Jangkar Junkies

Wet Talk: For a week, I was unable to post any photos due to sever migration woes. Hopefully this is all behind me now.

Jankar Waterfall! On Gawai’s eve, Danny invited me to join him together with Bryan and gang from Borneo Outdoor Explorers - BOX for short (who described themselves as “a group of nature-loving, adventure-seeking, adrenaline-fueled, outdoor-obsessed explorers who constantly hunt for new place in Borneo and based in Kuching” in their Facebook) to explore Jangkar Waterfalls reputed to be the largest waterfall in southern Sarawak. This, I’ve definitely got to see even though trekking is not my forte; being clumsy and less than sure footed on terra-firma. They have been there more than half a dozen times and Danny’s face lit up with the mention of the name and after seeing this awesome waterfall; I can understand why they are addicted to Jangkar!

And so early on Sunday morning I met up with Danny and his friends outside “Ruai” (where the ‘BOXers’ hang out) and together we set out in his van for Lundu to meet up with Bryan and gang for breakfast at Lundu Market and some shopping after. Shopping? Yes, my expensive Adidas water shoe was deemed unsuitable for the trek and so I bought a RM11/- “kampong adidas” in Lundu town instead. This rubber shoe is reputed to give you the best grip although ankle support is solely lacking due to it’s flexibility. Anyway according to Danny this trek is a level 3 out of 5; 1 being a stroll in the park and 5 being pretty tough. But then again Danny and members of BOX are mountain goats and the rest of us being mere mortals I was to subsequently discover that his level 3 is more like a level 5 to me! The primary reason being that his ‘trek’ involves an hour or so of clambering over humongous and treacherously slippery granite rocks!And that’s after trekking up hill over secondary forest for over an hour. By comparison my daily half hour work-out on the summit trainer in the gym is a woefully inadequate preparation for this!

I took a slip on the rocks (and scrapped my knees in the process - darn!) at the start of the trek when we reached the river’s edge and decided to forsake my shoes and chose to go barefooted like Danny and our local guide, Kapik from Kg Biawak.

Anyway so finally after 2 hours of hard work we were finally rewarded by the amazing sight of Jangkar waterfall looming ahead and greated by the roar of the waterfalls. Standing near the bottom ledge of the falls; the sight, sounds and sprays of wind and fine mist is exhilarating and really something to be experienced and relished. After the hot and humid trek, led by Bryan;  Ben, Raymond and Alan all leaped into the pool below the falls without hesitation while I was quite contented to just sit on the rocks to catch my breathe.

By my estimation Jangkar falls must easily be over 6 stories high but no building of the same or greater heights can rival its beauty and breathtaking presence. I’m really grateful to Danny and Bryan for sharing this hidden treasure in Lundu that is largely unknown even to outdoor enthusiasts in Kuching.

“Jankar what?”, is a common refrain when informed of this amazing place.

It’s a privilege to be there and the difficulty and logistics involved in getting there has kept it untouched and unspoiled over the years, as it should be. Heavens forbid if they start to build an access road and a resort here. The thought has crossed my mind not to blog about this but it’s too awesome a place not to. Well.

But Danny has more surprises for us up his sleeves as while we were relaxing, he was busy preparing a delicious jungle meal for us completed with BBQ and “pansor”, a famous Iban cooking method in which food is cooked inside a bamboo over a wood fire. It’s such luxury to have delicious food cooked for you right out in the middle of the jungle.

When you’re hungry everything tastes good. And I really enjoyed the boobs food and so would you …

Meanwhile Sim Chin Kiong and Krystin Kuek demonstrated their yoga skills; and not allowing themselves to be outdone by the young and pretty, the two “old men” in the group also strutted their stuff … *ahem* Alan claims that as short as 5 years ago he could still walk up stairs with his hands but I know that some Canadians are prone to exaggeration! Just kiddin’ Alan! It’s interesting how nature brings out the little kid inside of you.

There were 14 of us including the guide and we all had a really great time and wished that we could linger on at the falls but unfortunately I have a colleague’s wedding dinner to attend in Kuching that night (and I was really really late! Sorry Dennis) and we reluctantly packed up and headed back for the 2 hours trek back to the village where we parked our cars. Time is too short when you’re having fun and I’d would love to get to know Raymond, Ben, Hudson, Amy, Felix and French couple Amelia and Xiaver better.

I understand that BOX’s website would be up soon with details of this and many other trips that they are organising - but meanhile if you are interested to go explore Jangkar falls, you can contact +6016 8899449 (Bryan) +6019 8399996 (Danny) or email them (borneooutdoorexplorers@gmail.com) and beg urge them to take you there! A word of caution though - you may become a “waterfall junkie” after this!

Tagged as: Adventure