Trailblazer Hiking Club’s Merdeka weekend hike around a sand quarry in Seremban 2 not only followed in the footsteps of celebrity hiking blogger Alex Wong of McHiker fame, we got to meet him too.
When Kelvin, head honcho of Trailblazer Hiking Club mooted hiking it, it was in the spirit of exploration and admiration. Kelvin probably never expected that our paths with would cross with Alex Wong aka McHiker. But cross they did. As a small group of Trailblazers gathered at the designated meet up point behind Seremban 2’s Taman Rimbun Harmoni, the familiar figure of McHiker himself marched past on a Green Lake hike of his own.
Only Posted on Alex’s blog on August 8th, the hike around the Green Lake loop and to Bukit Tal aren’t well known to hikers and runners yet. Both remain a mystery, even to Seremban dwellers, whose eye’s may glimmer in recognition if you mention the Labu quarry around which the trail circumnavigates.
There are 2 ways to get to the trail’s first point of note, near the water reservoir: the long way along a tarmac road; or the short way up the terraced hillside.
Once recovered from being momentarily celebrity struck (I kid you not) we attempted the latter, and within minutes were rewarded with a view of the sun rising over… erm, Seremban’s expanding suburban sprawl.
This part of the hill felt like a barren wasteland, denuded of forest and exposed to the elements. Leaping over the deep furrows of cracked red earth, we skirted along the edge of the brush that had sprouted there and eventually climbed up a verge into a copse of trees to leave one world behind and enter another.
Inside the shrinking patch of secondary forest that we were now in small footpaths peeled off from the wider main trail and trail markers left by local hiking groups and hashers confettied the ground and were adhered to leaves.
Though there were other higher points in our vicinity, we arrived at Bukit Bal first, the hike’s nondescript 230 metre peak. It would be easily missed if not for the laminated sign hammered to a tree.
We heard the source of the Green Lake before we saw it, the repetitive sound of pounding growing louder as we approached it. There it was: at the bottom of a perilous 200 metres or so drop, the small jade-coloured pool sat on the far side of a working quarry.
Compared to other lakes of its kind, such as Tasik Biru Bukit Ibam in Pahang, Tasik Biru Kangkar Pulai in Johor and Blue Lake in Bandar Mahkota Cheras in KL, it was a mere puddle.
I had to wonder, besides the very superficial appeal of their unnatural hue, why such man-made pock marks had become sought out destinations for hikers? Why would one choose to celebrate a monument to humanity’s violent destruction of the forests and sensitive eco-systems when Malaysia is blessed with beautiful forests and breathtaking waterfalls and rivers? Did it point to our desperate need for more outdoor recreational areas? We moved on my questions unanswered….
It was while making our way along the leafy trail, some of it dug up by wild boar, that we crossed paths yet again with Alex. He was coming from the opposite direction and this time we didn’t pass up the opportunity.
In the hiking fraternity, whether you pronounce it “Mc” as in McDonald’s or “MC” as in MC Hammer, the McHiker blog that Alex runs would be your go-to resource. You refer to it when planning out an upcoming hike or when discovering what mountain conquest to set next. Alex hikes extensively and his blog catalogues his travails with minimal text and lot of photos, making it equal parts informative and inspiring. I’m a fan and follower and judging from the frisson of excitement that passed through the group so were many Trailblazers.
Contrary to the saying “never meet your heroes”, Alex was obliging and patiently posed for fan photos while asking after our safety. We assured him we were in good hands – we were following his trail map after all!
Moment immortalised, we ventured on. After a section of long grass, we ascended along the unmarked boundary of a rubber estate, to brush passed ferns before emerging in a desolate clearing with of Seremban’s valley.
Following a brief stop to regroup, we made our way right of the area’s identifying boulder and carefully picked our way down a steep embankment into a canyon and back up onto a verge that overlooks a different part of the sand mine.
It’s impossible to say how long this section of our route will remain passable. It was already severely eroded but constant exposure and vibrations from nearby quarrying activities could threaten its integrity and cause it to collapse into the pit being formed beneath it.
We dipped back into the forest after this, briefly losing the trail, only to backtrack a few metres when Kelvin relocated it, a faint line down a ravine.
Once again, we stood at the lip of the quarry. A perilous drop lay metres from us. Warily we peered over the edge at an even smaller pool hidden at the foot of the scarred rock face, this one turquoise-hued.
The Green Lake trail, which encircles a sand mining quarry, ends in Kampung Sebir, a small Temuan village and the land has been an ongoing battleground of land rights between indigenous inhabitants and that of state and corporate interests as far back as 2010.
The presence of barbed wire nearby suggested that someone had laid claim to this land, though we were unable to discern who: mining corporation, Temuan or other.
We clambered up a boulder-strewn incline noting signs of clearing and cultivation amongst the disturbed forest. Foot paths veered off in different directions forcing us to pay particular attention to McHiker’s trail map. There were no more markers here either, suggesting that this was not a route favoured by hashers, although we did pass a lone rubber tapper and his dogs.
At a neat line of young rubber trees we oriented left and marvelled when we encountered a beautifully constructed Temuan home. We surmised that it must belong to the aforementioned rubber tapper. Made entirely of materials found in a Malaysian rainforest, it seemed perfectly suited to its purpose, with a rest area elevated above ground away from wild animal intrusions and many windows and a raised roof to make the most of air flow for ventilation.
The trail continued to descend past another home, this one concrete. A stream bed lay in front of it, tiny fish swimming in the shallows.
Once across a broken wooden bridge, it was obvious we were close to a human settlement: dogs rushed towards us to determine whether we were friend or foe, and our well trodden dirt path forked in different directions, morphing from a tarmac motorbike lane to a single lane tarmac road (Jalan 2). We had entered Kampung Sebir.
Approximately 200 indigenous Temuan are reputed to reside here. This meant that the forested areas that we had trekked through are part of their ancestral lands. Sadly as much of it is not formally recognised, it has been eked away for development and by quarrying activities that supply sand for use in cement by the construction sector.
This has not only affected the Temuan’s livelihood; the violation of their customary land rights threatens to erode their cultural identity, which is tied to their ancestral land. Adding insult to injury, quarrying activities are alleged to have resulted in river pollution and damage to homes due to the blasting that takes place, while cases of skin irritation and asthma have been attributed to quarry dust.
A blog post by Reverend Michael Chua revealed that quarrying activities have been ongoing from as early as 2009. Despite various legal actions taken, quarrying continues more than a decade later.
To understand the complexity of the situation, a report entitled Deforestation Drivers and Human Rights in Malaysia devotes considerable coverage to the challenges indigenous peoples in Malaysia face, with special consideration given to the Temuan of Kampung Sebir and their ongoing struggle against quarrying activities (on pages 75 through 86).
This Malaysiakini.tv video is also instructive.
Once across the Jalan Kampung Sebir bridge and past the junction where the road meets Jalan 1, we took a hard right up a grassy knoll and across a dusty road used by lorries to enter and exit the quarry.
On the other side is a 15 minute walk along a construction road with no shade. Having been flattened and cleared, a housing estate is being built on the desolate area to our right, beyond it the hills that we had explored.
The empty dual carriageway into S2 Heights lies on the opposite side of a makeshift boom gate. From here it’s a final 15 minute march along the pavement to get back to where we had begun.
Altitude Bukit Bal is 230 metres, but the hike climbs up past the 270 metre mark.
Distance and time Approximately 7 kilometres; 2 to 2 1/2 hours to complete the loop.
Rating Easy.
Leech count Zero. There were signs of wild boar so remain alert.
Best for Hikers from Seremban and the southern regions of Selangor. Do take care when hiking close to the edge of the quarry. In October 2020, a young boy on a hiking excursion with his family sustained severe injuries when he fell down one verge overlooking the quarry.
Entrance Free.
Facilities None. Parking is roadside.
Tip There are numerous trails that lead off from the one we used so to avoid confusion or getting lost do use a trail map app or a GPS.
GPS coordinates (Parking) 2.71283, 101.88686
For the map and details, go to my AllTrails map for Green Lake Seremban 2 here.
Post hike eats
Located on the other side of the SPDH highway that connects Seremban and Port Dickson, Warung Bambam serves up budget-friendly Malaysian breakfast foods like nasi lemak, mee goreng, mee hoon goreng, and nasi goreng with a selection of sides, specialities like roti jala with curry and a smorgasbord of delectable Malay kuih (sweets) that taste as good as they look.
I had lunch plans so I only ordered a single portion of Roti Bakar Telur Goyang. That one thick slice of toasted Benggali bread (you can also have it steamed) with a half boiled egg sitting on top of it, no kaya hit the spot. Manned by a group of energetic young individuals, the staff were friendly and efficient, SOPs were practised diligently, and parking was plentiful.
A big shout out to Seremban boy, Sean Ong for suggesting it. Warung Bambam is a 15 minute drive from the Bukit Til and Green Lake trailhead.
Warung Bambam, 95 Kampung Chedang, Rasah, 70300, Negeri Sembilan. T: +60 19 733 6022 Open: Daily 7am-12nn Closed: Friday F: http://www.facebook.com/warungbambam I: http://www.instagram.com/warung_bambam/
POKOK KELAPA 
That Roti Bakar Telur Goyang looks so simple yet absolutely yummy … next question, better with or without the dark sauce?
I have to do eggs with kicap and my preference is always kicap masin rather than manis. If I was organised I’d actually pack my on soy sauce.