Mountain Climbing at Gunung Arong‏

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This was my 3rd trip with Su Outdoor(wechat:y-p-su)... to Gunung Arong.After the 2nd trip to Gunung Panti aka "Pig Head Mountain", I did notdream of joining a climbing activity so soon. I could hardly walk for3-4 days due to very bad muscle ache and still need a lot of time tobuild up the stamina. Su specially mentioned to me to participate inthis activity, as it is for entry-level climbers and this trip wasscheduled on a Sunday. The height of the mountain is near half ofGunung Panti and I knew my stamina and fitness level was generally atunfit level, hence I was thinking of why not try a lower mountain andhave ropes along the way? I went ahead to sign up.
It is the first time that Su took a team to Gunung Arong. It is 292mheight, in Mersing town, about 2 hours from Johor. There is a need toapply hiking permit to hike in the Mountain.The day started with us gathering at Serangoon and WoodlandsCheckpoint. After clearing two customs, we moved on to Kiang Kee BakKut Teh for breakfast. It is a famous eatery by the roadside with manycustomers. We waiting for some time before getting table. They cookedthe Bak Kut Teh in claypots, on charcoals and without using MSG.
It was another 1 hour bus journey to Gunung Arong. After taking agroup picture, we started with stairs and up the slope.
At certain points, there were ropes to hold on to. Hiking pole wouldstill useful and almost essential for me. The ascending slope gradientcould be a bit steep at certain points, but it was of a clear pathwayand not too much obstacles. I still had a hard time catching up withthe rest for the ascending part. The estimated climb up was 40mins andthere is a small shelter to rest at the peak of the mountain, followedby a wooden bridge.

At the peak of the Mountain, we could the beautiful scenery thatoverlooked the sea. There is a semi heart-shaped protruding land whereone could use his or her thumb and index finger to form the other halfof the heart shape.

Along the descending way down, there were also ropes that were greatlyhelpful. At the end of the forested area, there was the beach, sea anda rope swing.The beach was clean and beautiful, sand was fine, water was clear.

There were some interesting shapes and patterned seashells on the beach.

We walked along the shore and came to some areas where therewere many big rocks which we crossed over.

We made a detour from the forested area while trying to get to theplace where the bus was waiting for us. We crossed over a clearshallow water and back on the shore. This part of the shore have someunique tiny grains of pebbles that surround holes and some greyishsmall creatures moving around. Initially I thought they were sandflies. Upon close look, I realised they were baby crabs of about 1.5cmin size. It was my first time seeing such tiny crabs.

While taking group picture before we boarded back the bus, some deerswere spotted roaming in the area.

While travelling to a Hong Kong restaurant, Loke Tien Yuen, it beganto rain. It was a good thing it did not rain when we were at outdoor.We have braised duck with lotus seed, which was the star dish at therestaurant. Apart from that, we had sweet and sour pork, bitter gourdin gravy, stir-fried vegetable, sliced pork with beancurd, steamedfish and prawns. We came in during the closing hours of therestaurant, but the restaurant was kind to still receive us.

We left Mersing and headed for Johor when most went for the Mao Shandurian along a roadside stall.
We cleared the customs smoothly and dropped off at Kranji andSerangoon respectively. While writing this blog, the memories was thebeautiful scenery and beach still lingered. I will recommend this tripfor entry-level climbers and anyone who enjoys scenery and walk alonga beautiful beach.