Taman Negara

On the third leg of their visit, we made our way to Taman Negara, Malaysia's "premier national park."  Molly and Ryan might call this the fourth leg of their visit because they took the opportunity to visit the town of Melaka (or Melacca) for a few days while I stayed in Kuala Lumpur and went to class.  Taman Negara is not a stright forward place to reach.  But the journey is half the adventure, right?  We took a minibus from KL to the town of Kuala Tembling, where we then boarded a long boat for a 3 hour ride up a river to the small town of Kuala Tehan at the entrance to the national park.  To actually get into the park, you have to pay 30 cents to get a water taxi to take you to the other side of the river.  Good thing transportation is super cheap here.  We paid $25 USD to get all the way there (bus and boat).  We could have done it for $16 USD each, but decided to splurge for the minibus instead of the public bus.  In the end the public bus may have been better, but we survived! 

Taman Negara was first protected as a preservation area in 1937, and its huge...4,343 sq. km (1,677 sq. mi).  OK, that's not that big if you are comparing to say Denali National Park, but its big for a small country.  We were fortunate to visit during a less busy time of year and were able to see some wildlife between our "night safari" and day hiking.  A night safari means riding in the back of a truck with high powered lights looking for animals.  We were lucky to see a small jungle cat of some kind, a snake, flying squirrels, some sort of a jungle deer, many monkeys, etc.  More details are in the photo captions....

Bright and early in Chinatown waiting to board our minibus for the 3 hour ride to Kuala Tembling where we would then catch a boat into the national park.  I'm glad I took Dramamine and fell asleep for the whole ride, because Molly and Ryan said it was more than a slightly terrifying ride due to the driver's speed and the condition of the vehicle. 

Recycling?

I love rivers so I quite enjoyed the 3 hour ride up the river though the jungle.... 

...until the Dramamine and late afternoon sun caught up with me and I fell asleep.  Good thing I was wearing sunblock on that arm!

Floating restaurant, there were several of these along the river.

The boat dropped us in Kuala Tehan, a river town on the opposite bank from the national park.  We splurged and stayed at a "real" hotel because they had 3 person rooms, and it would have cost more to get 2 rooms at a hostel/guesthouse.  It was definitely nice to enjoy the pool as the temperatures during the day were blazing and the muddy river with a strong current was not inviting to swim.

Applying our armor against leeches.  This included rubbing salt all over our feet and legs, topped by DEET bugspray, putting on socks, and re-applying salt and bug spray on the outside. 

Additionally, we took the stylish look and tucked our pants into our socks.  It worked, leech free at the end of a 4 hour hike through the jungle.  There was one close call, Ryan spotted a leech 1/2 way into his sock, but a rapid attack with salt assured he was not harmed.

The forest in Taman Negara is 130 million years old (claimed to be the oldest in the world).  None of the Ice Ages had any effect here and this area eluded volcanic activity and other geologic upheaval (according to the guidebook).

We got up early and beat the guided tour groups to the canopy walk.  It was constructed in 1992, and it was actually much more impressive than I was expecting.  We had the whole thing to ourselves so it was great to take our time exploring and enjoying the wonders 45 meters above the jungle floor. 

This move was actually a lot more daring than it looks.  The bridges tended to have a sway to them once you start walking.

This part was a bit terrifying as the ladder walkway did not connect to a solid platform at the top, it only connected with another flat hanging bridge portion. 

OK ecologists, you win if you can tell me what this is.  I have no clue, but its pretty cool looking.

Don't bonk your head on this one.

We visited an Orang Asli camp up the river a little ways.  They demonstrated their fire starting techniques, and how they make their blow gun and dart weapons.   We "ran the rapids" on the way up and the guide was sure to get us nice and wet.  I can't say that I have ever done white water in a wood constructed long boat.

Orang Asli camp, a specific aboriginal group called the Batek people.

Ryan trying his hand at dart blowing.  I tried, but my dart barely made it to the target, and didn't have enough power to stick.  I don't think I would be able to shoot a bird with this technique. 

Mini blow gun weapons meant for your "annoying neighbor."  Or just for tourists to take home and hang on their wall.  Molly and Ryan successfully got 2 back through customs to the United States.