Since traveling to the island of Borneo (part of Malaysia) was too complicated and time consuming, we opted for a jungle experience on peninsular Malaysia. Taman Negara is the largest national park in Malaysia and it's most coveted. Estimated at 130 million years old, this rain forest is one of the oldest in the world, surviving the most recent ice age and volcanic eruptions. Following a three-hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur we arrived in Jerantut, and were quickly picked up by a local travel company that would take us to the boat jetty and supply us with lunch. The boat ride from the jetty to Taman Negara was quite the experience, the first hour was fun, so much to see and take in, the second hour was more of the same and by the third we were ready to be at our destination. Along the way we did spy some very colorful kingfishers, monkeys and one large water monitor (only Eric).
Once in Taman Negara, we docked at one of the many floating restaurants/travel companies on the river, which were constantly being re-situated with ropes by the locals so they weren't too far from shore. We decided on hiring a guide to take us on an overnight trip on a less traveled part of the park in hopes of seeing more animals, which also included spending the night in a cave. This ended up being a great decision.
The next morning, after staying at the Yellow Guest house hostel, we met up with our guide "Brian", obviously not his true Malaysian name. A funny, scrappy little fellow, he was full of life and carried a pack that appeared as heavy as he was. We again boarded a long wooden boat fitted with an outboard motor and zipped up the churning, chocolate river, this time through rapids. It began to rain heavily, and never stopped. The trailhead was about an hour upstream, allowing for another scenic ride through the jungle.
Once on the trail we were quickly greeted by the local leech population. Broken down into two species, the common "brown leech" and the biting "tiger leech". Luckily we mostly met the brown leeches, but Amy had one run in with a tiger leech. These little pests sense vibration and then reach to the sky hoping to grab onto our passing shoes. We each collected hundreds throughout the day, flicking them off if we had the chance to see them, or finding them later plump with our blood. Other than being gross and leaving little red blotches on our legs they weren't that big of a deal and I was glad we had to deal with these and not a 10 foot king cobra or 30 foot python. We waded waist deep through swollen creeks, were briefly followed by some animal (intense smelling moments), and slipped and slid through the mud. After 8km we reached our destination, a large limestone cave, full of stalagmite and a common home to local elephants. It was an amazing place and offered a nice, dry break from the rain and leech armies. In the cave you could see old footprints from elephants, and Brian told us stories of late night intrusions by the large animals seeking shelter.
Brian cooked up a great meal that evening, probably the best we experienced while in Malaysia. We dined on tom yam soup, anchovies and garlic on rice, beef and chicken curry and many, many cookies. Eric and I were coaxed into eating more than we wanted to, but the meal was still great. Following our meal we set up for bed, all sleeping on little mats near the fire, surrounding Brian so we could wake him in the night if we heard animals in the cave. Tigers, black panthers, multiple species of water buffalo and the elephants are all found in the area and Brian took keeping them away seriously. He lit the massive cave with candles, kept a fire burning almost all night and stayed awake for most of the night. Eric and I also stayed awake most of the night wet with sweat, it was hot as hell.
The next morning we were met with clear skies, a nice relief from the rain, but a hot steamy day lay ahead. My fever was amplified on the hike out and the 8km seemed like a marathon. We spotted centipedes, jumbo ants, one poisonous snake, more elephant tracks and dung but no animals. There were a few crashing exits by nearby animals throughout our hike, but we never saw anything warm blooded. In the end it was a great trip and a location I will always remember. The jungle was thick and intimidating, giving you the feeling it was watching you, waiting to swallow you up if you stepped out of line. The boat ride out was a welcome relief, although I would go back if I had the chance someday, minus the fever. That night we spent a little more money for a resort, enjoyed clean beds, took hot showers and watched TV. Onto Cameron Highlands...
No comments:
Post a Comment