Jungle is wicked

---

At 8.30am we caught a bus from Jerantut to Kuala Tembeling, a little village on the bank of the Tembeling River which runs all the way to Kuala Tahan, a village on the edge of the protected area of the rainforest. There were about 14 people on the coach with us when we walked down to the jetty we saw a long, narrow traditional wooden boat that really didn't look like it would hold 4, let alone 14. However, we all gently stepped on and settled into our seats and, although it dipped worryingly low into the water, it did hold us all without problem!

We set off on the 3 hour journey to Kuala Tahan along the river at a leisurely pace (I don't think the boat was capable of anything other than a leisurely pace) and watched the scenery pass. The water was a filthy brown sludgy colour from all of the mud and I couldn't help thinking of all the Vietnam war films I'd seen with rivers exactly the same! Although the water wasn't nice to look at it was cool knowing that the river had been here for a long time, mostly unchanged by people and that the discolouration was natural and not from pollution. The view on the shoreline became wilder as we progressed upriver and before long we were watching exotic looking birds flitting between the impossibly green trees and occasional bison grazing on the grass. It was a very serene and relaxing journey and, somewhat inevitably, Amy dozed off in contentment around the two hour mark.

We arrived in Kuala Tahan which is a large village on the opposite side of the river to the rainforest entrance, making it a convenient place to stay while exploring the jungle. Most of the restaurants (which are built floating on the river!) and chalets in the village organise trips across the river and into the protected area of the jungle for a reasonable price. We set about finding some accommodation but unfortunately the first couple of places we came across said that they had no running water for the moment and had no idea when they would be getting it back. We trudged across to the other side of the village to a guest house that had been recommended as clean and friendly and probably the best value in the village. However, the village is all built on the very steep bank of the river and the subsequent hills and in the sweltering heat, with our enormous backpacks, the walk was not a lot of fun. We finally found the guesthouse and checked in, sweaty and grumpy. After a quick shower we went to investigate and book some excursions into the jungle with one of the restaurants. We booked onto a night jungle walk, a night safari, a canopy walk, a visit to a local jungle tribe and a trip down the river's rapids.

That night we went on the night jungle walk and got the boat across the river to the jungle from the restaurant. We had been warned to wear long sleeves and trousers to protect against leeches and other critters but were the only people on the trip to do so. Everyone else turned up in shorts and t shirts, making us feel rather daft as we sweated in combats and jumpers in the hot jungle night. Never mind! The walk was really cool, the guide took us a short way into the trees with a powerful flashlight and pointed out some of the interesting wildlife. We saw an enormous spider which was larger than my whole hand, some ants that were nearly as big as my thumb, the largest cockroaches I have ever seen and some funky luminous mushrooms, although no leeches. After a while we arrived at an observation point that looked over a clearing around 30 meters away where we saw some deer wandering about. Even though we didn't see much wildlife simply being in the jungle at night was an amazing experience. The famed "jungle symphony" is an incredible sound, so loud and with an incalculable number of species calling to each other and it was cool just to listen, even if we couldn't see them.

The next day we went on the canopy walk in the morning, followed by a short trek though the undergrowth. The canopy walkway is a rope bridge through the tree tops nearly half a kilometer long, and around 45M above the ground. It is split into 9 sections with platforms around each tree between sections. It was definitely our highlight of the jungle and the views were really spectacular. Afterwards, we were taken on a 2 hour hike through the jungle which was more punishing than it sounds. The temperature and humidity were utterly stifling and we were climbing up and down inclines of 45 degrees. We had two breaks, each at viewing plateaus high up in the hills, the highest of which was around 400m above sea level. We still didn't spot any leeches but were popular with the local sweat bees, cute little bees that land on you to drink your sweat (they need the salt apparently) and then fly off without stinging you, as long as you leave them alone to drink in peace. We were also told about some of the trees and plants along the way.

We were ferried back across the river at around lunch time and in desperate need of a shower and a sit down. Having recovered, we went back in the afternoon for our second trip of the day, a boat ride through the river rapids and onto see a local Orang Asli tribe living in the jungle. The rapids were cool but somewhat less dangerous and intense than you might expect although I think they probably tested the little wooden boats to their limits. When we arrived at the village we climbed up the river bank to a little clearing with a collection of around 20 huts made from palm leaves and bamboo and were told that Orang Asli literally translates as "Original People". There are around 1,000 similar small tribes throughout the jungle and they have a special agreement with the Malaysian government that states they are allowed to hunt in the rainforest, despite it being a protected area. Our guide explained that he had grown up in Kuala Tahan and had played with the Orang Asli kids his age when he was young so had a good relationship with the tribe. We were taught how to say hello in their language but they were incredibly shy and only the chief and a couple of others were brave enough to speak to us. The kids roaming around were very cute and seemed rather mesmerised by us. They would poke their heads out of the huts and stare but would quickly disappear inside again if we waved or smiled at them, only to poke their heads out again a minute or so later. We were shown by some of the older tribesmen how to make fire from dry wood and how to make and shoot poison tipped darts from a 5 ft long blowpipe. I was also allowed a go on the blowpipe and was taken aback with how accurate it was. A target was set up and I managed to hit it with a fair amount of accuracy three times in a row, more a credit to their craftmanship than my skill. A full sized blowpipe sells to tourists for 5,000RM (around 1,000 pounds) and keeps the tribe in cooking utensils and plastic tarpaulin for their huts for a long time! The pipes are a work of precision art and would be worth every penny. We wanted to buy one but obviously didn't really have the spare cash and thought that future border crossings might be complicated by a 5ft long blow pipe and some poison darts.

The final day in the jungle we didn't have any trips planned for the day so relaxed in the gardens of our guesthouse and watched impossibly large bugs trundle about their daily business while we sweltered in the sun and played some more canasta. At one point, while dripping with sweat in the shade, we wondered how hot it was and detached the mini thermometer I have on my shorts and left it in the sun for a bit. Only 10 minutes later I picked it up, almost too hot to touch, and saw that the mercury had filled all the way up to the maximum at 50C. To confirm our suspicions, the jungle is hot. Very hot. That evening we went for a jeep safari through a palm oil plantation (thousands of palm trees planted on the edge of the rainforest and apparently a hot spot for wildlife spotting) and the edges of the jungle. However, our guide warned us at the beginning that it was a full moon and that there is usually considerably less to see on such nights as the animals tend to hide away from the moonlight, lest they be spotted and eaten by something bigger. Undeterred we piled in the jeep for a drive but hardly saw a thing. After a couple of hours the grand total stood at a small bird, a dead snake and some (admittedly cool) flying squirrels in the distance. It was the only real disappointment of the jungle.

The next morning we got a coach out of Kuala Tahan to the Cameron Highlands which is where we are now, and have been for the last couple of days. We have really enjoyed the highlands but unfortunately we have to get on a coach in an hour so I won't have time to write the blog just yet. We're getting a coach to Ipoh, a city in the north of Malaysia and then we have 5 hours to kill in Ipoh before getting on another coach at around midnight and heading across the Thai border to a town called Hat Yai in the south of Thailand, from where we will start the Thai leg of our trip. Maybe if we can find an internet cafe while we wait in Ipoh I will update you about the Cameron Highlands there.

Hope all is well back home, love to everybody and thanks for your messages and comments, it really means a lot to know that people are reading!

Speak soon.

---

Comments

[Diane]

Hellooooooooo!
Hi you two - finally just got a chance to read your last 6 entries (work... pah... you've done the right thing wizzing off round the world!) It all sounds so amazing! Not too sure about the giant spiders though... Hope you're both still doing well and aren't suffering any more tummy issues. Much love to you both - I miss you immensely! xxxxxxxxxxxx

[Steve and Jayne]

Following the journey
Hello you 2. We arew really enjoying the blog and not without a certain ammount of envy. It's fantastic to see what, where, when, and how and is the first thing we look for when we get in from work so keep them coming and start planning that travel book. Love you both XX

[Becca]

Howdy
Hi Guys! My favourite blog so far - the jungle sounds and looks phenomenal although Im not sure whether I would be able to deal with such large creepy crawlies!! Get a shiver up my spine just thinking about it!!!!