Face to face with the Legendary Princess of Gunung Ledang

These pages shown here are of small leaves which I collected from my 1974 Mt Ophir climb.
I have kept them, still as they were 34 years ago, in an exercise book. The front cover of the original exercise book of those years is displayed below. The school in Koon Seng Road, off Joo Chiat, does not exist anymore with that past name.
Today, the offshoot is called KCPS....Kuo Chuan Presbyterian School, a merger of the former PBS and KCGS.
In my previous story, I mentioned that I brought back some special leaves ( based on some simple drawings made by the requester Mrs Lee Geow Hai ). She was my colleague then and was suffering from a potential blindness-related ailment. So, she was delighted when she got those special leaves from me. If my memory serves me right...her condition improved a great deal after using the leaves....and also the Ophir water.
I also mentioned that I collected dripping drops of water that came from a rock outcrop near the top. The
special water was at the request of Mr Hassan Selamat, also my colleague then, who had a very chronic back problem. I gave him some of the leaves too.
His condition improved to some degree.

Recently, I did a Google search to check if there are any documented accounts of anyone confirming a face to face encounter with the Legendary Princess of Gunung Ledang ( Mt Ophir ) or even reports, if any, to that effect.

The Result? There is NONE at all.

It does appear that I MAY BE THE ONLY PERSON, AS FAR AS CAN BE CONFIRMED, TO HAVE MET THE PUTERI OF GUNUNG LEDANG FACE TO FACE....and spoken with her back in 1974 February.
My good friend, Ibrahim Othman told me that according to Malay legends, the beautiful Princess was able to transform herself into an older or old woman and manifest herself if she so chooses.

Legends say that she is still residing deep within the confines of G Ledang.
What do I make of all this?

The world is filled with many mysteries still as yet unsolved. But unsolved does not mean untrue.

And as for me, there is NO DOUBT in my mind, NO DEBATE, NO UNCERTAINTY that on that unforgetable day in February 1974....I came face to face with the legendary Puteri in the form of an old lady.

THIS IS NO FICTION!

One of the Major reasons why I started this Blog is to document, archive and share my many, many TRUE life experiences with my family, friends, and now everyone.
There are many more unforgetable and astounding TRUE stories I have yet to talk or write about!

More stories will, in time, unfold on this Blogsite.

Mt Ophir 1974...The True Encounter with Princess Gunung Ledang Part 3

Photo top: Me at Ibrahims's house for Hari Raya celebrations on March 4th 1995.

This post is a continuation of the previous story. While we were preparing our first meal up on the mountain, I requested that all our canned food be brought out from our packs so that we can organise our food properly. Before the trip, while meeting up with the members at my home, I had briefed them on what kind of tinned food to carry along. Pork was to be avoided as it is considered taboo on Gunung Ledang.

[Photo: Main Executive Council of COMEX S'pore 1977-1978

Ibrahim
Othman is 2nd from right.]So you can imagine my huge surprise and disappointment when a tin of that popular Yeo Hiap Seng canned pork cubes appeared among the canned food on the poncho. I did ask who brought it along but no one seemed to recall bringing that particular YHS can.

Immediately, I wrapped it up and put it away in our pack saying that it must not be opened until we arrive back in Singapore.

Before we drove off from Tangkak, we donated our ponchos and other unused stuff to the personnel at the reservoir. They had kept an eye on our vehicle while we were climbing.

We drove straight to my home to unpack. My daughter who was then 2 and half years old and my wife was home. It was still the Chinese New Year period and we gathered round my kitchen to have some refreshments and to update my wife D2 about our adventures.

It was there and then that I remembered the YHS can of pork cubes still in my pack.

We told the story about this tin, took it out and had a closer look.

The label clearly stated YHS pork cubes.

Since no one could recall bringing this mysterious tin from their home I said let's open it up.

Using a tin opener, it was soon opened.

SURPRISE of SURPRISES !!!

There were no pork cubes when we poured the contents out on a bowl.

It was all sambal udang !!! ( spicy small prawns )

Remember, the label wrapped round the tin stated "YHS pork cubes"!

It was as if by some unknown magical process that the contents within were altered

so that it no longer became "taboo"...up on the mountain.

By the way, this was and still remains the ONLY time such an occurence ever happened to us.

As I've also said, I never taken much notice of all these mysterious happenings not until the years 1977 and 1978. That was when I was elected as President of COMEX Singapore, a leading adventure and travel club then. And one of those serving with me in the Main Executive Council was Ibrahim Othman, who held the post of Director, Sports and Recreation. Ibrahim was then in the Education service as I was. He taught ML2 and was most knowledgeable about the history, tradition, beliefs and culture of the local Malays.

We became firm and close friends.

During a Comex organised trip to Maxwell Hill, we were seated together and we were comparing our travel experiences. It was then, that the subject of Mt Ophir 1974 came out. Urged on by him, I related all that happened as I've described here. He was all eyes and ears, literally!!!

When I finished my account...he asked me," Do you realise WHO YOU HAVE MET IN PERSON? "

I said, " No."

Ibrahim: " You have met the LEGENDARY PUTERI GUNUNG LEDANG !!! ( Princess of G Ledang ).

Me: " But it was an old lady I met up there."

Ibrahim: " DICK, ask yourself how can an old lady of 80+ years old be found at such a high

altitude and you said she was carrying a basket with flowers and eggs ( things found on low land ). Moreover, what was she doing up there? She is regarded as a guardian of the mountain and that's why she asked you whether you knew the" undang-undang" of the place.

No lady of such an age is fit to climb so high up this mountain. Dick, consider yourself very LUCKY for a few centuries many local Malays and others have gone to Mt Ophir in search of or hoping to meet/see/experience WHAT YOU HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED in 1974.

Even in recent times, many "holy men and mystics" have gone there...all hoping.

Me: " I'm stunned ! Why do you think I have been so fortunate to have met with this Puteri Gunung Ledang since so many have tried and have failed? "

Ibrahim: " I think you are quite different from the others. For a Chinese to climb during CNY is unheard of. You may not know it but fate and your good heart may have played a major part."

The above revealations by Ibrahim to me were the first inkling I had of the Significance of my trip up there. I have, since 1974 never written a word about this whole EXPERIENCE. This is a first person story here.

Ps: Ibrahim Othman was later elected as a PAP member of Parliament for 3 terms starting in

1984. He was also appointed as the President of FAS ( Football Association of S'pore ).

We are still close and firm friends today.

Next....the concluding episode!

Mt Ophir 1974...The True Encounter with Princess Gunung Ledang

Hi folks,
Since my last post, I have been very busy with so many things.
Babysitting my grandkids, teaching more than 300 kids how to play the ukulele, exploring
the ancient cities of the Three Kingdom period and even earlier, the modern capital of Hubei
Province ...Wuhan, and other cities...well, the activities go on.
Just as me and D2 returned, we were again off to Malacca for a four day retreat.
So, ok...back to the story of Mt Ophir and what really happened in 1974. That expedition was special in more ways than one.
Firstly, the group of friends who suggested that trip were all young, working adults, all men.
None had any mountaineering experience. Basically, they were all greenhorns about the outdoors. But they wanted very much to climb their 1st mountain. As a group of close friends I could not refuse their plea for me to lead them there. But I did have my doubts about their fitness level and other things, though all were in reasonably good health. By 1974, Mt Ophir was
already attracting quite a few expeditions every school holiday period. Many were from Singapore and Malaysia as well.
So, in anticipation of a more crowded climb during the holiday period, I proposed that we climb during the CHINESE NEW YEAR holiday, knowing full well that no one will be mad enough to do any climbing at that time. Then we can have the whole route and mountain to ourselves. Everyone agreed with my suggestion and so it was set.
We made physical preparations for the climb, went on some training treks to MacRitchie, Mandai and Bt Timah Hill., and some HDB blocks for stair-climbing.
I have never missed celebrating CNY with my family, relatives and friends. This would be a first for me as well as for the others. It was a small party consisting of just 5 of us. There was WP Sim our car driver, A Loo, Chin HK, C Lim and your truly.
Before the trip, all of us met at my home for packing and checking of provisions and other stuff. On the day of the journey we drove all the way to Tangkak Park / Reservoir office and informed the staff on duty about our climb. They were truly surprised!
After a short discussion with us mainly to ascertain that at least one of us was familiar with Gunung Ledang ( Mt Ophir ) and all its do's and don'ts.....we bade them farewell and were on our way....to a truly never to be forgotten experience in a lifetime.
" NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN ? "..... Absolutely!!! How come? Why? What happened?
A number of things that can never be explained occured during the actual climb and also post-trip. BUT.....the most INCREDIBLE AND MOST ASTOUNDING THING WAS....HOW I MET THE LEGENDARY PRINCESS OF GUNUNG LEDANG, FACE TO FACE, just a short distance before the very summit of Mt Ophir.
We were on a very narrow path, with crooked trees and plants around us, I was leading the party and was just about to go round a right bend outcrop of rock when ....out of the blue...I came face to face with another human coming down my way. At first glance, it was a lady...a graceful-looking old woman of about 80+ years old, Malay-looking, carrying a basket in her hand. Inside the basket, I remember seeing some fragrant flowers and eggs. Her hair was tucked nicely and white. She was dressed in traditional Malay dress. I imagined she must have been a very pretty lady in her youth.
She stopped as she saw me. I halted dead in my tracks, facing her., not knowing, not realising at that point in time who she was, what she was and what was she doing there nearly 4,000 over feet up in the cold of G ledang near the summit.
Then she started to speak to me !
And I replied.....we spoke in Malay.
What she asked me and told me and what and how I replied to her and much, much more..... 100% TRUE, unbelievable stuff.....will be revealed in coming posts.
Anyone reading this thinking it is fiction can have this assurance from me....IT REALLY HAPPENED ! On my deathbed, if you ask me to swear on any holy book that this took place..I would, even if it is with my last breath. I cannot deny it as it actually happened.

ps: I have some photos of the trip but they must be in my storeroom somewhere.
Once I can locate them....I'll put them up.

For the continuation of this story, go to the same titled post on 21 Sept 2008, Blog Archives.