Gunung Panti - Home to Blood Suckers

10 July 2010 - The mountain was swarmed with blood sucking leeches ! Almost everyone in the group got bitten, myself included. Some even had multiple bites. Legs and ankles were still bleeding at dinner time ...  These suckers came in different lengths and sizes -  there were small thin ones (that can easily squeeze into your shoes) and long fat ones that looked like an earthworm.

We constantly had to look at our shoes to check.  Without fail,  every 5 minutes or so, there will be leeches making their way up for a fresh blood meal ! Even when we stopped, we had to scan the ground for leeches.  A lot of us got bitten when we stopped to rest for the first time.  You stop to catch your breath and have a drink of water and the next thing you know, you have leeches making their way up from the ground to your shoes and ankles. Yikes !

Although, I got bitten by one blood sucker who made it up to my ankle and had a good feast, there were at least 10+ leeches that attempted to do so ! I had to kick many leeches off my shoes !

On this trip, there were a lot more leeches than my previous  Panti trip in April 2010 (http://sunnyoutdoors.blogspot.com/2010/04/gunung-panti.html). Perhaps it had something to do with the wet weather recently.  Although it didn't rain when we started, the ground was damp and muddy in parts. It had also been raining periodically the past few weeks. 

I also found the climb easier.  Maybe I have gotten a little fitter as I have been climbing stairs and mountains recently.  However, I believe the main reason is because I have learned to pace my hikes better.  In the past, I used to follow the pace of the leader ... and some of these guys are really fast ! Unless you are as fit as they are, going at their pace will wear you out very soon !

 Crossing at the wrong place at the start ...

 This is wrong way .. backtracking

Crossing the river at the right place :-)

This is the first time that I have worn a pair of "Adidas" Kampung. I had this pair for a few months but I have never worn them.  Even though I have read so much of how suitable they are for trekking in the Malaysian gunungs, I wasn't fully convinced.  All this changed when I wore them for this trip.

 

These shoes gripped the ground really well ! The studded soles makes them suitable for muddy  ground. As the studs are made of rubber, they are also appropriate for harder terrains such as dried mud paths, tree roots and boulders.  However, this shoes does not have any ankle support and might not be suitable for more demanding terrain.  This also makes them very vulnerable to leech attacks ! These suckers can reach the socks and ankles very quickly.  Pairing these shoes with leech socks will be the ultimate combination ! Hmmm...

Be warned, they are almost impossible to find, even in Malaysia.  We scoured the entire Kota Tinggi town but couldn't find any.  There were lots of other rubber shoes, but none with studded rubber soles. You can read my previous blog posting on where to buy them :-) http://sunnyoutdoors.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-first-pair-of-adidas-kampung.html

We made it to the top !

There were many students at the summit. They came up using another way, bypassing the rock wall. Perhaps, we should explore the alternative route if we do return :-)

Students at the summit. They had firefighters as their guides.

Lots of people were trying to get down from the rock wall,  causing a massive human jam ! We climbed down the rock wall together with the students.

Jam on the way down !

At the base of the mountain, we were tempted by a fruit orchard filled with durians and other  tropical fruits. Sensing no one was around,  we trespassed into private property to help ourselves to the fruits. Immediately an mean looking uncle came rushing out holding a loaded shot gun !

Jo was trying to talk her way out of this one, but the uncle was not buying it.  Suddenly, in one swift move she snatched the gun and the uncle was shocked !

Haha, actually the uncle is a nice guy. He's the caretaker of the orchard and the gun is used for shooting squirrels.  He was kind enough to allow us to pose with the gun. It's a licensed weapon by the way.

Although I had just been to Panti a few months back, this trip brought about different experiences. For one, there were a lot more leeches.  We also met the gun wielding uncle in the orchard at the base of the camp. I didn't know gun ownership is still allowed in Malaysia until now.  :-)