BATU PAHAT, 24 NOV – He has conquered all eight highest mountain peaks in the country and hiked countless forest hills during his 40-year backpacking and Hash House Harrier days.
He was also credited as the lead trekker for the epic ‘Trans-Banjaran Titiwangsa Trail’ (Grik-Gua Musang-Cameron Highlands-Temenggor) covering several dozen kilometres over 21 days in August 1997.
Along the way, Chin Poh Yee @ ‘Botak Chin’ (not the late notorious criminal) survived bee stings and bites by centipedes, spiders and other toxic insects.
He even miraculously survived a horrific motorcycle accident some years back, breaking a limb or two.
Sadly, a recent stroke has since put paid to Chin’s remarkable trekking forays in the deep jungles of peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
Chin Poh Yee @ Botak Chin (right) marshalling enthusiastic youths up a jungle trail stream during his hey days as a seasoned mountaineer.
He is also now suffering from ‘Stage 3’ chronic kidney disease (diabetes).
Chin, who will turn 80 on March 27 next year, is now retired to a simple, non-adventurous life at his hometown in Batu Pahat, Johor.
Nevertheless, he was not a forgotten man as members of the Association of Backpackers Malaysia (ABM) and Evergreen Hash Walkers Kuala Lumpur (EHWKL) held a dinner reception in Batu Pahat, to bring some cheer to their ailing buddy.
Led by former Royal Malaysian Air Force Inspector-General and pilot, Brigadier-General (Rtd) Datuk Soon Lian Cheng, 82, the two organisations handed over RM5,500 to ease Chin’s financial burden.
Also there were retired Royal Military College teacher Adnan Osman, 81, and Kampung Lenga, Muar community leader Fiona Low, 59 – both of whom have climbed all 12 tallest mountains in Malaysia.
Recounting his passion for hiking, Chin said he was introduced to the sport by Adnan and friends like former Kampung Tunku state assemblyman and ABM president Datuk Wong Sai Hou, EHWKL veteran John Duncan and Malaysian Hiking Association pioneers Tan Sin See and Kathleen Ho.
In 1976, Chin successfully scaled (Malaysia’s highest peak) Mount Kinabalu (13,435ft or 4,095 metres), in Sabah.
“I was overwhelmed by the breath-taking view from atop and since then my mountaineering journey took shape as I ventured to scale the other tallest peaks in the country,” said Chin.
1976 was also the year Chin had graduated with a Masters in business management from the prestigious Asian Institute of Management in Makati, the Philippines.
He earlier attended High School Batu Pahat and English College Johor Baru before graduating with a science degree from University Malaya.
After retiring as a university lecturer and business consultant, Chin even became a heavy-vehicle driver in 1995 and later a tourist guide in 2008.
“I was making brisk revenue until the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, which greatly affected me financially,” said Chin, a bachelor.
Brigadier-General (Rtd) Datuk Soon Lian Cheng handing over the cash aid to Chin Poh Yee @ Botak Chin (second from right), in the company of Adnan Osman (on Soon’s right) and Fiona Low (seated) at the dinner reception at a restaurant in Batu Pahat, Johor.
The eight peaks Chin had scaled numerous times are Mount Kinabalu and the ‘G7’ group over 7,000 feet (around 2,134m) – namely Gunung Tahan, Gunung Korbu, Gunung Yong Belar, Gunung Chamah, Gunung Yong Yap, Gunung Ulu Sepat and Gunung Gayong.
Chin, who also scaled Mount Kilimanjaro 19,340 feet (5,895 meters) in Tanzania in 1994, has also assisted Radio-Television Malaysia to film documentaries of jungle trekking and mountain hiking.
“I mostly relied on topography maps and triangulation mapping skills in initial years, before the global positioning system gadgets were made available,” said Chin.
Soon, who himself had scaled seven of the country’s highest peaks and introduced the RMAF Half Marathon in 1988, said Chin was a live-wire for the hikers.
“Chin has motivated many – young and old – to indulge in hiking and trekking as an aging fun way of life, be destressed and stay connected,” said Soon, who in 2010 teamed up with Adnan to trek across Penang island from Teluk Bahang to Gertak Sanggul to lay the route for a hash walk.
Adnan, when aged 66 in 2009 participated in the gruelling sand marathon called Marathon des Sables at the Sahara Desert in Morocco, tributed Chin for his fortitude and guidance to fellow hikers.
“Chin is a role model for others to maintain fitness and stay healthy,” said Adnan, who in 2008 attempted to cycle from Kuala Lumpur to China for the Beijing Olympics and successfully cycled to England for the 2012 London Olympics. – airtimes.my
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