GEORGE TOWN: Despite a harrowing experience when she got lost in the jungle for more than 20 hours, Dr S. Shanudevi says the incident won’t stop her from going hiking again.

       The 52-year-old medical practitioner said the incident taught her a valuable lesson, which was to be well-prepared the next time.

       “I will be better equipped so that something like this will never happen again.

       “I will make sure I bring appropriate equipment like a GPS (global positioning system) tracking device,” she said.

       Recalling Saturday’s incident, Dr Shanudevi said she had set off from the Penang Botanic Gardens at about 8.30am and had planned to hike up to Batu Ferringhi.

       She said it was not her first time on the trail.

       “Actually, it was a familiar route for me and after hiking for about five hours, I reached Carla’s Peak at about 1pm.

       “While continuing my journey, I got confused with the route as the path was covered with dry leaves.

       “At this point, I realised that I had gotten lost in the jungle and decided to turn back and follow the route that I had started on,” she said.

       Dr Shanudevi said after a while, she realised that she was going nowhere and was still at the waterfall near Carla’s Peak.

       “At about 3pm, I decided to call my mother, told her what had happened and assured her that I was well.

       “I started feeling thirsty and hungry, and my phone’s battery was quite low. I then decided to call the Fire and Rescue Department.

       “I didn’t want to just wait, so I tried to find a location where the rescuers could easily find me. I then walked until I reached a peak where I could see the Surin condominium from afar.

       “The rescuers also kept calling me to ask for updates on my location,” she said, adding that her phone then went dead.

       Dr Shanudevi said she then decided to take a rest and spent the night on a big tree.

       “I spent the night without any untoward incident. When I woke up in the morning, I resumed my journey to find a spot where the rescuers could find me.

       “Finally, at about 2.30pm, I heard the rescuers calling for me,” she said.

       Dr Shanudevi was found near the Penang Water Supply Corporation water treatment plant in Tanjung Bungah, some 8km from where she had started her hike.