Thursday, May 14, 2009

Mt Tebu (1036.6m), Terengganu : 30 April 2009








This is my third climb to Mt Tebu. Four of us took the bus to Jertih - Wong, Ah See, Angie and myself but only Angie and I went to the summit. I asked Lah at Lata Belatan, Jabi to arrange for a guide but none was available and in the end the Forestry Department allowed me to take Angie to the summit on the account that I was familiar with the route.

Mt Tebu was not particularly difficult but the 7km trail was long and never-ending. In addition, the weather was hot, exceptionally humid and windless. It really sapped my energy and I could feel that I was dehydrated. The last 500m to the summit was all willpower. We reached the summit at 12.45 noon.

Compared to a year ago, the trail and summit was pleasantly clean. Last year, the summit looked like a rubbish dump and litter was everywhere. Earlier, Lah told me that he had conducted a cleaning expedition recently and managed to collect almost a tonne of rubbish. Imagine that!

Angie and I went to the camp site to view the South China Sea. Along the way we stopped at the legendary Batu Madrasah. The campsite was also very clean. I took Angie for a tour of the area, looking at the lonely grave and the rock with Jawi carvings. Mt Tebu was known for its popularity among martial arts exponents for training and meditation. It was also infamous for 'missing persons' every year despite the trail being very obvious.

If we were to tour the whole summit area, it would have taken us more than an hour but we were eager to get down because the heat was taking a toll on us. The river at Lata Belatan was heavenly. If only people take the time to explore the part of the river far away from the madding crowd. The colour of the still water was aquamarine and it was deep enough to swim.

For those who want to climb Mt Tebu, contact Lah at 017-6544474.

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