TSDayOut Special Edition: Amazing Race - Heritage Walk Klang town

My dear Selangorians, so how well do you really know about Selangor? You might know every alley, roads or nook of spots to eat, dine or even places to play but when it comes to Selangor's origin of its rich heritage, culture and history. You might be surprised with the amount of knowledge you hold towards this sassy state of Malaysia. I might say I know a little bit and pieces about Selangor but not until Tourism Selangor organize a heritage trail @ race during their TSDAYOUT SPECIAL edition last week that got me baffled with astonishment. I am sucker for treasure hunt simply because i never really fancy riddles and hidden agenda, but somehow or rather it was a little exhilarating to search for 25 clues in a given time on our first day of our participation. 

This trip was filled with 'drama', informative, knowledge, adventure, food, fun, laughter and how we were strangers became friends and creating memories that certainly will last forever. So, are you ready to be challenged? If yes, then read further!

Why did i mentioned drama? well because most of you who has been reading my blogs knows that I really enjoyed all TSDAYout  events and i've been to their office few times, but that Saturday morning, waze decided to prank me by leading the way to Tourism Selangor at I-city. Not only i lost the way but I need to make a big turn to reach the destination. Then, i was told that parking at Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) might be a risk i should not be taking. Hrrm...other participants came via public transport or someone fetch them there. okay lucky for me that Adam drove there as well. So we decided to park our cars over there for the next 4 days even though deep down we are not comfortable leaving our precious cars over there. Sayang wei i nak tinggalkan my 'Raoul' at this risky places. Anyway we decided to continue with our activity and will decide later since we are only flying to Sarawak the next day. 

So after short briefing by En Saad, I grabbed my goody bag, one delicious karipap from the breakfast tray and quickly hop-on to their comfortable coach to head to Klang town. Upon reaching Klang, we thought we will have a simple heritage walk like a walk in the park..but boy we were wrong..we were given a task to complete an amazing race @ heritage trail kinda hunt for 4 hours. gulp..i thought i have a share fare of knowing Klang town, not until that fine day..haha.. 

Upon arrival at our assembly point which was at this dapper-looking building built in 1909 standing tall and proud at the busy street of KLang town, namely-  Royal Gallery Sultan Abdul Aziz. It was actually a great initiative of Klang Municipal Council and Tourism Selangor to promote Klang of its rich history, tradition and customs. 

Royal Gallery Sultan Abdul Aziz

Well, after ice-breaking we were divided into a team of two and my team mate was Ahmad Fauzi, a friendly blogger of Projeck Travel. Since both of us are clueless, we didnt think further when other team invited us to joint-venture..why not? so Fauzi and I team up with Jess, Khai, Syed Ali, Evelyn and Dennis. We sat at the front yard of the Royal Gallery, lay out the maps and questionnaire sheets and begin cracking our brains like the sound of munching peanuts. Every other teams have left the place and we are still digesting the questions with our poker faces.  

start singing to obtain clues from the Tourism Selangor marshals.

 We went in to Royal Gallery to retrieve few answers and was amazed with some new discoveries about the Royal Highness. You got to come here and see it for yourself all the artifacts display that is so beautifully preserved. Below are some of the moments we encountered while busy finding clues during that 4 hours. We walked few thousand steps, settled down for our scrumptious vegetarian food called 'Thali' set, immerse ourselves into the mood of colorful Diwali delicacy, tradition wears and decorations and discovering this royal capital town with old colonial government buildings, places of worship and a former tin warehouse. What an insight of all those mix masala of sweetness and spices from different diversification. 

the prestige medal on display

the huge crocodile (22-feet long) that was captured right after 3 months later of the coronation of the late State Sultan. Myth or urban legend? come and visit to read further of this history. 

Klang railway station 

this is where it all begins..start calculating the km

Met Ms Julie (with head mic), tourist guide that lead these Singaporeans during the Heritage Walk. Managed to chat with some of them and they really love this not only informative initiative but great experience going back time. 

One of the beautiful temple in Klang town. 

Do you know this double deck bridge was a connection that was built on May 1957 by a British company namely, Dorman Long Bridge and Engineering Ltd.

we-fie time with the rest of the teams! fun it was even though it was tough getting the answers

found an abandoned house , feeling very rustic. Pic taken by Syed Ali.

Sarees worn by indian ladies during Diwali is mainly hand- made with beautiful ornaments.  

so many colorful sarees..im spoilt for choices.

wanna try henna painting? it can last for 1 week and just cost you RM10-RM15

Imported silk all the way from India can be found here. 

 After all that searching, our stomach were grumbling like a wolf.Its time to settle for some great indian food at Restaurant Chai Masala. 

Everyone was super hungry hence it was a silent moment

I tried the 'THALI' vegetarian set which consist of rice, papadom and small bits of curry and vegetables served in a small metal pots. with 1 ice lemon tea, my lucnh meal cost me RM10.10. (using the RM15 given earlier.) 

We head back to our meeting point as it was almost 2pm. Was greeted with fresh coconut drink to quench our thirst. 

Coconut drinks waiting for us. 

Thinking back it was great that Tourism Selangor engaged us with this amazing race because shame on us! We noticed that most of us will only walk past a lot of these places without even bother to know of its importance and origin.  So now at least i can tell, i know at least 40% of this royal Klang town :) 

Oh ya, before I forget..Do you know that every Saturdays, there will be a guided Heritage Walk approximately about 21/2 hours walk from 9.15am to 11.45am? And its COMPLIMENTARY! All you need to do is register at Royal Gallery Sultan Abdul Aziz from 9.00am to 9.15am on the same day. Getting there is pretty easy especially by KTM Komuter train and get off at KLang station (not Port Klang). 

Be prepared to discover more than 9 historic sites in the oldest part of Klang town, hear untold stories of the neighbourhood and its people PLUS special entry to off-limits places on by this walk! 

How to register ? Use the following method:
1) Website      :  www.tourismselangor.my
2) Telephone  :  +603-5513 2000
3) Email         :  info@tourismselangor.my

OKay guyz, i am certainly will try out their free heritage walk, so who want to join me?

Some snapshot video of Klang town and what happened on our first day of TSDAYout special edition for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

You may also check out the snippet of my 4D3N of TSDAYout Special Edition at the link as follows : 
Day 1      - Amazing Race @ Heritage Trail
Day 2 (a) - Empire Hotel Subang
Day 2 (b) - Sarawak Sunset River Cruise
Day 3      - Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
Day 4 (a) - Semadang Kayaking
Day 4 (b) - Fairy Cave & Wind Cave

Thank you very much Tourism Selangor in collaboration with Sarawak Tourism Board with Empire Hotel Subang and Air Asia!

Go and like Tourism Selangor Facebook, Twitter and Instagram if you still have not..do you know what the things you have been missing?? Wait for my next adventure for this TSDAYout Special Edition : Selangor meets Sarawak soon!

TSDayOut Bukit Kutu Expedition

6 June 2015 marked another milestone of probably the most challenging TSDAYout I’ve ever anticipated. However, my mind and soul could not comprehend the euphoria feeling of self satisfaction. Allow me to breathe in and breathe out before I spill out the beans of my last adventure!

For those of you who are still clueless what is TSDAYout all about, fret not of being left out. It’s the initiative from the Tourism Selangor of organizing a 1-day event or activities around the beautiful land of Selangor! Honestly, I didn’t realize that Selangor has so many amazing things to see and do until I joined their TSDAYout (Tourism Selangor Day Out) few years ago. This Stunning Selangor not only offers great varieties of places and scenery but also crafting valuable lesson of life and experiences in my life. And it keeps getting more interesting than ever thanks to the brainchild of amazing group of people working in Tourism Selangor. 

So when Tourism Selangor announced at their Facebook page about Bukit Kutu expedition, I was like woahhhh ! this, i have to participate! 

I got myself registered and waited for a spot. Guyz, if you have been reading my blogs about the other TSDAYOut and still not convince to join, I’ll rest my case. But if you are convinced and not able to join them, please.. i reckon you to go out there, plan your time and start exploring the sassy Selangor!. Bring your family, friends or even your pet and start getting inspired!

As I lead my life with ‘Live life interestingly!” motto, there’s no secret to this principle. 

I am passionate of what I do, and I do what I am passionate about. So when people talk about mountains and rainforest,  its like a tingling feeling in my veins and spine where it flow like minions in their chambers singing bana-naaa. 

There’s something about these lush beauty that capture my attention since I was young. How could I not be, I was born and raised in a small kampong at Mentakab, Pahang. Deep down, I was, still am and always will be a kampong girl that simply light up with excitement like a kid in a candy store when I am close to nature especially with backdrop layers of magnificent mountains. Just the thought of the exquisite Mother Nature gives me goosebump.  I was pretty excited when I got selected and quickly check out with the rest of the clan. Kanmani and Khai managed to join in this time too.

So what and where is Bukit Kutu? Its actually a mountain located at Hulu Selangor in Kuala Kubu Bharu. Previously known as Trecher's Hill with 1053m above sea level, it was once a colonial hill station for the British. However it was left abandoned after the bombing attack by the Japanese during World War II. They actually built a bungalow with chimney at the peak of Bukit Kutu. Yes! you got me right..a bungalow with a chimney and fireplace..how cozy..read further and I will show you the remaining of the bungalow. What puzzled me was the chimney is still very much intact even though bushes and weed were crippling the site.Who would have thought that it is now a regular spot for adventure seekers and outdoor campers? 

The hike shall takes about 3-5 hours depending on your speed and stamina. So that Saturday morning around 615am, Kanmani and I were relying on google map apps from Setapak to Kuala Kubu Bharu. It was pitch dark and at one point I felt like we might not gonna make it on time since the app brought us to places that seems like an old village blocks twice!. But, finally an hour later, we reached Dataran Kuala Kubu Bharu and saw some familiar faces at the registration counter. After signing the letter of indemnity, we were given the trademark TSDayout t-shirt and this time was pink! Supposed to start at 7am but due to late comers, we only managed to start climbing at 9am. 

registration counter at the dataran Kuala Kubu Bharu

Briefing by the important person in Tourism Selangor : Ms Renuga and the team

We had our delicious breakfast before proceed to the foothill of Bukit Kutu. There are some Orang Asli villages around there. To hike Bukit Kutu, it is advisable to get a guide even though there are marks and ribbons tied along the way. Never take for granted especially if it’s about your life or others.

simple delicious kampung noodle. 

Upon reaching there, we were briefed by our guide on the do’s and don’t  but most importantly incase we are lost in the deep forest is to STOP!

Briefing by the guide. 

Very important when we think we are lost : 
[S]it

[T]hink

[O]bserve

[P]lan

When it comes to mountain climbing, you will either love it or dislike about it. To me, it is all about empowerment and seeing how far I could go mentally, physically and spiritually. There are times you will be asking yourself..what on earth did I put myself in to..but trust me, once you reach the top, the unveiling  achievement is basically a pat on the back. And the satisfaction is simply indescribable. After short briefing and some stretching, all of us slowly walk together with the hope of reaching up and coming down safely.

as we crossed the river

River flowing so calmly

guess who decided to visit..hi there Lassie. haha

The broken brigde..there's always a hand to lend

While I was ascending Bukit Kutu, i could not help it but to admire the ray of light that was beaming with pride between the bamboo trees and landed on the earth almost effortlessly. I looked up and stare at these peaceful sights of calm and tranquility. The ray of sun burst into spiral of shinning firework except for the loud noise just like our hopes and dreams when it finally came true.

ahhh I am a sucker for beautiful ray of lights

Such an astonishing site of tree that not only so tall but it stayed intact 45 degree from the ground. photo taken by Kanmani

Plenty of signage of reminding us to love the river, nature and Bukit Kutu

Left or right? u choose your path. 

happy faces early in the morning..hehehe

After rain effect

An abandoned orang asli tree house

u crawl, kneel down and walk like a duck..ur choice.

i do..after pass cross the obstacles ahead..:) 

Each checkpoint left a different phase of transition level where we need to cross a broken bridge, passing by the river (it was icy cold simply chilled to the bone as my feet touched the water), then almost 45 degree hike with protruding roots, followed by bamboo and more bamboo trees (i bet the pandas will love it here), and huge boulders as we nearly reaching the peak. It was a little humid and i felt like there was waterfall flowing in my body.   

tall bamboo trees everywhere...now where is KUNGFU panda?

I might have underestimated the level of difficulty of climbing Bukit Kutu initially, but its certainly was not a walk in the park when I could literally start listening to my own heart beat with few moments of out of breath.  It definitely a moment of realization when i felt the hike was quite tiring. Took me almost 4.5hours to ascend and 2.5 hours to descend, well it getting tougher when the pouring rain lead to a muddy, sticky slippery slide. But it was not the timing or to compete with anyone that I was chasing for, it was the anticipation!

like an alien invasion..the root that was off from earth

walking down the streets of greens!

huge tall trees..woah..i felt so tiny..but i prefer to see this than a concrete jungle..wink!

ready? 45 degree uphill

thorny branches..careful what you touch while hiking.

The interesting part of this journey was the company that we had and the distinctive level of intense beauty. Take for example when we reached few site of the bamboo trees that formed a zig zag shape tunnel and we have to gracefully move like a capoeira dancer trying to avoid the high and low of the fallen bamboo. We literally slide, glide, kneel, crawl,  jump, climb and even hang on the branches of trees as support. What a great workout!

zig zag tunnel of bamboo! 

Still wondering where is the kutu? or why it was called Bukit Kutu.

friendship built during hiking like this is simply unavoidable..chemistry is overwhelming.

Kanmani and Anis could not stop swearing and Adam probably regretted his choice of spending that Saturday there, but Khai was optimistic and cheering others to go further. There are so many other personalities that you could see and its almost endearing because if this was a diving/snorkeling activities, I probably would have been the grumpy one..hahaha  But this fetish of mine towards greens on earth is still a fascination i cant explain and I love how we motivate each other because that’s life is all about. The more we fight with the things that we dislike, the more frustrated we will be. So try distracting your pain, sore and ‘bengang-ness’ by admiring the splashing sounds of the leaves, the echo of serendipity of the winds, the rain drops or even the smell of fresh mountain dew. And its also nice to meet people with the same interest by listening to their stories and experiences along the way.    

rest jap//pic taken by kanmani

The bomba team was there to escort us as well. 

Look up ..its green everywhere..me likey!

Love the river..but i dont see any over here..

HI there..katak biru!

We thought we are going to reach the peak in another 5 minutes but only to be disappointed when we were told that it will takes us another 30 minutes or more depending on our speed and stamina. .GULP! So i stopped at this giant boulder pit stop for a while before continuing the journey again. 

giant boulder pit stop

We were nearly there as we reached the point where the remaining chimney located. Kanmani and Adam decided to have their lunch while Khai, Suraya and I decided to check out the chimney. 

Makan dulu!

Khai even did some explanation on the history of the place. After some exploration around, we decided to make our final push which was climbing the ladders to the outmost peak of Bukit Kutu.We have to wait for the rest to come down as the peak only have limited space with 3 boulders that you need to cross before reaching the outmost peak.

Khai, yours truly and Suraya

the kinda creepy chimney

view from the waiting point on top

As I finally reached the peak, i could not help it but to sit, chill out and admire the amazing view. I am speechless with the amount of work God has created for us to witness this fabulous serene view. While I was sitting calmly on the rock, my mind was slowly immersed into deep realization. Normally I am not the type that afraid of heights, but with the limited space, offguarded and standing 1053m above sea level , it does made me a little shaky.

Time for some reflection. Pic taken by Kanmani

over the edge

Well it was all Yellow ! 

BUtterfly are yellow too :)  

Jeng Jeng jeng! 1053 metre above sea level

you gotta climbed another 3 huge boulders with ladders before you could reach the top. not for the faint hearted

Well, if the majestic mountain and jungle could speak, i would probably have asked thousand and one questions that were running in my medulla oblongata. But the ever mysteriousness of this God’s creation has its own distinctive way of expression that lead my soul almost effortlessly awe in deep admiration. As if the seductive mountains are caressing each other and ignite the spirit of intuition into a deep state of mind. The trees that emerged and flowing up and down hill sinfully shaping a prominent lyrical form which simply amazed me. Extremely a humbling experience, I could only “take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprint”. There was so much purity in it with indescribable feeling of rewarding and liberation.  

finally..at the peak of Bukit Kutu! pic taken by Ding Xiang.tq!

Gorgeous..the lake and the lushful greens! its all here in Selangor!

After some Kodak moments up there, my stomach was serenading some rhythm like the girls in pitch perfect movie. So i went back to the rest spot and quickly took out the packed of rice and chicken curry by Tourism Selangor for late lunch. I swear, that was one of the best chicken curry i had for a long time. Pergh..! I was enjoying my late lunch while Kanmani, Khai, Adam, Anis, Suraya and Ding were chit chatting and waiting for me as they had their lunch much earlier.

hiker with his glove.

We descended the minute i finished my meal. Rain started to pour and we covered ourselves with disposable raincoat while some covered themselves with plastic bags. It was already 3pm when we started to descend. I quicken my steps coz if I stop, it might take me longer to recharge. And as we descended, i managed to capture some of this astonishing art of nature of flora and fauna found along the way. My visions was beaming with happiness. 

What a unique spiral of branches

red flowers..not sure what species it is

what a lovely flower..like triple lid of roses

the ants territory

stay curious

mushrooms like this are everywhere

berry green!

fiercely red flower

caught in a spiderweb? 

the lonely branches above

after rain sunset

There were times when I noticed that i was walking alone, there were no one ahead or behind of me, I must admit that I felt a little worried but there were also a part of me assuring that the spirit of jungle was there to protect me and giving me an opportunity to appreciate all this beautiful flora and fauna even more. So, as I was descending solo and start to reminisce a lot of things in my life, I am blessed and thankful for this opportunity.

sweating and drenched wet

muddy, slippery and tired. its all in the package.. :) 

time to soak my legs in the cold water...aahhhh ...bliss

look at the ray of lights..amazing view

Truth to be told, as Sir Edmund Hillary famous quote : 

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. 

So did i conquer myself that Saturday? Well.. every mountain / hills that I hike be it Tabur Hill, Santubong, Gunung Dato, Mount Sapa or even Mount Kinabalu, i continue to learn that every journey to this incredible masterpieces create different feelings of lifetime experience, exploration and aspiration.  I bet to those of you who has climbed Bukit Kutu for the first time that Saturday might swear that they would never climb any mountain ever again..hahah never say never coz soon you might wanna start to have the itch to hike again. Till then, keep discovering yourself, search your passion and who knows you might also find your inner peace that you were looking for all this while. So be inspired, be excited, find the joy and happiness in this amazing life of yours! 

im always a fighter .. pic taken by kanmani

I've reached the foothill almost 6pm, waited for the rest to arrive at 7pm and finally we had our final briefing with prize ceremony for the 6 best instagram photo winners being announced. My maxis line decided to stay under radar, so i didnt managed to upload any good photos but nevertheless i get to be closer to nature with the absence of internet and wireless. Better still, right?

So Stay Curious, Stay Hungry and Stay Motivated! Best part is you don’t even need to go so far, you might just find it all in this abundance state of Selangor. So who says that Selangor don't have any mountain to climb..head down here guyz! let's do this again!

Orait, i've compiled something for you guyz...enjoy the journey of my little adventure with Tourism Selangor at Bukit Kutu :

You've inspired me, Bukit Kutu.

Oh ya, don’t forget to like Tourism Selangor at Facebook, follow them at Instagram @discoverselangor and on Twitter!

Cant wait for their coming TSDAYout Special! I wonder what would it be my next adventure..you’ll just gotta wait and see. Or best still..join with me next round! There are plenty of things to see, do, eat and explore at Selangor because its the year of Discover Selangor /  Terokai Selangor ! what are you waiting for?

Some of the interesting lines up that you might want to do the next time you are in Selangor! 

Pulau Ketam 2011

Bamboo Rafting 2012

Skypark 2013

Paradise Valley  2014

White Water Rafting 2015