Pos Kuala Mu is a settlement of Temiar tribe, located about
70km from Sungai Siput, Perak. It is strategically located near the convergence
of Sungai Mu and Sungai Perlus which consists of 4 villages, Kampung Besrah,
Kampung Gepeh Hulu, Kampung Gepeh Hilir and Kampung Kuala Mu.
In 2013, a project undertaken by Angkatan Tentera Malaysia was completed that upgrades the 16.7km road connection between Pos
Legap and Pos Kuala Mu. This upgrades has shorten the travel time from this
settlement to Sungai Siput from 8 hours to about 2.5hours and since then, it has become
a tourist destination for off-road enthusiast from 2 wheeler to 4x4 wheels.
A series of downpour throughout that week has given me a doubt on the selected date.
Weather forecast that weekend was also expecting an overnight rain.
Despite all odds we have
decided to proceed as planned and riding with me to Kuala Mu are Syahril and
Sallehuddin, both are on Versys 650. We met at R&R Rawang at about 8.30am
and departed around 9am on that Saturday morning.
The weather that morning was good and we have plenty of sun
along the way up north.
We arrived at Sungai Siput around 11.00am and took an
early lunch at Selera D Kebayan restaurant in Chemor.
After a quick petrol refill in Sungai Siput, we head towards Kampung
Bawong, where the nice tarmac road ended. It is noon when we started rolling into
the off-roads here.
The road leads to Pos Legap is about 65% flat with a combination
of loose gravel, red laterite and concrete surface on some climbing section
Land clearing in this area is massive and active logging
sites are visible along the road
We stopped and asked for direction as the stretch is
unavailable on gps and no signboards
From Pos Legap to Kuala Mu, the road started
climbing, a signpost says it’s at 25degrees but it felt more in reality.
Climbing and descending road proven difficult to ride in our road tyres with heavy load of chocolates and clothes for the villagers plus our own supplies.
Sallehuddin first tumble as his rear wheel skidded into soft
mud
After the first tumble, Sallehudin took a few more down the road.
At this point we are all exhausted and dehydrated as the weather is really hot.
There are small villages along the road
Despite the hardship, all smiles are on board
We arrived at Kampung Besrah around 3.30pm after a lot
of stops and rests.
Although this is the first time we met, Tok Batin Hadu greeted us with a big smile.
This was the second big bike expedition here (after SPCT in 2014) and this chief is loving it!
All smiles in Kampung Besrah when we began distributing clothes, chocolates and candies
Tok Batin Hadu then ushered us to the camping site and we camp by the river. The river is very cold as its flows down directly
from the mountain range between state borders of Perak and Kelantan.
Unpacking process started and base camp was ready around
5.00pm.
The river is very cold indeed
We started to prepare dinner. On the menu tonight is rice
with meat curry and tomatoes.
Setting up camp was swift but I personally felt like a one man circus as we have a flock of children sitting nearby to watch the entire process.
We did share our dinner with local children that night
We toast black pepper sausages as our night snacks
That night around 9pm Tok Batin Hadu came to our camp site with
fried tapioca and we started chatting.
He said in the late 70s he used to work
in Gombak as a house builder (tukang rumah) with daily salary of RM90. He came
back to this village when he was 24 years old and stayed ever since.
He leave us around 10.30pm and we retrieve to our tent.
Morning in the jungle is carnival-like as birds and insects
chirping can be heard as early as 6am.
Our breakfast that morning was instant
curry mee with coffee.
Our children fans came again this time to watch our packing
process.
We gave them all the remaining supplies and all smiles are on their
faces
We make a move around 10.30am and toured the village for a
quick photography session
Streams of cold water flows in the middle of the village
Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Mu is complete with its teacher
quarters, which runs on hybrid solar system
Football field with school building and quarters in the background
Entrance leading to Kampung Besrah
Tok Batin Hadu Bin Long house, he has 9 children with a wife
A brand new musolla is under construction
We moved out from this settlement around 12pm
Climbing and descending section.. again
With reduced weight of the bike, riding the same road as
yesterday seems much more easier than
before
We arrived at Kampung Bawong around 2pm and after a quick
check on our ride before we continue to Chemor.
Despite suffering from a very bad first day, Sallehuddin's bike has suffered only a few minor damages such as bended brake pedal and handle bar.
He is still able to continue the second half of this ride back to KL and that was a commendable feat for both man & machine considering a very bad first day.
Lovely bends between Kampung Bawong and Sungai Siput
We had a quick lunch in Naina Mohamed restaurant in Chemor.
Journey back was a slow one as it is raining and the traffic
is very bad. A hand score of drivers took the left emergency lane and driving
dangerously in the slippy highway surface.
We had arrived in Rawang rest area around 5.20pm and said
goodbye to each other.
It has been a very memorable journey despite all the
hardship during the off-road section.
We are also blessed with good weather in Sungai Siput throughout the weekend which also made this possible as I could not imagine how would heavy bikes on road tyres can climb those over 25 degrees inclination in wet conditions
Ride snippets:
Rider: Mr. Shahril Zulkifli, Mr. Sallehuddin Aziz & Myself
Distance: 520km
Duration: 2 days
Petrol: RM90 per bike
Date: April 4 - 5, 2015
Update 19th July 2018
The place now has opened a few chalets for public. Please refer below contact details to make reservations:
En. Saidin: 019-4117281
(Chalet Kg Bersah).
En. Wali: 013-5873847
(Chalet Dusun Kg Kuala Mu).
En. Dah Nan: 011-35807057
(Tapak Perkhemahan Kg. Gapeh)
