KESATRIA UiTM SRI MANJONG, PERAK (TAHUN 1985 - 1988)

MEMORI INDAH PENUH PENGALAMAN KOMANDER KESATRIA ITM SRI MANJONG (KINI DIKENALI UiTM SRI ISKANDAR), PERAK.


Nukilan oleh NORHASIYATI TAHARIN
Journa-blogger, bekas komander dan siswi DBS. 



JANGAN terkejut apabila melihat foto-foto di bawah ini.
Pertamanya, sesiapa pun di dalam foto di bawah kini sudah berusia 40 tahun ke atas.
Sudah pasti pinggang sudah sedikit lebar dan uban-uban sudah mula membuat kunjungan hormat.
Foto-foto di bawah di ambil dari tahun 1985 sehingga 1988, zaman dimana komputer masih lagi bersaiz 'giant' dan hanya yang terpilih sahaja dapat menekan punat komputer.
Foto di bawah adalah sebahagian daripada foto-foto yang diambil ketika aktiviti Kesatria ITM Sri Manjong, Perak.
ITM kini sudah dinaiktaraf dan dikenali sebagai UiTM dan kampus 'kedai kopi' di Seri Manjong sudah lama berpindah ke kampus kekal untuk siswa/ siswi di Sri Iskandar.
Penulis terpanggil untuk menyiarkan foto-foto ini kerana menghargai segala daya-usaha pihak UiTM untuk menaikkan martabat dan mendisiplinkan setiap pelajarnya semenjak penubuhannya lagi.
Penulis adalah sebahagian daripada 'second batch' Diploma in Business Studies, intake July 1985.
Memandangkan kesatria adalah wajib, maka penulispun berkawadlah. Lama-lama jadi syok dan memohon pula untuk mengikuti kursus komander...eh..eh...dapat pula.
Dan bermulakan penghidupan penulis di kampus kedai kopi sebagai komander yang ditugaskan untuk menjadualkan latihan untuk prebet.
Memang menyeronokkan kerana kampus kedai kopi ini terletak berhampiran dengan kawasan laut di Teluk Rubiah. Ia berhampiran dengan kawasan Outward Bound School (OBS) tempat latihan ala-ala tentera tu.
Sepanjang menjadi komander hampir empat semester di ITM Manjong, rasanya seluruh pelusuk hutan di kawasan itu sudah digeladah dan pantai Teluk Rubiah sememangnya cantik dan suci bersih...lagi cantik dari Teluk Batik!
Tahun 1980an, kawasan Manjong adalah tersisih dari kemodenan dan situasi begitu amat sesuai untuk latihan tentera.
Penulis teramat suka akan keaktifan aktiviti Kesatria ITM Manjong ketika itu, sehinggakan tidak langsung berminat untuk menyambung "final year' di kampus induk di Shah Alam.
Tak apalah, kalau terpaksa 'graduate' dari kampus 'kedai kopi' kerana pengalaman sebagai komander di Sri Manjong amat bernilai sekali.
Tak 'kick' lah untuk berlatih bertempur dengan musuh di atas rumput ataupun di atas tar jalan raya, bisik hati penulis pada tahun 1987.
Kawasan pantai Manjong sememangnya sesuai untuk aktiviti-aktiviti latihan ketenteraan terutama kalau melibatkan air.
Kini, di situ, sudah ada Kem Khidmat Negara Teluk Rubiah yang dikatakan kem yang terbaik di seluruh negeri Perak, mungkin sebab lokasi yang strategik untuk melatih pelajar-pelajar kita.
Penulis cuma tumpang gembira. Kebetulan pula, ada anak saudara lelaki (sebelah suami) sedang menjalani latihan Khidmat Negara disitu.
Pengalaman selama enam semester di Manjong termasuk empat semester sebagai komander, benar-benar membantu penulis untuk berdedikasi dan cekal selama berbelas tahun sebagai seorang wartawan politik dan ekonomi di Kuala Lumpur dan kemudian membina sebuah perniagaan kecil di Taman Negara Pahang.
Tak perlu keluar dari Oxford untuk berjaya, kampus 'kedai kopi' sudah memadai untuk membina kualiti diri.

 Saya yang kerap menjadi juruacara untuk aktiviti rasmi Kesatria kampus. Di belakang tu, Jasmin Sulaiman...jaga speaker pun kena cekak pinggang ke? En Jasmin dah berkahwin dengan komander Rosnah dan ada tiga anak macam saya juga. Komander Rosnah kini seorang guru di Pulau Pinang. Saya terserempak dengan 'couple' setia ini pada Mac 2013 di Ipoh selepas terpisah lebih 20 tahun.

Komander-komander wanita bersama dengan komander Encik Mat Nayan yang banyak mencurahkan ilmu taktikal tentera kepada para komander. Penulis kiri sekali ...yang kurus tu....kini sudah kembang kiri kanan.

Foto diambil pada Jan 1988 di hadapan pejabat ITM Sri Manjong, Perak. Kelihatan sederetan komander-komander. Maaf kerana foto tidak jelas. Maklum tahun itu masih lagi kamera filem dan foto dah tersimpan lebih dari 25 tahun.

Tidak pasti tahun dimbil foto ini, tetapi di antara 1996 sehingga 1988. Foto diambil selepas tamat latihan komander yang baru. Saya masa itu jadi sebahagian dari jurulatih...jadi saya dapatlah duduk di atas bangku di bahagian hadapan. (tiga dari kanan) Dibelakang adalah dua barisan komander-komander baru yang baru habis latihan..lihatlah kulit yang hitam berkilat dek panas Teluk Rubiah.

Ini adalah foto 'favourite' saya kerana ia adalah foto paling santai yang pernah diambil sepanjang tempoh kesatriaan saya. Tak ingat tahun bila, yang pasti tiga tiang tu sudah tidak ada lagi dan jalanraya di belakang tu kini sudah semakin sibuk dengan ratusan kenderaan lalulalang seharian. Hutan di seberang jalan kini dipenuhi dengan pelbagai jenis rumah dan kedai.

Saya terlupa nak 'caption' gambar ini pada tahun 1980an dahulu, jadi hanya foto ini sahajalah yang saya ingat. Kalau ada sesiapa yang ingat, hubungilah saya agar saya boleh 'update' maklumat foto ini.

Ketika belajar cara memadam api di Kem TLDM Ipoh Perak.

Saya bersama-sama komander lain dalam perjalanan pulang dari hutan di Teluk Rubiah ke kampus di Sri Manjong, Perak. Berjalan kaki berbatu-batu tidak terasa perit kerana keseronokan menjalani latihan ala-ala tentera. 

Aktiviti santai di Teluk Rubiah bersama komander-komander lain. Pelbagai pelusuk pantai di Malaysia ini dah diteroka oleh penulis sebagai wartawan dulu, tapi tiada yang seindah Teluk Rubiah... mungkin pengalaman dan pengajaran yang ditimba menjadikan Teluk Rubiah istimewa.

Aktiviti memasak di dalam hutan ketika camping di hutan di Taiping, Perak.

Foto diambil sekitar tahun 1987, jadi sudah agak antik!

Lambaian para komander ketika bersantai di laut Teluk Rubiah. Pulau apa pulak kat belakang tu....tak perasan pun 25 tahun dahulu. Macam Pulau Mayat Terbaring di perairan laut Labuan pun ada jugak.

Ketika kepenatan meronda dalam hutan tebal Teluk Rubiah, tersandar di pokok seketika. Namun, masih mampu senyum untuk kamera kerana keterujaan menjadi askar walaupun tak pernah ke medan perang. Inilah untungnya menjadi ahli  komander di kampus 'kedai kopi' kerana setiap aktiviti kesatria adalah di hutan yang sebenar-benarnya hutan belantara. Jadi menjadi komandar di kampus ini, tidak boleh mengada-ngada atau 'tergedik-gedik', kena pandai membina hammock sendiri tanpa bantuan, kena bawak sendiri punya beg dan ration, walapun perempuan. Basically,  we need to be independent. Malam sungguh menggerikan kerana kedudukan tapak khemah entah dimana dan bunyi-bunyian malam amat menakutkan. Tetapi, semua nampak professional walaupun dibesarkan di kawasan bandar. Saya tiada masalah kerana sekeliling rumah makbapak saya di Lahat Perak dipenuhi dengan pokok-pokok besar dan sememangnya menyeramkan!

Inilah saya Komandar NORHASIYATI TAHARIN. Inilah satu-satunya gambar saya berpakaian lengkap komander kesatria yang paling besar dalam koleksi saya. Saya sedang santai, di meja studi saya ketika menginap di Asrama P7 dulu. Asrama terdiri dari sederetan kedai setingkat dan terletak di tingkat atas dan dibawah adalah bilik kuliah. Kini, sederetan kampus ini telah menjadi sederetan kedai-kedai menjual pelbagai barangan. Itulah sebabnya kampus ini lebih dikenali sebagai kampus kedai kopi.

Foto ini amat menjelaskan suasana kuliah ketika di kampus kedai kopi. Ketika ini, komandan Kesatria Encik Mat Nayan begitu rancak bercerita mengenai kesatria....(maaf tak ingat topik, kuliah 25 tahun dahulu, siapa yang ingat!) kepada sekumpulan bakal-bakal komander baru.

 

Bakal-bakal komander termasuklah saya di arahkan untuk menyeberangi sungai ini. Nampak mudah kerana airnya cetek  tapi lumpurnya amat dalam sampai ke pinggang. Nasib baiklah kesemua bakal komander kreatif dan saling tolong-menolong hingga kesemua bakal komander dapat menyeberangi sungai dengan selamatnya. Tapi baju habis busuk dek bau lumpur yang melekat pekat di badan. Senior-senior komander beruntung....mereka menyeberang sungai menggunakan jambatan kayu tu (dalam gambar) dalam keadaan santai sahaja. Mereka jurulatih dan kami pula juruletih! 

Kalau betullah ingatan saya, foto ini diambil semasa latihan tentera di hutan di Taiping...ceruk mana tak tahulah., tapi betul-betul di dalam hutan pekat. Terpaksa menggunakan parang untuk memacak khemah dan pacat ....teramat banyak sehinggakan warna seluar hijau bertukar merah! Tapi semua gembira...lihatlah sendiri semua tersengih gembira.

Kiri kanan kiri....kiri..kanan...kiri. Ketika ini, para komander sedang berkawat  berkilo-kilometer pulang ke kampus dari kawasan latihan di Teluk Rubiah, Sri Manjong. Rasanya, dah tiga hari tidak mandi dan bergosok gigi. Bau-bauan memang amat busuk sehinggakan sekumpulan lembu yang lalu pun lari lintang-pukang kerana tidak tahan bau busuk kumpulan kita orang. Tahun ini mungkin 1987.

Kalau tidak silap, foto ini diambil ketika dalam perjalanan ke kawasan air terjun di Taiping, setelah beberapa malam berkhemah di tengah-tengah hutan yang tiada alamat.

Ketika lawatan satu hari ke Kem TUDM, Ipoh oleh komander kesatria ITM Manjong bersama-sama dengan sekumpulan komander dari kampus Johor.

Mengenali pelbagai jenis senjata di Kem TUDM, Ipoh.

Kenapa dengan bendera merah ni? Dah 25 tahun berlalu, tidak ingat lagi, tapi lokasi adalah di hutan Taiping. Seronok mempelajari cara untuk membaca peta topograpi bersama dengan kompas, tapi  tersesat juga selama tiga jam. Tapi selamat juga akhirnya kerana kepatuhan setiap komander dan sikap tenang yang tidak mengelabah apabila mendapati sudah sesat serta sentiasa fokus pada arahan. Tapi sememangnya kebuluran sama tu!

Untuk perhatian, sesiapa di dalam foto diatas, sudi-sudilah hubungi saya di email yatiehasnah@gmail.com

HOW MY DAUGHTERS LEARN HOW TO SWIM?

SWIMMING HAS BONDED MY FAMILY IN AND OUT OF WATER

By NORHASIYATI TAHARIN
A former journalist, a wife and a mother of three daughters

I enjoyed each precious moment I spent in water. Swimming is my favourite hobby, but I can no longer enjoy each swimming moment as my three daughters will cry for my attention at the swimming pool.
They will cling to my body and hug me very tightly. Although they are scared of water, they do want to play with water, so holding tight to me was their only option.
Myself and my husband were seriously thinking about adding their learning skills, so, we hired a swimming coach to teach both my girls, aged 9 and 10 years.
We did it during the long school holiday in December. Each session last for one hour a day and the training was held each day for nearly two weeks continuously.
So, basically, it was just swimming, swimming and swimming, until my girls can really float and swim like fish.
I  was so happy after two weeks, knowing that they can now swim independently in the pool, without any assistance from me or my husband.
However, mind you, it was not as easy as what was written here.
Getting them into the 3-ft depth water was not an easy task. They only played in the 6-inch deep wading pool while waiting for their coach!
However, the coach was really helpful and slowly building up confidence to them.
They were taught about safety being in water and how to fight water phobia.
They were taught to bubble many times...inhaling oxygen in the air and exhale CO2 in the water.
Surprisingly, they learned the techniques very fast. Soon enough, they were able to do bubble and being under water for a longer time!
They learned basic activities such as floating, gliding, breathing techniques.
After, two weeks, they were able to swim and have the confidence swimming at 7-ft deep pool! Wow! Another reason for their fast learning ability was because they don't need to read book on how to learn to swim. Swimming lesson is practical learning, it is not learn through book.
The rest is history!
Now, the whole family enjoyed each swimming sessions, my self, my husband my three daughters including my 6-year daughter.
We had enjoyed swimming at many Olympic size public swimming pools in Alor Setar, Seremban, Penang, Kuantan and of course Ipoh, our hometown.
Each time, we holiday elsewhere in Malaysia, we always drop-by at any public swimming pool all over the country, as the cost is cheaper and the pools were long and wide.
Many pools at resort and hotels were small and the room rates were expensive!

My family was watching a swimming competition held at the Ipoh Swimming Complex. During this time, they had just finished their beginners lesson on swimming at Batu Gajah public swimming pool.

Myself and my one-year old youngest daughter on holliday at Cherating, Pahang. We were always on a look-out for an affordable place to stay with swimming pool. We just love water.

This picture was taken during a holiday in Cherating, Pahang. There is a 4ft deep swimming pool, next to the wading pool. But, my two daughters aged 5 and 7 years at that time, just playing with water in the wading pool. They are afraid of the big pool. I had a splasing time at the big pool, minus the children. They just look and look and look. This is one of the motivation for them to take up swimming lession. They want to enjoy being in water just like their mother.

After completing their two-week beginner swimming lession at a public swimming pool at Batu Gajah, Perak, my daughters enrolled into the Ipoh Swimming Academy. They had a three time a week swimming lesson by coaches from the academy from Friday evening to Sunday morning at the Ipoh Public Swimming Pool Complex. They will do some warm-up exercise to strengthen their muscle and flex their joints. Each exercise will last for about 15 minutes. After that, they will be re-grouped into smaller teams, depending on their level of swimming ability. 

It is better to learn swimming in small group rather then big group, as the coach can really concentrate on each student. We hired only two coaches for our children. An Indian coach at Batu Gajah Swimming Pool for beginner lesson and a Chinese coach at Ipoh Public Swimming Pool for more advance swimming techniques. My daughters learned how to do breaststroke, freestyle (front crawl), butterfly and backstroke for nearly six months. They had lessons three times a week, Friday night, Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Yes, they wake up at 7am on each Sunday morning for the 9am swimming lesson. They were so discipline. I was so happy.

For those adult, who loves water but cannot swim, please enrol yourself in any swimming class. It is never too late, even if you are already 50 years old. If you are shy to learn together with young children, you can get a coach to teach you personnally at any private pool. But with a cost! And do not create scandal! Just learn how to swim and thats all!

Swimming is indeed a life long experience, as it build stamina, reduce stress and the most fun hobby, I think. It can protect ourselves from drowning.

Swimming really bonded our family relationship as we shared common interest. We did many activities together such as cycling, fishing, jungle trekking, badminton and others, but these activities cannot beat swimming. Until today, swimming is the only activity that bonded us as family and we continously doing it, each week. For me, aged 40 years plus plus no minus, swimming did wonders to me. It shaped my 84kg body. Although obese, I had no medical problem so far. Thanks to Allah for it. My cholesterol level is yo yo but manageable. I have no diabetes, no hypertension, no high blood pressure, no problem with my joints (body) and psychologically stable. Oh yes, if you see me in the swimming pool, I might look like a giant among my small-sized children, but I swim like elephant! Yes...elephant can also swim. I had witnessed it with my own eyes during a camping trip deep in the forest of Taman Negara Pahang about twenty years ago!

Swimming is a good cardiocvascular exercise, as it provides healthy heart and lung. It also helped to regulate blood circulation throughout the body as it allows more oxygen to flow in with good breathing techniques practised during swimming.

Swimming also has no aftereffects like strained muscles or stress bones and joints, or any injuries.

Swimming is definately a good exercise for sportsman and women, and swimming must be done after a straneous workout, as it can also loosen our muscle.

I personally think that lacking swimming exercise is among the many obstacles faced by our athletes, especially in a rough game like football. Many often, we hear well-paid footballers cannot play or perform just because of muscle tear problem or injuries. If swimming is included as part of training technigues in football, I personally think that Malaysia can produce world-class footballers like Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Through swimming, athletes would learn how to breath better, thus provide more lasting time in competition. And  swimming is not just about Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. It is also about Tiger Wood who has to walk long strecth during golfing compotition, and Nicol David and Lim Chong Wei who have to flex their mucles to maintain their no one in world title. A successful chief executive officer also need to swim once a while, as it can relax our mind psychologically. We can vent our anger, stress and frustration by shouting underwater or kicking the water without harming anyone.

Did you see any swimmers quarrel in the swimming pool? But, you often see that at football pitch!

For me, personally swimming provides an avenue for me to dive more into creative thinking, thus writing more provocative topics like this article in my blog. I love to swim front-float or just floating while looking at the blue sky. While floating and not moving, I would straightened both my hand, my abdomen and my legs for a 15 seconds, and then lossen my whole body for another 15 seconds. I will look at the moving sky and that moment was just awesome. It was the most relaxing moment for me, until my youngest daughter splash some water onto my face! 

My two girls were taught in improving their strokes in freestyle and breaststroke by their coach  Cikgu Hon (in the water on the left side). They spent about one hour and a half for each session with the coach. After that, they will swim on their own, trying to perfected their swimming skills.

The coach is teaching one of my daughters on how to glide in the water. 

 

The coach also teach my daughters on ways to wear goggles. Goggles must be tightly secured to the face. If not, water can come in and disturbed our concentration.

 My daughters also learn to jump head first onto the water. They were scared at first, but soon after, they mastered the technique pretty well.

My daughters will swim for about two hours with a length of 2000 metre for each training session. They concentrate mainly in freestyle and breaststroke style. The coach will watch their technique and try to improvise it.

My daughers joined a swimming competition held at the Ipoh Public Swimming Complex a few years ago. Although they are no longer interested in choosing swimming at competitive level as their future career, they love swimming for leisure. I will not push them into doing things that they don't like. Competitive swimming is a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice and a lot of patient and my daughters have other interest in their mind. They are more interested to pursue their interest and knowledge in Agama Islam. 

Their Arabic and Jawi skills are excellent, always got A for these subjects. I'm not surprised if they become Ustazah one day. Yes, Ustazah that can swim like a fish. As a Muslim, I prefer my family to do things the Islamic way of life, including swimming. Prophet Muhammad s. a. w. had said, swimming is one of the skills needed to be mastered. For safety reason and protection from any mishap, I always teach my children to read surah from the AlQuran before swimming at any place, pools or rivers or lakes. They were taught to read the surah Al Fatihah, Al-Ikhlas, An-Nas and Al-Insyirah, asking for protection from Allah Taala. Human being got soul and so is water. We have to treat water with dignity and respect.  I always say this phrase before each swimming season, "YA ALLAH, PERMUDAHKANLAH PERGERAKAN KAMI SEKELUARGA DI DALAM AIR AND PELIHARALAH KAMI DARI GANGGUAN SYAITAN DAN IBLIS". 

KUMBANG HIDE: TREKKING AND HIDING IN TAMAN NEGARA

TREKKING AND HIDING IN TAMAN NEGARA: KUMBANG HIDE.

   

Please follow my family's overnight journey to Kumbang Hide in the year 2006, the most distant hide in Taman Negara Pahang. We were travelling in a boat to Trenggan and later, trek to the hide in a group of four, myself, my husband and our two 5-year old and 6-year-old daughters. If your neve been here, then you have to come and explore yourself. You will surely enjoy your adventure in this wilderness as we did years ago. Allow me to tell our story.

There are two ways to reach this hide. You can  trek for about 12.5km or 5 to 6 hours from Kuala Tahan  to Trenggan and trek for another one hour to the hide. The trail is located along the Tembeling River, so sometimes you will hear sound of boat plying the river. The trek can be hard for some people, especially for me, so my family opted to reach Trenggan by boat. The boat journey to Trenggan will take about 30 minutes through the Tembeling River and another one hour trek or 2km journey to the hide. My family took longer times, as we stopped for drinking and munching, and looking for small animals. My daughters like to watch a big group of ants walking through our  trail.  There are signboards everywhere, so you won't miss the trail. But remember, please stick to the gazetted trail.

We found this chameleon while resting under a big tree on the way to the hide. After taking this picture, it quickly run into the thick forest. Of course it ran away, as my daughters make so much noise. They were very happy spotting the chameleon. Children do have sharp eyes! 

Afer walking for more than one hour with many stops, we finally reached our home for the night. It is not a banglo or apartment, but this is a hide as you can see above. The local Malay called it bumbun. The hide is built from concrete, high up to canopy level beside a salt lick.

The hide is actually a small one big room with a few double-decker beds, built from a combination of concrete and timber. It has one long window overlooking a saltlick area. It offers very rustic facilities with basic accommodation up to 12 people, with no mattress and pillow. The bed is just a plank double decker bed made of timber. You need to bring your own sleeping bag and they are available for hire at Kuala Tahan. My family carried simple overnight backpack with stuff just enough for one night stay.

The staircase to the hide is made from concrete. Previously, the hide was built entirely from wood. Now, with the concrete structure, the hide will last for a longer period. Did you see a white door behind me in the above photo? That is the door to the bathroom for the hide. The bathroom can be a little small for European-sized tourists and for me, too! My family was walking down the staircase for a leisurely walk near the hide. We want to observe the vegetations and any animals or insects spotted nearby.

After eating our simple dinner at the hide, my family decided to go for short walk around the hide. Not too far because it can be scary as we were located deep in the rainforest and away from civilization. We were so lucky when we spotted this deer coming near to the hide. My children were very good as they remained quiet throughout the nightwalk adventure.

My family spotted this bird collared  kingfisher or scientifically called todiramphus chloris during our walkout near the hide. My children were very curious and excited each time they sighted colourful birds flying or resting on the tree branch. They were exposed to birding even before they were still babies. My eldest daughter joined me, my husband and another nature tourist guide of Taman Negara for a birdrace competition in Fraser Hill when she was only six-month-old! We won the first prize for the novice category.

Another bird spotted by our family near the hide. This is Black-Naped Oriole or oriolus chinensis.This is the male bird. It is relatively large, golden-yellow body and wing-coverts, and broad black band from lores to hind-crown and nape.

This is another bird sighted by us. It is

Asian Fairy Bluebird or irena puella. The male puella has shinning deep blue upperpartsand undertail coverts, otherwise mostly blacklish. It has red eyes.However, the female puella has overall dull turquoise-blue with flight feathers and reddish eyes.

My children spotted this Leaf Insect just near our hide. It was clinging on a small tree branch near the ground level. It wings had the shape of leaf, so observation is very important, if not you might miss it. The insect camouflarged itself with the surrounding.

BOOKING FOR THE HIDE

You need to book for the bed at the Park and Wildlife Department's Information Centre in Kuala Tahan in advance before embarking on your adventure to the hide at RM 6 per person per bed. You could also hire the whole hide for the night but you have to pay for all the bed of 12 beds. That is what we did.

There is no electricity at the hide, so you have to bring your torch or candle and other eating utensils. Many tourists go there with simple food such as cookies, plain bottled water and bread. Please please bring  all your rubbish back to the headquarters and throw them in the rubbish bin

 There is a small simple bathroom with toilet, and importantly running water, available also next to the hide. So, no need to run down and sit next to the bushes to do your small and big businesses! So, no bush toilets! Please don't expect a 5-star bathroom facility here.

My husband Hamid was a registered nature tourist guide based at Kuala Tahan, the basecamp for Taman Negara. He had led many tourists many international and local tourists. But now, just like me, he prefers to lead the family on our outing to any nature reserve. We let the younger generations do the guiding jobs.

Overnight at the hide is best done in a group as the night can be very quiet at night with only the sound of the jungle. Travelling in a group can also minimise the carry-load of each person and you can take turn to sight the animals. You could also exchange ideas about the rainforest....at least you have someone to talk to. Travelling in a group is better as it is a long trail from Trenggan to the hide. However, remain quite is important. If not, you will only sight your companion and not animals!

My family inside a four-seater boat on the way back from Trenggan to Kuala Tahan. You can hire a boat back to Kuala Tahan with prior arrangement with boatmen in Kuala Tahan or you catch the boat bus. You have to check with the Information Centre for details as the boat service might change overtime.

You can also trek back to Kuala Tahan but the journey will take another 5 to 6 hours of a lot of up and down.

A beautiful rainforest flower sighted just before reaching the hide.

ANIMAL SIGHTING

KUMBANG HIDE is the best hide compared to other hides in Taman Negara, to see animal, as it is the sited far away from any civilization.

Spending a night at the hide doesn't guarantee sightings of large animals. However, you will be lucky if you can catch a glimpse of small animals. This is definately the best place to see the norturnal activities of animals.

Upon reaching the hide, you will see a few of this signboards asking you to not making any noise, as it decrease the chances to see animals.

Equipped yourself with a good binocular, to catch sighting of animals especially birds high-up the canopy level.



My husband was explaining about the forest to my second daugher. They are looking out from the look-out  windor at the hide. My 5-year old daughter and her eldest sister are exposed to the biodiversity of the rainforest from the day they were born!  





The blogger NORHASIYATI TAHARIN was a journalist with Watan and The Star newspaper attached to the Business Section. She was an award-winning travel writer after winning the Malaysia Tourism Award for 1996/1997 for the Best Tourism Article on Malaysia (Other Language). She left journalism and start family life in Kuala Tahan, the hub of Taman Negara. She remained unidentified for many years under many bylines, but prefer to stick to yatietaharin for her blog.