Finally, I had my wish coming true to visit the Taman Negara (National Park) which is located in Pahang state of Peninsular Malaysia. My own country Malaysia has it's own hidden jewels yet to be explored and this is one of my opportunity.
I just got back from 2D1N from Taman Negara. It was indeed a unique trip that each and every one of us must try at least once in a lifetime. We Malaysia have one of the world’s oldest tropical rainforests in our backyard.
It is despicable to just ignore Taman Negara as it provides one of the best jungle experiences in Malaysia. Not too extreme, but certainly an enjoyable for nature lovers and jungle explorers.
I am back on my trekking and hiking activity after a long time along with my childhood friend Saraspathy. We have the same interest to travel and explore. It's her hobby and I had been having this interest ever since in the year 2008. My very first trip to hiking and trekking started when I joined a group on Facebook known as Waterfall Survivors.
Ever since then, I have visited about 10 waterfalls so far whenever I could join along. My very first waterfall was the Seminyang and Nyanyung near Karak which was the first time I explored a virgin jungle.
Since then, I had my interest in nature exploration as I loved nature, the smell of the soil in the jungle, the cricking of the insects and wanted to explore further deeper.
And now I had explored Taman Negara along with my childhood friend, one of my list stroked out in from my Bucket List.
We drove from my hometown, we left at 4.30am and it's about 5 hours for us to reach the National Park. I drove all the way till we reached the resort at about 8am.
Along the way, we went through the Jengka road which was like a roller coaster up and down, misty morning with sun rays shining through.
As we reached our destination, the place looked so run down after the huge flood in 2012. Properties and many things were damaged when the river overflowed.
We had pour breakfast and the organizer gathered for an ice-breaking session. I was extremely tired and sleepy but we need to hike into the jungle and I really don't know how am going to cope with that though.
After a simple nasi goreng and a lovely local coffee, we geared up our bags by adding the items that will be shared with us for the camping in the cave trip.
The organizer divided and shared each a 4 bottle of 1-litre water, maggi cups, bread loafs, and some biscuits. We had to carry another extra weight despite our own weight. I had a problem with my bag which seemed to be heavier than the items and added up to be heavy for me to carry through.
We were just a group of 12 women and a boy that was my childhood's friend's brother, others were from Johor, Penang, and Selangor.
We met the previous group that reached back from their cave stay this morning mostly a mixed group of Indians about 15 of them. They told us it was tough but was an awesome experience.
Then we started our journey, I prayed in my heart few times to the souls and caretakers of the jungle that I am just passing by and will not damage or disturb any of their belongings in the jungle.
We were taken by the pickup truck to the jetty to get into a long boat. The bags were extremely heavy, I don't know how I am going to manage it. I noticed there were colourful butterflies everywhere near the river bank.
Somehow, got into our boat and went across to registered ourselves as we will be trekking into the jungle. It was the Taman Negara Mutiara Resort which has not been fixed after the bad flood that happened in 2012.
From here our, journey started, first stop was at the canopy walk. I should have not done the walk, as it had many high steps end of the walk I was totally drained and we still haven't started the trek to the cave yet which is about 8 hours.
After the canopy walk, our boat ride to the trek start was about 2 hours, we had a good challenge river cruise with this long boat ride. Our lunch was served in the boat, a small packet of food similar to nasi lemak bungkus. It was so hot and we had no shaded but just the going against the river flow instead through some cascades of the river.
As we reached the trek point, we got off carried our bags and ourselves. I just can't think how am I gonna do this for the next 8 hours has been already too exhausted and my knees are giving pain.
We again climbed up 10 fleets of steps which were 2ft high on each step with my heavy bag some more. Actually, those steps were leading to an abandoned resort which was damaged by the flood. We rested, organized did the toilets at the bushes and started our journey.
We walked through paths that were already there, going downhill and up the hill. The calmness of the jungle, insects orchestra in the background with some branch cracking sounds. We could hear monkeys hooting far away too.
As we walked for nearly 3 hours, we came across of some elephant dungs along our path, freshly baked dungs. I was little wondering if they have taken the same route as we are on and maybe we can have a glimpse of them if they are ahead of us.
Then we all halted after a loud sound and more branches breaking sounds, we were nearby the elephants as they could around us somewhere. The guide told us to be very quiet and walk without any sound.
About 1/2 hour later, we found another group returning back as they said they could not proceed further as there is a herd of elephants guarding a baby elephant.
Our guide still proceeds and after 10min of the walk we came across of another group resting and their guide has gone further in to check the status of safety if we can proceed. Once the guide returned, he told it's not safe as they are about 5 elephants with a baby and all are guarding the baby. So we should not proceed if we wait for them to clear it would take about 2-3 hours and it would be dark to go reach the cave.
So after 1 hour of trying to decide what to do, our guided adviced us all that we are returning back. I felt so happy too because I don't feel right about the jungle that day. Something had tried to stop us from going and it had to be the elephants instead. We got back to the drop of the point within 40 minutes faster than the hike earlier of 3 hours.
Our boat has to be called and it would take at least 2 hours for them to come and pick us. We waited at the abandoned resort which looked spooky though.
Later our boat arrived, it was 2pm already, all of us look tired because of the sun and the disappointment of not having to continue the journey. As we waited for our boat, we were just talking and somewhere sleeping.
Our boat came, our guide told us we will get back to our resort. After another 2 hours of the boat ride, we reached our resort instead of the jetty where we took our boat this morning.
Got ourselves some taking some sunset pictures and hang out near riverside before headed back to our rooms. The guide told us he will prepare dinner at the riverside later, asked us all to come over.
Once back in the room, I took a bath and my knees were throbbing badly, I can't imagine to walk down and up the steps once again while I opted to stay up at the restaurant.
I could from above, there were having a campfire and food cooked by the guide at the riverside that we could have experienced today in the middle of the jungle in a cave. But the night was amazing, being under the stars, quiet night with just river flowing sound and the insects in the distance around us.
Day 2 :
Next day, we were up and not sure of the plan prepared for us since the initial plan has been canceled. After breakfast, we were told of a trekking to experience the jungle. So again we took a boat from the resort and to a drop of point. The trekking was nothing to shout about but we were just going up and down again for the next 1 1/2 hours till I gave up and told them I could not proceed. I was not the only want some others also felt it was not worth just walking through the guide showed us some flora and fauna that are found in this jungle.
So we walk down to river bank and sat there for few minutes till the guide was able to get a boat, and we were just across a jungle native people's village. A boat came by, took us across to experience the native people's lives in the jungle. While waiting for our boat at the river side, we were visited by many colourful blue butterflies.
We spend about an hour there learning their tricks of hunting and observed their living. They still live in groups and move around the jungle. They harvest petai,honey and some herbal roots to sell at the market for money to buy their household things.
The guide showed us the fire making method with sticks, the blowpipe hunting, weaving and etc. I spend my time looking at the children that were weaving something with leaves and playing with it. I took lots of pictures at the village but none turned out, all those damaged at unforseen circumstances. I knew the reason but its better to leave it that way than trying to revive the pictures.
There is a believe which I too believe if somethings are not meant to be seen or taken back obviously we will not have it. In this trip I have experienced it so much, the jungle is not a safe place and so does the native villages have their own guardians too which I believe also. Things are too beautiful just to be viewed and enjoyed with eyes only.
So after the native village visit, we stopped at the river bank for lunch break. The river bank was like a seaside shore. We were all dropped of there while the guide went across to cook something for us.
We on this side we resting enjoying the jungle, river and more butterflies. Some went to dip themselves in the river and we had our own free fish spa. The water was like the "Teh- tarik " colour.
We spend our time there for 3 hours, the guide brought us the food, simple spicy instant noodles with vegetables. We were all hungry, we had our utensils, we had our lunch fill our tummy satisfying lunch.
It was raining, but still, we were enjoying ourselves with just nature, it was like a fulfilled nature experiences.
After that, we were back to our resort, our night was extended since our whole plan had not gone well. Some of them left that night, we left next morning. We had some visitors in our room that night, a huge butterfly and a grasshopper.
The next day, we left the place, enjoyed our ride back.
