Overland to Taman Negara

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The decision how we would make our way down to Kuala Lumpur was actually quite difficult to make. Part of the problem is the three of us are pretty easy going and happy for the others to make up their minds, but more so, with no time constraint, we had the opportunity to explore parts of the country off the beaten track. Sitting on the beach drinking cocktails, it was easy to glamourize the three day overland journey down to Malaysia and ignore the political troubles affecting the country. Not only was the recent political upheaval an issue, but more importantly, we would be travelling by road through Narathiwat, the volatile southern province of Thailand! Sungai Kolok is the border town in Narathiwat, and is popular among Malaysians for its shopping and infamous entertainment delights. Tourism however has taken a knocking since 2005 as several bombs, blamed on southern Thai Muslim separatists, have rocked the town. In the end I made the decision to travel overland, missing out on a few nights at the Hilton on Puket, as the train trip through the Malay jungle was too much to miss!

Jumping off the ferry in Krabi, our luxury bus ( E.T.) waiting outside, we thought this was a good start to the journey, right until we were kept waiting 40 min for an idiot passenger to arrive. We eventually left the culprit behind and made our way back to Surat Thani on the east coast; midday and we were moving towards Bangkok instead of Malaysia! Other than the traditional music blaring loudly, the airconed bus was more than comfortable as we travelled through the small jungle towns of Central Thailand. The one thing worth mentioning during this uneventful part of the trip was the number of state buildings decked out in Red, White and Blue ribbons to celebrate the kings birthday. Never, ever, ever forget how passionate the Thai people are about their king!

By mid-afternoon we arrived in SongKhla province where we were kicked out of our comfy bus at the station, and waited around for the next bus to arrive. To curb my boredom I visited the bus station kiosk and sampled what I thought were local Wasabi flavoured crisps which turned out to be deep fried seaweed, not something I would recommend!

Well into the southern provinces we noticed for the first time the heavy military presence along the roads. Over the next few hours our journey was interupted by frequent road blocks, not the Zimbabwe kind where a bored cop may try fleece a beer from you, I'm talking about nervous looking military personel armed with machine guns squatting behind sand bags lining the road. These guys looked unfriendly as well and questioning where we were from and asking for ID. Needless to say we never were in any danger other than from gaining a stiff neck from such an arduous trip, and it was well into the night when we arrived in Sungai Kolok. This was the part of the trip we had little idea what to expect, and it wasn't long after arriving in town that our driver stopped abruptly in a deserted spot, pointed in a direction to knowhere, dumped us on the side of the road, and sped off! Luckily we soon saw a rusty old sign, and we started to walk across an open waste land in the general direction of the border.

So there we were, walking over -Harmony Bridge- stradling the Golok River. The bridge connects Sungai Kolok with the Malaysian town of Rantau Panjang. The Malaysian immigration checkpoint is just across the bridge and was easily walked. Once in Malaysia we exchanged out Thai Bhat for Ringgits with an old Chinese man whose Photo shop stays open suspiciously 24 hours a day, before jumping into a cab and heading to Kota Bharu.

Kota Bharu is a very socially conservative city in a state ruled by the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS). Not being Asian, we stood out especially as we were wearing shorts which looks out of place on the East Coast of Malaysia. Not wanting to waste time and money we chose a backpackers hotel recommended in the Lonely Planet which ended up being a flea ridden dump. Tired and hungry, we dumped our bags and, braving the monsoon downpour and made our way to the nearest restaurant. During the monsoon over 5000mm of incesant rain falls in 3 months period. We were there at its peak and it was no joke; the only similar experience I have had is standing under a strong shower, except this one doesn't stop for 3 months!

We made our way to the train station at 5am, grumpy from lack of sleep but happy to leave the dump. After an annoying wait for the jungle train, and with no real food for the day long journey to Jerantut we boarded the 3rd class coach and settled back. Although not an epic train journey like the Trans-Siberian, the trip nevertheless offers an insight to the life of the hinterland of the more rural East Coast states. With no roads reaching remote areas of the jungle, the train line is the only transport connecting many rural hamlets lining the tracks with larger towns. While the name evokes a journey through thick rainforest, the reality is that the forest in many parts of Peninsular Malaysia is disappearing. You will still see stretches of thick jungle and the railway track goes over several impressive rivers, but you will also see many oil palm and rubber plantations along the way. Overall the trip took over 10 hours which is a lot of trees to look at. In between there were agonisingly long stops waiting for trains to pass before finally arriving at Jerantut, 2 hours later than expected. Thinking about it now, its amazing that the jungle hasn't taken over the track, trains and all.

The less said about Jerantut the better; dirty rooms and crap food is all I can remember about the town. I think by this stage, after roughing it in cheap hostels for a number of days, we had had enough and needed an upgrade. So much for the adventurous spirit, backpacking off the beaten track; I could hardly last 4 nights!

We took the first bus we could from Jerantut to Kuala Tahan Village on the banks of the Tahan River, situated opposite the park entrance. After looking around the village inspecting the cheap hotels, we decided to upgrade. Our relatively expensive room came complete with t.v. and, more important, a bathroom with seperate shower and toilet! Malaysians must think westerners are wierd using toilet paper, but, using a shower hose instead?? I should have asked the receptionist how it worked, althought the comlimentary flip flops/jandals that came with the room gives you some idea how messy it could be!

Taman Negara park has been developed into a famous ecotourism destination in Malaysia and is the home of some rare mammals, such as the Indochinese Tiger, Sumatran Rhinoceros and Asian Elephant. Others attractions include a canopy walkway, cave exploring, birdwatching and jungle trekking. Our plan was to hike over to the canopy walk, then continue up the nearest hill to observe the view before hiking back to the entrance. The trip we thought should take up most of the afternoon.

You may remember I mentioned the monsoon earlier. With the monsoon only affecting the East coast of Malaysia, we thought the park wouldn't be that affected. We were wrong! The first day and night were literally a complete wash out, and we spent most of our time playing cards and watching old movies in the deserted hotel. To make matters worse, as we were staying out of season, there were only 3 items on the menu to choose from for dinner! Horror of horror's!! Thus started a turn of events so frustrating I thought I could have been back in Africa. Kuala Tahan Village must be the most ill prepared, badly run tourist town spot I have ever come across. It started the next morning as we attempted to collect our tickets for the park from our travel agent. We nearly killing ourselves walking down muddy paths to the rivers edge where the agents office was situated - on a floating restaurant! After tip-toeing across a wooden plank linking the restaurant with the shore we found no one there! Not wanting to waste time while the monsoon was at bay, we decided to cross the river and purchase the tickets from the park office, only to wait in vain! Not that there were no boats, they just didn't bother to stop. An hour later we were eventually picked up and learnt from the park office that the village only woke up at 11am as there was a muslim festival on; no signs, no informatio!. Eventually we made it across, paid for tickets a second time, and started our hike into the rain forest. The walk was amazing seeing massive trees with vines dangling from branches, and secondary forest so thick it looked like a wall of green. It was trange not seeing any animals; no boa constrictor's dangling from branches or tarantula's as large as your hands; not even parrot or bat! As we neared the canopy walk, the heavens opened up and by the time we arrived at the entrance they had closed the walk for safety reasons. To make matters worse the walk up the hill was impossible with the steady rains making the tracks impossible to walk up. With no alternative we turned around and slid back to the entrance. Four days travel and we spent no more than four hours in the park; I like to feel sorry for myself and blame bad luck but mostly it was simply bad planning.

The next morning we took a two hour cruise back to Kuala Tembeling, then a bus to Jerantut and finally a connection to Kuala Lumpur. There ends the most adventurous part of our travels; reflecting back I am really glad we chose the hard option, experiencing places we never dreamed of visiting; anyway, you can always book 7 nights in a Puket Hotel!

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Photos

The Jungle Train
Leaving Kota Bharu (Northern Malaysia)

The Jungle Train
Crossing one of Northern Malaysia's many rivers by train.

The Jungle Train
A novel way avoiding the monsoon rain!

Malaysia -Taman Negara Park
Walking through the rain forest before the heavens opened up.

Taman Negara
The rainforest in Malaysia is the oldest in the world

Taman Negara Park
The primary jungle was thick by the waters edge.

Leaving Kuala Tembeling
Travelling back to Jerantut.