19-Jan-2024 -- Traveling from the Cameron highlands we passed a number of plantations, mostly oil palms; some of them had rather threatening signboards to keep trespassers out. Google maps took us to a point on the main road which was 2 – 3 km from the confluence point. From there a smaller road with a signpost with the name ALAM MUHIBAH SDN. BHD, a large Malaysian company, was going in the wanted direction.
The Garmin took over and led us down a road towards the confluence point. We drove a bit, parked the car, and walked through a peaceful palm oil plantation for the last two kilometers. We passed some old rubber trees and a newly planted area with durian trees.
We passed a checkpoint with no people, but a bit further a small shed with a man we could not communicate with and who let us pass. He controlled a boom and might not have let us through had we come by car. On the way down we heard and saw a few people working with the oil palms.
Just near the building pointed out by the last visitor we found the confluence point and took the required photos.
Tractors with loads of palm oil nuts (?) were weighing and offloading the cargo which was then transferred to big lorries to be taken to the mill somewhere. Each lump of nuts weighed about 10 – 15 kg.
The plantation has about a hundred men working there.
A woman came out of the office building asking what we were doing. She was ever so friendly and positive and not at all aware of the fact that her office was just a few meters from N5 E102. But she was shocked when she realized that we had walked down the road. There are tigers in the area and three weeks ago a person had been killed by a tiger. So, she would not let us walk back to the car and told one of the drivers to take us back up. We had to accept the offer.
Ps. I have tried to reset the time and date on the Garmin, but so far with no success.