60 Leech Bites and Blood at Jeram Perlus

Jeram Perlus, Ulu Langat Area, 1 hour drive from K.L
This is Jeram Perlus...HOO-HAA...it is an awesome waterfall as you can see...use me at the right side middle part of the picture to gauge the size of the falls...but what I didn't like about this waterfall is the foliage around it...the folliage were more like weeds than beautiful native plants...and I am not sure but I think the water is also not pristine water as the algae growing were brownish while life and growth in the pool right beneath wasn't lush...as you swam around... it just didn't give you that sense of wow... breakfast and bonding...or friendly funny bitching....
As usual,the trail tracker team started out with a customary team breakfast and hello for the day...i was the joke of the day unfortunately...but hell, we all get our turns....just you wait dumb spider and kungfu panda!
The trail started on a farm where there was a pet porcupine...and being the crazed animal lover me and dennis was...we immediately jumped into its enclosure. I so wanted to pat the guy...and even took my bread for lunch out to attract him close to me but as hard as I tried...I didn't dare at the end...because i don't want to get bitten or worst become a prickly pear before the start of a trail...

So...with kungfu panda, his spanky new GPS(this is the second trip with the device,the first being banana falls) and off into the jungle we go...honestly, we were expecting a long 2 hour arduous trek for this one from prior research but hey we are suckers for pain...It wasn't really a hard trail...pretty clear path...slopes did make it a little bit of an uphill test of endurance but so far so good. We had to chop through and jump through some fallen trees but hey...that's the territory...

and then the little blood sucking slinkies leeches are of course expected in the jungle...one or two bites are not uncommon and I let them bite me usually too...come on, you're guess in their home...you should bring a courtesy fruit basket(in this case blood). So while the rest of the group pick off leeches I always allow the leeches free reign on my legs...but on this trip it got ridiculous...

very ridiculous...my feet looked like that of an abuse victim!!! suddenly...aurelius wearing leech socks wasn't sissie anymore...but on this trek even I felt I could use them...Everyone were bleeding, complaining and the leeches seemed to come from everywhere...and even got deep inside shoes and socks...it was crazy...our walks were punctuated with stops to remove leeches which seemed to come from no where...but were everywhere....

Getting to the waterfall though...we had a slight reprieve

but there was still the trip back out...which was just as arduous filled with leeches...but this time after an hour walk, it rained moderately heavy...and the steep slopes that were were ascending just now became very slippery slides that were not that easy to negotiate at all...we were skating our way out for almost a good one hour... before it rained ascending was not a problem but when it rained...this turned into quite a slippery slope to descent.
To everyone credit...though we were tired and uncomfortable...and everyone(me included) sweared at the leeches...and the hoo- haa at the end was reduced almost to a drab...hoo haa...everyone did have a look of content and smiles were still shared...smiles and lots of swearing at the leeches...

oh yeah...and on a count...I had about 60 leech bites on my legs...most of the others with shoes and leech socks averaged 20 to 30. Fortunately for me...I bleed but leech bites just dissapear after a day of two with almost no ill effect...unfortunate for some it brings on an allergic reaction with a swollen foot with oozing puss...