There is no Chinese New Year (CNY) entry for 2011 since I remained in United States. In fact, this is the second time I missed celebrating CNY with my family in Malaysia. It was fortunate that I was able to celebrate it with my in-laws here in the States. Even so, it felt incomplete as the atmosphere was rather different due to the fact that CNY is not a national holiday for the United States. All I could do was call home and reminisce the good times.
The last time I went home to Malaysia was April 2010. It was not CNY but a fantastic trip nonetheless. J and I had our Chinese wedding banquet. Furthermore, my in-laws visited Malaysia for the first time and to top it all Aunt Maggie whom I have not seen for a long time came back from Japan with her husband, Jin. Though a little different last year, there was one thing that will always remain the same; our appetite for food and adventure. To fulfill our appetite for adventure, Melissa (Mel) suggested that we climb Broga Hill.
Broga Hill may not be new to Malaysians but it was certainly new for me as I have not been back for a while. As I am writing this, many blogs have been written about Broga Hill. Writers alike have told their respective experiences climbing the hill to catch the sunrise or workout whatever that maybe. I for one certainly would not mind being one of the many to convey my very own experience walking up this hill.
This hill that sits on the edge of the Titiwangsa Range is located in Broga, a small town located on the border of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. As Broga is situated approximately 45 kilometres (28 miles) from where we live, we woke up early to leave our homes by 5.15 in the morning. Seeing that there were eight of us, we drove two cars; one car with my parents, Aunt Maggie and Jin while the other with Aunt Anne (Mel’s mom), Mel, J and I.
It was pitched black when we left our homes. Advised by Mel a few days before our climb, we brought torch lights with us. An added perk, we made tuna and egg sandwiches the night before as reward when we make it up the hill.
With the GPS that I had loaded with Malaysia and Singapore map, we made our way to Broga. When we reached our destination at 6.00 am, we thought that we had arrived early and there would probably be only a few other hikers there. We were wrong as there were many others who had parked their car in the palm oil estate and made their way up the hill.
We alighted the car after parking and turned on our torch lights as we could not see where we were going. As it was a palm oil estate, the ground was uneven and a little slippery as the soil was predominantly fine-textured clay and clay loam soils. All of us congregated at the foot of the hill and gradually ‘walked’ up.
As we did, I realized that the route may not be as easy as what Mel conveyed to all of us days before. According to her, it was a relatively easy trail and we would probably complete the climb in about 45 minutes. Bear in mind that we have two sixty year olds i.e. my parents. Moreover, my aunt was still recovering from illness. Thankfully, Jin was there to assist her and me being their ‘tour guide’. Aunt Anne, J and my parents went ahead leaving behind Mel, Aunt Maggie, Jin and I. Climbing in front of Aunt Maggie and Jin, I guided them up by showing them uneven ground, tree roots growing out of the tropical rain forest and pot holes.
Halfway up, we finally caught up with the rest of the gang. Mel was totally out of breath and panting away. Thankfully, this hill was a breeze for my dad, Aunt Anne, J and I. As for my mom and Aunt Maggie, they had to take breaks as they were out of breath. Hence, the entire way up I kept saying to Mel,
‘Just a trail huh? What trail? This is not a trail. Where did you get your information from? Sigh….’.
‘What???!!!! How would I know? My friends told me it was easy’, Mel defending herself.
‘Easy for them but not for YOU or older folks’, I sighed.
For the few of us who did not wear long sleeve shirts, we were not spared by the aggressive mosquitoes. These breed of ‘bloodsuckers’ known as Aedes aegypti can be lethal especially if they were carrying the dengue virus. There is currently no vaccine to cure the infection as such the infection can be fatal if not treated early. Mel seeing us brushed ourselves to keep the mosquitoes at bay piped,
‘Did you know that Broga Hill is known for Aedes mosquitoes?’.
I turned my head, looked at her intensely, paused and said,
‘You knew all this……when???’.
‘Errr……I read about this a day ago?’, Mel replied nonchalantly.
‘And you did not tell us because????????’.
Sensing that I was faulting her, Mel defended herself,
‘What? I did not know that you guys were not aware’.
Classic response. I just shook my head, sighed and just sighed while Mel just kept echoing,
‘What?!! What?!! What?!!’.
Next time, I vow to do additional research although I am NOT the event organiser.
As the sun rose, I made my way to the top leaving behind Mel, my parents, Aunt Anne, Aunt Maggie and Jin as they coerced me not to wait for them. I finally met J at the second peak and was amazed by the view as well as the fresh air.
After a short interval, I decided to check up on my family hence gave my dad a call on his cell. Surprisingly, the reception on the hill was rather decent and that my family made it to where J and I were. We could not spot them right away as there were so many other hikers blocking our view. As we greeted them, my dad informed me that Mel had a difficult time hiking up so much so she was grateful to be alive when she finally reached the second peak.
As the sun glared and the heat began to intensify, the troop decided to head down. The trip down was not easy at all especially for my mom and Aunts. At anytime, we could have slipped and fall since some areas were really steep.
When we finally reach the foot of the hill, we pat each others’ back well done. It certainly was not shabby for a trip rather organised (despite some lack of information due to the organiser’s lack of vision) and with a party of different ages that attempted the hill successfully.
Here we were at our cars getting ready to go home when Aunt Anne decided that she wanted to go to the rabbit farm across the road. As I was itchy all over due to some mole removal wounds the day before and bites from mosquitoes that early morning, I had to decline. However, I was deemed the party pooper and was made to stay when I was put on a guilt trip by Aunt Anne (evil, just so evil). To minimize the itch I had to use ‘Minyak Cap Kapak’ on the mosquito bites while avoiding the opened wounds.
*I just love the smell of ‘minyak cap kapak’ although J says I smell like old people whenever I use it. Sheesh....He needs to stop stereotyping. In fact, Aunt Anne loves ‘minyak cap kapak’ too.
Since we were still early and the farm was 30 minutes from opening, we decided to have some breakfast. With the recommendation from my very good friend K, we drove to a small coffee shop a few miles down the road. I cannot say that the food was great. It certainly was not. However, it functioned well to fill us up as we were famished after the exercise.
After breakfast, we drove to the rabbit farm only to walk out from it without entering at all. The end just did not justify the means. Not that I mind as I was all for heading home to get a good shower, a good nap and later a fulfilling family dinner.
The last time I went home to Malaysia was April 2010. It was not CNY but a fantastic trip nonetheless. J and I had our Chinese wedding banquet. Furthermore, my in-laws visited Malaysia for the first time and to top it all Aunt Maggie whom I have not seen for a long time came back from Japan with her husband, Jin. Though a little different last year, there was one thing that will always remain the same; our appetite for food and adventure. To fulfill our appetite for adventure, Melissa (Mel) suggested that we climb Broga Hill.
Broga Hill may not be new to Malaysians but it was certainly new for me as I have not been back for a while. As I am writing this, many blogs have been written about Broga Hill. Writers alike have told their respective experiences climbing the hill to catch the sunrise or workout whatever that maybe. I for one certainly would not mind being one of the many to convey my very own experience walking up this hill.
This hill that sits on the edge of the Titiwangsa Range is located in Broga, a small town located on the border of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. As Broga is situated approximately 45 kilometres (28 miles) from where we live, we woke up early to leave our homes by 5.15 in the morning. Seeing that there were eight of us, we drove two cars; one car with my parents, Aunt Maggie and Jin while the other with Aunt Anne (Mel’s mom), Mel, J and I.
It was pitched black when we left our homes. Advised by Mel a few days before our climb, we brought torch lights with us. An added perk, we made tuna and egg sandwiches the night before as reward when we make it up the hill.
Getting ready to leave
With the GPS that I had loaded with Malaysia and Singapore map, we made our way to Broga. When we reached our destination at 6.00 am, we thought that we had arrived early and there would probably be only a few other hikers there. We were wrong as there were many others who had parked their car in the palm oil estate and made their way up the hill.
We alighted the car after parking and turned on our torch lights as we could not see where we were going. As it was a palm oil estate, the ground was uneven and a little slippery as the soil was predominantly fine-textured clay and clay loam soils. All of us congregated at the foot of the hill and gradually ‘walked’ up.
A small stall selling amenities
Broga Hill Information
As we did, I realized that the route may not be as easy as what Mel conveyed to all of us days before. According to her, it was a relatively easy trail and we would probably complete the climb in about 45 minutes. Bear in mind that we have two sixty year olds i.e. my parents. Moreover, my aunt was still recovering from illness. Thankfully, Jin was there to assist her and me being their ‘tour guide’. Aunt Anne, J and my parents went ahead leaving behind Mel, Aunt Maggie, Jin and I. Climbing in front of Aunt Maggie and Jin, I guided them up by showing them uneven ground, tree roots growing out of the tropical rain forest and pot holes.
Sunrise
Taking a break - Dad, Me, Mom, Aunt Maggie, Jin and Mel taking the photo
Moving on
Halfway up, we finally caught up with the rest of the gang. Mel was totally out of breath and panting away. Thankfully, this hill was a breeze for my dad, Aunt Anne, J and I. As for my mom and Aunt Maggie, they had to take breaks as they were out of breath. Hence, the entire way up I kept saying to Mel,
‘Just a trail huh? What trail? This is not a trail. Where did you get your information from? Sigh….’.
‘What???!!!! How would I know? My friends told me it was easy’, Mel defending herself.
‘Easy for them but not for YOU or older folks’, I sighed.
For the few of us who did not wear long sleeve shirts, we were not spared by the aggressive mosquitoes. These breed of ‘bloodsuckers’ known as Aedes aegypti can be lethal especially if they were carrying the dengue virus. There is currently no vaccine to cure the infection as such the infection can be fatal if not treated early. Mel seeing us brushed ourselves to keep the mosquitoes at bay piped,
‘Did you know that Broga Hill is known for Aedes mosquitoes?’.
I turned my head, looked at her intensely, paused and said,
‘You knew all this……when???’.
‘Errr……I read about this a day ago?’, Mel replied nonchalantly.
‘And you did not tell us because????????’.
Sensing that I was faulting her, Mel defended herself,
‘What? I did not know that you guys were not aware’.
Classic response. I just shook my head, sighed and just sighed while Mel just kept echoing,
‘What?!! What?!! What?!!’.
Next time, I vow to do additional research although I am NOT the event organiser.
Second break
As the sun rose, I made my way to the top leaving behind Mel, my parents, Aunt Anne, Aunt Maggie and Jin as they coerced me not to wait for them. I finally met J at the second peak and was amazed by the view as well as the fresh air.
After a short interval, I decided to check up on my family hence gave my dad a call on his cell. Surprisingly, the reception on the hill was rather decent and that my family made it to where J and I were. We could not spot them right away as there were so many other hikers blocking our view. As we greeted them, my dad informed me that Mel had a difficult time hiking up so much so she was grateful to be alive when she finally reached the second peak.
Her reaction here reminded me so much of the time when we hiked up Maxwell Hill and that hill was way more difficult than Broga’s
Family photo - Me, Mel, Dad, Aunt Anne, Mom and J (clockwise)
The Three Musketeers
Mel & the view
Me & the view
As the sun glared and the heat began to intensify, the troop decided to head down. The trip down was not easy at all especially for my mom and Aunts. At anytime, we could have slipped and fall since some areas were really steep.
Sun is up
Downhill
When we finally reach the foot of the hill, we pat each others’ back well done. It certainly was not shabby for a trip rather organised (despite some lack of information due to the organiser’s lack of vision) and with a party of different ages that attempted the hill successfully.
At the foot of the hill - Job well done
Here we were at our cars getting ready to go home when Aunt Anne decided that she wanted to go to the rabbit farm across the road. As I was itchy all over due to some mole removal wounds the day before and bites from mosquitoes that early morning, I had to decline. However, I was deemed the party pooper and was made to stay when I was put on a guilt trip by Aunt Anne (evil, just so evil). To minimize the itch I had to use ‘Minyak Cap Kapak’ on the mosquito bites while avoiding the opened wounds.
*I just love the smell of ‘minyak cap kapak’ although J says I smell like old people whenever I use it. Sheesh....He needs to stop stereotyping. In fact, Aunt Anne loves ‘minyak cap kapak’ too.
Itch & Minyak Cap Kapak
Rabbit Farm
Since we were still early and the farm was 30 minutes from opening, we decided to have some breakfast. With the recommendation from my very good friend K, we drove to a small coffee shop a few miles down the road. I cannot say that the food was great. It certainly was not. However, it functioned well to fill us up as we were famished after the exercise.
Food Shop
Taking our places
Mom, Jin & Aunt Maggie (clockwise)
Toast
Noodles
After breakfast, we drove to the rabbit farm only to walk out from it without entering at all. The end just did not justify the means. Not that I mind as I was all for heading home to get a good shower, a good nap and later a fulfilling family dinner.
