Un-named summit at 1309m
near Plei Kueng, Gia Lai (Vietnam)
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Trail photos
Itinerary description
Machete: Is a must
If like me you are a foreigner, I need to warn you that the local authority of the region (Kông Chrô) are pretty paranoid about foreigner camping and roaming around. My first problem was in the hospitality in Kông Chrô when a policeman at the table of my host started to tell me it's not allowed for me to sleep at my host place or in my tent. Finally got against my will a night an a local hotel. Then the day after when about to reach my destination in Nhanh Nho another policeman appear in his uniform this time and after asking my passport and making few phone call he forbid me to go further on that road and told me to go back to "An Khe" city. Seen there was very little room for negotiation, I decided not to argue, just said "ok" and walked back. Once I was out of their view I took a side road and went around the town staying in the field. I swear I could hear an increase amount of motorbike searching me around. Toward to end of my detour I came across two youth in their motorbike that were with the policeman but it was too late for them, by the time they rat me out i had reached the jungle.
This episode was in part why I decided to not go down from the way I went up to go down but instead from another side of the massif worrying about the how the welcoming will be with local authority after my little disobedience. The way down was quite a bit more messy and difficult and I would not advise to the same. Plus it has been pointless for me as once back on the main road, literally the first motorbike I came across recognise me and in few phone calls was in the hand of the local authority. In the end it was not too bad as they just deported me out of the region, offering me the perfect lift that it would have been difficult for me to find my myself, as the traffic of the remote region was very scarce few days before the Têt.
Waypoints
path down
finally found a proper path that goes down and not just some random track to lead to cut down trees
dead end
don't go down just yet until you'll need water the tracks just going to some cut down trees
clear path
quickly the path became really clear and hopefully it did cause to cross that with a machete good luck
old forestery road
where I slept yesterday was actually the end of a old forestery track bushes hand grown trees have fallen but there is a path on it
camp 2
it seems there is finally a path not 100% confident about it but it was getting dark I needed to stop. This day was more difficult than I hoped for. Once the night was set lot of night life crawled around the fire, including this Banded Wolf Snake which made me worry thinking it could be a Malaysian Krait
top
reached the top after fighting with a very dense jungle for the last 100m nobody had been here for a long while if at all, I haven't seen a trace of machete for a while before reaching the summit
dense bamboo forest
since I reach the mountain pass the path disappear I'm hitting a dense bamboo forest now trying to find an alternative way a kind of a path was going down on the east side of the crest
camp 01
lost the track whey crossing a bamboo bush but got it back staying in the crest
leaving the trail
was following a large wood cutter trail since the reunion leaving it now to stay on the crest
camping spot
first camping spot flat enough for a tent since I left the river at the bottom
intersection
I decided to go up to the crest from here and not following the path that cross the river
back on track
I have been forced walked back a little and I left the road as soon as I was out of view from the policeman and the group of villager. Just finally back on the track I saw from Google satellite imagery after going all around Nhang Nho through the field.
last shop
you can get some instant noodle and biscuit but nothing more but you can get some nice snake wine. This is where my trouble with police started
Comments (1)
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Nice trip, thanks 4 the review <3, im seen some trait you share here and love it.
Wild places in Vietnam are very dangerous, especially for foreigners. Some areas are strictly guarded because of the presence of precious trees; Some place have elephants, tigers or dangerous animals or some in the red book, may also be some military zone.
And, many ethnic minorities who, due to lack of education, have been provoked by bad reactionary forces.
I have studied Vietnamese biology for a few years so I understand a little bit about this, hoping to help you understand something.
healthy and happy.