The team that took the challenge ... note there are no men here hmmmm
Ok ..... I dunno what transpired here but somehow my girl friend Preets invited some of her buddies with kids to celebrate her elder boy's 8th birthday at the Bukit Cerakah Park aka Botanical Park Shah Alam (signage to this place is rather all confusing along the Federal Highway and once you pass Concorde Shah Alam) ... all she said in the invite, kids wear covered shoes i.e. sneakers and take the train to SKYTREX.
Now if my marbles had been in place properly I might have tried to Google this Skytrex thing up to see what I was getting into.
Ashna gets the secured and that's Julian the 'eye-candy'
So come Sunday morning last week (22nd) me, the girls, my buddy Ju and her son Emery pack into Charles and off we zoom heading towards Shah Alam. Interesting thing here is me and Shah Alam and the countless roundabouts are quite an allergic reaction. Thankfully Ju has an aunt somewhere thereabouts so we figure we're on the right road.
Preets directions are well ... ermmmm bad! Following her directions to a T we found ourselves climbing a slope and errrr at the Shah Alam Police Station ... hmmmmmm not like we wanted to make a report or anything ... so we do a U-turn and head of further looking for this elusive right turn at the traffic lights that takes you to the park.
We managed to find it parked, used the loos (thankfully other than ants - being nature nature and all it was rather clean at that hour) and waited for next instructions.
We got the tickets for the bus ride to Skytrex, climbed a bus ... went on a 20min drive along the park where the only noticeable stop was the Paintball Range - errrr and we were back at the pickup point ... one call to Preets tells us apparently there are 2 buses ... one goes to the Paintball Range one goes to Skytrex - errr a little annoucement might have helped ... but the kids enjoyed the 20min ride through the park so we're not complaining.
Uncle Ku giving safety instructions
Later we meet Vicki and her 2 kids and with the birthday cake and we hurtle along again in the right bus this time to the Skytrex. Now along the way I've noticed that this Skytrex is a obstacle challenge type thingie ... oh oh .. my kids and the great outdoors ... this is sOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo going to be fun **nervous laugh**
And yes .. that's what this is about ... a party in the park with some high energy climbing and hanging and walking across hanging obstacles and even a flying fox or two ... now I am totally totally out of shape what with cranky knees, broken back and all that excessive weight.
While suiting up with the harness, the girls seem excited. Kasha is all go go go ... Ashna is not too sure but she's ra-ra for now ... and then we have the start ... at obstacle 3 which is the walking across looped hanging ropes, Ashna says no more go and wants to go back.
Kasha on the other hand scared as hell, gets 'rescued' across by the very kind Uncle Ku and assisted along by the very helpful Uncle Mizi manages to complete the whole Kiddie Skytrex course with some tears and smiles.
Ku 'rescues' Kasha
Me ahahahhaha I have to admit, I passed out at one point up there whilst trying to get Kasha up on the platform - the stress and strain of hanging balancing swinging and trying to keep stable on ropes and bamboo were just a bit too much for this old lady ...
Thankfully Mizi was still around to help and I managed a weak call out to him to say help I am about to faint I need you to get my child on the platform. He came like the wind across and managed to get Kasha unto the platform when I slipped off the bamboo and was left hanging by the harness totally woozy cold and wanting to puke ... was sweating profusely I thought I might be having a heart-attack.
Great shot of me trying to get across and not fall
Not the way I see myself leaving this world ... all dramatic high up in the trees eheheheh. Mizi managed to help semi-conscious me get my feet unto the platform and pushed me from behind (I have to take my hat off to that boy he managed to push giant me) so that I crawled unto the platform and waited till pulse and everything got back to normal and I am proud to say I did complete the course.
Of course the fitter amongst you might mock me for the fact that this was just a kiddie route and all that drama ... well try doing it with your kid in front of you and see how taxing it is ... the adults route is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy scarier ... dunno if I will ever give that a shot but at the end of the day ... I did have a blast and I felt I too overcame some of my fears.
Kasha completes the route
I did the flying fox, I did the walk across albeit that one fainting spell, I showed my girl that one cannot give up and really once we start out there's no turning back. Kasha did good. Ashna, she's got some overcoming of fears and self doubts and she'll do good too.
Kasha reminds me of my sister Babs and her devil may care even if I die trying I am going to go out there and have a ball and Babs usually does ... Kasha is like that. Ashna is like me. Thinks too much, plans to much and worries too much ... life kinda passed me way too often in the past, and at 38 I want to live life knowing I have taken all the opportunities it gives me and made the best of it. Ashna too will get there eventually and as her mommy, my role is to ensure that she never feels like she's failed - every effort is a worthwhile try for it shows us the next level to which we can progress to.
Here are some pictures of the course and me looking all gung-ho post the fainting spell ahahhaha I smile it seems ... or was that gritted teeth???
Wanna give it a go? Visit
SKYTREX it's worth the team-building spirit and conquers fears of both adults and kids ... and it's a great way to spend a Sunday morning with family and friends ....
Preets I have known since 11, Ju since I was 3 ... Now our kids are friends too since birth ... what an awesome way to build muhibbah ties that bind into the next generation in the Malaysia of diversity we believe can and must exist.
Happy Weekend all and Earth Hour tomorrow ... do your little bit for Planet Earth!
I remember googling something else and I saw this in some papers. Didn't seem to find it in any of our local online news ... but then again I wasn't paying attention at that time as I was keenly looking up something else.
