Woke up at 7, not like us! Got downstairs, left our rucksacks again so we only have to travel with a day bag this week, its so much easier! Went for McDonald's breakfast and got back before 8 and we'd missed the bus!? This is the first time in Asia that a bus has been early! It came back for us though, complaining like he was doing us a favour? I hate people like this, nobhead... You were early, that is not on time!
Waited outside a hotel around the corner for half an hour after that, what a pointless 'transfer' if you can call it that! Then got the coach to Jerantut! The coach was another spacious one with lots of free seats so we both got a double seat each to sprawl out! This makes such a difference when your travelling a long time! Considered writing blogs again but still just prefer to listen to music! I'm in such a wrong frame of mind! :o
Had lunch in Jerantut at 1:00pm and a lady tried to sell us our return ticket, it's so expensive! It's costing us like £100 this week just to go to Teman Negara and Perhentian Island's! :/
We left it to think about, I'm too weary of being scammed! Good job too as she lowered the price alot and we got it in writing so were just gonna turn up as usual and if we end up stranded we've got her to fall back on ;)
We drove another 1 hour to the river and here we had to sign our licences! You need an entry permit with you at all times whilst in the protected area and need to pay a fee for taking a camera etc! I signed Marcos permit instead! It sounded like Michael when he called the name he should be more clear! Awks!
Waited here half an hour and had to pay 50P to use a toilet with no sink/tap or toilet roll! Just yellow pee stained walls decorated with a web of two hairy long legged spiders with a taste for Caucasian meat! I don't mind paying but I thought the money was to go towards cleaning/running costs?
After my ordeal we took a three hours boat ride through the rivers of Teman Negara! The water is pretty muddy brown all the way but the scenery is beautiful! Land is practically bursting with palm trees all competing to find the light! Hundreds of Monkeys can be seen swinging around! The baby ones are tiny like hamsters, never seen anything so cute before! And there's strips of undisturbed golden sand inbeteeen the rivers, I just want to sunbathe here alone!
It's also good to see random Aboriginal people on the way and lots of fishing traps set up using strings and empty coco-cola bottles!
Started writing my blogs on the boat as I got that bored of watching the couple sat infront of us practically having sex! Vom.
Arrived at the national park and I'm not sure what I expected but, maybe just a little more than three wooden shacks floating on the riverbank in the middle of a jungle! We were warned there were no ATM's etc obviously but this is the most rural place we've been!
We docked at the floating restaurant and listened to a tour guide give us information on entering the park to go trekking, we have to pay 20p for a taxi boat across the river and walk from there! Half the group are doing a tour tonight when apparently all the animals come out but were just going to trek on our own tomorrow instead! I doubt that Annie could survive another nighttime in the Asian rainforest especially when there's more tigers here!
Checked into kalidi guesthouse, she tried selling us a double room with private bathroom but we are the only guests staying here! So it made more sense to check into the dorm room with a choice of 5 beds in a larger room with a shared bathroom that we only share with ourselves for less than half the price! And I just keep the room key on me at all times instead of handing it in as we would usually have to :) love a bargain ;)
Went to eat spicy rice at the floating restaurant and they tried to rip us off! And laughed as she passed us more change! Went to see if there was anywhere here that had wifi and there was one place, which charged a ridiculous amount! So looks like no contact with anyone for a few days! :(
When we got back to the room we Showered. The shower is in a warehouse, just three walls with peepholes for passers by to look at everything as you wash! The shower fixture doesn't work so we had to use a bucket filled with stale water and a pan to scoop it over us! Great!
And yes 'us' means we Showerd together! We were too scared to shower alone and we would have never made it out alive with a frog 7 Mosquitos 9 spiders and a geko all cramped into this tight little crevice! So in my boxers and Annie in her bathing suit we washed each other like a little married couple! Slightly less romantic that the water is cleaner in my garden pond and less green, but beggars can't be choosers! I guess the water comes straight from the river?!
A guy walked in on us, I guess he heard Annie screaming in the girls showers and boy in there with her laughing and suskected something was going on?! Ha!
Had an early night after this traumatising event and got such a good nights sleep considering the sweaty bed bug infested ikea bunk beds that were sleeping on!