me everyday when I drive to work along the Butterworth-Kulim Highway(BKE)
New year's eve of 2007 was spent hiking from Sebonton Perak to Bintang South(1560m) and Gunung Bintang(1862m). It was a long hike from the starting point passing Bintang South peak and then to the summit of Gunung Bintang. The trail was over grown with bamboos and Resam Ferns at many places, Ratan or the Malay Rotan thrive at places below 1700m yielded us many scars, multiple vertical climbs, indistinguishable path ways, muddy terrain and abundant animal paw marks from 1700m onwards, mossy forest with their gnarled tree trunks near the summit region, 15 Celsius and misty at night/morning. … and the scariest part was Tiger paw marks seems to be everywhere near the summit region and we had to hike until night fall when there’s no light except those of our headlamps emitting thru the thick mist and moisted montane forest, along pathways filled with animal foot prints ….. Elephant prints, tiger prints, rhino prints, bear prints, goat prints, wild boar prints, mouse deer prints, etc….
SLIDESHOW
Date: 20 Oct 06 - 30 Oct 06 [10 days]
Location: Lombok Island, Indonesia
Altitude: 3,726m ASL
Difficulty: 8.3/10 (http://danlow.multiply.com/journal/item/50)
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC
Filter: Hoya CPL
Post editing: PS CS2
Organizer: Dan
Members: Ewe Cheong, Lilian, Sam, Lucy, CS Law, KL Tan and Andrew
Guide: 1 local guide + several potters [for the Rinjani trek only]
My reason to go there: GoogleEarth! Yup, I’ve found Rinjani via GoogleEarth. I was just casually scrolling over the geography of Java, then Bali and then Lombok….. when I found this big lake. I later learned more about it via Google that it is actually a crater from a huge huge volcano, so I’ve made a trip there to see it for myself.
My dream come true trip .... few months of planning and gathering the rite gang, and I've made it there and back in one piece, most importantly everyone came back in one piece as well .....
I can't believe I went backpack with 7 other person, as we all know backpack trips are always uncertain.. if you ask me to do this again, hmmm I will probably not do it again. All in all everything was relatively smooth, we got our accommodations, meals, transportation guide, hiking, island hoping pretty smoothly ... except for some minor glitches here and there..
Ok we flew from Penang to KL, from KL we flew to Bali ... stayed one night there, the next day we got a van to transfer us to PadangBai, we got onto the huge metal ferry and off we go .. it was a 5 hours slow ride to Lembar, Lombok. The ferry was made of steel .. over crowded, quite messy, low class looking place ... but we are ok, we enjoy sitting amongst the locals and have a feel of what was it like to travel like that.
At Lembar we got on to the van and headed to Sembalun Lawang where we meet our pre-arranged guides and porters. I guess that is the only pre-arrangement I have made for the trip. I was surprised to see 11 porters and 1 guide. These men will be hiking with us for the next 4 days..
About the hike
Day one - I remember the sky to be super blue, super clear, and the view of the entire Rinjani mountain was perfect ..... the hike was on flat savana land for the first hour, then it was up up up all the way to the camp site of Pelanwangan 2 Crater RIM at 2639m ASL. When we got there it was already dawn, while waiting for the porters to setup our tent, we wonder around, taking pictures .. .the view was amazing, other than Nepal I have not seen another prettier place than this.. we got into our tents soon after that, and it started to rain, strong wind and it became really cold, seriously cold . .all the other guys came to my tent and we could not move out from the tent for dinner, so they brought us our dinner ... fried rice with vege, eggs and fruits. I am not sure what was the temperature that night, but I guess it was easily <10c
Day two - We woke up at 2:00am and had to start hiking at 2:30am ... it was freezing !!! A quick snack and off we go .... the reason we started so early was because we want to get to the summit before or during sunrise. The trail was brutal, it was really dusty, steep and grainy(I meant loose with volcano sand/stones) ...every step forward, it will be half a step backward, tough hike! Anyway most of us reached the summit just around sunrise and managed to see the magnificent 360 panoramic scenery of Rinjani from there. The descend was quick, it was almost like skating down ... when we got back to the campsite, brunch is served. After that we broke-camp and headed down into the crater of Rinjani ... the next campsite was beside the crater lake within Rinjani.... the trail down was nice, superb scenery, lots of pictures and we got there just before dawn again, the porters setup camps, and cooked our dinner. ..while we where busy bathing at the hot springs nearby, taking pictures and some busy digging holes to do their big business, lol.
Day three - Originally we planned to hike all to the crater rim and camp there, however we reach the campsite very early, so we had a discussion whether to push and complete the trail 1 day early or just camp there and continue our hike as planned. After the discussion we decided to push and complete the hike at the same day, that is to reach Kg. Senaru before dawn, so everyone was on turbo after lunch .... vrooom we go and we got to Kg. Senaru before dawn, the porters found a nice place in the Kg. over looking a valley for us to setup camp, from the camp site we could see Sindang Gile waterfall, there is no river above... water just shoot out from an opening at the side of the mountain ... really cool.
Day four - The reason why we have decided to complete our hike 1 day earlier was to be able to have a day to explore Senaru, to visit Sindang Gile and Tiu Kelip waterfall ..... they are breath taking, the water 19c freezing cold and super clear. After the waterfalls we visit the local wet market and had some really good mee bakso ..then we visited the house of our guide, had tea there, etc etc
After Senaru we went to Kuta, south of Lombok for the beach .. Kuta has some really nice and long beach, very popular with Australian surfers .... for me, it is like a huge aquarium, I spent hours wondering the beach during low tide .... there were a lot to see, nudibranches, crabs, seahorses, octopus, seaweeds, etc ... we rented bicycles to cycle around too.
After Kuta ...we explored Sengigi, and did some island hopping at The Gili Paradise Islands of Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air, did some snorkeling .. .we could see green turtles, and bumpheads !
Later on we explored Mataram, the capital of Lombok on Cidomo(local horse cart)...
And finally got our-self a domestic flight from the airport back to Depansar where we connect back to Malaysia
To describe this trip .....
Food: very sedap, mee bakso especially ... nasi campur, ayam taliwang, perincih kangkung...
Places: very beautiful, very natural ... especially the Rinjani region, Kuta and the Gili Islands... and the most beautiful waterfall I have ever seen -> TiuKelip Water
Transportation: we've experienced almost everything .. hike for 4 days, walk walk walk, crawl, taxi, motorbike, van, A.Asia, Domestic flight, Ferry, Boat, Cidomo....
People: Interesting culture ... friendly, but the road side vendor can sometimes be a bit annoying, hai cari makan susah...
SLIDESHOW
Date: 30 Sep 06 - 01 Oct 06
Location: Gunung Stong, Kelantan
From: Mount Stong State Park, Dabong, Kelantan
Altitude: 1,433m ASL
Difficulty: 4.8/10 (http://danlow.multiply.com/journal/item/50)
Hike duration: Day trip to Strong [2D/1n a Baha's camp]
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC
Filter: Hoya CPL
Post editing: PS CS2
Organizer: Doreen
Members: Dan, Kean, Lucy, Lynn, Kah Fai and KL Tan
Guide: local guide from Baha's camp
Reason of my visit: Since I've done Gunung Ayam, I might as well do Gunung Stong too. They are like twins.
A trip Gunung Stong .... 2nd time to BAHA camp..... ... BAHA camp is a camping group 450m ASL and the foot the Jelawang waterfall, said to be the tallest in south east asia, but I don't know how true is that... like Mount Kinabalu is said to be the tallest in SEA, but it is actually the 5th tallest after 1. Hkakabo Razi 5881m, Burma, 2. Puncak Jaya 5030m, Indonesia, 3. Trikora 4751m, Indonesia, 4. Mandala 4701m, Indonesia.
To go to BAHA, you need to first goto Jeli or Dabong at Kelantan, from there you can ask the locals how to get to BAHA....
We camped at BAHA for 2 nights and did a day trip up to Gunung Stong, I think it tools 4 hours to reach the summit. Nothing particularly nice up there, however like all mountains in Malaysia, vegetation is abundant and interesting. If you are lucky you could see hornbills flying above you ...
SLIDESHOW
Date: Sep 2006
Location: Bukit Tabur(West), Selangor
From: Taman Malawati, Selangor
Altitude: 450m ASL
Difficulty: 1.5/10
Hike duration: Day trip
A.K.A.: Bukit Malawati
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC
Filter: Hoya CPL
Post editing: PS CS2
Members: Dan, Sam and Lilian
Guide: Sam and Lilian
Reason of my visit: Seen some really nice picture from Tabur before, so wanted to photograph it myself.
Bukit Tabur at KL, standing at approximately 450m is errr ... not that hard to hike up, but it can be really dangerous if you are not careful ... here are some pictures from Tabur......
Information:
http://www.emedia.com.my/Weekly/TravelTimes/Friday/Frontpage/20030612100609/recent_article
TO the untrained eye, Bukit Batu Tabur is a not too high a hill in the form of something like a pre-historic animal's backbone guarding the congested Ulu Kelang and Gombak residential neighbourhoods.
More serious climbers and adventurers look at its nine bulges and ragged cliffs as training ground for a more challenging tilt at Gunung Tahan, Mount Korbu or Mount Kinabalu.
The limestone ridge is actually a favourite weekend hideout for Klang Valley's climbers, joggers and nature lovers. In a claim to some distinction, it has also been touted as the longest quartz ridge in the world.
Be there in a weekend morning or afternoon and the usually quiet place will come alive with its regular visitors performing their favourite physical rituals after a hectic working week.
With its unique physical feature of a long outcrop, Bukit Batu Tabur has only two choice of trails – both start at each end of the rock.
SLIDESHOW
