Blogs from Pahang, Malaysia, Asia - page 74

Water level ran nearly six feet higher the day I traveled up river towards Taman Negara National Park. After a brisk three hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur, I quickly realized that the Jungles of Malaysia was not the type of place that would have ATM machines on every corner and I’d literally be up shit’s creek without a paddle. Before boarding a glorified canoe with a canopy and a motor, the local booking agent was able to coerce the chef of bus station to give Royal and I a thirty minute ride into town to acquire some cash for the trip. Ringgits in hand, I began what is normally a two hour ride upriver but took nearly three and a half due to the speed of the current downstream. After waking from my nap aboard ... read more

In 2006, we have holidays on 30th and 31st January (monday and tuesday) due to Chinese New Year. I originally planned to clear my homework at home during the holidays, but my mum suddenly booked a tour to Genting and "dragged" me and my sister along. In the end, we had to bring our homework up to Genting... (My sister was more pathetic than me. She got a 3000 words essay on Asian economics to write.) Genting was very crowded (as expected, because it was Chinese New Year). In the end, to maximise our time, we went to the theme park in the early morning when the queues were still short... After lunch, we went back to the hotel room to do homework (and to avoid the "peak period" and the long queues). At night, after ... read more

Since our last entry we have visited Penang, went back to KL and are now feeling quite chilly in the Cameron Highlands. We were in Penang for three days, one of which was spent lazing around a beach bar drinking nice cold Tiger beer - that's the life!! We also joined a day-trip on a boat, which took us out on a very rough sea - all on board said a number of prayers as it was one of those tiny Chinese wooden boats that seemed to dive into the waves sideways... But, we all survived and spent some time in a more quiet and relaxing area fishing and checking out "monkey beach', where there were...well...ehhh...monkeys! Very cute, but also a bit scary as they climb onto you to get to the food!! The third day ... read more

I arrived in Kuala Tahan, Taman Negara, on Dec 13. It's wet season here, so the wheather promised to be less than reliable, but the first few days were actually excellent. While in the dry season the place must be packed with tourists, there were hardly any of them around now, giving the village a rather local athmosphere. My first little jungle adventure was the canopy walk, elevated up to 40 meters above the ground, a must-do out here. That night I met a swedish-english group of travellers, whom I joined on a 2-day hiking trip to one of the hides deep into the jungle, where you are supposed to be able to spot some amazing wildlife. The trail was about 13 km long, but that is jungle km, which means steep hills, fallen trees, wide ... read more

Well after another early start and long bus journey we arrived in The Cameron Highlands. Based in the Centre of the Peninsua at an elevation of at least 1500m this is the garden of malaysia and the most extensive hill station...and also the coldest place on earth (well in Malaysia at least) It was freezing here! We've had to put socks, proper shoes (ones that constrict my toes) and up to 3 tops at a time on whilst being here (and its actually only about 20 degrees at lowest, but have become acclimatized to the heat now!) Nonetheless, it's beautiful and a refreshing change and well worth freezing our diddlies off for. The drive was incredibly beautiful - a mix of tea plantations, lush greenery and jungle. All washed down with a healthy dose of rolling ... read more