Volkswagen Beetle Goes Off-Road

Waterfalls has been and still is our main interest. To facilitate outings to places inaccessible by normal car, we had previously thought of a 4X4 vehicles to ferry us through those long logging trails or remote rural roads. Watching those off-road guys in action, we realized that going off road do not ends there! More often than not, we will venture into disused or abandoned tracks. Then to the Fall itself, open country with no road! If we slip, ah ha! no 2.5 liters engine or 25 tones winch can extricate us out of tight spots, short of a convoy of 4WDs.

The results-limited off road driving! The wander Bug only did what any normal car with good ground clearances can do!

When tracks do not get wet, steep laterite slopes are not obstacles to this hill climbing "Beetle"

The overall track to the National Park should be navigable in all weather. Right up to Kampong Peta, our car covered 65 kilometers off road.

In this picture, we followed the new trail from Kampong Peta to Kuala Jasin. This was a private road for the Endau Rompin National Park authority in 1997.

This was the way to a fabled waterfall -Roi Chan Pan Wan -"hundred levels-thousand palaces". The vicinity with mixed cultivation -rubber and fruits otherwise secondary forest was really remote!

Many local villagers haven't seen the waterfalls themselves. Hidden at the foot of limestone hills behind thick vegetations, we found it- after probing 25 kilometers off road. This round trip to nowhere in the Wang Wiset district was also 65 kilometers, the circular trip ending up with a junction heading for Lanta Island!.

There were also many less anxious moments. Like going over a bridge of huge timber logs across Sungei Emas to Endau Rompin. This same bridge had since been replaced with a respectable cousin.

Sometimes it is hard to understand why this expensive road sign was erected in a remote area where normal traffic were discouraged? The sign in small print did specifies [4X4 vehicles only]

From this picture, the track can be seen as a broad, beautiful but unpaved road. Total distance to Taman Negara is only 68 kilometers from the intercity trunk road. Driving time was an hour as compared to the few by river crafts.{ But be warned-Not advisable to your normal car through it!}

A nice feeling that you are among the few who dared to have your jalopy along the river bank. We lost 2 exhaust tail pipes on 2 separate trips.

Unless you are so bored with life, don't subject your pocket to such unnecessary misery! Not only the exhaust pipe.

The Endau Rompin way was more tolerable and thrilling with the huge cloud of dust following you.

Giving a feeling like driving through a Safari!

Another sour note to our free wandering days. This was the memorable scene at Kampong Esok. The locals told us that the name was given to this aboriginal village because all visitors to the place can only return "Esok" meaning tomorrow.

The access road to the village was very bad or a round trip takes a few hours

The car was burnt, we did not have any rations, the water was exhausted in extinguishing the fire. There was no transport out for help. Only 15 kilometers to civilization! We had inspected the Orang Asli dwellings, contemplating in spending a night to await rescue.

The rough road had loosened a banjo for the fuel pump and spilled petrol onto the exhaust.

Besides Wanderbug, my other interest.

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