Hitting The Balak Trail

"There are no rules in the jungle. You go by your instincts," Zamri Othman says. The Temerloh-based army ammunitions specialist should know.
His years of military training have allowed him to acquire a healthy respect for the jungle.
"No matter how much training, there's no guaranteeing one's safety. At best, it teaches you to keep a cool head and to be aware that quick thinking is needed when faced with difficult situations. Of course, it's best to avoid those situations in the first place," adds the 40- year-old father of five.
A briefing for a military jungle reconnaissance? No, only a 4x4 adventure in the heart of Hulu Tembeling in Jerantut, Pahang.
Zamri, together with Md Noor Razali, are easily the most experienced off-roaders in the group participating in the charity expedition organized by K'Dau Adventure.
Both of them belong to Temerloh's "infamous" Enam Jahanam 4x4 Adventure Club, which sports a raging bull as its logo.
Of the two, Noor is the cool head, and Zamri, like the Enam Jahanam's logo, the raging bull.
While Noor - the chief marshall of the three-day, two-night expedition - studiously contemplates the best route for team members in between puffs on his Sampoerna, Zamri is tearing ahead to buka jalan with his automatic transmission sky-blue Suzuki Vitara.
"You park your car illegally in Temerloh and you'll get a summons from the YDP (Yang Di Pertua)," Zamri says, within earshot of the municipal council president Norzan Ahmad, who is also a participant in the expedition.
"You cut down a tree in town, you'll get a fine. In the jungle, it's strictly you and the environment. No municipal council man around," he quips.
"There are rules to observe," Noor interjects, seemingly to mollify the impression created by Zamri.
"In a convoy, for example, it is important to ensure that the car behind yours is always within sight. If he is in trouble, the car in front has the best chance to help. Also, at turnings, we have to wait for the last car. We don't want people to get lost - not in the jungle."
Noor is the one who gives sporadic briefings to first-time adventure drivers, including on how to handle adverse terrain.
There are several villages in Hulu Tembeling, the main ones of which are Kg Pagi, Kg Kuala Sat, Kg Sungai Kuching, Kg Bantal, Kg Mat Daling and Kg Gusai.
Our stops are at Kg Pagi and Kg Kuala Sat.
We had left civilisation and the XC90 at Kuala Tahan to ride with Noor in his Mitsubishi Pajero. He had turned off at a junction - marked "Kg Mat Daling. Pacuan Empat Roda Saja (4-wheel drive only)" - on the main trunk road.
It turns out to be a 40km jalan balak (a dirt track for timber trucks).
Expedition participants had prayed for rain the night before, so as to make the drive more "adventurous". They are not getting their wish - yet. The blazing sun and the soaking humidity are rather taxing.
The drive to Kg Pagi is uneventful. As it is a public holiday, no timber-laden trucks are encountered.
"Here, they rule the road. You have to make way for them simply because they are far bigger than you," Noor says.
The convoy of 16 cars had only to stop once. A crane truck had got stuck while inching up a steep hill.
"There are no traffic lights and road markings. On the way in (to the jungle), we just drive on the ravine side of the road; and out, on the other side," he adds.
If we had taken the boat from Kuala Tahan, Kg Pagi would be the first Malay village we would pass. The ride takes about 45 minutes.
It was said to be three hours by the dirt track but it had taken us close to half a day.
The village has some 400 people living in 64 houses. They are mostly farmers.
Finding a place to set up camp for the night was not too difficult. The scenic Tembeling riverbank beckons.
The drive down the hill to the riverbank is easy enough, but some participants decide to park their cars up on the slope. (Wise decision as a couple of those who got down to the bank had later to be winched out as their 4x4s' "caterpillar" tyres dug too deeply into the sand.)
Some die-hard anglers lost no time in casting a line in the river, even before setting up tent.
And in the night, the rain came - in torrents. Many of the tents offered little protection, while some drivers were prompted to move their cars to higher ground in the middle of the night as water gushed down the hill.
"We have to be careful with what we wish for," Norzan tells his 19-year- old son, Eddy, the youngest driver in the convoy.
Morning breaks, with breakfast out of the way, it's time to head for Kg Kuala Sat. But because of the rain, Noor has to chart an alternate route through an oil palm plantation. Most of 4x4s would not be able to make it up a steep hill on the original route, he decides.
"The rain would have caused some sections to become very slippery."
Already, the drive out of Kg Pagi is taking longer than expected. Some cars have to be pushed or winched out of the mud.
They also slide from side to side of the road, as the tyres work overtime to get a grip. "If you're not careful, you can slide all the way across," Noor warns as he monitors the other vehicles' progress.
My Clark boots and May's black Reeboks have long become non-recognisable. One thing I quickly learnt is not to try to wash the boots. Just leave the mud to dry and then brush off the caked dirt.
"Leave your Guccis and Pradas at home. Lipsticks? What for? Just bring lots of T-shirts and shorts. Next time, wear sandals which you can strap to the ankle," Zamri advises.
The strap on my Etienne Aigner slippers (yes, silly me) has snapped while May has lost her Japanese slippers in knee-deep mud near the river.
Toilet? Emulate the cat: dig and bury.
Kg Kuala Sat is a small village on the southern edge of the Taman Negara. It is one of the most remote areas of the country. With no handy 4x4 around, it is accessible only by a six-hour boat journey on the Tembeling River.
At a number of villages on the way, we distributed food supplies provided by Nestle, one of the many sponsors of the expedition.
The expedition has not been without casualties. One car has to be towed out of the jungle because of a burst radiator.
Zamri says it's not unusual. Team members have been known to have to leave their cars on the way to their campsite and pick them up on the way out.
"Also, cars have been left in the jungle, to be retrieved later after all team members have safely come out.
"If you think this trip has been rather tame, follow us on a hardcore 4x4 expedition. Are you game for it?" We'll certainly be better prepared.