Chill out at Chiling Falls

Ok, here's the Selangor Dam. It was glistening under the sun rays, so serene and beautiful. This is a rather huge dam, we had to keep a look out after this dam for the entrance to Chiling Falls. We had travelled quite a bit, from KL to Ulu Yam, to Kuala Kubu Bharu and now we're on the route to Fraser Hill. After the dam, we passed by a narrow hanging metal bridge. Immediately after that, there was a right turn to Kampung Pertak. "It doesn't look like an entrance to a waterfall", we discussed. However, to be save, we stopped by a small stall set up by the road side to find out. Apparently, the entrance is further ahead. True enough, immediately after the stall, there is a tiny entrance to Chiling Falls, with a sign saying Chiling Sanctuary ( or perhaps it is different, i can't really recall, i only remember there are words like Chiling, Sanctuary, Fishery department). After parking our cars by the road side, we went on by foot as no cars are allowed to drive into the sanctuary.


After registering ourselves at the counter and paying up RM0.50 each to use the toilet, we crossed the bridge, which was also the first river crossing. There will be altogether 6 river crossings to arrive at the destination. After crossing the river, we took the left turn. The whole trek was wet and damp. We trampled through mud, small stream formed by the heavy rain 1 night ago and soft soil. I was so thankful that i came with my flip flop. Even though it could get a bit tricky if the path got tougher but i can never picture myself wading through all those in my hiking shoes. The shoes would be in such a sad state. Other than trying to avoid yucky, sticky, and slimy stretches, the trek was rather easy as we were trekking along flat land.

As none of us knew the way, we trekked armed with the piece of advice given by En. Nordin who is in charged at the registration counter : Follow the main river, don't stray away from the main river and you will reach the destination. It was such an adventure as we were almost like blinds groping in the dark, finding our own way based on our instinct. After trekking for around half an hour, we came across the second river crossing. There was indication by the river bank showing where is the best spot to cross the river. We took a gulp when we saw the raging river. The current was fast, it was no little small stream whistling and humming along, it was a fast raging bull charging downstream. The guys took the lead to gauge the depth of the river and also to path way, followed by the girls. A step at a time, we had to be careful because we could barely see the bottom of the river due to its current and the depth. We had to find the correct footing among rocks and sand. The river bed is mostly covered with lose sand, that made it even harder to walk as with every step we made, our feet would sink into the lose sand. We had to balance ourselves in the sand and also pit ourselves against the current. No easy job.

Before we could enjoy the sweet joy of crossing the river, we were reminded to check our feet for any friendly leeches who just love to cling onto our feet. True enough, 2 of them got a friendly visit from the leeches. In fact, one of the leeches was already so comfortable and full it was already the size of my little finger. Ewwwwww, so grosss!!!! Thank goodness it was easy for me to look out for leeches as i was wearing flip flop. We carried on and very soon there was the 3rd river that we had to cross. Again, gushing fast-flowing current couldn't deter us. We used the same technique to cross but halfway through, one of our team members lost footing and fell! She was immediately washed off but thanks to rocks surrounding us, she was stopped. I could merely shout as I definitely was in no position to help her. I myself was not confident enough to get myself across, what more assisting someone else. 2 gentlemen plunged in to rescue her. She was assisted her onto her feet and they then guided her across the river. Times like this will display the true human nature. It is very heart-warming to see everyone helping everyone out even though we are from all walks of life. People tend to bond more easily and faster at times of need. It was a close encounter but everyone was safe, only a bruise on an ankle was suffered.

We crossed altogether 5 rivers including the one using the bridge. We skipped the last one because we wanted to go to the peak of the waterfall. Instead, we hiked up a very steep high slope with steps formed using roots of the trees. We drew in a deep breath when we saw the slope, too bad i didn't capture it to be shared with everyone.

At the end of the slope, we were rewarded for our determination. The main attraction was the 7-storey high gushing waterfall that falls straight into a pool that churns a mini whirlpool. It was really a grand scene. We continued on as we wanted to go somewhere we could camp and picnic.