In August of 1945 at the end of the second world war, an RAF liberator aircraft crashed in dense jungle near the summit of Gunung Telepak Buruk in Peninsular Malaysia. The plane was reported lost and lay undisturbed in the jungle until 1991 when it was discovered by a local tribesman. Excavation of the site did not start until 2009 and the remains of the eight airmen who lost their lives were finally laid to rest, with full military honours, in the Commonwealth war cemetery in Kuala Lumpur in October 2012. More information can be found here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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| The Fuselage |
An old service road leads to some telecoms towers at the summit of the mountain and is only passable with a 4WD vehicle. Driving the 12km or so to the summit is a pleasant experience as the road passes through pretty much untouched mountain rainforest with many tree ferns and palm species. It is unusual to be able to drive all the way to the summit of an unspoilt forested mountain like this and the jungle near the top appears in pristine condition.
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| The road to the trail head high amongst the clouds |
To get to the crash site from the summit requires roughly 2 hours trekking down the mountain through the rainforest. There are some quite steep stretches that get slippery when wet and both ticks and leeches are present on the trail. I was glad of my leech socks as I pulled one of the biggest ticks I have ever seen off them the first time I walked this trail.
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| The Tail Section |
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| Inside the Fuselage |
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| RAF Roundel on a Piece of Wing |
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Giant millipede on the trail to the plane
Cethiosa hypsea hypsina (Malay Lacewing) On The Road to the Summit
There are many interesting plants including orchids on the roadside on the way up the mountain.
Spathoglottis plicata
Unusual geometric fern leaves
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