Climbing, bouldering - regionally

[JR8]

I know this question has come up previously - 'Where in SG or the nearby region can I go rock-climbing?'.

Hence I was interested to read an article today on how the eponymous 'Dragon Horns' mountain on Tioman Island, Malaysia is becoming something of a regional draw for climbing.
Refer -> http://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/c ... owski.html

[Max Headroom]

You want to scale that granite peak? It's way to intimidating for me. I hiked up Gunung Gajang a few years back and even that damn near killed me.

But what an awesome place it is. Going up Gajang's foot, as the trees closed in on us, it was like stepping into The Lost World. The pulsating unwordly din emanating incessantly from the canopies, the sheer density of the vegetation, the insane humidity - some parts were shrouded in mist! The voracious leeches, the massive boulders in the middle of nowhere, the huge bugs - we saw centipedes over a foot long! What a rush.

In fact, that section of Tioman's jungle is the most amazing natural environment I've ever been in. I reckon we may well have been the first people to have ever set foot on some of it.

[JR8]

Jeez no I don't want to hehe... Hard enough walking to an 'Eagle's Night' meet-up at the pub these days never mind home afterwards [my own 'personal mountain' lol] But as I said the question has been asked before, and within the past year, hence my pre-emptively linking it just in case for the future. And I thought the site was laid out well and gave useful background and all the strategy, route approach, route-options and more technical aspects etc.
As I understand it granite has the advantage of being very stable. So any bolted lines should remain usable/reliable far longer than those in say the more usual regional limestone and sandstone.

Nice description you give there. I spent a few months camped out expeditioning in the remote Amazon so can imagine what you describe. Interesting too as despite knowing Tioman well I don't think I've met anyone who has climbed that peak. Did you also do the hike from Tekek over to Juara? I know a few people who have [mostly young and v. fit]... that sounds like an interesting and challenging hike.

[Max Headroom]

Years back, I saw a YT clip of a couple of death-wishers scaling that granite wall. Just to get to it looked like a mission. Hanging from a rope with a 30-knot squall blowing through at any moment... I'll pass

It appears Gajang isn't on the mountain hiking community's radar, JR. Pretty surprising, given its amazing beauty. We had to create a track as we went along, because there was none. It's exciting but back-breaking stuff, because you have to constantly duck and weave your way through vines, killer roots, low-hanging branches and whatnots. A couple of those chameleon eyes would have come in handy. You're always slipping and tripping, grabbing something spiky and bumping your head. All the while plucking leeches off your neck, face and chest.

Now that I mention it, this may have something to do with Gajang not being all that popular, haha.

We set off at 9 am and returned to the bottom at 9 pm. The descent was the worst; I had jelly legs for a week!

Mind you, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I haven't done the Tekek to Juara track yet. I'm busy exploring Anambas; plenty of adventure there too.

The Amazon is so on my bucket list. That must have been off the scale eh.

[Liftoggle]

That's great to hear. I've always enjoyed climbing.