Into the unknown

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After leaving the Cameron Highlands we moved on to the Taman Negara national park, the jungle is amongst the oldest in the world. We stayed in a small village called Kuala Tahan where we could then trek into the jungle. The following morning we did a 2km walk to the canopy walkway which is made up of aluminium ladders and suspended by rope 40m above the jungle. The walkway is around 450m in length and is the longest of its kind in the world. The walkway gives good views of the surrounding area and of the tree habitat - unfortunately we did not see much but it was a great experience all the same. You know you're in the jungle when brushing your teeth makes you pour with sweat. It is so humid, in two days we used all of our clothes rations!

After lunch we met with 4 other travellers to take a 30 min boat deeper into the jungle where we were going to sleep for the night. Upon departing the boat we walked 2km to Bumbun Kumbang (laden with provisions - there are no shops in the jungle!), the hide which provided us with shelter and a great viewing point for the night. The hide was very simple, bunk beds (no matresses) and a small bathroom fed by river water. In total there were 8 of us who stayed in the hide. Unfortunately we did not see much wildlife apart from a skunk that kept us amused for most of the evening (at least that's what we think it was). After a mediocre night in the hide ourselves and a French/Italian couple set off on the 13.5km walk back to civilisation. We only had one problem, we had a little rain the night before which was perfect for leeches - not so good for us. We were absolutely covered in them - they're like sticky bogeys (so Helen says) once they are on you they're hard to flick off! They just latch onto your boots and start climbing up your legs before sucking as much blood as possible before you notice! Our walk through the jungle was an unforgettable experience - at one point passing through a fast flowing river (Mark sent in to 'test it' first), climbing up and down and weaving through the dense jungle. There really is only one way out that's on foot - dead or alive! As we started off at first light the humidity wasn't so bad initially, it got to the point where we we so drenched in sweat we didn't care! The walk took us 6 hours in all and thoroughly worth it. Total leech count - Helen 1 - didn't manage to latch on due to sophisticated sock and trouser outfit - Mark 17, there were some big ones that must have been sucking for a while, it was like the scene from Psycho when I took a shower! I'll pay better attention next time! Truly disgusting creatures! Our fellow walkers, Yann and Genni had bites numbering in the thirties. They had walked to the hide around 10km, when Yann walked in it looked as if he had been attacked, his shirt was covered in blood!

After leaving the jungle a good shower, proper meal and long sleep! Plus 10kg worth of laundry!

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