Jungle Trails

There are not many public jungle trails found in the urban Klang Valley that are maintained by the municipals or authorities. While I have yet to climb a mountain, the public parks offer a short excursion to nature, away from the hectic city life. Some of the popular ones I have been:

Forest Reserve Institute Malaysia (FRIM)

FRIM Kepong is one of the best, if not the best place to get your dose of fresh oxygen. An entrance fee of RM1 per person is well worth the money. The Rover Track is very popular with walkers, runners (though the signboard says not safe for jogging) and mountain bikers. This unpaved trail takes you to a waterfall and an option to divert to a climb or hike Bukit FRIM, 1000 feet above sea level. Many Pacesetters members do their hill training on asphalt roads during weekends and late evenings.
The smaller roads are quite free of cars and motorcycles. It is indeed an ideal place to run safely with no sniffs of the toxic carbon monoxide. There is also a canteen and sports centre washroom where you can shower (spring water?) at no extra cost after your workout!

Bukit Gasing













Located near La Salle PJ Section 5 and adjacent to the famous Indian food shop, Rajo. Bukit Gasing showcase some of the oldest bungalows with many renovated to huge modern mansions. Starting from the playground entrance, the trail gives the impression the jungle is deep but it is not really the case.

A steep ascend to the observatory tower provides an unspectacular view of PJ. The trail here is rather narrow. A runner must have good balance and strong knees to stop abruptly to give way to the opposite hikers. Tall hikers have to be wary of the low overhead branches.

The rope section is super steep and may be dangerous if it’s muddy after a downpour. There is an interesting Canopy Bridge unlike any other I have seen. The platform of the bridge is just a single piece of steel cable, no planks. You are practically doing a netted “Rope Walk” on the V-shape bridge. Takes approximately an hour to complete the full length of the trail.













Taman Rakyat – Klang
This recreational park is packed and a favourite amongst the locals
everyday.
In the open field, families, associations and volunteers conduct Yoga, Tai Chi, cultural dances, frisbee, badminton, football, etc. It is truly a public domain park. Majority stays within the main open area and do not venture to the hill.

A telecommunications tower seats at the top of the hill surrounded by trails. The multiple semi-jungle trails (semi because 80% is tarred road) runs like a roller coaster. Do not be alarmed if you end up lost in a Malay cemetery or a dead end because there is not a single signboard to guide you.

Running is possible here and there is a stretch behind the hill, coming from the petrol station entrance is a straight forward 1 km no nonsense uphill road to the peak, perfect for the hill trainee.

Malaysia being a tropical country is naturally a place where foreigners expect to see many unspoiled parks. It never fails to amaze me how thick our rainforest is when the landscape is bird-eye viewed from the plane.

When I first move to my house some 8 years ago, my neighbours chopped down tree after tree as they find the withered leaves a nuisance. Not me. I kept my crooked tree alive.
Today it stands tall and bends as if to say, “I survived”.
So did my 13-year-old “Save Our Forest” T-shirt.