Goings-on at Bukit Mertajam Hill

Ahh...how nice it is to go up the Bukit Mertajam Hill again at Ceruk Tokun. This late afternoon trek was also a nice welcome back to reality after a week's absence from the country. Didn't even bother to check my emails or other blogs and websites except to do an online check-in at the Malaysian Airlines website for my return tickets. But more of that later, I hope! However, I had been twittering away from my mobile phone, and reaching a particular high 30,000 feet above sea level somewhere off the coastline of Western Australia.

Anyway, back to the BM Hill. The first observation that struck my wife and I was that the upgrade to the forest park was in full swing. The entrance to the park was in the process of being widened. No photos of that, however.

Further in after I had parked the car, work had also started to improve the banks and retainer walls around the lower section of the stream.


A short distance further up, three boys were enjoying a dip in the water. Such carefree days that can only be enjoyed by them. I'm sure it'll be a cherished memory Long after they grow up and move away from here.


Other than that, it was an uneventful walk up the hill track and down the tarred road. No, we didn't go up to the half-way tea house as the sky turned threatening. As we walked down, the rain came.

But there was high drama elsewhere on the hill. As we arrived back at the foot of the hill to collect the car, an ambulance turned up. Apparently, it seemed that there had been a distress call from somewhere up the hill. As far as I could learn, someone in his early fifties had suffered a stroke, heart attack or died. His companion up the hill had called for help and the ambulance was despatched.

However, the ambulance's driver had second thoughts of going up the tarred road and stopped to enquire about the road's safety. For heaven's sake, I told him, even big lorries have found it safe to drive up to the very top. Someone's life is in danger and you are dithering about driving uphill on a tarred road? Other people around the ambulance were also urging the driver to go up, and it eventually did but very slowly.


A few minutes later, another ululating ambulance whizzed by without stopping and proceeded round the bend to go up the hill too. This second ambulance had the urgency, unlike the first one.

We left soon afterwards because it became apparent that the ambulances wouldn't be stopping again on their way down to tell us what had actually happened especially if they were ferrying a victim to the hospital.