A Perilous Off-Road Voyage

There was a few times when people looked at me in wonderment as I told them I’m backpacking to Laos by end of this year. ‘Why Laos?’ They asked.

Honestly, why not?

‘It’s a poor country,’my friend fussed, I fondly remembered. The travel agent I met last week even asked me the same darn thing…with a smirk. With all due respect, I shall never bother to answer this kinda question anymore. Quote lonely planet, 'After all, half the fun of travelling is in the travel itself – the people you meet, chickens you share seats with, wrong turns you take and lào-láo you drink with the smiling family at the end of the road less travelled.' So.

Speaking of which, I have been altering my route periodically to suit flight schedules, budget and itinerary. Pheww. Tricky business this is, but always a learning process for yours truly. Read in a forum that the first rule of backpacking when it comes to choosing destination is always ‘pick where you have always wanted to go depending on your budget.’

And I say; pick a place that suits your interests, not your best friend’s or boyfriend’s or whoever. After all, you’re the one who’s gonna carry that damn 50kg Deuter on your shoulder so best to evade any unwanted remarks.

Saturday, just before taking care of mom in the evening, MN and I managed to catch Art For Grabs and had a great time looking for ideas. Bought some artsy stuff and my favorite is a cute woven bookmark made of cultivated Pandanus, by the puak Hma’Meri. Hma' Meri is a part of the Orang Asli, the indigenous minorities of Peninsular. The puak is grouped under the Senoi sub-ethnic group. They produced limited utilitarian and ceremonial crafts though the former is endangered due to a chronic shortage of raw materials.

Highlight of the weekend is definitely my adventurous little waterfall trip on a quad-bike (also known as ATV, all-terrain-vehicle). I’ve rode it before back in my hometown and decided to do it again after reading an article about the ATV Park in KL.

We were scheduled in the afternoon and when we arrived at the site, there were already a group of ten waiting for their turn. We joined them and were divided into two groups. We roared up the engines and thundered up and down through slippery 45 degrees slope whilst carefully sticking to the meandering trail with ruts, potholes and fallen bamboo branches thrown in for good measure. No distressing trolls with hideous nose and jumbo ears roaming about, though I half-wished I could spot one.

40 minutes and we arrived at the 7-tier waterfall so clean and untouched by human. Flirty butterflies and cutesy bugs greeted us. We took a little hike up to the third tier as we were advised not to go any further for safety reason. The background is foliage of gigantic bamboo trees all around. Splendid serenity.

The track is not difficult, obviously for novice bikers but can be dangerous if you get panicky. As the owner told us ‘Leave your fear and ego at home. Today, safety must come first.’ I knew what he meant as soon as I reached a steep and slippery track 3mins after I mounted my ass on the bike. I did lose a bit of control when my front tire hit a huge rock and my foot was practically dangling as my bike swayed to the right. But I landed safely (key here is to not brake, maneuver calmly and keep on powered up forward) despite the fact that I scared the shit out of my guide. Yeap, as an added precaution, a guide will always be around to ensure there was no straggler. Or an insane biker. Like me.