Today was the final day of my Raya break. Since most of my friends were still away, the "Rumah Terbuka" would only start this weekend in earnest. Kuala Lumpur was still mellow traffic-wise and we decided to do a bit of trekking.
Had been reading about Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve in the middle of town and decided to give it a go. So, we set off at 10 am, found the car park by the visitor center, only to be told that the Reserve would be closed for the the year, and would only be opened September 2013. We surfed the net high and low yesterday and there were no mention of the park being closed both in blogs and official websites. Talking about Malaysia going into the digital edge eh?
Even the lady at the counter was rather embarrassed with this fact. They don't even have presence on Facebook and their website were probably updated once in a blue moon. Fail!
Plan B then, off to FRIM. Again, we were told that the canopy walk was closed until next week, but luckily the trails were opened and we decided to stick to that rather then turn back. Again, no mention on the official website. Double fail!
At least they got to see some fungiBeing the first time in FRIM, we were lucky that there were hardly anybody else there. Parked by an entrance to a trail, by the picnic area and set off up the hill. A gentle trek, but well shaded and cool. Weather was holding up, but the track was slippery from the rain the day before. None the less, we soldiered on. The stream up the hill was inviting and there were a few families taking dips, but we decided against it. Anita had a phobia about leptospirosis.
After some time at the top, it was time to hike back down, but Irfan wanted to explore an old bridge further up the trail. It looked like it was an abandoned part of an old trail. I imagine that the trek was longer but it lacked maintenance.
The whole place got plenty of potential, but it was ashamed that it wasn't realised. The place was a treasure, as it was right at the edge of town, but seemed hours away. With a bit of planning and investment, the place could have gone a long way. It was glaring that I learned more about FRIM from the Discovery Channel than what was available from local media. Although the staff on duty were kind enough, there were no maps or leaflets available to enable the visitors to plan their day better. The maps they had on display were not the best ......
Energy booster for Idlan
While Dad had some roti canaiEnded the stay by having a quick picnic. The picnic area has a couple of stalls which were closed during the Aidilfitri festivities. Roti canai, some tea, and the children had some cookies and other junks. Proper picnic. On the way out, we decided to explore another park, Taman Botani Kepong, but it turned out that we had to pass through an unpacked uphill road. Survived that into an empty park - there were hardly anybody else the today. We then pressed on home ......
We would definitely be back now that we understood the layout a bit more, but I could imagine that the place would be packed then. And with the limited parking space on offer and crammed trails it looked like a fun combination .....
