For the first time, an airline will ply routes from Singapore to Ipoh, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan and Malacca.

Firefly, a fully-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, flies to Kuala Lumpur, too, but touches down at SkyPark Subang terminal, which is situated only 20 minutes away from the city, about 40 minutes closer by bus than from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

All-inclusive airfares for a one-way trip start from $31.

Although its prices put it in the budget range, Firefly aims to differentiate itself from with its convenient landing points.

“We’re thankful to Firefly for flying to less popular destinations in Malaysia such as Terengganu, which makes it easier to go to places such as Redang. You can spend less time on travelling,” said Zalizam Zakaria, director of Tourism Malaysia in Singapore.

It is also an exciting prospect for travellers who have had to endure long land journeys. A journey to Kuantan takes around eight hours by car or bus, but will only take about two hours by plane, including the time taken for checking in and out.

A little lower but far more scenic than Kinabalu, Gunung Semeru (original Hindu name was Mahameru) forms a majestic southern backdrop to the Tengger Highlands or the Bromo-Batok Caldera of East Java. Standing at 3676m, it is the highest mountain in Java and an active volcano to boot. Climbing it when it’s just quietly puffing is very safe. Doing so during an eruption is courting death.

Going solo, my approach to the mountain in 1997 was on foot from Cemara Lawang (at the lip of the caldera overlooking Mt Bromo). It was a long, exhausting walk to Ranopani. This is not necessary for a small group as jeeps can be hired at tourist spots like Cemara Lawang. The “climb” is not a straightforward one. Ranopani may be regarded as “base camp”, but there is very little real climb (a long way to the mountain rather than up the mountain) until towards the end where it can get really strenuous. The itinerary is as follows.

Day 1
Arrival in Surabaya, bus up to Cemara Lawang. We will stay at Cemara Lawang which overlooks Mt Bromo. Here, we can stock up on food items and hired a jeep for the trip to Ranopani.

Day 2
After a quick breakfast, we’ll travel to Ranopani by jeep, pick up our guide/porters and start trekking to Rano Kumbolo. We only need to carry water for the 4-5 hour trek to Rano Kumbolo. There is a lake here where we can draw water for the next day. We’ll have lunch and dinner here.

Day 3
We’ll move off after catching the sunrise. Our lunch stop will be Kalimati, a grassy, windswept, treeless patch just below the treeline. As there is no water here, we must draw and carry as much water as we can from Rano Kumbolo. We’ll have lunch at Kalimati and then proceed to climb up to Arcopodo where we’ll have dinner and rest.

Day 4
Starting off from Arcopodo at 4.00am, we’ll summit at dawn (keeping a safe distance from the crater), lunch at Rano Kumbolo and descend to Ranopani where we’ll take a jeep to Surabaya.

Day 5
Return to Singapore

This is a camping trip (no bathrooms) from Day 2. Tents, sleeping bags, warm clothing (near freezing at summit), food and fuel must be carried. The expedition must be self-sufficent beyond Ranopani. About 2 litres of water must be carried on the first leg from Ranopani to Rano Kumbolo.

Ample water (4 litres per pax) must be drawn and treated from the lake at Rano Kumbolo before moving further. There is no convenient water source above Rano Kumbolo.

For maximum comfort and good pictures, this mountain should only be climbed during the dry season from June to early September. August is usually the best month for dry weather.

Gunung Semeru is an active volcano. The last major activity on the mountain took place around March 2007. The expedition will be postponed or an alternative destination set if conditions are deemed unsafe. The activity of Gunung Semeru can be monitored at this link.

June 10, 2009
Seeking personal glory is not a bad thing
I REFER to yesterday’s Forum Online letter, “Mountaineering is not about seeking personal glory”. Homo sapiens has it in its DNA to seek personal glory.
Seeking better academic qualifications, trying to excel in sports and striving to lead a better life are all part of that.

This is not bad - for this fuels the drive for research and advancement.

It is a mindset which predominates and which, in quintessence, satisfies the hunger for recognition. Thus, it would be unnatural to dissociate personal glory from the action of climbing a mountain.

Anyone who goes out to test the limits of his endurance and to see if he or she can scale, in this instance, a high peak, need not advertise the action if no glory or recognition is being sought. Instead, he could do it quietly.

Dudley Au

June 8, 2009
Funds needed for expedition
WHAT can be tougher than having to ski over 800 kilometres across Antarctica, with 100 kilogrammes of gear at minus 40 degrees Celcius?
Apparently, sourcing for funds is.

That is, according to Ms Sophia Pang, who is set to be the first Singaporean woman to leave her footprints on the South Pole.

The 36-year-old mother of three beat over 70 Singaporean applicants earlier this year and won herself a place in the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition team.

The all-women team is scheduled to arrive in London for the final preparation in November, before they set off to trek the snow-laden terrains.

But Ms Pang needs about $100,000 for the expedition, and she has yet to secure any sponsorship from local companies despite persistent attempts.

Still, the aerobics instructor remains optimistic and continues training religiously with the help of the Singapore Sports Council.

Will Ms Pang have to withdraw from the team if no funds are available by November?

June 6, 2009

Everest climb valuable only to adventurers themselves
THURSDAY’S editorial, ‘A salute to our Everest heroines’, on the Singaporean women who climbed Mount Everest, echoes the skewed views of mountaineer David Lim in seeing only one side of the argument.
While it was clearly a difficult and commendable achievement, The Straits Times and Mr Lim are wrong about such feats deserving contributions from public coffers.

I accept that extreme sports can be personally satisfying. They are tests of endurance, spiritual strength and teamwork. They allow one to gain deep insights into one’s own character.

But the benefits are subjective, and valuable only to the adventurer. There is no benchmarking, no medals to be won.

Public funds should be used only for specific and measurable competitions, or where Singaporeans can be the first to reach a new destination. Coming after that does nothing for our national image. How many people can name the second team to conquer Everest? Who was the second person to run the four-minute mile? Or land on the moon?

Since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent, more than 4,000 people have reached the summit, including the blind, the legless and the aged. It may be an important journey of self-discovery for anyone attempting the feat, but it is irrelevant to the public whether that person becomes No. 4,801 or No. 4,999 at the top. Like a trip into space, Everest has become an expensive, albeit dangerous, tourist destination.

Many Everest climbers, and other adventurers, pay their own way. Those who want to enjoy such trips should do the same. No responsible manager in either the public or private sectors can contribute to such causes and have any credibility left to face the staff when telling them to control costs.

Lee Chiu San