One Step at a Time

From the very beginning, CBL was a trail I wanted to conquer. The combination of breathtakingly beautiful  sights, combined with its reputation for challenging hikers of all abilities and the 3 day 2 night duration were all factors that intrigued and excited the hiker in me. The trail known famously as CBL or Trans-CBL comprised a trek across Chemerong Waterfalls, Berembun Mountain and Langsir Waterfalls. A quick hashtag search on Instagram will very quickly tell you what I’m talking about when I say it’s a beautiful trek -- visually, that is. A dream come true! To be completely honest, when G asked me to join her on this trip I was afraid that I wouldn’t have the stamina to withstand the hike, which was comprised of many unforgiving steep sections. As we embarked from KL to Terengganu on the provided transport, I was both excited and nervous as the group had decided that we would push through 10 straight hours of hiking to reach Langsir Waterfall

WARNING: blood and more blood . And lots of food. We were supposed to hike Chenuang 850m, but we had to switch it at the last minute for Batu Kumbang 640m / 5.8km, which was right next door to Chenuang. Located at Sg Congkak My old friend, Hunny, joined us on what was her first hike in five years. If I’m crazy, she’s crazier. Kumbang may be small (640 metres), but it’s a beast. Don’t let its cute name (Beetle Rock) fool you. We hiked through thorny, leech-infested terrain for close to three hours to get to the peak. Everywhere we set foot, a whole stadium of leeches would stand at attention, waiting to eat us whole. My brother and my friend and mountain guide Along joined us on this hike too (yes, they are men but that’s ok) so it felt great to be surrounded by friends and family.   My brother won the leech competition, with a total of 35 leech bites.       The mountain should be called Batu Pacat  We are standing still to avoid being scratched by th