If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m a big chicken. That’s right. I’m chicken and I have qualms letting people know it either. For instance, I am scared of zombies, road bullies, expired milk, abdominal fat and varicose veins. I’m also scared of heights. Actually, I’m not scared of heights per se; I’m just scared of falling … from a really high place.
Despite my phobia though, I want to post an armchair perspective entry on Bukit Batu Tabur (also known as Klang Gates). I read about it here, saw the gorgeous pics and was fascinated. BBT is the longest quartz-rich ridge in the world measuring some 16km. People go there to climb or jog. I was sold!!
Then I find out that some friends of mine have already climbed BBT last year. Is it hard, I ask them. The response: “If you have a fear of heights, this is the perfect place to conquer it!” … omg. Then I see his pics of BBT. Then I read on someone’s blog about this girl going to BBT and falling and hurting herself and having to be carried out on a stretcher. Then I read that BBT isn’t for the chicken-hearted. Amah!
But don’t let me discourage you. If you want to visit BBT, by all means, go, take lots of pics and … send them to me so I can post them on my blog macam I went there myself. I may go one day to check out the jogging trail (if it really exists) but for now, I’m happy just having pics of people at the bukit.
So this, folks, is my tribute to BBT and here’s to being a big chicken [clink water bottles].
Located some 20km from the city centre (on the fringes of Ulu Kelang-Gombak), BBT is also known as the Dragon’s Backbone – a nickname given because its succession of ragged peaks, when seen from afar, resemble the curved, crackly spine of a mythical beast.
I don’t know about you but the prospect of clambering up that steep, imposing limestone wall doesn’t exactly fill me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Or maybe it isn’t really that scary. Maybe it’s just the camera angle. Everything looks extra scary when viewed from ground up, doesn’t it?
Check out the semi-opaque, almost white limestone you’ll be climbing on. This bit is only a small part of the ridge’s nine bulges and rugged cliffs which, according to the NST, “… offer a real challenge, even for regular mountain climbers. Definitely not for the unfit, non-adventurers or weak-hearted.”
I’m told there are about three or four rope climbs but there are plenty of sections of rope-less freestyle climbing too. In fact, there are parts where the incline is 90 degrees, so caution should be taken. All in all, it takes about two hours for you to finish the climb, end to end. A very short workout that’ll whip your buns into shape in no time! 
Opinions on how scary the climb is varies from person to person … some claim it’s extremely tough, others say that while it can be pretty scary, it’s still manageable as long as you’re careful. But there’s one opinion that doesn’t vary much and that’s the view – you can see the water catchments area of the Klang Gates Dam and the city skyline and it’s great. Hmm. Maybe it’s time I tried to conquer my fear of falling from high places after all.
[All pics by Adrian Tee]
