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Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition
The Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition began in year 2001 and has been held every year since. It is held normally in April or May.
For 2006 the Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition started on the 27th April 2006 and ended on the 1st of May 2006. However, unlike past events, where Kuala Lipis town was the starting point, the 2006 Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition began from Temerloh, the home of the patin (silver cat-fish). The route down Sungai Pahang from Temerloh to Pekan involves a distance of around 180 kilometers, compared to about 329 kilometers for previous years when the event started from Kuala Lipis.
The Sungai Pahang is the longest river in Peninsular Malaysia extending more than 330 kilometers from the hinterland town of Kuala Tembeling to the royal town of Bandar Diraja Pekan at the river-mouth. This river has been for centuries an important waterway and the life-blood of communities living along its riverbank. Various water-craft vessels and boats had plied this river upstream and downstream for trade and industry as well as for communications. ( Visit the water-craft gallery in Bandar Diraja Pekan to see the boats and vessels of yesteryears).
RECORD NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS In all, this 2006 event attracted more than 700 participants, locals as well as foreigners, with 115 rafts. The popularity of this Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition can be observed by the yearly increase in participants. In year 2001, when the event was first organized, only 36 rafts took part. In year 2002 the number increased to 64, in 2003 (73), 2004 (80) and in year 2005 there were 100 rafts participating. This year, besides the usual keen adventurers comprising of local and foreign rafters who were organized into teams for each raft, the event saw first-time participation by the Austrian Embassy, the Malaysian Parliament, Malaysian Girl Guides, international schools, and a few other local universities and colleges. And this time, some very important persons (VIPs) also took part, albeit for a short trip, by joining the fun and adventure of the expedition. They included the current Malaysian Speaker of Parliament himself, and wives of Ministers and State Chief Ministers.
START OF EXPEDITION On the morning of 27th April 2006, the Semantan Jeti in Temerloh town was filled with people. Expedition participants and local town-folks were there. Banners and colorful decorations adorn the river jetty, and everyone was ready for the launch of the exciting expedition.
And there were all kinds of bamboo rafts- big ones, small ones, gaily decorated ones with flags and banners, and of course for the VVIPs, the rafts were fitted with specially–made tents and comfortable seats and chairs. And the paddles and oars to row the rafts too were of all lengths, shapes and colors. Each raft was provided with long wooden poles for steering, guiding and maneuvering the bamboo rafts when traveling on the river. All participants of course wore the body vest floats as precaution, and tire floats were also carried for emergency and safety reasons. Initially tied to the jetty, the royal raft (also made of bamboo) with its big covered tent of yellow and light blue top with chairs and decorated with the Malaysian, Pahang and flags of participants, floated regally on the river. After the welcoming speeches, at the opening ceremony, the rafting expedition started when the first raft was flagged by the Crown Prince of Pahang, DYTM Tengku Mahkota, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. Later, after the flag-off ceremony, DYTM Tengku Abdullah and his wife, DYTM Tengku Puan Pahang, Tuanku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, joined the fun-filled event, and they went on the bamboo raft for a trip on the Pahang river. The expedition started from the Semantan Jeti in Temerloh on the 27th of April, 2006 and made scheduled stops at Chenor (April 27), Serengkam (April 28), Kampung Baru Salong (April 29), Ganchong (April 30) and finally reached the Tapak Pesta Air, Bandar Diraja Pekan on 1st of May,2006. At each stop, the participants were welcomed and treated with a kampung-style "kenduri" (Malay traditional feast with favorite local cuisine and dishes), local cultural show and games.
ROYAL PARTICIPATION HRH the Sultan of Pahang, DYMM Sultan Ahmad Shah, also took time to meet the participants when they were at Kampung Serengkam in Maran town, on the second day of the expedition. HRH the Sultan also joined the festivity and later went on a short trip on a raft from Serengkam. Truly, as mentioned in his royal speech at Serengkam, in Pahang there is no divide between the royalty and his subjects. The joys and thrills of the population are also enjoyed and participated by the royalties in Pahang. HRH the Sultan praised the state government for making the 2006 Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition a success as seen by the increased number of local and foreign participants. Appreciation and thanks were also due to Datuk Maznah Mazlan, the Pahang State Chairman of the Executive Committee for Development of Family, Women, Culture and Tourism, for successfully leading and organizing the event this year.
JOYS AND CHALLENGES OF THE SUNGAI PAHANG INTERNATIONAL RIVER RAFTING EXPEDITION Of course it was not all plain sailing for the rafters. The five days of challenges saw a few rafts in trouble. Well, maneuvering the rafts in the flowing waters take experience and skill, and depends on the speed of the flow of river-water.
Moral support, hand-wavings and cheers from villagers and communities along the river however, added delights and enthralls further the joyful experience in river rafting and eases the tiredness in rowing.
WINNERS OF THE 2006 EXPEDITION And the winner of the 2006 Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition - the raft that was the first to reach the finish line after five days of maneuvering - was the raft handled by the Pasukan Gerakan Am (the General Force Unit of the Malaysian Police Force). This armed forces team, for the record, had won this event for the fourth time. Second was the Highlander raft from Cameron Highlands, and third was the raft handled by Kelab Vespa Skuter Temerloh Bera. The awards and presentation of prizes were given by Tengku Puan Pahang, Tengku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, at the closing ceremony at Bandar Diraja Pekan on the 1st of May 2006. But in the final analysis, all participants in this 2006 Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition came away as winners. They all won by having valuable intimate knowledge of rivers, the forests, mangroves and vegetation surrounding rivers, and the bio-diversities inherent in river systems. They were more aware of the importance of rivers in the lives of humans.
FOSTERING LOVE FOR RIVERS Besides the tourism aspect, the Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition is an essential event not only for its sports and recreational activity but as an educational approach to foster love for rivers and all water channels. This event is an excellent way to inculcate in the minds of humans that they should play their part in ensuring the health of rivers by not polluting them, and more importantly, to respect and preserve the bio-diversity of nature’s eco-systems for the future benefit of mankind.
Well, the joys of river rafting in the Sungai Pahang International River Rafting Expedition cannot be described in words.
So, why not join this wonderful event, and feel the thrills yourself? For 2007, this expedition will start at Kuala Lipis, Pahang, on Sunday 29 April, 2OO7 and ends at the Royal Town of Pekan on Sunday 6 May 2OO7, a distance of about 330 kilometers. For more information contact: Perbadanan Kemajuan Bukit Fraser,
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