Welcome to the Jungle

Taman Negara (National Park in Malay) is the worlds oldest rainforest because it never had an ice age. Its something like 135 million years old. There is just a small town inside the jungle, without much to do....except hike.

I came here by riverboat. It was a fun ride. 3 hours in a canoe. Luckily the boat had a roof over it, unfortunately the sun wasn't directly overhead, thus, my right leg and arm were burnt. After the 2nd hour the novelty wore off and I was seated on the lap of the girl next to me trying to hide from the sun (and I hadn't even talked to her yet).

When I arrived, the afternoon monsoon had just started and the town was dead. I was a little bummed out because I was alone in this small town with nothing to do. However, after the monsoon stopped and I went back to my dorm, there were 3 people that had just arrived in my room. 2 German girls and a dude from Holland. They had all just met on the bus on the way to the park. Finally I had friends. In the city, i had been doing all of the stuff alone, so it was good to talk to others.

The next day we went for a hike in the jungle. 1st we came to a canopy bridge. Its the worlds longest.... After that we decided to hike up to the furthest point allowed without a guide. Very stupid idea. It was about 2hrs stright uphill, then the climb down was stright downhill. We were using the roots of trees as our ladder. After 3 hrs we were all so tired and hoping to find the end. After 4hrs we finally did. We found a little hut on the river that sold fruit milkshakes and bottles of water. After rehydrating ourselves, it was to bed for a well-deserved nap!

The 2nd day, I went rafting in a wooden boat. The rapids were fun, then we got dropped off in a calm area of the river and swam. When I got off the boat I stood on the sand, then sunk to my waist. It was quicksand, but luckily you don't sink below the waist. We swam around for a lil while, then back on some more rapids. In the afternoon, I did nothing. Craig finally caught up with me at night, and he brought aclohol. The town is dry (alcohol is not common in Malaysia since its a Muslim country) except one place that sells beer ($8 a bottle) so this was a great present. After a few drinks and dinner, we went on a night safari. We didn't see any of the leopards or tigers that were advertised, but we had fun riding around in the jungle in the back of an open jeep.

The 3rd day I took Craig into the jungle and did the canopy walk again. There was no way I was going to do the entire hike, so I hung out and waited for the bus out of town at 7pm, and off to the Perhentians (after an 18 hr evening/morning of travelling)

I enjoyed the jungle, but am ready for the beach. Next up...Perehentian Islands and some scubadiving lessons!

Malaysia Stats

Transportation

Singapore-KL
Bus: 7hrs
$18

KL - Taman Negara
Bus: 4hrs
Riverboat: 3hrs
$20

Taman Negara - Perhentian Islds.

Bus: 2 hrs

Train: 6 hrs

Taxi: 30 min

Boat: 1 hour

$15

Spending Money
KL: $60
Taman Negara: $120
Perhentian Islds.: $180

Days
KL: 3
Taman Negara: 3
Perehentian Islds.: 7

Hostel
KL: $7 ($21)
Taman Negara: $3/7 ($13)
Perhentians Islds.: $6 ($42)

Food
Average
about $4 a meal

Beer
expensive
about $6 a beer
(Taman Negara: $8 a beer)

Kuala Lumpur

I didn't know much before coming here, and had no idea what to expect. Well....it's a big Asian city. It has scyscrapers scattered around the city, including the Twin Towers-built in 1999 was the tallest building in the world, and KL Tower (which I went up). the town is nicknamed the 'garden city'. If you look over the city you can see fields of green. There are several large parks and even a nature reserve in the middle of the city.


I also went to the Batu Caves. It's a Hindu worshipping area. It's really cool. There is a huge Buddha (tallest standing Buddha- I know, ridiculous stat) set in front of a cliff, inside are limestone caves. You have to climb up a bunch of steps to get inside. Inside there are Hindu shrines all throughout the caves and its also a monkey playground. In February, every year, Hindus pierce themselves and hang shrines from the piercing and walk up and into the caves, sounds real strange, but would be cool to see.

This place has tons of cheap knock-off and pirated shit. I bought a North Face bag for $3, it would cost aout $60, and a bunch of dvds that aren't out yet (capote, king kong, brokeback etc.) for $2 a piece. I wanted to buy tons more- they have shoes (Nike, Adidas, DC) clothes, sunglasses, and it all looks and feels real- but Im travelling and can't carry too much, oh well, I'll be in Bangkok soon.

Malaysia is a muslim country, so in KL it's very common to see woman in scarves. At first I was nervous talking to them, cuz I didnt want to break any cultural rules, but all that I've encountered have been extremely friendly with tons of personality (much more than the men).

Okay, that's all I know about KL. Next up is Taman Negara National Park for some outdoor actvities (jungle safari, rafting, canopy, etc)