Puma 4x4 Club Officer Training @ Sungai Mas (May 2009)

My new hobby - camping in the great outdoors. Not as easy as setting up camp in the back yard - some of these places are only accessible by 4x4 off-road vehicles!

Now, my colleague, Jackson Goh, is an avid committee member of the Melaka Puma 4x4 Club. A couple of weeks ago, I tagged along on the club's Recon + Officer Training to a secluded area somewhere in Sungai Mas, Johor.

Getting to the start of the trail required us to traverse across a long stretch of unpaved road, through a palm oil estate. It was nearly an hour before we arrive at the place were red earth gave way to dense vegetation.


Now, this was no "ordinary" excursion - this place was unfamiliar to the team - hence the need to check it out for suitability. And really, it was a challenge, as we came across many obstacles in the form of V-drains (45 degrees down then 45 degrees up in the shape of a "V", of course), log bridges (it takes minimum 3 three trunks to make a bridge) and fallen trees.

We were stuck 4 hours at one point, as crossing it was impossible for all except a heavily modified jeep (which eventually made it across half covered in mud). We had to chop down a couple of trees to erect a makeshift log bridge in order to cross a deep ditch through which ran a shallow stream.


One by one, we pushed through these challenges until we arrived at the campsite at roughly 8.00pm+. The experienced team members wasted no time in setting up the canvas roof and mat to shelter us throughout the night. Went to sleep after a quick shower in the icy cold waters of the river nearby and dinner.

Now, due to excellent preparation and the culinary skills of one of our member's wife, our campsite dinner was not your ordinary baked beans and sausages. We had steamed rice with vegetables, chicken, etc.. These folks were well prepared.....

The diesel generator set that they brought along provided us with enough electricity to power the light bulbs spared the trouble of using our torches.

Next day, went swimming in the river and spent some time hunting for good macro photography subjects. After lunch, we broke camp and started on our way out. Unfortunately for us, it started raining, making the ground soft and muddy. Worse still, the log bridges were now really, really slippery - one false move away from certain disaster.


It was a good thing that we spent 4 hours on the previous day making our improvised log bridge - the heavy rain had caused the shallow stream to swell into a small river! With the last fallen tree chopped to pieces, we were finally "free" from the jungle!

Hmm, it was harder to get out of the place rather than going in.... Our journey out was made tougher as our chef's ride had a busted alternator (meaning his battery would never charge) and snapped the power steering belt. Also dealt with were a couple of punctured tires and a jammed 4x4 differential. The ability to make spot repairs makes the difference between getting out or getting stuck. By the time I got back home, it was nearly morning!

Well, it was a good experience - a little scary, but at least I know now that there are many skills needed in order to survive such an event!

More photos can be found in my Multiply gallery over [HERE]