Yesterday, I could have had my usual lazy Sunday and slept in all I wanted. But no... instead, I decided to follow hubby to Matang, where we trekked a 5km long trail up Mt Serapi. That means we walked a total of 10km, but don't forget it is not on level pathway, but on an incline for 2 hours, followed by a decline for 1 1/2 hours. It might not sound like much for frequent joggers or general fitness freaks, but for a flabby mummy whose most regular exercise is carrying the groceries to and from the car, it might as well have been Mt. Everest!
We started the walk a little late, 10:30am. Early morning would have been ideal, because then it would be nice and cool and we would have completed the climb by the time it started to get hot. Well, here's some news, having 4 kids means that timing is never going to be ideal. I guess it would be rather unfair to blame the kids totally, as I was also rather reluctant to get out of my comfy bed so early in the morning when there was no school or work to rush to! So I took my time getting up and getting ready. Then I had to handle the near impossible task of waking the grumpy, not-morning-people, kids- without making them cry. When we got them more or less ready, we carted them off to Kung Kung and Popo's place. 'Thank God for grandparents', is all I can say.
Mummy and daddy, now footloose and fancy-free, headed off for what hubby calls 'guilt-free' kolo mee! We could savour every last drop of artery-clogging pork fat, with the reassuring knowledge (or misinformation?) that we would be burning off every calorie soon.
The drive to Matang took around half an hour. Mt. Serapi's peak is 2300 feet above sea level. There is an old television relay station at the top which is no longer in use, I think. Anyway, the whole area is a forest reserve called Kubah National Park. It is managed by the Sarawak Forestry Department. At the entrance at the foot of the mountain, we had to pay a fee of RM10 per person. There are a few trails to choose from. A one and a half hour trek can get you to a beautiful waterfall, but apparently there are high chances of encountering leeches! We took the longest, the Summit Trail. The park is beautiful, with plenty of colourful butterflies flitting about and the calming sound of insects all around.
The trail is a cement pavement all the way to the top and was therefore easy surface to walk on. That was not the problem at all. The incline was the killer! At some places nearer to the summit, it was so steep that my legs refused to budge any further! I had to take 5 minute breathers at times like that. I had already started sweating way back at 400 feet (and the entrance must've been at 200-300 feet)!! :) There were small rest houses along the trail. If hubby had let me have my way, I would have stopped at every single one! I would also have started heading back down way,way before we reached the top!
Along the way, we saw butterflies of many colours, orange, purple, yellow, white, green... They were very brazen and landed on people's hands and arms. There were many noises which we think were made by insects, frogs, birds and possibly monkeys. We didn't see any of them though, they're most probably very shy and I was also too busy concentrating, willing my feet to go on, step by baby step! A big fat beetle-looking thing did cross our path. It looked like one of those big, juicy grubs that make up the diet of Timon and Pumba, of The Lion King.
Well, I did manage to reach the peak, thanks to some pushing (literally as well, from behind me) from hubby; he kept lying that we were almost there (even at 1000 feet)! He also told me there was a canteen selling 100 plus at the top! Even the children don't believe a word their dad says! I remember one time Claire wanted me to help her with a numbers writing workbook. I was busy so I told her to get her dad to help. Her reply was, "No! Afterwards he say 2 is 3!" That's what you get for teaching your kids, "E for Ephelant"!
Anyway, the view at the top was pretty amazing, and the air was fresh and totally relaxing. The descent was another horror story. Using your calf muscles and knees to stop yourself from rolling down the mountain like a soccer ball, is very painful indeed! In some places, you have to jog down to ease the strain. Towards the end, I had to walk backwards to let my calf muscles stretch and took off my shoes because my toes were getting pulverized! My legs muscles were so stiff, I didn't dare bend my legs too much otherwise they would've just given way! I must've been a sight; waddling like a duck, backwards, without shoes on!
I was happy to finally be at sea level. After the torturous climb, we unfortunately nullified the calories burned by eating yummy nasi kandar! Then we rewarded ourselves with a smashing back rub and foot massage! I'm not in a hurry to get another mountain climb under my belt, but I definitely won't mind another go at the foot and back massage soon!
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