Taman Negara 2

17/05/08

Yeah sorry Swanley crew. Internet in Taman Negara was shite so I thought I'd wait till I was in a city again. I went trekking today with Clare & Eurig (a couple I met on the minibus from Cam High). Done about 6Km in total through the rain forest. Visited an Orang Asli tribal village and Gua Telinga (bat cave). Was real hard going! Only mammals to be seen were wild boar. Did catch sight of the huge trees though and managed to avoid being chomped on by the leeches which I think was more luck than judgement. However after all that walking I now have chaffed butt crack so I'll leave the trekking for the others to do - I'll make some enquiries about fishing.

18/05/08

Well I was turfed out of Tahan guesthouse this morning and didn't have a great deal of luck with finding other accommodation in KKT. It's a holiday weekend in Malaysia so everywhere is booked out. I had to move a few Km up river to Mat Leon resort which is a nice place although better for couples. It's in the rain forest and is only reachable by boat or on foot. They run a free river taxi between 7am & 7pm although it's 20RM outside these hours. I have my own chalet with attached bathroom for 60RM - about a tenner a night which includes breakfast - a little more than I like to pay but at least I have somewhere. Washing is cheaper here too, they charge by the kilo whereas in town they charge by the item. They also allow fishing from their floating jetty and have rods for hire. I walked into KKT today so as I knew what footpath to follow through the rain forest should I not want to spend that 20RM on a boat home. When I reached the tarmac road a friendly local gave me a lift on his motorbike for free - good stuff eh? Gotta say though, it's gonna be a scary walk home that way in the dark!

A couple of quick points on Kampung Kuala Tahan. It's very Islamic up here so alcohol is very hard to come by. There is only 1 place (The Woodlands Resort) where you can buy a small can of Tiger for 10RM - bring your own! There are no banks or ATM's here - get your money on route in Jerantut. I'd also say do some investigating before you book any activities. Prices vary from place to place and you can do lots of things under your own steam for little or no money. Our Asli village & bat cave excursion would've cost 80Rm each - we done it for 7Rm each!! I'd also say try to get here during the week. Here's a little saying I heard here " Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories".

19/05/08

Moved back to Tahan today and got my old room (4) back. Went over to park HQ and done the canopy walk. Shit that's high - the highest in the world allegedly. I'm ready to leave now though, had enough of it here. Wanted to go home yesterday but now I'm thinking of where to go after Malaysia. Was thinking of climbing Mount Kinabalu in Borneo but I'm told there's a 2 month waiting list. So, it's possibly Indonesia or Sri Lanka or maybe back in to Thailand - I'm still not sure. So who's coming for a visit and where we meeting??

The fishing was as usual - no fish! Although I did meet a group of Malays from KL & Jerantut who were friendly, shared their bait and kept me amused. I also met another group today - all motocross riders from KL who I done the canopy walk with. All but 1 of us walked the 1.5KM to it while 'Uncle', a retired air Asia pilot of Chinese origin swam against the current of the river all the way there. He then proceeded to do the canopy walk and the 1.5KM back to park HQ in his speedos with his goggles perched rear facing on his head. Needless to say he was a source of amusement. Especially when his friends were taking pictures of his exposed butt crack which he'd been unaware of until the numerous camera flashes and raucous laughter. I've been invited for Teh Tarik & food next time I'm in KL. Thanks guys!

21/05/08

Well I'm in Kota Bharu at Ideal travellers house. Got here yesterday. Left KKT on a local bus to Jerantut, from there a train on the 'Jungle Railway' to Wakaf Bharu and then a taxi to KB as we missed the last local bus. In total 26RM compared with 80RM by minibus. Do your research before buying the first ticket you come across. So I'm off to Perenthian Kecil (the small island) either tomorrow or the next day (Thurs/Fri) and have found out there's a local bus to the jetty at Kuala Besut for 6.4RM instead of 40RM for a taxi - everyone seems to want to take you for a ride! I need to be on the Island before the 24th as the schools break for two weeks from then and coming by accommodation will be hard. I also want to be there for my birthday! So I'll be off radar for a bit as I've heard the Internet over there is 6 quid an hour to use and I'm not paying that! There's also no banks or Atm's. Also heard the other day that 7 huts in the same resort got robbed in 1 night while people were sleeping in them and that Lonely Beach has a heroin problem. Great!!

Mary me old cuz, sent you email a while back. Did you get it? If not send me an email so I've got your correct address, thanks xx