Datuk Participant Reviews

A rather long review 1

Communication of the Trek location and meetup point is well prepared and addressed to the participants in and out of SMU where everyone is fully aware of the whole trip with respect to the food, tentages, journey timings, bus timings etc etc.

The journey process to the top of the hill was indeed fun (except that when we are on the bus we are always sleeping, guess must be overexhausting for us! Not that i complain that it is boring. Its just a comment! hahaha..)

We have regular breaks in between on the way on the hill which was good. Giving us ample time to recuperate enough energy for the journey. Perhaps trekking sticks to be provided will be good too especially when someone is exhausted climbing up a steep hill or have injured themselves in an event. Its always handy to have a few trekking sticks maybe 1 per team. Field chairs are useful too. Perhaps trek team can budget to buy more and let everyone carry one up the hill so that we can use it as well.

The hills are steep and slippery (sand) for 1/3 of the trips, but its not that a big of an obstacle as long as we are careful. But could be proven a deterence for beginner weak trekkers like me with creeking bones (rofl..). Perhaps a short day trek or a less tougher hill to be recommended as intro trek.

Our hardwork does payoff upon seeing the breath-taking view of the scenery around us on the summit followed by our own camwhoring session in the hard-blowing cold winds. Climbing guides like Junjie does provide assurance to the newbies that it is safe and how to climb to the top is excellent!

Base camp was well setup despite all the windy/cold conditions that we faced and dinner preparation was well planned (thanks to you for cooking for our group as well! It was sumptuous!). Though i thought that perhaps everybody cook together as one will be much more livlier. Im not sure if there is any good spot for 30+ odd person to gather around on the hill summit though. Cause cooking together allows interaction with one another more instead of just talking amongst our own groups.

On the way downhill on the next day, though proven relatively faster and easier. It does take quite a toll on our knees and it requires much more focusing as with each miss step down could be proven fatal to ourselves. We can slow down the trek but dont stop too often so as to keep the momentum going. Recommended having shoes with good friction will come into play when going downhill. We are truly thankful it did not rain at all else i couldnt imagine how hard will it be to get down.

The trip ride back was fun with experiences sharing with each other, couples emerging, and all the good and hard times we had on the way back to Singapore. Its a pity we dont get to eat at the restaurant we wanted. Perhaps we can take note of all the restaurants (exact location on map and full name on a map to pass to bus driver next time) that we will eat at after each trek.

But overall, im really thrilled and had my unforgettable moments for the trek and especially you guys. Will attempt another trek with you if possible given my time and old bones refurbished with a good supply of calcium! hahhaa..

- Eric Tan (SMUX Alumni)