I went for the 1 day hiking trip at around Kota Tinggi, Johor (Malaysia) with my 4 colleagues. We visited the Ken waterfall. It’s my 1st time going for an ‘official’ hike trip.
We supposed to reach Marsiling MRT at 6.30am but I reached at 6.40am. Hmm..I was the earliest among my colleagues. But the rest of the participants had reached already.
We reached the custom around 7am & had breakfast in Johor. The restaurant looks like the local ‘Killiney Kopitiam’. Price of the food is relatively cheap there. Mee Siam is only RM2, American breakfast is RM4.50. Food quality is not fantastic but still edible.
The weather is nice, not too hot. Once we reached the destination, I sprayed some insect repellent to prevent insect & leech bite.
We saw some wild orchids, lots of insect-eating plants (I’ve forgotten the name) & some animal footprints (maybe wild boar’s).
Before we entered the forest, we walked through 2-4 muddy ‘pools’. Oh! It’s very dirty, muddy & soggie, the pool’s depth nearly reached my knees (oh I’m short by the way).
Maybe I watched too much ‘Crocodile Hunter’ by the late Steve Irwins. I kept looking out for crocs & snake in the mud pool. It was a ‘environmental shock’ for me.
We saw a tiny leech on the auntie’s leg, the young guide, Peng Seng (a teacher to-be), took out his insect repellent & sprayed on the leech. Then, he pulled out the leech. Luckily we noticed it before it started to suck blood. Otherwise, the leech will look fat & the wound will keep bleeding.
We move on further & reached a spot full of high growing ferns. They were higher than 1.60m. The guide bought out a parang & cut the ferns to make a pathway for us to enter into the forest. When we stepped on the ferns, it was as if we were walking on the cushioned carpet but it was a pricky journey. I got some scratches on my legs.
The temperature in the forest was quite cooling due to the shade provided by the tall trees. Beware!! There were many big thorny plants that used to make rotan (material to use for canning) & plams with thorny leaves.
I realised that the journey was not easy & simple like trekking at 
Bukit Timah. The route was muddy, slippery & difficult to move on. There were lots of squating & ‘climbing’. We need to look out before we grip the plant as support to step forward. Beware, don’t grip the wrong plants!
About 1 hour of climbing & walking, I noticed some blood on my right foot. It was a painless wound but kept bleeding. That lucky leech had taken my blood without my permission & just left without saying thanks to me. I thought it will stop bleeding after some time & we continued the journey since it’s common to have leech bite for hiking.
We saw 4 small waterfalls on the way up. The higher we went, the more difficult to go up. We did some rock climbing stunts on the slippery rocks. I really overestimated my ability and almost fell a few times. The trick was to stabilised the footing, move step by step & avoid stepping on the slippery rocks in water.
We took 2.5hrs to reach the main waterfall. Though it’s not a 
straight flowing waterfall, it still looked nice. It really had a mental therapy effect & it’s cooling. I felt clam & peaceful.
We rested for 45 mins. Only Cecilia dares to dip herself in the 
water & stay under the flowing water. ‘Cos she was the only one whom wore bikini beneath. Janice had prepared some delicious Egg Mayo sandwhiches for us..yummy!!
I drank too much water & had strong urge to pee. As i can’t wait to reach our starting point & travel at least 15 mins to the toilet, so I decided to pee in the water (shh…dun drink the water hor) & looked as if I was dipping in the water.
Before we started to go down, the guide told us that he will take a shorter route which will take about 1.5hrs. But I knew it will be more difficult. We squated a lot to stabilse ourselves when we were going down.. my tighs were shaking. Sometimes, I decided to glide down with my butt since I’m already dirty (it’s much easier but dirtier).
It was a mental torture that we kept walking & yet to reach our starting point though the time taken was much shorter. We did some wash up at the stream nearest to our destination. But I still feel uneasy with the sandy & muddy sensation. My wound was still bleeding leh!
Before we board the van, the driver had already laid some newspaper the seats. Then, it took about 15 mins to reach the nearest shopping centre for us to change & clean ourselves.
We met some colleagues there who were participating in the Firefly trip in the Kota Tinggi plaza. We had a dinner nearby (the place that I went earlier for my firefly trip). Then we headed straight to the custom & reached S’pore at 7.30pm.
However, the guide met some problem with his parang which was considered as dangerous item. He explained that he had been doing it for some time already. Then, he was asked to go the officer’s room. We waited 15 mins in the van & he joined us later with his parang. Home sweet home.
Overall experience is not so positive. It’s dirty, I prefer scuba diving as I feel safer. It’s like paying money for army training in the forest which doesn’t worth the money.
I think the guide is still inexperience, maybe it’s good to have another assistant so that they can take care of the group better.
Hmm…will I go for another trip? The probability is lower…maybe loh (provided it’s easier than this trip) but won’t build the passion for it.
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Day 1 Saturday / 9 Sep 06
0630 Meeting at Marsiling MRT, take attendance ( the reason for the early meet-up timing is to avoid the traffic congestion at the
causeway which usually starts at 7am )
0645 Depart for JB, breakfast along the way
0930 Start trek
1000 Start trek
1200 Arrive at main waterfall, rest & relax, lunch
1400 Start descend
1600 End of trek, head to town to wash up
1700 Dinner at Kota Tinggi town
1830 Depart town
2000 Arrive at Marsiling MRT
Note: The above timings are merely approximates & are subject to changes, depending on the progress of the group on the actual day.
Recommended Packing List
We recommend that trekkers wear a pair of durable sandals because of the stream crossings at some marshy sections. Covered shoes may not be ideal in this case. However, there are downsides of wearing sandal. Toes and feet will not be protected; traction will not be as good compared to shoes or boots etc.
Please do take care and be warned.
* Passport with validity of at least 6 months
* 2L of drinking water
* Poncho / rain gear ( IMPORTANT )
* Torch
* Passport & important documents in waterproof bags
* A clean set of clothes to change into after the trek
* Tissue paper ( never know when you’ll need them )
* Some cash ( RM20 – RM50 )
* Optional items like hat or cap, slippers to change into after the trek, insect repellent, towel for wiping perspiration, camera.
Recommended Trekking Attire
* Top: loose fitting t-shirt
* Bottom: bermudas, shorts / slacks ( avoid white bottoms & jeans if possible )
