Welcome to the Jungle!


Advertisement
Malaysia's flag
Asia » Malaysia » Pahang » Taman Negara National Park
November 24th 2008
Published: November 24th 2008
Edit Blog Post

Now the real jungle fun begins...Cameron highlands were a good warm up to what we were about to face in Taman Negara. A mini bus ride, that cost waaaaay too much money, into town. Well, sort of a town...more like...a handful of guesthouses, a few floating restaurants, one very small market and a huge jungle... All of it tied together by a muddy river.
Our first night in was too late to get any trek started so we decided to get some dinner and play some cards before turning in early. The next morning we woke up in our mosquito nets that seemed to only trap the mossies in the instead of keeping them out. I guess that is good considering there was a huge wasps nest in our room and it managed to keep those suckers out. We got rolling and we had to do first things first...change guesthouses. this place was cheap but was a dive. We found one for the same price just a few steps away so we checked in there and spared ourselves the pain of mossy bites and wasp stings.
After the room change we got some breakfast and headed into the jungle for our first trek. We didn't hire a guide because we figured that these trails were mapped and marked pretty well that we wouldn't get lost. Plus, guides are super expensive and they don't really do much other than walk in front of you and point out some bugs. The parts of the jungle we trek DO have come crazy animals like tigers, monkeys and elephants but it has too much traffic so the animals tend to stay away. Plus, the jungle is so thick that you don't see much until it is right in front of you.
So as we headed in on our first go...we noticed massive amounts of leaches in the mud, wiggling up to attach to anything that passes by. This was not the most comforting thing to see when you are going to be spending the next 3 days in the jungle. The three of us walked for about 30 minutes before Krista and Jeff decided that the creepy crawlies were to much to deal with...which they can be...so they decided if the walk wasn't enjoyable it wasn't really worth it. I however, didn't like the little guys lurking in the mud but was determined to see
Night safari ...baby snakeNight safari ...baby snakeNight safari ...baby snake

the guide spotted this snake in a bush... while driving!
some cool stuff. I don't think i could have kept myself occupied all day in a town with nothing to do. So i kept going. I know, i know...hiking alone is not safe...blah blah blah...i watch Man vs. Wild...i am practically Bear Grills...besides, what living creature is going to mess with a dude with a beard like this?! i was fine...so i hiked for a few hours and stopped along a river bank because i found some monkeys across the river hanging out in the trees just eating and making some noise. no biggie. so i decided to get a sip of water, take a small break and watch them play from a safe distance. After about 10 minutes of resting i noticed i had been kneeling in a muddy bank that had a few leaches crawling about....up my shoes and pants trying to find a good spot to start sucking. I had to flick a few off and pull a few out of my socks and move on. The little bastards start out really small and then can make there way through your socks and suck your blood until they fatten up. Then they fall of happy as could
i took this myself!i took this myself!i took this myself!

sneaky sneaky
be leaving you with a small wound that continues to bleed because they release some kind of chemical that doesn't let your blood clot and form a scab. fun. i decided now would be a good time to head back to camp and meet up with Jeff and Krista. Right as i was about to leave i heard a loud rustle in the trees above me...i looked up and i see a medium sized gray monkey go flying across the air to another tree! then a second followed. Son of a...! i almost made a mess of myself! I tried to get the camera out but the were gone in a flash. Just enough to get my heart racing and realize i am pretty vulnerable out here.
On the walk back to town i felt a stinging sensation on my stomach...i pulled up my shirt and noticed a leach had attached itself to my belly and had almost finished his entire meal while i was hiking...this guy was nice and plump. I think he was about ready to let go because a good flick and he was off. usually they take some tugging of or a lighter to remove. i didn't have a lighter...and the next leach was even harder to remove. Same spot but just on the other side of my stomach! Bastards! how the heck did they get up there?! and if they were able to get there how do i know they aren't....THERE?!...so like a scene from Stand By Me i had to perform mans most important check...the junk...i was dropping trow in the middle of the jungle to make sure no leaches found there way into place they really don't belong. All clear! no more leaches. Wrong! i had a few on my feet when i met up with Jeff and Krista...so had had to make Krista check my back...sure enough...one more little buddy decided to sit down for a meal without asking me. He was on my lower back and he made a mess of me and split before i noticed him. i guess he was there for sometime because i had some blood on the waist band of my chonies.
After the eventful, leach filled day, we headed back for some food and awaited the arrival of our KL friend Eddie. He finished a project and had some time off to come join up and hike around with us. True to form he showed up looking like the Malaysian Indiana Jones with a huge smile on his face and a bottle of cheap rum in his hand! once again the first thing out of his mouth..."Tonight we are going to party!". good kid. Eddied had brought the only form of alcohol into a place that has none. Right after his arrival we planned out the next few days...priced out some treks and set our plans. We did a night safari in a 4x4 truck the night Eddie arrived. We went through a palm oil plantation on muddy roads almost getting stuck a few times. The night trip was pretty cool. We saw a few snakes, some bore, a couple civic cats, and a leopard cat. We were pretty lucky to see as much as we did. The most amazing part of the ride was the way the two guide spotted stuff. One guy drove and scanned the lower half of the jungle while the other guide sat on the top of the cab with a spot light and searched up high. These guys would spot the smallest snakes in bushes while passing by. One time they had to literally pull the snake from the bush so we could see it because even with the light on we couldn't find it. pretty crazy. They would also spot the animals in the trees by looking for the reflection of light in there eyes. It just rained about an hour before the trip so everything was soaked...making everything reflect in the spot light. The guide claimed it was easier to see after the rain but i couldn't see anything until he shined a light on it.
The next morning we had a full day planned. A hike to a bat cave and then a canopy walk. The canopy walk was pretty cool...high above the ground in the tree tops. Krista and i messed around trying to walk across without using our hands or walk across backwards without falling. childish, but it kept us entertained. The cave however, needed no games to keep you entertained. This was our first stop of the day and was by far the highlight of the trip. We entered a cave though a small opening only carrying 2 flashlights for 5 people. It was pitch black and covered in a brown substance that we later found out to be bat pooh. As we shinned the torches on the walls we noticed why the entire place was covered in pooh. Hundreds of bats hung from the walls and whizzed by overhead. At first you have the reaction of flinching and ducking every time one comes by...then you realize hat the precision of these guys is so good they can come within inches and not even touch you. We had to crawl trough some tight spots trying not to fall into the stream that passed below or lay on a bat pooh covered rock. We also found some other good stuff in the cave, a huge stone frog, a few scorpion spiders and crystal formation growing in one of the holes in the cave wall. All cool.
After the long day of trekking we made our way back to shower relax and finish the bottle of rum Eddie had brought. We decided we had enough of the jungle and we were going to head back to KL a day early to hang with Eddie, eat more amazing local food, and get some travel stuff done.
The nice thing about having a local around is the price difference on everything. For example, we searched and searched for the cheapest way into the Jungle and the best price was 95 ringgit. With Eddie we mad our way out of the jungle on a local bus with one transfer for 26 ringgit. Sad thing is their is nothing you can do about but smile and say thank you. off to Borneo!


Additional photos below
Photos: 24, Displayed: 24


Advertisement

Huge Jungle Ant!Huge Jungle Ant!
Huge Jungle Ant!

about the size of a quarter!
EddieEddie
Eddie

on the way to the jungle
Jeff and KristaJeff and Krista
Jeff and Krista

all smiles!
why do i feel like i am the only one having fun?!why do i feel like i am the only one having fun?!
why do i feel like i am the only one having fun?!

...but really we all had a blast!
the best resturant in townthe best resturant in town
the best resturant in town

...better than the other 3.


24th November 2008

leeches!!
Well at least something is sucking you!!!

Tot: 0.269s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0708s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb