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Day 308: Saturday 2nd May - The long way to Taman Negara
The most direct route to get to Kuala Lumpur to Taman Negara National Park in central Malaysia is to get on one of the many buses operated by tour companies. I have a different idea. I have heard about the jungle railway which runs through the jungle-clad interior and which is rated as one of Malaysia’s best journeys. As well as the breathtaking scenery, the actual journey in the carriage sounds like it could be a fascinating experience. The nearest station to Kuala Lumpur which the jungle railway passes through is Gemas. I have researched into the bus journey and I need to first take a bus to Seremban and then a second to Gemas. There are only 4 buses a day from Seremban to Gemas, and as I need to buy a ticket for tomorrow’s train journey, realistically the only two I can take are the bus at noon or the one at 3pm.
The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Seremban is one hour and I’m cutting it fine when I leave the hostel after 10am if I want to reach Seremban to get the bus
at noon. It doesn’t help matters that I go to the wrong bus station first. Kuala Lumpur is not the place you want to be lugging a heavy backpack around longer than you have to. It is quite possibly the hottest and most humid city I have ever visited. You are almost guaranteed to be sweating even without carrying a 20 kilo backpack. Add the backpack into the equation and well... you get the picture! It is approaching 11am by the time I reach the right place to get the bus to Seremban, but thankfully there are departures every 10 minutes. I reach Seremban at a quarter to twelve, timing it perfectly to meet by connection. I am a bit confused though when with only five minutes to the departure time, there is no one near the bus and my ticket has terminal 2 printed on it and I’m stood in terminal 1. I am reassured this is the right bus, but when we depart I am the only one on it, until we call into terminal 2 to pick up more passengers.
It takes two hours to get to Gemas, and when I get off the bus I
head straight to the train station to check times/buy a ticket. I can’t buy a ticket as the office doesn’t open until 3pm so I check into a nearby hotel, get some lunch and wander the town. There isn’t really much to Gemas. A couple of streets, a train station, lots of restaurants and lots of mobile phone shops, a few grocery stores and a few hotels. That’s about as exciting as I can make it sound. There is certainly nothing here to detain a tourist, and the only reason to come here would be to catch the train. I hope it will be worth it. When the ticket office re-opens I buy a ticket for the 9:20am train which will get me into Jerantut at 12:40pm tomorrow. I was in two minds whether or not to get the earlier train at 6am. The early start didn’t appeal but I do know with the later train I will be cutting it fine to get to Kuala Tembeling for 2pm (the last boat departure to Taman Negara) which I understand is a further 45 minute bus journey from Jerantut. But, my timing worked perfectly today so it’ll be okay tomorrow too!
As I am going to be in a National Park for a few days and with my supply of Ringgit running low, I go to the ATM to get some more cash ahead of tomorrow’s journey. The problem is I cannot for the life of me remember my PIN. The first 3 attempts are unsuccessful and when I think I get it right at the fourth attempt, I get a message saying that my account is not authorising any more transactions. Great, that will mean another call to my bank to sort that out. I look around Gemas for an internet cafe to make the call but it appears that this town is still stuck in the last century as I have no success finding one. It can wait, luckily I have two debit cards so I will use the other one for the time being. In the evening I go to the Indian restaurant, which has become my second home in the town. They have satellite, so I get them to put the Manchester United v Middlesborough game on. I watch the first half before the signal goes......gutted!
Day 309: Sunday 3rd May - A continuation of
the journey to Taman Negara
The jungle train - the name for train which trundles through the heart of Malaysia from Singapore to its northern terminus in Tumpat - should arrive in Gemas at 9:18am. As I sit on the platform waiting for its arrival I cast an eye down the platform and see only one other tourist waiting. The train pulls into Gemas over an hour late so I’ve now written off any chances of reaching Taman Negara today, well at least by boat. I need to get to Kuala Tembeling jetty for 2pm to catch the last boat of the day and I will now not reach Jerantut until approaching 2pm as it is a 3 hour journey. From Jerantut it is a further 45 minutes by bus to Kuala Tembeling jetty. The jungle train doesn’t live up to expectations. It is a pleasant journey through the jungle-clad interior, rather than an unmissable one. It certainly wasn’t worth the detour from KL to experience it. I befriend a little Indian boy who comes and sits next to me. I share my biscuits with him and let him listen to my I-Pod. It is just after 1:30pm when
we reach Jerantut. As I am walking through the station trying to get my bearings, a local man approaches me and asks if I would like a taxi to Kuala Tembeling. He tells me that the bus won’t get me to the jetty in time which I have figured, but that he will be able to make it. I agree to jump into his car (it’s not a taxi) and pay him 30 Ringgit (£6) for the 15km journey. This I know is steep but I don’t have any time to waste to bargain him down further. With my time pressure he has the upper hand and he knows it. The car journey is more interesting than the train. The car sounds like it is going to fall to bits at any moment (I’m thinking wacky races-esque) as he puts his foot down to get me to the jetty. As we get closer and closer I keep looking at my watch. We make it to the jetty at five to two, where I quickly have to buy a boat ticket and register for Taman Negara national park. I cut it fine, but arrive at the jetty just in time.
The boat journey to Kuala Tahan, the village opposite the entrance to the national park, has been described as being one of the best water journeys in South East Asia. That is why I was so keen to pay for the taxi to ensure I arrived in time to make the boat. As it is, for the majority of the 3 hour journey upstream, I end up talking to Danny, a Canadian, rather than admiring the scenery. We discuss what we each have planned for out time in the park and we decide by the end of the journey to stick together and do the same things. The journey in the longboat is good, we pass water buffalo on one of the banks of the river, but for me it doesn’t quite compare with the narrower waterways in Mulu national park. Once we arrive at Kuala Tahan, we get a briefing about how we can spend our time from the travel agency that brought us in the boat. Myself and Danny sign up to do the night safari later this evening. Also, in our boat on the journey upstream was a couple from Surrey, Kelly and Simon. After the briefing,
myself, Danny and Kelly start looking around Kuala Tahan for somewhere to stay, whilst Simon looks after our bags. This takes well over an hour. This is not because Kuala Tahan is particularly large. Far from it, it is a small village. Rather, it is because the standard of accommodation is so dreadful. We eventually settle on the last place we stop and have a look at. Having checked in, the four of us head back to the floating restaurant down on the river for dinner. The restaurant is showing a promotional video on the park but the four of us pay little attention to it. We are joined for dinner by Brandon, another Brit and Adrian a Kiwi. Adrian wants to climb Kinabalu, but had heard that you had to book way in advance so had written it off. I pass on some tips from my time there and tell him if he’s that keen then to book a flight. I hope it works out for him....I’m sure it will.
Later in the evening, me and Danny go on our night safari. The safari involves sitting on the back of a 4x4, which drives slowly through the palm
tree plantations, whilst a guy sat on the top of the roof shines a powerful torch in the surrounding trees hoping to spot some wildlife. Like the night jungle walks I’ve done before, we don’t have much success. At one point he gets the driver to stop and points out a leopard cat. It’s so far away, and we can just about make out some black shadows, but in fairness it could be anything. Sitting on the back of the jeep in the cool night time air is relaxing if nothing else.
Day 310: Monday 4th May - A real jungle adventure
Taman Negara national park is a 130 million year old rainforest, which claims to be the world’s oldest (the Daintree rainforest also claims this title). Despite this being another jungle, and I’ve seen more than my fair share of jungles this last 6 weeks, this one is highly rated, hence why I made the trip. In the morning, me, Danny, Kelly & Simon get a boat across to the park and then walk a couple of kilometres to the canopy walkway. The canopy walkway at over 500 metres, is the longest in the world. Whilst at
only 5RM it is cheaper than the one I did at Mulu National Park, it doesn’t have any information on the tree and plant species you are looking at. This is not the only aspect in which this park fares worse than Mulu. The others are the quality of accommodation, the trails in the park, the accommodation in the jungle and the information available from the park HQ.
After the canopy walkway, we climb Bukit Teresek, the hill which is behind the canopy walkway. It offers great views across the park. Unfortunately the skies aren’t the clearest. Myself and Danny now have to leave the other two as unlike them we have plans to hike to a hide this afternoon. It is already noon and the walk to the hide can take anything between 4-6 hours so we had better get a move on. We grab a quick lunch at one of the floating restaurants back on the Kuala Tahan side of the river and get them to cook us some rice to take into the jungle. We also rent a torch for when we reach the hide. Going back and forth across the river and sorting ourselves out
takes a little longer than we’d hoped and it is 2:30pm before we start walking. Still, the rangers at park HQ seem to have no worries that we will be able to make it their safely in time before it gets dark.
I’m pleased to be walking to and staying in the hide with a buddy. I would have done it on my own, but Danny’s company makes the adventure more fun. After we pass the canopy walkway the trail gets difficult. Constant ups and downs, over rough terrain and crossing numerous dry streams means that we’re not making as fast progress as I’d hoped. It is very humid, and Danny in particular is struggling. He looks fit but has only been in Southeast Asia one week, so is perhaps not acclimatised to the humidity. We have only until 7ish before it will get dark and I’m keen to keep a fast pace so we make it to the hide before dark. The Kuala Trenngan trail we’re walking on must rate as one of the poorest I’ve walked. It is well marked, but I’m sure they could have cut a better trail over the park’s topography....all these ups and
downs are killing us. As the afternoon wears on, I get more tired, more dehydrated and I’m enjoying the walk less and less. Danny is really struggling, he keeps wanting to stop or suggests we get a boat. I keep pushing him on, conscious that we need to be at the hide before dark. As we walk along the trail we hear what we think is a wild boar and as darkness is descending I almost step on a snake! Now, I’ve seen 3 snakes in the wild (in India, Ecuador and Australia) but they were nowhere near as close as this one. Whether it was poisonous or not I don’t know, but as it slithers off into the undergrowth my pulse takes a while to recover!
The trail is starting to even out but by the time we reach the bridge that crosses over the river it is almost dark. Danny is exhausted and dehydrated but we continue on. I’ve been where he has before, in a harsh environment, a long way from shelter and exhausted (lost on Scafell Peak) so I can empathise. Nevertheless, I know that the best shelter for us is in the hide. Shortly
after crossing the bridge we reach a junction where we have the choice of continuing 1.5km to the hide or walking 500m to the nearby settlement of Kuala Trenngan. I make the decision that we will continue to the hide but tell Danny that if the trail gets too tough, then we will turn back and look for shelter in the village. Thankfully, the trail isn’t bad across the river. However, in the dark and at the end of a long day, progress is slow. After another half an hour we see a fire ahead. We’re both thinking that this must be the hide, and our spirits lift. It isn’t, it is three Orang Asli men (the indigenous tribe of the area) having a fire. Wierd, but cool meeting three indigenous men in the middle of the jungle. We ask them how long it will take to get to Kumbang hide and they reply 3 minutes. Whether it is their lack of English understanding or our slow pace, but after 20 minutes we still haven’t reached the hide. I look at the map and see that the trail continues beyond the hide: is it possible we missed it in the
dark? I turn to Danny and we agree if we haven’t seen it within the next 5 minutes we will turn back. Three minutes into the five and we see a sign saying it is 200 metres. Close, very close, but we made it. An hour walking in the dark after spending the majority of the day walking in the jungle has been tough. But, what an adventure! Not only walking in the dark, beside that I have almost stood on a snake and been hit in the head by a flying bat! We also have bloody feet and legs, evidence that the park contains many leeches.
When we reach the hide, we probably scare Rafael, a Swiss guy who is the only person there, half to death. Me and Danny haven’t got much energy for animal watching initially and tuck into some rice and drink the last of our water. I spill some of the rice on to one of the beds, and soon we have company in the form of a mouse. I keep threatening to catch it and throwing it from the hide, which is a first floor building. The other two egg me on by
betting me that I can’t. Despite my best efforts, the mouse wins and mops up most of the spilt food in the process. Every time I get close it scurries up into the rafters, out of reach. This doesn’t stop me trying and I even climb up the bunk beds to chase after it! The other two are howling with laughter at my futile attempts. Rafael hasn’t seen any wildlife in the two hours since he arrived and it doesn’t get any better once we arrive. About an hour after we reach the hide we are treated to a thunderstorm and some spectacular lightning. After two hours of sitting and watching, the three of us go the bed. It might be the cheapest night’s accommodation on my trip at the equivalent of £1, but it is also the most uncomfortable. There are no mattresses, and trying to get to sleep on the rock hard wooden beds is hard work. I’m sure I keep waking up every hour or so until daybreak.
Day 311: Tuesday 5th May - Recuperating and football
The other two woke during the night but saw no wildlife of note. When I wake, I find
that some creature (probably the mouse) has been nibbling at the bag which contained our breakfast. Both me and Danny decide that we’d rather not eat it so we go hungry. We both have very little water left and Rafael is in a similar position. Because of the lack of water to keep ourselves hydrated, and also as we don’t fancy walking the difficult trail again, the three of us choose the sensible option of getting a boat back to Kuala Tahan. First, we must walk to Kuala Trenngan village, a walk of about 2 kilometres. It isn’t long or hard but I’m labouring more than yesterday as my new boots have made a mess of my feet. When we get to the Kuala Trenngan, we find a deserted village. The three of us walk down to the jetty and spot a boat in the river, which we wave across. We agree to pay 20RM each (£4) for him to take us to Kuala Tahan. I appreciate the longboat ride much more than the one two days ago. This is probably because it has saved us walking the trail, but also because the jungle appears more impressive upstream from Kuala
Tahan. It only takes half an hour back to the village but it is a great boat trip.
Our first stop in Kuala Tahan is to get some breakfast. The rest of the day me and Danny spend doing very little save recuperating. It is a lazy day, but I can’t be bothered to do any of the tours on offer. Anyway, we had our nightwalk last night, we sailed down the rapids in a longboat, met the Orang Asli last night in the jungle and have been to the canopy walk and Bukit Teresek, which seem to be the majority of the offerings from the tour agencies. This is one place where you don’t need to book tours as you can do most of it on your own. We meet up with Rafael in the evening for some dinner, and agree to meet again at 2:30am to watch the semi final of the Champions League. Rafael is mad keen on his football - he is a Chelsea fan - and a really nice lad as well. The three of get up in the early hours and walk down to one of the floating restaurants, where we join three
locals to watch the Manchester United v Aresenal game. Within 10 minutes the game is over as a contest, United leading 3-0 on aggregate. Because of this, Danny goes to bed at halftime, but me and Rafael continue to watch United beat Arsenal 4-1 on aggregate. The only downside of the night is Fletcher’s unfair sending off, meaning he will miss the final. Actually, make that two......Kuala Tahan is dry, and getting alcohol is prohibitively expensive. I would have loved to celebrate this win with a few beers!!
Day 312: Wednesday 6th May - Cheerio to two good lads
We have to be up at 7am to catch the bus to Jerantut. It is a two hour bus ride and when we reach there I have to say cheerio to Danny and Rafael. They’re both going to KL to catch flights to different parts of Southeast Asia, while I’m continuing in Malaysia, with the Cameron Highlands as my next destination. Taman Negara has been okay, but after seeing so many other national parks and jungles in the last 6 weeks or so, I’ve just about had my fill of trees. The best thing about Taman Negara has probably
been the two guys I’ve shared most of the experience with. Also, the trek to the hide, what an experience! It may not have been my favourite jungle trek but I think it will be the one that is most often recollected in the future, with snakes, bats and walking in the dark.
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Orgjb
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I come to my country and take a picture of rat?? Come on man! there are so many things to do beside that. Go to water park in Sunway Lagoon in KL