Preface: This post includes pictures and description of food, motorcycles, nature. Malaysia is all about these things and more…
As soon as Donny told me about the Lemakoh (Lemarko) camping trip, I was keen to go. I knew very little about the place but I was eager to test out my camping abilities (see I did not call them skills). My previous camping trip to Jerangkang is best described as a blooming disaster. I swore never to camp again. More on that in another post.
It took about 3 months of planning between saying yes to Lemakoh and actually going there. Aside from the usual day to day business of work, life and riding, I was slowly accumulating camping knowledge and camping gear. I learnt that a 2 person tent is very comfortable for 1 person to sleep, a good sleeping mattress is important for a good camping experience and many other tips and trivia related to the outdoors.
Thankfully the weather in Malaysia and Singapore is warm and we do not need the extra insulation (and cost and weight) of all weather camping gear here. On the contrary, good ventilation and the ability to keep insects out are key qualities. And of course, make sure your gear can stand up to torrential tropical storms which occur frequently here.
When the time came to camp and things got underway, a powercut at my apartment - the joys of living in a mixed development - helped me decide to ride up to Kluang the previous day, visit some family there and stay overnight before meeting the rest of my camping crew (all 33 of them) in Kluang on the morning of the camp. It turned out to be a great choice.
The ride over to Kluang was solo riding fun on a small bike, except for a couple of typical Malaysian showers along the way. The 350 performed joyfully and I rode at around 90 kph on the left lane of the North South Highway. At times I did ride on the shoulder though with a few fellow shoulder dwelling riders zooming past me at twice my speed too.
The next morning, my friends Donny and Syed rode over from Singapore along with the other campers. Donny was on his Honda CRF 250L Rally and Syed on his Honda XR400. Both very capable dualsport bikes and very competent riders.
There were all kinds of other bikes among the campers. KTM 890s, Africa Twins, Several KTM Enduro bikes in the 350cc range, some KTM 690s with rally kits, a DR 650. some Yamaha WR200s among others.
To get to Lemakoh, we had to first get to the Kahang Shell petrol station. From there, we rode about 5 kms towards Mersing to a dirt road that branches off into the plantations. The road is busy with trucks transporting palm fruit. The drivers are mostly considerate and will give way. But, keep in mind the trucks are big and they sometimes have to drive on the right hand side of the road to avoid road bumps and potholes, so take extra care while riding.
Ride for about 23 kms through plantation roads. Ride on it for another 20 kms and you will see a locked gate. You need to register at the Forest office in Kahang and get the key for the gate from them. Someone in our group had already done this.
The best part of the ride starts after this gate. It is flat for about 500m or so. Then there is a steep rutted hill, the first one. The bushes on either side of the hill are teeming with leeches. So, watch if you get too close to the sides. I got stuck in a rut, and with a 30 pound luggage bag the 350 refused to make the step up to unrut itself. Woody Motosiao rode the bike up for me no problem. And Firdaus flicked off a leech that was settling in on my head.
This picture above is a good indication of the effort it takes to haul a big bike on semi road tyres up the hill in dry conditions.
The next hill is rock garden-ish but not too difficult to handle for seasoned dirtbikers. The big bikes took some work but they got it done in the end. The Third Hill is was too easy. But remember, we had to tackle these hills in reverse the next day and after a 2 hour shower. The Second Hill would then prove to be a quantity to be reckoned with.
The camp itself was great but I had unknowingly set up my tent right in the rainwater drain off area of the camp. Learned a valuable lesson to look out for signs of water flow while camping in the future. Look for water signs before picking a spot to pitch your tent.
The tent and the footprint kept the water out but it was a task to clean out the mud from the bottom of both. The water made the tent heavier and bigger to pack into the bag and I could not fit everything I brought to camp back into the Giant Loop Coyote that I brought for the trip. Someone said, “everything will fit nicely in your bag in your living room but fitting everything in when you break camp in the outdoors is a different thing altogether”.
We headed over to the river in the evening for a dip. Knowing there were leeches about did nothing to dilute the experience of spending time in the river a la shinrin-yoku.
Nature is filled with negative ions that give you a feeling of well being. This place is full of it. Idyllic and peaceful with only friends who believe in the same things you do about nature all around you. The talk went from hippos to elephants to everything motorcycles and fun.
Dinner was instant noodles cooked by Donny and a can of curry chicken poured out in to a mess tin with added water and heated. A michelin restaurant would not have measured up to the satiating sumptuousness. Camping culinary bliss.
Some cooking setups were simple and effective…
While others had a downright buffet laid out…
Both setups got the job done and were fun to be a part of. There was a pressure cooker about as well.
To say the night sky and sounds of the campsite were magical would be a huge understatement. There were literally a million stars per square foot of sky looking up from the tent. The night was filled with the calling of owls, crickets, hornbills and everything in God’s good creation.
The next day was all about trails in reverse that we had tackled the previous day. We got out without too much bother. A few big bike drops and latching leeches aside nothing eventful happened. A shower that started at 6 am apart from messing up the bottom of my tent and teaching me life lessons had slicked up the trails real good. But we teamed up, helped each other and babied the big bikes out.
Lots of elephant poo that looked days old but no behemoths in sight, shy buggers. And oh, just as I was getting off the bike, I saw a leech crawling out from underneath my saddle. I took off the saddle and looked for the creature but I couldnt find it. I started the engine and put the saddle back on and out he came. Flicked him off and left him to his devices on the heating up tarmac, he’d have been steam in no time. Silly creatures, never evolved to know sucking human blood is salty and going for it in all certainty would be their last throw of dice in the game of survival.
We got to Shell Kahang and said our goodbyes. I headed back to Hangout to drop off the 350 and swap to my own behemoth, the GSA. All was good and I got home through some late in the day thundershowers.
In closing, a few pointers to note if you go to Lemakoh:
Experts say bring a can of Baygon spray. Leeches hate this and drop off the moment you spray it on them. Do note that we are the ones intruding into the leeches habitat and we’re fair game. If you have to use an insecticide, use it very sparingly. Don’t use them at all if you can manage to do so.
If you have someone in your group who cant make the last few kilometers into the campsite, ride or drive on another 9 kms further in from the locked gate along the tarmac road and you will reach Kampung Peta where you will find accommodation and camping facilities. You’d have to pay a fee at the office there for amenities. This place is easy to get to even in a Family sedan, you do not need a 4x4 or knobby tyres to get there.
If you’re biking and want to get to Lemakoh Campsite and experience its magic, bring the smallest, lightest bike you can get your hands on. You will enjoy the experience a lot more. Bring along a lot of friends too.
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