The convoy headed out of Lawas and at the 7km mark turned right on dirt roads – literally going off road. Almost all of the four wheel drive had to lock their front hubs, except for one full time 4X4 Land Rover Defender driven by the author. Older four wheel drive vehicles require that the front hubs to be locked so that the drive from the gear box is locked to the hubs.

Locking hubs before the mud...

 The convoy expected to arrive Ba’Kelalan in day light and drove at a leisurely pace. From the beginning of the junction to the dirt roads, the convoy drove up and down hills of different gradients and lengths. Some were straight up while others followed the contour of the extreme inland terrain. Most hills had to be climbed in second gear in ‘high’ drive at this point.

 These roads were made by the timber concession operators and they have a different system of driving. For traffic coming out of the inland, they are to hug the uphill side of the hill, while traffic going in would take the outside lane.  

One of the many hills

It is plain to see why as fully loaded trucks with a payload of about fifty tonnes, had to take a safe line driving up and down these steep gradients and because of their weight, they use their momentum to climb by accelerating down hill and carry as much speed as they can to climb. The convoy would often pull over to the side of the road and let them pass.

 Many drivers found it progressive hard to concentrate on the road because of the views. Coming over the first few climbs the view opened up to lush green mountains hugged by low clouds and rolling roads. There were countless rest stops to take pictures and take in the breathtaking views.

 One of the stops was by Long Lutok, a small roadside village. It made a fantastic picturesque background with its small wooden houses set by rapids with fast running crystal clear waters.

Scenic views all round

 Before too long, the convoy reached Merarap Camp. This marked the half way point. The boom gate was manned by friendly locals who inquired about our expedition. Drivers were required to fill in a log book as a record for passing through private roads.  Alternative routes were discussed with timber workers.

 Our next target was Long Semadoh. We had heard reports that the road from this point befits a Camel Expedition, just what we were looking forward to. As the convoy rolled along, the road degenerated with more mud holes appearing and equally muddy climbs. Mud comes in various constituencies and is one of the main causes of sapping power from your vehicle and we had to engage the ‘low four’ on our gearbox. Without the right combination of tyres and gearing, climbing these hills would be close to impossible.

 Locals along the way informed us that they had spots of rain and this made it difficult up some of the climbs. Saifuddin Abdullah from Bintulu driving a Toyota MkII was the first to encounter difficulty. He cited that his tyre tread pattern was not efficient in clearing mud from its treads and the engine was a little underpowered for extreme 4X4 driving.

Voon's Cruiser giving Suzy a tow

Omar Le-roy also from Bintulu encountered trouble with his Suzuki long wheel based jeep (called Suzy). It somehow lacked power to climb the hills misfiring along the way. Voon Foh Jin from Serian came to his rescue by towing the Suzuki. Voon’s Toyota BJ47 had more a powerful engine and had differential lockers, making it run like a tractor.

 Descending into Long Semadoh, a charming looking home greeted the convoy. The ladies in the group made a bee line for the house making it a picture book backdrop.  Anita Kimura was so eager to meet the home owner perhaps to get tips on having a ‘Swiss mountain house’. As it was harvest time, there was no one home except for three friendly dogs and a few chickens.

The charming 'Swiss cottage'

 The roads from here were rained on during the days prior to the expedition. While it may be ‘kemarau’ in Ba’Kelalan, it was hard going over these stretches and travel took longer especially with the limping Suzuki Jeep. The only way up and down through these sections were to follow the ruts left by local vehicles as driving over ‘flat’ surface would ensure that your vehicle would slide off road.

The folks in these areas utilise the services of the local transport operators driving Toyota Hilux to transports household goods, livestock, and construction items. Rural air service is convenient but inconsistent during rainy months and expensive. It was said that the Hilux had the right height and power to tackle the extreme terrain.

As the journey progress to Ba’Kelalan, one would feel the obvious temperature change and as the sun set, it got even cooler. Most cars had their windows up not to keep the cool out but the mud rather, which was splattering in all directions.

Getting closer to Ba’Kelalan a local caught hold of our radio traffic and called out to us “Ba’Kelalan Expedition, Ba’Kelalan Expedition”. He was so kind as to inquire of our well being and also our location, giving land marks to point out distances to our destination. I never did have the chance to meet the person but became friends over the radio.

[next]