Sunday, April 29, 2012

Bukit Tabur - Adventure on a Sunday Morning

So recently there have been a lot of leisure activity plans made in the office. After a year where the company's workload grew six-fold and we engineers saw the brunt of it as we struggled to meet impossible deadlines - work is finally easing up as we are looking to catch up on life outside work. Numerous plans have been made (and still are as I write), and one such plan was to hike a hill or mountain together.

As we discussed the options over one of our many lunch outings together (within the last six months it has become a 'culture' in our department), we finally decided on Bukit Tabur. A mass e-mail was generated and circulated around the department to gauge interest, and soon enough the group swelled to a healthy 16 people. There were a couple of colleagues who pulled out late, yet early on the 15th day of April, 14 of us assembled at the foothill of Bukit Tabur.

After some basic stretching, we set off along the trail. The hike wasn't all that exhausting, and we did take our time to enjoy the scenery at the same time. As we ascended the hill, we were flanked by some wonderful birds-eye views of Kuala Lumpur. My only qualm was that we began our ascent way past sunrise, so it wasn't long before most (if not all) of us were drenched in sweat. Every now and then we'd reach some sort of a peak, where we'd regroup and make sure no one is left behind before moving on. Of course, such stops gave us the perfect opportunity for photos amid picturesque scenery.






We continued along at a steady pace, muscling our way over rocks and shimmying down ropes; making our way across ghastly valleys and peaks. There never was a dull moment throughout the hike, especially with the occasional "hoo-ha" shouts to communicate whenever a part of the group fell behind. And here you thought engineers were a rational (read boring) bunch.

It was a Sunday, and the scorching sun certainly didn't fail to remind us of this as it continued to burn our backs, emanating its punishingly radiant rays over Bukit Tabur [sic]. On our descent however we were under the shades of trees all the way, which however meant the path was still wet from the previous night's rain. I must admit we did slip and slide along the way down, yet we made it back to the foothill soon enough.


Adrenaline still intact, we drove out to a nearby mamak shop for some lunch before parting ways. On the way home, I couldn't help but think how blessed I am to be in the company of such warm, wonderful individuals at my workplace. Perhaps, a crazier adventure with this erratic bunch of engineers is in the offing.

Photo Credits (first and last photo): Zarul Fahemy

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