Taman Negara...a jungly sort of trip

Words of the day:  Teh susu, kurung manis, tapau. (Tea with milk, not so sweet, to go. The ‘to go’ part is actually Chinese, I discover.)

So, here’s the scoop with getting to Taman Negara. Depending on what brochure, website or tourist promo piece your read, it can take 2 hours to drive there (to the first jetty) or 3 hours. And then, at the point of that first jetty, it can either take another 3 hours to drive...or 2 hours...or 45 minutes. I know, we were a bit lost too. A bit like driving in Malaysia, really. Anything goes. Any lane, any turn, any form of parking. Anything possible. Anywhere.



Not the best shot because it gives you no sense of the speed nor the weaving motorcycle factor

Of course, we assumed we were driving all the way in, so I thought: holy crap, to beat the traffic (traffic in KL is BRUTAL) we should leave early. Like 7 am early, especially if it’s now going to take us 6 hours, without a lunch stop (we had packed sardine puffs, Tandoori chicken puffs, potato curry puffs, diced papaya, thick creamy yoghurt, juice and water with us for a roadside stop). Of course, we only found out the details of our trip when Ali went to get the van, as it was his sister who had booked it all for us. It’s all been a bit haphazard really, but we are learning to be patient and just let things happen. So turns out we drive the 3 hours to the first jetty – called Tembeling jetty – and then taking the longboat right into the jungle to the second jetty, Kuala Tahan Jetty. So I drive us there, along the massive highway out of the city first, and then eventually on smaller side roads and finally through a little town called Jerantut (Ali and I comment that it reminds us of ‘kentut’ which means to fart, in Malay). We get there at 11ish, as we have stopped for a few snacks, gas, a cup of tea for me, coffee for Ali and even a roadside quick peek (and nabbing) of some rubber at a rubber plantation.

Rubber trees are carved (does not damage the trees) around the bark at a 45 degree angle spiral, causing the white sap to drip in buckets...very like maple tapping at home. The liquid rubber sets eventually in the bucket, at the end of the day, and then I guess they remove it from here and probably melt it to process it further. Quite fascinating.



Rubber sap drippingdown tree

Anyway, back to the trip. It turns out that, as part of our package, we get lunch at the jetty – there is one place there to eat, already half-filled with a number of other tourists and backpackers in the same boat as us...figuratively speaking. The boat – literally speaking – leaves at 2pm. Oops. We are a bit – ok a lot – early. (Alison strikes again). We eat, wander around, and hang out on some benches and read our books and chat with a couple from Germany. Ali practices his German. I practice my English.

the longboat

Heading off to Taman Negara up the Tembeling River

Enjoying the breeze created while on the longboat!

Buffalo of the water kind hanging out on the shores

There are a number of boats waiting that take travellers off into the muddy brown and fast moving Tembeling river into Taman Negara. The boats are long and narrow and incredibly stable. Think canoe, and then undo that thought. Nothing like a canoe at all. There is room for two in each bench seat, no more, and if you are rather large (as one Dutch tourist was), then it becomes quite a diplomatic exercise for the local boaters. There is a real strategy about where you are to sit, to balance out the boat, and all the luggage (we packed light this time – sooooooooo smart, lah) at the front. So the boys had to sit together, then Hannah and I and then Ali. I am glad we were near the back as we got to see more – the bags at the front really block the front view, as you will see by the photos. Off you zoom upstream, propelled by a buzzing 2-stroke outboard motor. (I have no idea what I am talking about. We had dinner last night – in real time – with two car nuts, Ali and his brother, and I guess the conversation has not worn off yet). We are travelling against what is a very strong current, hence the 3-hour trip. The return trip is 2 hours. It is a lovely, peaceful trip. In fact, so peaceful Jordan flops over to one side and falls asleep for the first hour. We see incredible lush jungle on either sides, the odd monkey and some big grey water buffalo who are eyeballing us back.

We arrive right on schedule at the first floating restaurant aka the jetty (as with everything in Malaysia, there are multiple uses for everything and everyone – remember the movie Local Hero?), and I think I will let Jordan’s blog tell you the rest of this bit.

Floating Restaurant aka Reception aka Jetty

What I do want to say is we met the sweetest tour guide ever. He seemed to be our own private guide. He was a super handsome 22 year old named Azli who fell in love with our children on our first outing, the night jungle hike. After chatting and chatting with us, and totally relating to our kids in such a wonderful way, he then said, “You know tomorrow will be really busy on the canopy walk, there will be a line-up to go on it” and went on to make the suggestion that we do things differently to beat the crowds. He told us to show up at the jetty at 9am and instead of doing the hike first (a couple of hours) to the canopy walk, and then the canopy walk, he would take us by boat straight to the canopy walk and afterwards we would do the hike. Brilliant. We do this, the five of us, with our own private guide, lovely Azli, and then do the hike: a brutally hot and humid uphill climb for an hour and a half, after which we are all soaked with sweat and have used up every single one of our water bottles. I find the uphill fine; sure it’s a good cardiovascular workout but the downhill is torture on my knee (I have left my brace at Allie and Anton’s, of COURSE). The stepping down parts are steep gaps and by the time we get to the edge of the river (there is no levelling out, the last 8 steps are cement steps about 6 inches wide and a foot and half high), my left knee is shaking all by itself. It’s as if I’ve turned on a little motor (2-stroke?) inside it. Yikes. But it is fine, after that.

Ali versus the canopy walk...he made it!

Water break and fruit break...we are soaked with sweat.

The beginning of the jungle hike...

This was actually taken on the night hike, hence the weird (flash) lighting

Big spider (sorry...can't remember the species)

The view after our uphill climb

Again, another night hike treasure: the black scorpion

Anyway, to continue with how lovely Azli was, we were supposed to eat at a specific floating restaurant as part of our package. As he drops us back off by boat at the dock, he asks what time we are coming down for lunch. We say 12:30, given it is noon already, although our schedule says lunch at 1pm. We are not sure why he asks, as the next activity – shooting the rapids – is at 2:30. We walk back to the dock after a quick shower at our room (did I mention the brutal heat? There really is no getting away from it in the jungle) and we sit down at a table at the floating restaurant for our lunch. Halfway across the river is Azli shouting at us to come over to “the island”, a man-made strip about the size of our driveway where his Dad is starting a river rafting business (the boats only arrived the day before). So we hop on a boat and over we go. Azli invites us up to where he eats lunch, and this woman (I thought it was his Mum, but it was not...another woman, with a daughter who had a cute little 2 year old) and there is this spread before us that is delicious. It is his Dad who is hosting us. Crispy green beans with chillies, crisp-fried mini fish (about 4 inches long, you eat the whole thing, it’s so crunchy), delicious chicken, rice and a massive pitcher of bright green ‘kiwi juice’ (the Malaysian version of Kool-Aid). We are famished after our hike and totally pig out, and they are all thrilled. We feel really really privileged to be invited here, and are now officially in love with Azli. I want to adopt him.



This was our delicious lunch at Azli's Dad's place

After our lunch, we hang out a bit with Azli, and then off we go on our rapids shooting. Not white water rafting exactly, but fun nonetheless. A smaller version of the longboat, and Azli zooming us through shallow rapids and generally getting us soaked. We stop for a swim at “the Tarzan ladder” and Azli teaches Jordan how to do a back flip into the water. (As a sidebar here, Jordan lets go of the ladder too soon on one attempt and lands crumpled in the shallow water, landing on his neck and knee and I have a near heart attack – I am sure all the Mums out there can relate). Azli also does a series of flips, while standing at the water’s edge, which he keeps saying are for Hannah. He holds up both boys, at different times, again showing them how to flip while in the water. For a break, he gets us all to sit at the water’s edge super still so we can feel the “spa fish” nibble our toes. And indeed they do. Hannah bursts out into a fit of endless giggles...she thinks this is hilarious. I am in heaven. It is another one of those fantastic parenting moments where you think how incredible this all is, and how incredibly lucky to be where we are, all by ourselves, splashing in a river in the rainforest in Malaysia. Oh, and yes, I too did the rope ladder Tarzan swing into the river, several times (you think I would miss that?) and my darling husband caught it all on video tape. No, it will not be posted on the web. Unless you offer a very large sum of money.



J & T doing the Tarzan thing



Jordan really splashing out

Sadly we head back; sadly, because our time with Azli is over. The kids make him a card back at the hotel room and we decide to give him one of our new MEC backpacks. He always has a backpack, of course, when he hikes with his groups, and he commented how he had had his since he was in grade 4. We noticed that all he carried in it was a spare t-shirt (yes, even the locals sweat as much in this jungle heat) and a bottle of water. So as we say our thank yous, we ask him what colour he would like: grey, orange or green. After much persisting, he finally agrees on the orange. Ali returns to the jetty around 5pm to meet Azli with the orange backpack and the card, as he is heading back to the village of Jerantut that night for his time off. The kids are thrilled, as are Ali and I.

So for me, yes all the jungle activities were amazing, but the real clincher was the short but genuine bond our family made with Azli. He enjoyed our family enough to invite us to his ‘home’. He was the big brother to our children for but a few days, but made quite the impression. Another occasion, I guess, where the Rojak kids seems to really catch certain Malaysians’ hearts.

Hannah parking her goofy self in front of the hotel

Sorry, couldn't resist. Wacky translations.

Jordan, way too stressed out on the whole trip.

Our super lovely (and fairly new, I suspect) Rainforest Resort.

Conclusion? If you ever get the chance to do Malaysia, do the jungle. It is superb. Well protected and well maintained. Hats off.

I drive us back to KL (I am really getting into this maniacal driving on the lefthand side – a great release of any tensions, I think. Oh, I’m sorry, did I cut you off there? Ah well, never mind; I’m sure you’ll do the same to me in 5 minutes).