A Look at the Jelutong Tower
I pushed deeper and deeper into the jungle at the MacRitchiw Nature Park. The boardwalk had already given way to a real dirt road. Probably just wide enough for a vehicle to pass through. However, it was obvious that this place was not meant to be comfortable, the ground was uneven and you are in the middle of nowhere. But lo and behold, there was a small clearing in the jungle with a viewing tower in the middle. I had reached the Jelutong Tower.
The View Atop the Jelutong Tower
The Jelutong Tower is steel tower built primarily as a viewing tower for hikers. It can also serve as a makeshift shelter in case of sudden storms. As with mountains, I needed to climb the Jelutong Tower because “it is there”. Despite having heavy legs, I dragged myself up the tower to see what it has to offer. As I expected, there was only trees all around. Maybe it wasn’t really high enough. Some of the trees are low enough that you can see what is on top.
Jungle Trail from the Jelutong Tower
I was surprised to see a monkey scampering in the tree tops, unfortunately, it was too dark and it was moving to fast for me to get a good shot. Anyway, the Jelutong Tower gives you good view of the surrounding area just to show you how remote the place is, although you can still see public housing buildings from far away. The trail was almost covered by vegetation and can hardly be seen from up there save for the trail nearest the tower. If you are a bird enthusiast or a plant expert you would probably have a good time identifying species here. However, if you are like me that can’t be bothered with those, the Jelutong Tower is at best a nice break from all that walking. Since you are there, you might as well climb it, right?
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