Getting Old

You know you are getting old when:

1. Your 5 year old kid whizzes past you and never once lags behind you during a hike
2. He does not see the need to rest, catch a breath, drink or eat
3. He says he is bored because the going is so slow
4. He says YOU are so slow
5. He says he is not tired or thirsty or hungry when all you want to do is to lie down and die

And that was exactly what happened to Jimbo when he took Ryan for another hike up Broga Hill, one week after the previous one, because the latter wanted to ‘climb all the peaks’ as he did not get a chance to, the first time round.

This time, they did not go at an insanely early hour of the morning but rather, by the time Jimbo and son reached the foothill by car, the sun has already risen. Unlike the previous hike, this time there were only a handful of fellow hikers (it being a public holiday only in Negeri Sembilan) and therefore the hike was much more pleasant.

Here are some pictures from the hike:

It was a misty morning.

The crowd was sparse that day which was a good thing.

“Hurry up la, Daddy”, Ryan said to his half-dead very unfit father.

That’s Ryan’s feet on the upper left corner. It’s hard to capture a rapidly moving target!

View from the 3rd peak.

View from the 4th (and final) peak.

Thurs, 041109 @ 0800

Broga Hill

Climbing Broga Hill (GPS: N 02° 57.019′ E 101° 54.177′) on a public holiday is like walking uphill in a crowded pasar malam!

That was how Jimbo felt last Saturday (17 Oct. 2009) when he hiked with a mass of sweating humanity along with some of his regular climbing mates and a few IMU students. On that climb, the new addition was the presence of Jimbo’s family members! All in all, there were probably a few hundred people hiking up the hill that morning!

It was tough waking up at 4.00 am to prepare breakfast, then drag 2 sleepy-head kids out of bed and get them ready to go hiking but they did it! They reached the foothill of Broga Hill, nestled along the border between the state of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. It’s just a (very long) stone throw from the Nottingham University where Jimbo gave a sex talk a while ago.

It was still dark when the hike started as they walked along the yellow path through part of a palm oil estate. The ground was dry and so it wasn’t slippery.

The fitter ones zoomed ahead. Jimbo’s team was one of the slower ones on account of the kids.

Broga hill was probably once a forested area which succumbed to modernization which left it covered only by long grass (not sure what they are called).

The climb/hike would have been a lot more pleasant if:
1. There weren’t that many people around
2. There weren’t idiots who smoke along the way
3. There weren’t people who run along the path, knocking everyone aside; especially 5 and 10 year olds!
4. There weren’t totally unfit teenagers (dressed in party clothes!) hogging up the path, whining and complaining about how tired they are, etc etc..
5. There weren’t people who would not give way even when you say “excuse me” a hundred times
6. Litterbugs…

Anyway, to cut the story short; Broga Hill actually has 3 peaks, each higher than the preceding one.

By the first peak, Mrs Jimbo surrendered to tiredness.
By the 2nd peak, Darlene likewise, gave up and wouldn’t go on.

And since Jimbo could not leave his daughter on the 2nd peak, he had to make a U-turn, along with a very disappointed 5-year-old son who wanted to go to the last peak!

And so, Jimbo promised his son that he would go again with him.
Since 26th October 2009 is a public holiday for Negeri Sembilan ONLY, maybe it is a good day to go and conquer the last peak! Anyone interested?

Jimbo did not take many photos (because he loaned his camera to a friend) and his camera phone sucks, but here are some clearer ones:

The 2nd peak, viewed from the first peak.

Everyone’s waiting for the sun to come out.

The sky, just before the morning sun made its appearance.

Here comes the sun!

And it’s the dawn of a new day!

Watch the video below:

Tues, 201009 @ 0700