Taman Negara #1 - The Happy 22.

(Misty mountains viewed from the boat speeding along Sungai Tembeling)

Although I grabbed the offer without hesitation, I was also a little cautious about accepting the invitation to go on a trip to Taman Negara. I wondered whether I was fit enough with my Achilles heel and my suspect back. But come on, if I do not risk it now when am I ever going to? I am not getting any younger and though my spirit burns ever bright, my body is more prone to protests these days.

(The exhausting trip did not wear these out it seemed, they can still lift a leg in Kuala Tembeling)

I would like to travel in a bit more comfort but is my lecture to my staff about the need to constantly go beyond our comfort zone a lie? And so eight to a room it is and I will blend in but not with total abandon as I was by far the oldest in the group and almost double the group’s median age of mid-twenties.

(Shooting rapids and having water fights between boats)

How I envy their youth and their carefree laughter. It such a pleasure watching them hugging life with abandon. Ha, there goes that word again – “abandon”, the opposite of which is “restraint.” A smile crept up when I thought of these two words. Some old sticks may think I live my life with abandon, some young friends may think I live mine with restraint. I know I live mine with passion and I was passionate about this trip to the oldest tropical forest in the world, behind the restraint :-).

(The view from the peak of Mount Terisek at the Tahan range with Gunung Tahan partially hidden by mist and clouds)

(The group at the top of Mount Terisek)

Taman Negara, the National Park – 4,000 over square kilometer of virgin jungle; is the green heart of Peninsula Malaysia. It spread over the 3 states of Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu. It contained 300 over species of birds and one-third of the flowering plants in the country. There are also large mammals but we are unlikely to come across any of them with the amount of noises we are always making. The monkeys may mistake us for cousins but none came to chatter, probably shying away from the poison darts of the Batek forest people who camped near the river during our visit.

(The Happy 22 saying a sad farewell to Taman Negara)

This was the Happy Twenty-Two. If they did not look too happy, that is because this is their farewell shot at the end of the trip. In the upcoming posts, we will take you with us on our adventure through the oldest tropical forest in the world. See ya.

To be continued...