MT BUNGA BUAH HIKING ON 3 SEPTEMBER 2005 BY LIM FANG HAU @ PM 23

This was my second mountain hiking trip. Initially, I was supposed to lead the trip to Mt Angsi but did not materialise due last minute cancellation by the potential climbers. I became the follower on this trip to Mt Bunga Buah. This trip was led by Steven Ng, a friend of Ng Ping Loong @ PM37. Steven is an experienced climber.

Mt Bunga Buah is located in Gohtong Jaya, Genting Highlands. It takes 40 minutes to reach Gohtong Jaya from Kuala Lumpur. It is a favourite peak with city and weekend climbers and a popular training trail for those training for a more arduous climb to Mt. Tahan (for beginners who are not physically fit) and Mt. Kinabalu.

The ascend starts with a long mild walk along a weathered tarred road from the vegetable farm way. Infact the official entrance was closed to climbers due to security reasons. We started our climb at 9.15 am and we took 4.75 hours to reach the summit using a very relaxed walking pace. The first 2 obstacles involved climbing the steep and slippery slopes. This reminds me of climbing experience in Nuang. After the first two obstacles, our journey was quite smooth. The climbs involved walking up and down the hill slopes with tree branches and roots on the ground and muddy surface on the ground. We had to pass through 2 hilltops before reaching the summit. We reached the summit at 2 pm. We rested for 45 minutes before continuing our descend.

The descend is tougher than the ascend as I had to walk slowly on certain stretches due to the slippery condition. On the way coming down I notice some bee hives. I did not dare to touch the hives. I just walked past the bee hives quietly. There were also some monkey sounds on the way up to the summit and down from the summit. The monkey could hardly be noticed by us. The descend took us 4.25 hours to complete. We reached the vegetable farm at 7 pm.

Overall, as compared to Nuang, this mountain is easier to attempt than Nuang. The chances of injuring your toes when descending is less as compared to Nuang. According to Steven, Mt Angsi in Negeri Sembilan is easier to attempt as compared to Mt. Bunga Buah.