Hey folks,
So it's been almost a week since my last post and it has gone from very busy to pretty slow and peaceful in the last few days, but it took awhile to get on a comp simply because they are so expensive in the areas I have been traveling to. Nevertheless, I couldn't stay away too long and so here you have the latest account of my adventures abroad.
After leaving the amazing Cameron Highlands, I took a three-hour longtail boat down the Tahan River to the area known as Taman Negara, literally meaning "national park" and home to many rare species of animals and the world's oldest tropical rainforest. I had booked a tour in advance and it ended up being pretty good although I wish I hadn't booked so early because I probably could have just found one by showing up and for a lot cheaper as well. In other words, hindsight is a bitch... When I arrived, I wasn't in the best of mindsets, having been cramped and uncomfortable for the majority of the boat ride in and then having to wait ages for a meal to be set before me even though I showed up at the appointed "dinner time." On top of that, the other people on my tour consisted of two couples who kept to themselves, a family of four who also kept to themselves, two guys from England who were around my age or a bit older but who seemed to me to be complete morons from the moment I laid eyes on them, and then the one guy I was sharing a dorm with. I couldn't discern his age but he seemed to be around 35-40 years old and hailed from Australia. He was nice enough and I ate my meals with him throughout the tour, however, not exactly the company I was anticipating having in the middle of nowhere for a few days! That night after dinner, we had a night walk on a forest path with a guide to show as all the different insects. I actually found the guide to be quite knowledgeable and was excited about this prospect but I was at the back, stuck behind the two English idiots, and couldn't make out a lot of what he was saying. I was cursing the company I was stuck with when suddenly I felt a sharp prod on my behind and turned around quickly, ready for a confrontation with whoever was shoving me. To my complete and utter surprise, I found myself face to face with a weird looking creature, somewhere between a mini-elephant and a wild pig, which I soon was told was a Malayan Tapir, quite a rare sight in the area. This one seemed to be fairly affectionate and kept nudging me with its nose, as if to say to me, "Cheer up buddy, look where you are right now!" I couldn't help but smile at the funny appearance and disposition of the animal and I alerted the rest of the tour to my discovery while snapping a few photos. It really is a bizarre creature and has two different colours, a light patch and a dark patch, supposedly useful for camouflage in making it look like a rock or boulder. We also saw some antelope in the distance from a hyde we climbed up in, and different insects along the way, including a giant spider similar to a tarantula and many different kinds of ants, termites, and other creepy-crawlies. The night walk turned out to be not so bad after all and I went to bed in a bit of a better mood and looking forward to the next day's activities...
In the morning, we headed as a group to the start of the canopy walkway. It is the longest bridge/canopy walkway in the entire world and through increases in its structure over the years, it now stretches over almost 550 metres in the middle of the rainforest, with about eleven or twelve separate posts you can stand on in between the actual sections of the bridge. This bridge is not for the faint of heart or those afraid of heights (I suppose like me, although that fear has dissipated quite a bit) as it rocks back and forth mightily when you walk upon it and it does not feel completely secure. At times, you are suspended over fifty metres above the ground below and looking down is not recommended due to vertigo. There is even one part of the walkway which is like a diagonal ladder, bringing you up to a higher point and causing some people to take the alternate route and cut their journey short. All in all, it was a cool experience, but the novelty of it wore off after the first few parts of the walkway. Nevertheless, it had some great views of the surrounding forest and of the Tahan River from the outposts. After the trek along the walkway, we hiked another gentle incline up to Bukit Teresek, a small "mountain" one and a half kilometres up the path which gave a view of the surrounding area in the national park. I opted to hike my own way down, and instead of taking a boat from the jetty, I took some time to be on my own and hiked an extra two kilometres along a separate path back to my hostel room. I actually ended up being back before the group despite this detour and quite enjoyed the solitude, however brief it lasted. In the afternoon, we took a longtail boat further down the river and stopped after a few minutes at an Orang Asli tribe's village, similar to the one I went to in the Cameron Highlands. This time, however, the blow pipe demonstration was more impressive and there was an explanation and demonstration of how they make the weapon itself and the customs in the tribe for use of the blowpipe in order to find a wife and how the whole hierarchy works. Apparently, a man must go alone into the forest and bring proof back for the chief of the tribe (medicine man) that he has killed something before he can get approval to pick a wife of his choosing. There was also a demonstration on how they make fire, using a special type of wood to start the process and no flint, matches, or lighters. We continued further down the river after our cultural detour and shot the rapids, which was short-lived but fun nonetheless. On the way back, we spent about fifteen minutes at the side of the river with a rope swing and got some refreshment from swimming in the cool water of the river. It was a pretty satisfying day and a great aide in bringing up my spirits...
When I returned to the base, I headed to a nearby market on the side of the road and saw something that peaked my interest. Through all my travels in Thailand and Malaysia, I have heard whisperings about the durian, a large fruit that is quite smelly and not for the average palate to taste, certainly not to enjoy. However, the fruit is quite large and is also very expensive (about $10CDN/kilo) and I have never wanted to pay that much for something that is apparently disgusting. But here, on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, there was a stand that had durian juice for sale, and it was only about sixty cents so I couldn't resist the temptation. I drank over half the cup of juice to make sure I got the full experience but I really wish I hadn't because it caused me to burp continuously the rest of the day and I got a strong taste of it in my mouth everytime I did. It is hard to completely pinpoint the taste of the durian: it's somewhere between rotting custard and a very strong, possibly moldy cheese and the taste is incredibly potent! The aftertaste is more that of a fruit, something like a honeydew, however, it is hard to erase the initial taste from one's tastebuds. I can still taste the durian when I conjure up the image of the fruit in my mind and it has been several days since I tried it! It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one I will be happy not to repeat...
Overall, Taman Negara was impressive in some ways, disappointing in others. It felt highly touristy to me and I hadn't expected this. I would have been happier to have had next to no provisions and to have roughed it for a few days, leaving the park dirty and exhausted. The way the whole park works is a little frustrating too, as my hostel and the national park itself are on one side of the river, but all of the restaurants and mini-marts, as well as the office where all of the tour activities started, are on the opposite side of the river, meaning you have to cross by taxi every time you need to go do an activity or every time I wanted to go to my hostel. The journey is only a few minutes long but it is a hassle and costs 1MYR each way, which added up to quite a bit in three days! Nevertheless, the beauty of the forest and the river is still worth the trip and the run-in with the tapir and a chance to navigate the world's longest bridge were unique experiences I couldn't have had otherwise...
The trend continues with every destination I have traveled to in Malaysia being quite different from the last. I am currently situated on the Perhentian Islands, on the smaller of the two, one called Kecil. It is on the Eastern Coast of Peninsular Malaysia and the beach I am staying on (called Long Beach) is a haven for divers and an absolute paradise. The trip from Taman Negara to the islands was quite brutal unfortunately, eight hours in a minivan, where the driver was gearing up so fast my head jostled the entire ride and there was not one happy passenger in the vehicle. After the van, I had a half an hour ride on a speedboat, which was also so cramped and uncomfortable that I got off the boat with that feeling in my butt like I had just been on a bicycle for twenty-four hours straight! I was very happy to get to a bungalow and drop my bag on the ground before collapsing myself. Despite my lack of mobility and activity all day, transportation can sometimes be just as exhausting as a full day's activity! My second day, after purchasing some books at the local book shop, I sprawled out on the beach reading my third of four books I have read in the past week and a half. I am speed reading at this point and will have to buy myself a Kindle when I get home to accommodate my re-established adoration for the written word. Unfortunately, I was so enraptured by Stephen King's prose, I didn't reapply sunscreen and got savagely burned by the sun's strong rays. This has now delayed my scuba diving course a few days but I should commence the actual diving practice and open water dives in two days time, which I am both excited and terrified for. There's a lot of consequences to not being cautious underwater!
My next update will be an account of my adventures exploring the underwater world, and will probably be written from Kuala Lumpur. Until then, hope you are all happy in and in good health!
Ciao for now,
Max
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