Taman Negara National Park is set in the middle of Malaysia. This magnificent rainforest claims to be the oldest in the world, apparently because no natural disasters have touched it throughout its 130-million-year history. I decided to venture into this incredible place along with a mate I had been traveling with for a while, Paul from England.
Reaching the forest entailed a two and a half hour boat ride. The boat was a long wooden one with a car motor attached to the back. The boat ride could have satisfied the entire trip. We weaved in and out, bending around curves, completely charmed by the jungle. The murky, brown water splashed into the boat, cooling me off as I listened to my disc man. Once we finally reached the village, there seemed to be two sides to stay on. There was the regular village on one side and a four star hotel on the other. I was so pissed off when I found out there was a four star hotel in the middle of the jungle. The thought didn’t even cross my mind that western civilization could have made such an impact in the middle of the oldest forest in the world. I went to the village.
Paul and I found this quaint hostel right on the river side and decided to crash there until we figured out what were we going to do. We chilled there for a couple of days, reading and enjoying the spectacular scenery. One of the days we decided to tackle the highest canopy walk in the world. The canopy sat about 50 feet high connecting to various trees. It was so neat being so high up for such a long period of time. Birds and butterflies were flying all around us, and the scene from above was obviously a new way of seeing things. Paul was scared shitless and had both hands firmly gripped to the ropes.
That same evening we decided to be a little more adventurous and go on a night safari. Four of us jumped into a Jeep and rode off into the jungle. The guide had a massive searchlight and we managed to see a couple of small leopard cats, a big, beautiful owl, and some nice looking birds. Both of those little excursions were fun, but I really wanted to be in the midst of the jungle without anything else around. The next day Paul and I went to national park office and signed up to stay in hides. Hides are shacks on stilts and provide a place to sleep in the middle of the jungle. They give you an opportunity to see animals at night.
So, the next day Paul and I bought some necessities, crossed the river, and headed off. Well, me being such a na?ve 18-year-old, I didn’t think we needed that much food. Paul had suggested that we rent a stove and buy some noodles with soup. I disagreed and thought that bread and marmalade would be enough for two days. I am an ass! We trekked the first day about five miles into the dense jungle. The sun was hard to see at times because the trees acted as a tarp so well. It wasn’t an easy walk either, the trails were hard to follow and we had to cross rivers up to our waist. Well, at least my waist — Paul was considerably shorter and found out the water was up to his tits. He wasn’t happy, and it didn’t help that I was rolling on the ground laughing as he crossed.
After a few hours we finally arrived at the hide. The hides are usually set up with salt licks just outside so that animals will be attracted and give people a chance to see them up close and unnoticed. A large opening gave us a nice view of the area and we basically sat there and waited. Paul and I were the first to arrive. It was quite early, so Paul decided to have a nap and I sat on the bench staring, waiting for something to happen. This may sound boring, but with some binoculars and patience, it was a show. I’ve never seen such a spectacle of stunning birds. As the evening progressed the show became better and better.
The sun started to set, and as it did I noticed the darker it got the noisier it became. Before I knew it, it was pitch black, but I could barely hear words from Paul. It was so loud. There must have been thousands of beetles, hundreds of birds and who knows how many monkeys. Some tourists have been lucky enough to have elephants come visit or some other beasts, but to no prevail for us. The evening was just as satisfactory for me; it was an amazing feeling being completely engulfed in the sounds of nature.
The following day we headed to the next hide. Having spent 24 hours already in the jungle, Paul and I were getting very frustrated with only eating bread and marmalade. The treks were strenuous and the heat was exhausting. The temperature at the park was about 90 degrees, but the humidity was the same and so after only a few minutes, both of us were drenched in our own sweat. This wouldn’t normally bother me because I sweat tying my shoelaces, but after a few days it’s enough. We finally arrived at the new hide with some other backpackers. It was fun to chat and exchange what we had all seen the previous night. Dinner time came and Paul and I couldn’t help but peer over and stare at the noodles a Dutch couple was eating. Man was it painful. For nearly ten meals all we ate was shitty, white bread and boring marmalade.
The evening fell upon us and we all wanted to walk about rather then sit and wait. With flash lights and headlamps we ventured out, but not for long. It was frigging dark and spooky. Strange sounds were everywhere and glow in the dark fungi surrounded us. It was just too creepy to be out of the hide. The next day came in glorious fashion. The sun was sparkling and birds sang loud and clear. Paul wasn’t excited for the 15 mile walk back so he decided to wait by the river until a local fisherman boated by. Although they rip tourists off considerably, Paul couldn’t handle the lack of food and water, so we separated. The walk back wasn’t so bad solo.
The jungle delights along with my mind occupied time just fine and I could move quicker alone anyway. Along the way I caught up to a Belgian couple that I stayed with at one of the hides. They noticed a small slug near my ankle and said that I should check the rest of the feet out. I had been crossing rivers, jumping in mud, and not really paying attention to anything. So I took both filthy sneaker and sock off and found five sneaky slugs drinking blood from my foot. I checked the other foot and found five more. My feet were in rough shape and I decided to haul ass the rest of the way. I was dehydrated, hungry, and wanted to see a shower in the worst way.
After five or six hours of trekking alone in the jungle, I arrived at the village excited and spent. Paul couldn’t believe I had made such good timing. I immediately downed two liters of water, ordered some food, and, to this day, had the best shower I can recall. We spent five days at Taman Negara and they were all wonderful. Being in tune with so many wild animals was enchanting and overpowering. Mother Nature rocks!!
Khaled Habash can be contacted at [email protected]