Tepin

Tepin is this one area near Belaga here where I am right now and I was there last weekend with a whole bunch of teachers, Bridget and her colleagues of course. It rained heavily the previous night and it was not exactly a very good idea to go there if the rain continues. It drizzled a little early in the morning but the sky cleared up not long after and we were on our way up to the waterfall right after our breakfast. Did I tell you I get to taste lotsa yummy kampua mee here? Teeehhee~~

We went on a sampan to get there and I must say that I was rather excited. I recall going for such boat many years back in Kuching (if I am not mistaken) when I was there for my uncle's engagement. It was a ride to get across the river in the middle of the city in Waterfront. It didn't felt as exciting as this time though I don't know what is the reason. Might be the fact that I was surrounded by concrete buildings in Kuching and yet the river in Belaga here is wider and surrounded by jungles and jungles and jungles. It felt more adventurous in a way, as if the we can just turn upside down and crocodile come out of nowhere and attack us!! HHeeee... I think I watched too many thriller movies huh? :P 

We were stopped at the river bank and walked through the jungle for a couple of minutes before getting to the destination. River and waterfall. Upon arrival, everyone started working together to set up the barbecue pit. Sungguh oink oink kan? Padahal baru saja makan sarapan ni! :) Well, we figured it will take some time to start the fire and indeed it took us long enough but it was all worth it when our stomach were filled with food. Teehheee~~

What else can you do in the jungle once you are full?? Play time of course!! And so, we were all kids again and jumped went into the water and enjoyed the natural cool water. We decided to be more adventurous and get to another higher level of the river. Another waterfall. We went jungle trekking and I must say this is one brand new experience for me as I have never done jungle trekking BARE FOOT. Since the jungle was rather damp due to the rain from the previous night, everyone pretty much didn't like the fact that there might be more of those blood sucker monsters leech (lintah) just anywhere. And so, I had a great time exfoliating my feet through those rather tough path. This is not my first time jungle trekking but the path we took was the road less taken because some trees fell blocking the usual path. The ground was slippery and there the path was  really really narrow. Had to hang on the the roots sticking out of the soil and we pretty much had to kiss and hug cling on to the soil and plants. Did I mention some of the plants had thorns? Nonetheless, we all arrived safely in one piece. When I looked back, I just didn't believe I went through that hill of jungle right in front of my eyes. No doubt, I was rather worried how to get back later. Enjoyed the second waterfall and spent some time there. Half of the group decided to go up to a higher level and another half stayed. I stayed. And camwhore. And relax. 

 While I was enjoying all that, the sky turned dark and it was gloomy again. Raindrops started to fall and we still had to wait for the rest to come back. Waited in the rain. Wait, wait, wait. And yipeee, they came back! We had to get back to where we came from using the same path we came by in the rain. And this is another brand new experience of mine to jungle trek barefoot in the rain. Soaked in the rain. Totally drenched. And the path just for more slippery. Talk about adventure!! Small steps, one at a time. My adrenaline was pumping hard alright. I could suddenly imagine the headlines of the newspaper... "10 Teachers Found Floating in Tepin River". Heeeee~~ Ridiculous, I know. 

Reached the initial spot safe and sound and we started to pack our stuff to get back home only to realise that some stuff were missing. Three slippers and one parang. Some other valuable items left there were untouched. Would you like to agree that whoever stole those things were rather practical? And walked back to the river bank where we were dropped off and waited for the boat to pick us up, in the rain. 

Though things didn't exactly go as planned such as the unexpected rain (it was bright and sunny when we left!!), it was nonetheless an awesome outing! Like I said, brand new experiences.Get to know more people too!! Another great getaway! 

A group picture to wrap up the day :) :) :)

A breathtaking view from the river, on the way heading back home. Picture doesn't do much justice.