Tempurungified! PART ONE

..wow.Fantastic.Thrilling and Amazing!...yes it could not have been better! my trip to gua tempurung was a real retreat for me..i got my body worked out, had loads of engaging mind talks and also maximum jokes plus ate lots of fruits n vege! Most importantly get to know your colleagues better ...but here's how this whole trip unfolded for me. It was Sunday 13th March ,I was in a supermarket in Taiping hunting for my gear.I got an sms from the Tour leader Pn Mani veryfing whether I wud truly make it for the trip..by then I told myself nothing is gonna stop me from going to this trip n send an sms of the list of things i had invested for the trip to her.I want her to know that I m dead serious about this trip! No stalagmite is gonna stop me! It was 5 10am WED n my colleague Girlie calls me to wake me up...by then i was awake writing my journal...i sort of wrote how my day will unfold...and in one word I said it would be AWESOME! It was AWESOME indeed. I reached school 5 50 am.Few kids were waiting but no sign of Mani or my colleagues...my very imaginative mind wondered dont tell me that i created the characters so that i would go for the trip n actually no teacher was going n i was the only teacher assigned to go for the trip!!!... But when I saw Pn Ratna's car I knew that I was sane .Her husband came to greet me. I was already busy clicking photos and i wanted a good angle of the huge PFS signage in front .so my body was in an akward angle when Ratna's husband saw me.He wondered whether i was doing Yoga...I had a good laugh There were teacher's following me.They are Girlie my Boss n buddy,Pn Poomani...the biologist and Pn Mani the Leader for the expedition n also another lady with two of her daughters which Puan Mani kept on introducing as my neighbour.So much so I could call her. by 615 everyone came n I could hear Mani's voice slicing through the stillness of the PFS front ambience.The bus was already there too For once in this trip I dont have to carry a name list n do a head count.In guess I literally imagined myself as a student...in fact more of a primary student for this trip ha ha By 7 am we were on the road,we stopped at Bukit Mearh for breakfast.the nasi lemak at Bkt Merah was awesome...not spicy but the rice lemaky.Girlie shared the nasi lemak with me.One thing I am assured of in PFS is i have buddies who just shower me with food its always very touching for me.Girlie's killer stunt of presenting me with kuih sri muka only the green side for my birthday was an epic for me!Everyone looked fresh and up for the cave awaiting 2 hours away. Just as we were reaching the Gua Tempurung it started to rain...as far as i know frm my friends before that if it rains the guides at the cave will only take you the halfway journey.This thought was running in my head and I imediately rebuked it.I didnt want to entertain such thoughts.I acted cool. True= enough as Mani went to get the passes the guides told her that we could only do the halfway journey.Mani was adamant in making the full journey.I could see the determined iron lady in her. You see the half journey just includes stairs into the cave without any adventure belly crawling in water.Even then I decided that i should not entertain this news i am hearing.Mani decided to wait rather than go in so that we get to see the whole journey.BRAVO for her a wise decision indeed. Meanwhile I was just looking around to see where the bus was parked. And then Mani calls me n says lets go in....by then I was still not sure whether its the full trip or half journey....? My heart sounded with joy when it was known to me by the guides that they would be taking us on a fulll journey(Mani's wise decision to wait 30minutes needs an applause)...I must say the first part was pretty easy...we had guided railings and steps to move about.The guides were busy showing us rock formations that resembled people and living things.There was one where it looked like a lady washing her long hair.She was like bending down with her long hair down.It was not clear whether she was wearing a 'kembam'-(sarong clad till the bosom level) but thank god the angle was not in a indecent exposure angle.The authorities might have painted a black paint over it I guess ha ha ha ha.....Anyway we ventured finally to a very very steep stairs going down.....after that tense going down ..it was the second part....after a few metres was the slope.a slope to slide down and boy was I worried..my knees was trembling.Girlie n her niece decided to go slide down early to avoid getting more worried.Tour leader was guiding the students down the slope.the guides kept on insisting not to spread our legs but to keep it intact. After the slide evryone started to keep on dissapearing from the view.they were going down a man hole sized crevice.From then on it was adventure to the max.We had to belly crawl,squat crawl ..you name it whatever crawl we did it.I had the expedition leader next to me making sure I wont get lost TO BE CONTINUED.........