Walking on the wild side
Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu.
THE first time I met Kovin Sivanasvaran, we were on a short trek to the Sungai Pisang waterfalls. The wiry 23-year-old who looked very much at home in the deep forest said very little. While I stumbled and navigated through muddy trails, stray tree roots and streams artlessly, Kovin walked ahead nimbly, deep in thought, weaving effortlessly through tall grass, sturdy trees and flowing waters.
“Welcome to my backyard,” he said then, a rare smile transforming his serious face, as we approached the sound of the waterfalls. The surging waters, deep still pools of unimaginable depths imbued in an ethereal shade of muted emerald green and shaded by whispering leaves of the trees... you can trust that Kovin’s the man to find these oft-forgotten little shards of wilderness all around Malaysia.
Standing on the edge of the slippery rocks, he’s back to being the young thrillseeker that he bashfully admits to being. Stripping down to his shorts, he dives into the pool with uninhibited joy. It’s a little harrowing to see him plunge into the depths of the water from a high rocky ledge. For a moment, my heart literally skips a heartbeat when the waters close over him. But he resurfaces in a few seconds, shaking off droplets of water that glint in the wan sunlight, grinning broadly as he beckons me to jump in.
I never did jump in. But I can’t help but share the exhilaration he feels. He’s a seeker of waterfalls and an adventurer of sorts, he admits to me. His Instagram (which I follow avidly) showcases breathtakingly beautiful natural vistas he has explored all around the country, either on his solitary trips or with a group of fellow thrill seekers, together with whom he’d founded a hiking group aptly known as “Glimpse of Malaysia”. It was initially set up to make hiking more accessible for everyone.
Dazzling sceneries of mountain tops, deep forests and majestic waterfalls dominate his social media feed. There are heart-stopping images of Kovin balanced delicately on the edge of a precipice
Kovin Sivanasvaran overlooking the dizzying valleys below, or diving from an unimaginably high cliff into swirling waters. You can’t believe what you’re seeing — a young man, millimetres from extinction, transforming the unthinkable into the sublime.
The thrills, he confides unabashedly, is less about climbing than it is about living. Aren’t you afraid of hurting yourself, I ask incredulously. “Anybody could conceivably die on any given day,” he replies philosophically, shrugging his shoulders. It’s that presence and immediacy that make these harrowing hikes so appealing to Kovin and his peers; not because it brings death so much nearer, but because it makes life so much more vivid and significant. Most of us have been told, at one point or another, to work, study or perform as if our lives depended on it. There just aren’t many activities where it’s literally true.
Challenging terrains deep in the heart of the forest is one of them. Every move counts. Every motion is considered. No Sungai Chiling, Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor.