Bkt. Patoi, Temburong (10th nov.) - Puspa Rahayu

Friday, November 10^th, 2006 we had our final expedition for this semester at Bukit Patoi, Temburong. We left female hostel at about 6 in the morning by using UBD’s bus. We reached at Jalan Residency Jetty in Bandar Seri Begawan in 15 minutes. Around 6.30am we left the jetty by using boat and arrived at Bangar jetty at approximately 7.15am. So, it took us about 45 minutes. Along the journey to Bangar, we could see mangrove forest and we were told by the boat driver that we could see crocodile by any chance relaxing at the river bank. When we arrived at Bangar, we used buses to go to Bukit Patoi which is located about 15km from Bangar town and it took us about 15 minutes. We started our hiking at 8 am as we need to wait for the ranger to come and guide us walked to the peak of Bukit Patoi. While waiting for the ranger to come, we were asked to wander around and I was attracted to the tortoise pool as well as the different type of tree such as Kumus, Damar Hitam, Kembang Semangkok, Kapor Bukit, Kapor Paji, and Resak. I also took the chance to see the map of Bukit Patoi Forest Recreation Park. From there, I could see other hill which is Bukit Perdayan. Besides, Bukit Patoi is actually part of the Perdayan Forest Reserve which has been designated as a recreation forest by the Brunei Department. The ranger said that if we were going to complete the whole passage, it would take for about 8 hours. On the other hand, our journey to the peak of Bukit Patoi would only take about 2 hours (for slow walker like us). The distance was stated on the board that is, 1601.9 m for Bukit Patoi whereas 4601.9 m for Bukit Perdayan. Before we started our walk, they gave us a brochure about Bukit Patoi. Around 8 am we began our expedition from the Guard Post at the base of Bukit Patoi. The pathway was quite good but halfway through, there were a lot of rocks and boulders which were slippery as they were covered by the fungi. There were steps made of wooden (board-walk) and along the way, there were sits as well as Pondoks (huts) for resting purposes. As we trekking to the summit, I could see some plants like Lianes (climbers), buttress roots that supported massive trunks, fungi on the trunk and on the forest floor, and ants and termites nest. Moreover, there were few things that impressed me, namely, Batu Tergangam, Batu Berdinding and Batu Gangsa. The ranger also told me that one of the Batu Berdinding’s corners used to be a meditation place. At 9.20am, we reached the peak and had a rest for about 10 minutes. We did capture group photo for us to keep it as our sweet memory. Then, we only need less than one hour to go down hill. By 10.20am, we already had a rest outside the Guard Post while waiting for the others. We left Bukit Patoi by bus at 11 and had our lunch at Bangar town as we arrived there. Around 11.45am, we left Bangar jetty and arrived at Jalan Residency Jetty at 12.30pm. It was such a beautiful day and pleasant experienced as it was my first time to Temburong. I gain a lot of new knowledge. For me, this is the best jungle trekking compared to our other trip. I would love to rate it 9 out of 10. Superb! and Fantastic! (0^_^0)