Taman Negara
Mum booked a trip to Malaysia's national park (which is what Taman Negara means in Bahasa), reportedly the world's oldest tropical rainforest. Alison and I drove mum and Uncle Wing up to the resort which took about four hours on the road, with a short stop for lunch at Jerentut. Roads weren't too bad, though I had to dig deep into my Malaysian roots to find the courage to overtake slow moving cars and trucks on the narrow tracks that snaked through oil palm plantations. We reached Kuala Tahan late on Thursday afternoon and were told that the first of our activities would start shortly after dinner.
This turned out to be a short night trek through the rainforest, with our guide pointing out interesting flora and fauna. We didn't get to see any snakes or large animals aside from some sambar deer that were attracted to a popular salt lick. Apparently if we'd waited another hour or so then we'd have seen some sun bears. We may not have seen much I thought the walk was pleasant, albeit rather hot and humid even at night. The main highlight I thought was when Saberi, our guide, teased out a malayan scorpion from it's hole with a short stick. Nifty.
The next day we donned our "jungle clothes", ready for a full day of wilderness adventure. I'm glad we got these as disposable apparel because I'm sure we committed more than a few fashion crimes here. I guess they might make good garden wear if Alison lets me take the shirts home to Brisbane.
To start things off, Saberi took us on a moderate 2km walk through another part of the rainforest and focussed his explanations on the local trees and plants. Should have been paying more attention as I've clear forgotten what this tree is. I do remember that the Orang Asli (natives) use it to communicate by hitting it with a hard stick or rock. The soft wood, large base and tall trunk allow the tree to reverberate and produce a loud beat that can be heard from a distance. We just thought it was a cool tree to pose under, darn city dwellers.
At the end of the walk we climbed a short stairwell to enter the world's longest canopy walk. At least it would have been if half the walkway weren't closed for renovation, apparently deemed unsafe on account of termite activity. The first half seemed fine when we were up there, about 30 metres off the forest floor. We managed to see a black giant squirrel on one of the canopy platforms and got a great view of the surrounding tree tops.
On descending from the canopy, we met mum by the river (she didn't join us for the trek) and were whisked up the rapids to a native village. The tribe we visited were of the Bateq people, where we got to learn a little of their culture and were shown how to start a fire, make poisonous darts and use a blow pipe. Ah how silly we must have looked. Most of us anyway, Alison proved to be a natural at the blow pipe and was the only one in the group that scored a hit on the target.
After lunch we headed up the Tahan river to see the cascades at Latah Berkoh. While the cascades weren't all that impressive (far too many people and the water was pretty stained from trees and debris during the dry season) we were absolutely smitten by boat ride up the river. We've seen lots of tourism ads about Malaysia that showcase river cruises through the rainforest and this was just like it. The arching trees, calls of wildlife and uncovered rock formations on the river made every bend a tantalising treat. We couldn't keep ourselves from running our hands through the rushing water or reaching for low hanging branches.
On the way back we were caught in a heavy downpour, which would normally be a nuisance to most Malaysians. In the middle of a rainforest however, and trapped in an open river boat, we found the experience oddly magical. We even stopped by a local fish sanctuary to feed some kelah that are being conserved in the Tahan river. By the time we got back to Kuala Tahan we were absolutely soaked to the bone, which must have seemed odd as the town hadn't seen a drop of rain that afternoon. Drenched but utterly satisfied with our excursion. Uncle Wing even picked up a walking stick as a souvenir from the forest floor.
Genting Highlands
On Saturday we left Pahang to drive back to civilisation, stopping on the way the antithesis of a natural peaceful sanctuary; the congested commercial peaks of Genting Highlands.
Alison has heard me rabbit on about taking her to Genting for years now so it was a good to finally cross this one off the list. Not that I'm a huge fan of the place, but because it's such a famous landmark. Rather than nurse a building sense of nausea in the winding car ride to the top, Alison and I opted to take the cable car from Gotong Jaya. The queues were pretty crazy, but after about 40 minutes of waiting we finally got into a cab on the way to the summit. It was a pretty misty day so it was a treat to see the towers of Resort World appear among the clouds. At least until we got closer and the grot became readily apparent.
It's been close to ten years since I've been to Genting, and aside from the new First World hotel it seems like it's hardly changed. The price of food and a penchant for gaudiness certainly has remained consistent with what I remembered. We had a walk around to take in the sights but didn't feel the need to pay for any of the attractions.
The weather was a nice change from the heat, but we couldn't understand why more of the cafes weren't outside to take advantage of the cool air. We would have been quite happy to pay an extortionate amount to enjoy a beverage with a cool breeze and view but all the restaurants and cafes overlooked carparks or indoor rollercoasters. I guess that's what the local market wants.
Batu Caves
Last stop on our return trip was to another KL landmark that we've somehow missed on previous holidays in Malaysia; Batu Caves.
I've only been to the caves once and that was on a school trip back when I was five or six years old, so aside from the energy sapping 272 steps to the entrance, I remembered very little of the place. Given how young I was I don't think I would have been able to appreciate the majesty of the lime stone formations and the sheer size of the idols. The front statue of Murugan is 42.7 metres tall and is the highest in the world.
Once inside the cave we were shocked by the height of the ceiling, stretching 100 metres with pin holes of daylight streaming through openings at the top. With so little natural light we had to rely on lamps affixed to the cave walls, which bathed the streaked formations with a beautiful amber hue. Just gorgeous.
Monkeys were pretty common throughout the caves, unabashedly accepting (or stealing) food from tourists before rushing to higher ground to enjoy their spoils. We weren't accosted thankfully but I spotted a few handbags being ransacked by simian hands. They seemed quite comfortable with humans and I managed to get close to this one to take a few photos before descending to the carpark.
Altogether a great mini-holiday within our holiday. It does mean that we're coming to the end of our stay in Malaysia though, so what once seemed so far away is just around the corner. Best to make the most of what's left.
No comments:
Post a Comment