Kemensah Camping Trip, 26th July

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Went camping with the silat group members (Sunway) to Kemensah. The participants comprised me, Abg Lan, Jimin, Ang, Eddy, Tahir, Aral and a few juniors whom I am not so familiar with.
Unknown to many KL-ites, there is a great camping spot near the heart of the city centre. One only has to drive a few kilometres beyond Zoo Negara to reach Kemensah. There are a few camps/chalets along the road which attract families looking for a nice weekend out but for campers and hikers, I would suggest that they venture deeper. 45 minutes walk from Institut Budaya Melayu Selangor (at the end of Jln Taman Zooview) , one can find a waterfall and a great camping spot.

We set off from Sunway at around 11.30 am in two cars. Another car was to arrive later that evening. I was expected to lead the group but it's been two years since I last went to Kemensah so it became a case of the blind leading the blind. We arrived at Institut Budaya Melayu Selangor at 1 pm. From this point, we had to walk for 45 minutes. I asked the security guards manning the booth there for directions to the waterfall. Each one gave me a different set of instructions so I decided to to use the directions given by the most senior among the two guards. Luckily, the guy was right.

Leeches are part of the package when it comes to camping in tropical wet areas and since it was raining a few hours before, you can see tonnes of them along the way. Aaah, nevermind, I'd already gotten used to them. Plus, I brought a lighter and a bottle of multipurpose liquid to get rid of them. Easiest thing to do is to just ask the guy walking behind to keep an eye out for you or you can just spread the end of your pants into your socks. We reached the campsite and set up tents and small fire. Then, we all went mandi sungai/air terjun.........Woohoo.

At night, we barbequed burger and sausages, cooked Maggi and drank Rooibos Tea + Coke. Funny that in normal situations, people won't even look at Maggi but in the wilderness, people will surround you like vultures around a carcass, just waiting to munch on your bowl of Maggi.




The next morning, Jimin conducted silat training teaching them blocking drills and stick combat fundamentals while I practised knife throwing with Abg Lan (a lot of trees around for target practice). After that, we all mandi sungai again then packed up and went back. Hmmm, Kemensah Waterfall....I'd definitely recommend the place for anyone looking for an outdoor adventure and unwilling to go out of Selangor/KL.