SIMPLY (t)RAVELLING

White Water Rafting at Kuala Kubu Bharu

 

This is actually an overdue entry. Shortly after coming back from Bangkok, we have enrolled ourselves for another adventure – white water rafting at a river in Kuala Kubu Bharu, 60km from KL downtown. The event coincidentally fall on my birthday. What a way to celebrate, huh?

 

On our way to Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor via the Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh old trunk road. The day is a bit gloomy. Hope it would not rain heavily, otherwise we might miss the fun.

 

The small town of Kuala Kubu Bharu. Sunday, and the quite town seems to be occupied by only us.

 

Located on the route to the Fraser’s Hill, the second highland in Malaysia after Cameron, the weather at the town is cold and fresh.

 

 

 Looking for direction to Sungai Selangor, where the activity will take place.

 

And also direction for breakfast, of course!

 

We met our operators from Khersonese Expedition and other participants at the nearby mamak’s, and we were handed some forms to be filled in which we duly obliged (photo courtesy to our friend Spark, cause I was still busy devouring my nasi lemak)

 

From the mamak’s we were then taken to the “Put in” point (or the starting point) of the river adventure, a few kilometers away from Kuala Kubu town, where we assembled and put on the gear and the outfit.

 

The paddles,

 

The rafts,

 

And the helmets.

 

While happily snapping pictures, my el cheapo camera suddenly turned off. On close inspection, I found out that the battery had exhausted. To be totally dependant on other’s camera on my ’maiden voyage’ is absolutely unacceptable (blamed myself for forgotting to recharge the battery!)   The following photos were all taken and courtesy by our friend, Spark.

 

 Our guide and also team leader from Khersonese briefed us on the techniques and safety measures.

 

 Bai, our guide showing us the right way to hold the peddle and position ourselves in the raft.

 

The core techniques of maneuvering and rescuing.

 

 

We were then divided into groups of 6 per raft, and each raft was accompanied by 2 experienced guides.

 

And the journey begun! Surprisingly, I wasn’t frantic and screaming like I always do when going through a rollercoaster ride. I found myself very calm and enjoy every single moment!

 

Wading through one of the challenging rapids. There are about 6 or 7 altogether, which difficulty (or fright level, in our case) ranging from level 1 to level 4 (the most difficult is level 6).

 

Another adrenalin pumping moment, face to face with the swift current. Not to mention the awaiting, sharp boulders.

 

One rapid after another, all the way downstream.

 

The grin of satisfactions once the obstancles were conquered. Surely the two guides did most of the work, but the effort required should not be underestimated. Each individual crew played an important role to ensure the boat passes through the rapid successfully without being flipped - which after sometime, the constantly over-left, over-right, sit-in, front and back formation were becoming too strenuous and tiring.

 

Eventhough it rained heavily the night before, the water was a bit shallow at certain points, as the water level is controlled by the nearby dam. There were a few instances whereby we were required to pull the raft over dead tree trunks and narrow gaps.

 

The whole ‘cruise’ took about 4 hours, with one major pit stop nearby a waterfall where we had a break and some refreshment. Towards the end of the journey the river straigthened; the serene and peacefull surrounding plus the clear, shallow water were so tempting that we decided to float all the way to the finish line. 

 

We reached the finish line safely, all wet, tired and hungry. We were then treated with sumptious lunch (perhaps we were too hungry) at the nearby National Service Training Camp before bidding goodbye. Nevertheless we were all satisfied and having great fun – surely it would not be the last for us. In fact, the memories and the thought of returning still make us grin to this day!

 

 Yay, yippee kai-yay! We’ve made it, how about you?

 

Note: All the pictures were taken using my Nikon Coolpix S8000 and Spark’s compact camera.

 

The following are captions of the itinerary by Khersonese Expedition:

Full day white-water rafting inclusive of :
a) guides/raft/paddle/helmet/pfd on Sungai Selangor (Grade 4)
b) On-river snacks – mineral water, granola bars, chocs & fruits and packed lunch
c) Use of basecamp facilities

Itineraries:
0700am-Depart from KL to Kuala Kubu Bahru ( Own transport)
0845am-Meet us at Pejabat Post Kuala Kubu Bahru -Proceed drive to Rafting Site
9:45 am Introduction and briefing of safety
10:10 am Rafting skill briefing and Water confident
10:30 am Going wild with the water
3.00 pm End of rafting
3:30 pm Lunch & Depart back to KL

Important note:
1. Arrive 30 minutes prior to trip time
2. No alcohol before or during trip
3. Bring towels, shower items and a change of clothes
4. Dress appropriately for the weather: swimsuits, quick dry shorts, T-shirts, strap on sandals or tennis shoes
for warm weather, or wool synthetic clothes for cool weather (no cotton sweatshirts or jeans).
5. Be ready to have an adventure full of fun and excitement!

DO’S AND DON’TS
1. Do Not Litter
2. Bring All Rubbish Out Of the Raft.
3. Do Not Damage Any Plants Or Trees
4. Do Not Make Excessive Noise
5. Stay Healthy. Do Not Take Unnecessary Risks Like Climbing Up Rocks.
6. Always Listen To Advise Given By Your Guides.
7. Do Not Stay Away From The Group, You Can Easily Get Lost.

Safety Briefing:
A detailed safety briefing will be conducted before each trip. The rafting team for the trip explains what to do if the raft flips, how to help each other out of the water and what conditions to expect. We always gives the worstcase scenario so that people know what to expect from the trip and, therefore, have the choice to forego their trip after the safety talk. Once in the raft, you are instructed by your rafting guide as to how to negotiate the rapids and some practice is done before you set off. You are also briefed before each rapid on how the raft is expected to react.

Emergency
Hospital is just about 7km away from the rafting site, in case of emergency the following hospital will be the first entry of treatment.

Safety and precaution
•We always ensure all the participants wear a life jacket.
•We do not overload the raft.
•We do not go rafting after/during a heavy rain.
•The guides are qualified and well train.
•We are well know local weather conditions. We make sure the water and weather conditions are safe. Because water conducts electricity, it is wise to stop swimming, boating, or any activities on the water as soon as you see or hear a lightning.

Direction to KKB
1)PLUS highway, Heading NORTH
2)Exit at RAWANG
3)Heading NORTH follow IPOH sigh
4)Pass Rawang town/Serendah/Ulu Yam/RASA/Kampung melayu Rasa
5)Follow the turn off of BUKIT FRASER, RIGHT Turning at the Main road just after the Kampung Melayu Rasa Signboard
6)Pass some pond/lake, pass driving school right.
7)Traffic Light, take RIGHT turning.
8)You can wait at the Indian Temple. Just after the RIGHT turn at the traffic light.
9)Or else, you can take LEFT turn after traffic light to the PUSAT BANDAR, and meet at the 7-11/post office.

* You will take approximately about 1.5-2 hrs drive from Kuala Lumpur.