I want to start by saying sorry it took so long for an update, I didn't have wifi at the hostel. In such a place, technology was the last this on my mind. Kuala Tahan welcomed me with rain, monsoon season had just begun, but I did manage to get a few rain free days during my stay. My hostel overlooking the river crossing into the National park, very basic, run by local guides with mohawks who love to party, sing, play guitar and teach you about their home ... the jungle. When asked how long I would be staying I remember saying 'oh, 2 to 3 days should be enough', that soon turned into 5 days, then a week, two weeks and today, day 17 after missing three buses, I'm out of the jungle. It seems like the more time you spend in one place, the details get fuzzy, you have less to say about it, but it was obviously a great time and I could have stayed even longer. Tamen Negara, the oldest rainforest in the world, a dense primary jungle who welcomes over 80 thousand visitors a year is somehow still undeveloped and barley advertised despite all it has to offer. Everything from the floating restaurants, tours, boat crossings, etc is local, this will be changing in the next decade for sure, and I'm really happy I got to see it as it is now. During my stay I spent most of my time trekking obviosuly.....completing all the trails that were accessible in the park without a guide, some I did twice... the jungle looks different from day to day so its never repetitive. I joined my first tour which included 11 hours of hiking, 3 hour boat ride, campfire cooking, jungle showers, tarzan ropes, swimming, river crossings, survival, horticulture and animal information and sleeping in a cave. Everything was right down to the basics, even the leaf plates and stem chopsticks we collected, Was a trek to remember for sure lead by a true jungle boy and a new friend. I also spent another two night in the jungle, one with a couple from Germany and one on my own. I was staying in hides which are like big tree houses with wooden bunk beds so you can watch animals. Although I never saw any animals while in the hides, the noises of the jungle were well worth it for me. You never really get used to the bats, rats and spiders living with you in your bunk, but when night falls and you hear the jungle noises come to life, it's a good distraction. Knowing you could be closer to tigers, monkeys and elephants then to civilization is a great feeling. There is nothing that I can say and my pictures cannot grasp how amazing this place really is. It's like being in the movie 'hunny shrunk the kids' everyday, except with lots of leeches, which you also got used to. Sometimes you could be walking in elephant footsteps while tracking those of a jaguar with monkeys spying on you. Love it.
When I wasn't in the jungle, I hanging out at Rippi's hostel, a great place with wonderful people. The longer you stay, the more they treat you like family. You have a guitarist entertaining you at night, they bring you to the local restaurant and helped me order veggie friendly dishes, teach you about the culture and history..a great bunch of people that made Tamen Negara even better. I also stayed for the public holiday Rakyat and got dressed up in traditional clothing and went to some of the tour guides houses to eat and meet some of their family. It kind of reminded me of having a bunch of mini Christmases, just going from house to house and eating lots of delicious food. And last but not least I had my first Asian karaoke experience in the neighboring town Jarentut. They have these private rooms where you can bring your own drinks, make your playlist and make a fool out of yourself on a smaller scale. Everything from The Beetles, Spice Girls, Oasis, System of a Down and many Malay classic were sung. I heard it was a must do when in Asia... now I understand. Today I moved north to the Cameron Highlands, I got myself a temporary travel buddy and have lots of trekking planned and tea plantations to visit. Some pics will be posted late for the jungle since they have to be set to me, IPOD does not do well in the rain...