Taman Negara #9 - The Morning After.

I woke up with a start. What was that dream I was having, now receding faster than a speeding bullet? I shook myself awake, shaking the wobbly double-decker bed before tentatively climbing down attempting not to wake my sleeping companion still in dreamland with a smile on his face. I carefully pulled aside the creaking wooden door and stepped outside to catch a rush of fresh morning breath. At 6.30 am, I was probably the only one awake among the 22 walking the edge of the bank of the river absorbing in the morning scene. I liked that. Alone. Made me feel I understand and appreciate solitude; and closer to nature. The river was sleeping when I took this shot…

…and was awakened when I took the next when an early boat cut through the calm water creating spreading ripples.

I walked to one end of the river near the welcome gate and beyond to see sleeping building still basked by the orange street lamp. While a dense spread of white mist covered the forested hills. Some songbirds were already welcoming the dawn when suddenly a black and white bird flew to an upright pole just feet away from me. It was faster than my movement and flew away before I can train the camera on it. But it left me its song though I wished it has left me its image as well.

Light was beginning to creep up the hill but the hills itself was just a dark outline that blocked the light to the valley below. I could just make out the water of the river that reflected back the lighter shade of the sky. A single boat sat lonely by the sandy bank.

Time and again, the wind swept down heavy mist obscuring everything in its path and only nearby trees can be seen; while those in background were swallowed up. If you did not know they were there, you would not know they were and thought the cloud as descended on earth.

I walked down to the beach covered with round stones smoothen by the rushing waters for decades, maybe centuries. These boats clustered together as if seeking company.

While these with identical blue tips always point to where they are heading, whether land or water

Blue tips in the water by pebbles.

Boats secured on a string going no where.

To be continued...

Taman Negara #6 - Eeeeh! Leeches!!

As we regrouped before setting off, our guide discovered that a leech has bitten him through his socks. He just casually pulled it off. The girls became paranoia and started checking their legs. First there was a loud scream from one of the girls and she started to jump up and down. Alex who brought along a concentrated salt solution sprayed on it until it dropped off. This was followed by another piercing scream as yet another found she was bitten. Even though the salt solution caused the sucker to drop off, the blood kept oozing out freely. Some of the girls were really freaking out and started checking their body having all kinds of creepy feelings and hysterical screamings at imagination. They started checking one another. Actually, it was kind of amusing. When they settled down again, we set off into the woods again.

This plant has rough hairy leaves which the forest people used to polish their rings.

Blue ferns can be seen growing on the ground, its color standing out from the other green plants and the brown of the earth.

We eventually came back to the Batek village again and saw these Batek children performing a flower dance for me. Wonder where they got that yellow flowers for we did not see it anywhere along the trek.



This boy was peering intensely into the yellow flower. What were his thoughts?

Even the Batek are not immune from modern influence. See some of their huts are covered by the blue plastic sheets to keep off the rain. And this lady is carrying plastic containers.

If not hunting or gathering for food, they just while their time away. Whether this is good or bad depends on one’s outlook of life, I guess. But they seem contented with their life which is more than can be said for many of the city folks.

After a short trek, we came to the river again waiting for our boat to pick us up. Along the way another guy was bitten by a leech, a tiger leech this time which unlike the water leech that bit the girls in the cave; has a painful bite. These suckers that can detect you by vibration (e.g. footsteps) and carbon dioxide given off by nearby hosts and will aggressively pursue you. Our friend found one inside his T-shirt so maybe the girls were not so jumpy after all. We gave that one a salt water bath too and sent on its way to leech heaven.

Our boat came and we took off for our hostel. This boat and its owner is leisurely hanging back waiting to pick up his passengers.

We passed this scene which for some reason reminded me of Brokebreak Mountain.

As we passed by this floating boathouse, the children shouted to catch our attention. Then one after another they dive into the water. Unfortunately I was not quick enough to catch them taking the plunge.

Nearing our destination, we saw this fisherman getting ready to cast his nets. I quickly got my camera ready. I always got a thrill whenever I can catch a fisherman casting his net.

Caught him in the act.

The net dropped forming an arch over the water (like a giant jelly fish) before disappearing under. I hoped he had a good harvest. We are now very hungry having worked up a healthy appetite. It was time to eat.

To be continued...

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...