Malaysia is a known travel destination for city, culture, nature and beach lovers alike. It is however not known to be an orienteering destination yet. In this article, we will answer 3 questions as it relates to orienteering in Malaysia.
1. Can I drive my car to the races?
Of course you can rent a car in Malaysia (driving your own car to Malaysia is probably not practical unless you live in Singapore or Thailand)—but that won’t be necessary for orienteering events.
Almost all orienteering events are located in or near cities (Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley, Kuantan, etc.) You can take buses to orienteering events. Taxi is also not very expensive (e.g. in Kuantan it costs 28 ringgits for a distance of 20km, or around €6).
For the Tropical Orienteering Week there will be no dedicated parking zones. You can park in nearby public car parks where available. We encourage everyone to take the bus to the races (as the Hong Kong orienteers already do).
2. Malaysia is a tropical country. Would the heat be unbearable for orienteering?
Valid question, but don’t worry.
Malaysia does have a tropical climate, with an average temperature of 27°C. This is warm, if not very hot, but still nice for running/orienteering.
In tropical/subtropical orienteering communities (Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan etc.) the course length is often shorter than that of Europe/Oceania, e.g. a sprint for 3 km, a middle distance for 3–4 km, and a long distance for 7–9 km (seldom competed in Asia, not even in the Asian Orienteering Championships or the coming World Cup Finals in China).
But one thing is for sure: drink enough water!
3. Is the wildlife dangerous? (snakes, tigers etc.)
Good question.
The animals themselves, of course, are dangerous. However, they are quite a distance away from the cities and people.
Snakes are often found in jungles and mangrove forests. However, they also tend to be quite afraid of people and are often nocturnal, so a crowd of orienteers (and other visitors) would be enough to scare them away. (Editor’s note: When I started orienteering in Hong Kong I also had the same fear, until I realise the above point. Hundreds of orienteering and trail running races have been held in Hong Kong without a single snake bite; ankle sprains are a far more common injury.)
The only place you can see a snake in cities is usually the reptile house (or maybe the snake restaurant, if you dare).
Do search for basic knowledge about what to do when seeing a snake. Mainly: don’t run away, back off slowly, if it’s not triggered, you’ll be fine.
Tigers—yes they exist, but usually in jungles far from cities, not where we usually have orienteering.
There are few opportunities in the life of a university student to meet on one spot hundreds of people from places all across China and even Europe, while at the same time to enjoy the natural scenery and typical food of the hosts.
All these characters and chapters in our Kunming story have one thing in common: the challenging discipline of orienteering which combines the ability to run and the ability to navigate through an unknown territory with a map and a compass.
The annual 10-day orienteering gathering we are attending was founded in 2016 by mappers from Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangdong province.
With the aim to provide a platform for competing, training, and exchange of ideas, and with the mission to create a wave of interest for orienteering across China, its Chinese name was translated into “Big Dipper 10-Day Wave”.
Thanks to our extremely dedicated and loving organisers, we have had the privilege to run in a small village, on university campuses, in a shopping mall, in an pear orchard, a hill forest above a Taoist temple, and a lakeside golf course.
Each of the tracks came with its own challenges; the windy alleys and many corners of the village, or the impassable fences and rough terrain of the pear orchard demanded a lot of attention and precision.
Among the orienteering enthusiasts in our training there are parents and their children, as well as teachers and their students.
By sharing the passion for orienteering, we all are a colourful mosaic of individuals contributing to the diversity of our training.
For some orienteering may be just a competition, however in our 10-day training orienteering is a means to learn and be inspired by others, to reflect on our performance, and to strive for improvement.
The more we discuss together the map and the various routes each of us attempted after a competition, the clearer the contours and colours of our individual personalities and orienteering abilities become, and the more we learn from each other.
