PAN LABYRINTH OF SG LEMBING






Recently I was 'transported' into a labyrinth, out of my own will. Realizing that the entourage was gamed on going deeper, I had to stage an act. An act that will force them to turn back before I became hysterical. The labyrinth was actually the world's biggest and deepest, abandoned old tin mine of Sg. Lembing (closed for more than 20 years ago) and the entourage consisted of my family (hubby, sons and I), lead by a family friend who is a local, well versed in finding his way through the old catacombs. He used to enter the mine when he was small, sending his dad, meals, as the miners were known to work long hours without coming out.

Initially I was made to believe that we were only going to tour the external grounds only. Little did I know that the friend was equipped with several torches to bring us as deep as 300 meters in wards. Upon reaching the site, he showed us the two main entrances. It was impossible to enter them as both path-ways were blocked by collapsed tunnel roofs. I gave a sigh of relief as I had no plans for old mine exploration! Good, I thought, we would only admire the place from outside. Then, he brought us to the side of the hill and showed us another entrance. Only this time, he went in and beckoned us to follow. Don't worry, he's just showing us a few meters in, I thought. As we enter I could feel a gush of cold air flowing outwards. This cold air phenomenon was actually due to air holes dug from the top surface of the hill downwards to ventilate the mine.

It was pitch dark inside but the torches managed to light the place and made our passage manageable. Twice, he made us switch off our lights and savor the true darkness. We couldn't even see our hands placed in front of our faces! Many parts of the ground that we tread were muddy due to dripping water from the roof. Instantly, my wild mind thought "what if the soggy soil above suddenly gave way and collapsed?" Oh no I thought! We'll be in the news papers tomorrow! A family of four trapped in an old mine! As we pursue the tunnel deeper, I kept questioning myself, "Why are we doing this? Why are we endangering ourselves? Why are we being stupid?" Ironically, my hubby and two sons were unperturbed. They followed our guide like seasoned archaeologists looking for lost artifacts and there I was trembling, wishing I hadn't followed them.

Then, we reached a junction of 4 tunnels. Oh good, an exit I, I hoped. But heck no! The exploration was only half-way, it seemed! Since we were already there, he had to show us through each tunnel, at least a few meters in. This was when I started 'whining' and asking hubby to signal his friend to end the tour. However , hubby shushed me up, telling me not to worry. I sensed that he was afraid that he might offend the friend, who was in a zealous mood to show us around.

As we got deeper, the grounds became more precarious. There was numerous excavation holes made by illegal excavators of recent times, here and there. Some were extremely deep, that when a stone was dropped, it took quite sometime to reach the bottom of the pit. Still in a jittery state, I had to yell at Maman who, in sheer eagerness, went much too close to the edge. I can't bear the thought of the unstable ground giving way. At one point, we entered a high-roofed area, almost like a huge cave. Here, we could see various excavation spots on the high ceiling with makeshift dwellings. Through the dim-lit space, I could see that the path ahead was worse. In fact, I believe that we had to walk on a ledge or something! Enough! I had to act now!

When they started to proceed further, I stood still, not wanting to budge an inch. I acted as though I was going to cry hysterically. Hubby knew then that I was adamant to end the expedition. He told the friend-guide of my fright. The guy reassured that he was about to turn anyway after showing some mining artifacts. It was when he said this that made me retain my composure, " Don't worry, many tourists come here. 60 at a time. Only today, there's none." Phew!

Undeniably, I was the most zestful on the returning path. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was my most coveted proverb that day!. Breathing fresh air again, I made another secret vow of not returning back, ever! My hubby and sons? Oh, they came out feeling like Harrison Ford in scenes from Raiders of The Lost Ark, though they pilfered no precious stones. Not even a tiny speck of tine ore! So tell me, would you guys go on a similar exploration? WOULD YOU?

*To Pang5 and Boogey, abang Yusof tanya kabo awok bedua. Dia tanya bila awok nok ke sana lagi? Kawe cabo awok bawok anok bini masok lombong!