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Published: January 25th 2007
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Taman Negara Rainforest
We spent a couple of days in Kota Bharu after crossing the Thai border. Not a great deal to see in the town, but you can find some very tasty chicken satay to eat at the open air eateries.
From here we caught the jungle railway to Jerantut. We were expecting a rickety old train with open windows and half the people sitting on the roof. However Malaysia seems far more advanced than other Asian countries and a fully air conditioned empty train with reclining seats arrived and we promptly fell asleep. (We were on the train for 1 hour before sunrise.)
We arrived in Jerantut and did not have to wait a second for the boat to Kuala Tahan in the Taman Nagara rainforest. This time we were expecting a big boat to carry the masses of tourists as this is a heavily trodden traveller's route with resorts. However, we got a dug-out canoe with outboard motor and very uncomfortable seats for the 3 hour trip. The scenery was stunning as we cruised along the river with thick rainforest and occasional huts along both sides.
We opted out of a guided walk
Taman Negara
Rainy rainforest and armed with a map (not to scale) and Ang's sense of direction we entered into the rainforest for a little hike. We soon arrived at the canopy walkway and though some of it was closed for renovation there was still 350m to walk along, some of which was as high as 45m off the floor. It was just like a wobbly bridge with ropes suspended between trees. We were told to keep 10m apart and after walking on the first couple of sections there was no way we would break that rule! We didn't see much wildlife, it was more of an adrenalin experience.
We spent the afternoon hiking up Bukit Teresek, which isn’t very high, but in the heat and humidity it was sweaty work. Pete was dripping with sweat - quite disgusting, even by his standards and Ang even confessed to perspiring a little too. There were many creepy crawlies to see on the walk, many of which became attracted to Angela. Pete did not see a single leech but as he was walking in front he appeared to wake them up and put them in a feeding frenzy ready for Angela and her juicy ankles.
Rainforest canopy walkway
Not the most stable structure in the world - we were told to keep 10m apart at all times!!! Only two succeeded in latching on to flesh, most made it no further than her trousers, which were tucked into her socks. (Pete was quite jealous that he did not have leech wounds to show.)
After four hours of trekking we made it back just in time to watch heavy monsoon downpours back at the guesthouse.
Kuala Lumpur
We had 4 days in Kuala Lumpur in total (before and after Indonesia). It was very exciting to be in such a western city again - big shopping centres, no hassle from touts, frappucinos and even a hot shower. We spent the days sightseeing, shopping and eating.
We managed to sort out a few of our corrupted memory cards (more photos have now been added to the Sri Lanka blog). We decided to print a few photos off so logged onto a Kodak photo machine in the prestigious Petronas Towers shopping centre. Unfortunately, the machine didn't want to read our cd and the screen froze. This happened on the picture of Pete with his favourite chocolate treats, NIPS (see below). Too embarrassed to ask for help, we grabbed the cd and ran off sniggering hoping the shop
assistants hadn't seen our faces. We don't know how long the picture stayed on display at the doorway to the shop.
We managed to shame ourselves again but this time at the guest house. We bought some freshly cut Durian fruit with the intention to try/eat it straight away. If you haven't heard of durian, it is distinctive for its large size and very unique, if not offensive, odour. Unfortunately we got side-tracked and left it to fester in our room while we were downstairs watching a DVD. On returning to our room we noticed a very grim smell in the hallway and, on opening our door, the fumes worsened. DURIAN! Even after wrapping the fruit in 4 plastic bags it was still excreting a pungent stink. We put it at the bottom of the hostel bin and hoped someone would empty it soon. We must apologise to anyone staying at the Backpacker's Inn that evening.
The markets in Kuala Lumpur are great. Lots of souvenirs and quality fakes to be bought. Great food too - for any fellow lovers of sweet and sour chicken head straight for the Central Market first floor food court - amazing!
Jane of the jungle
Aaahhhhh aahha aahha aahha aahha On our last afternoon we went to the Aquarium. It was brilliant - loads of fish and creepy crawlies to see. The main walkway under a huge tank was amazing - so many fish, sharks, rays and eels. Definitely worth the five pound entry.
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