Mt Ophir
by C J Hardwick
"Mount Ophir has quite a reputation for fever, and all our friends were astonished at our recklessness in staying so long at its foot; but none of us suffered in the least, and I shall ever look back with pleasure to my trip as being my first introduction to mountain scenery in the Eastern tropics."
Alfred Russell Wallace The Malay Archipelago 1890
A work trip took me to Singapore for a few days in November. As it is half way round the world I decided to stay over the weekend. A glance at an old National Geographic map of the Far East indicated a 4187ft high mountain some 110 miles north west of Singapore: the legendary Mt. Ophir. Therefore, rather than relaxing in Raffles Long Bar and knocking back Singapore Slings I took a 3½ hour train journey north into Malaysia to climb it. While it is of modest height it is rated the sixth most difficult trek in Malaysia and probably the most popular. Wallace spent one week on the ascent but times were less hurried then and also transport infra structure rudimentary. He commented on the profusion of flora and fauna and collected numerous specimens. A more leisurely trip than mine would be required to do them justice. I stayed in the comfortable Gunung Ledang (the Malay name for the mountain) resort, at its foot.
The origin of the name of Gunung Ledang is obscure but possibly given by Javan sea farers as they sailed down the Malacca Straits and means ‘mount from afar’. According to the legend of the Princess of Gunung Ledang, the Sultan of Malacca wanted the Princess’s hand in marriage and she, not wanting to marry him, demanded that the Sultan present her a barrel of mosquitoes' blood and a bowl of his son's blood. He managed the first and contemplated the latter, but the princess thought even less of a character that would kill his son for marriage and so refused him.
The jungle around the base has long since been replaced by plantations of palm oil and the mosquitoes and leeches that plagued Wallace’s trip were not much in evidence. Moreover the risk of malaria in this part of Malaysia is small. Nevertheless mosquitoes can spread Dengue fever so I was careful to wear long sleeved shirts and long trousers.
The mountain is within a national park so a guide is compulsory; my guide, Jay hared off up the mountain at a rate of knots. While cooler under the forest canopy sweat rapidly removed the DEET coating and I regretted the long trousers and shirt. I carried 1½ litres of water but reckon I became a little dehydrated quickly and felt very lethargic. Nevertheless I made it to the summit in a good time; subsequently the people in the resort remarked on the speed of ascent! The Singapore Adventurers Club suggests a round trip of 6 hours as challenging. I set out at about 7:45 and was back at 15:00 with a break for lunch. The steep rocks towards the summit have been equipped with ladders and ropes so the mountaineering interest of Wallace’s is much reduced. The views on the way up are few and far between due to the jungle cover. Unfortunately, a promised summit view of the Straits of Malacca was obscured by mist. Wallace saw a panorama of interminable jungle cut by glistening rivers but claimed the view from Snowdon was better. Nevertheless, a great little excursion.
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Last Updated 10 June 2010