Club Atlético de Bukit Jelutong: CABJ Field Trip to Pulau Pangkor

CABJ FIELD TRIP TO PULAU PANGKOR

Report written by #19 Khairulhazim Sulaiman

THE REPORT

On a sunny Friday morning, the 17 gliders consist of players and non-playing members left Bukit Jelutong for a field trip to Pangkor Island, Perak. The three-day trip (27th-29th September 2013) marked their third trip since the establishment of the club. The first trip for CABJ was on 2011 to Malim Nawar, Perak followed by Cameron Highlands, Pahang on 2012.

This year, as a reward to the players being the champion of the recent Liga Perangsang Selangor 2013, the trip to Pangkor Island was fully sponsored by Cypress Diversified, under the arm of its recent communal project, Pembangunan Oleh Komuniti Untuk Komuniti (POKOK) with the kind support of Surfink Holidays on the ground arrangements.

Gliders were divided into two (2) travelling groups most by car and ferry. For CABJ’s Man of the Match (MOTM) players who fought hard during the League, had the privilege of being rewarded with a return flight ticket directly to Pangkor Island that only took them 45 minutes on air. Lunch was served as soon as they reached Ala Chalet, Teluk Nipah at around 2:00 pm.

Meanwhile, the group driving to Pangkor assembled at Bukit Jelutong’s local restaurant, Asam Pedas at 8:00 am. The group arrived at Lumut Jetty at 2:00 pm and took a ferry to Pangkor Island and met the first group at the chalet where they rest and relax before their friendly match that was arranged with the locals there.

Before the match

At 5:30 pm, players were ready to leave Teluk Nipah to a football field near to Pangkor Island Resort where the match was held. The team that they were up against was Telok Gedong FC. It was a fair match and they had a lot of fun playing with the locals. CABJ played their best but luck was not on their side and they lost 5-4 to the team. After all, they were all on a holiday mood. They head back to the chalet by 7pm followed by an array of delicious home cooked food prepared for them during dinner.

The day ended with a night of free activities sessions where some were seen at the beach for sightseeing; playing table tennis tournaments and some doing a little bit of shopping.

Jungle trekking activity

It was an early morning for the team, as all were up and ready by 8.00am for breakfast while they wait for the island taxi to pick them up for their full day of adventures. By 9.00am they reached their first activity which was jungle trekking. They were guided by three (3) tour guides who took them for a 1 hour and 30 minutes of jungle trekking experience. The tour guides briefed about the safety cautions around the island ,the plants and also methods of how to tie a simple but sturdy knot using a rope.

We were told that after all the tiredness of jungle trekking, there were then silence within the team as they reached the beach. All were just impress with the breath talking view of Pangkor Beach. At that moment nothing else matter but them, the sun, sand and sea. They continued their activity through the ocean canoe-ing. They started paddling across the sea for about 30 minutes.

#7 Noor Affendi Amir

“Paddling the kayak was pretty exhausting. It was my first time and I am proud to say that although I paddled slow and got left behind, at least I’ve done it in an open sea. What an experience. “said CABJ’s striker Noor Affendi Amir.

They were then served a simple lunch before they head to the next activity which was snorkeling. On their way to the snorkeling site, they were toured around the island on a boat and saw big rocks that looked like an alligator, a sea turtle, an elephant and also a whale. They then reached Coral Island, a famous snorkeling site for tourists and spent an hour swimming with the fishes before the head back to the chalet.

Island tour by motorcycle

While some were dozing off their aching feet from the morning activities, most of the players rented a motorcycle and went for their own session of sightseeing around the island. They stopped at each end of the island and spent nearly two (2) hours of touring before they head back just in time for dinner.

As it being their last night there at Pangkor Island, they were spoiled with delicious array of fresh grilled fish and huge tiger prawns all barbequed perfectly for the team.

After they had their stomach full, they head back to the chalet and spent the night watching live football game on TV.

Like everything else, good times will eventually have to end. They started the morning with Nasi Lemak served by Ala Chalet and with a very heavy heart, packed their bags ready to head back to Bukit Jelutong.

It was an unforgettable moment for the team that weekend. They shared a lot of fun, and excitement together. Together they filled in the bonding gap and it built a stronger love for the team and club. A special thank to Abang Ali, the owner of Ala Chalet, for the wonderful hospitality and in making us feel like home.

All the best to the team in the future and also in the upcoming Setia Alam Champions League.

“This is where we belong”.

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