When nature calls

It's good to be away sometimes. Away from the crazy roads with colourful cars bustling on it. Away from the hectic demands of work. Away from TV (oh no!) and the comfort of a soft big bed. And away from all the troubles that's been plaguing my mind for the past few weeks.

And what better place to be away at if not the deep jungles of Taman Negara. I've been there numerous times, sometimes with a group of friends, sometimes alone. It feels like I'm going home everytime I'm there. The place never seems to change. It's like time stood still over there. The rivers are the same, the floating restaurants are still there, the leeches still plentiful and always hungry and eager to latch themselves to unsuspected trekkers. And the prices for most of the stuffs over there, they never change. The food still costs the same at the floating restaurants, and the entry permit is still RM1.

The drive from KL took around 5 hours, and we drove up to the river. The other option was to board the 2 hours boat ride from Kuala Tembeling, but driving is more convenient nowadays, because the road heading to Kuala Tahan has been tarred nicely. There is only one resort on the park, the rest are across the river. The river crossing (which only takes a minute) costs RM1 (it used to be 50 cents, but I guess the hike in gasoline price effected this too).

We spent some time at the resort. The original plan was to go for the canopy walkway, without realizing that on Friday the walkway closed at 12.30pm. Having scrapped that, we hiked up Bukit Terasik, for a breathtaking view at the end of the hour-long hike. After a big dinner at one of the floating restaurant, we geared up and started to trek to our first stop - Bumbun Tabing. Bumbun Tabing is one of the many elevated animal viewing post in the park. We trekked around nightfall, and I have always love night trek. There is so many things to observe, even in the dark. The dark jungle seems to come alive at night, and my senses are also heighten. The trek took us 2 hours, and the animal hide wasn't that bad. There were bed bunks and a toilet (although the condition was so bad). We spent the night there, while keeping an eye for animals coming to the river for a drink at night.

The next morning, we continued our trek to Lata Berkoh, which was 5.5km away. It took us a bloody 4 hours, bloody because we were attacked by leeches along the way. The wet ground was perfect for the leeches to hunt, and they were out in full force. Nobody was sparred, and we were left nursing our wounds when we reached the campsite.

After setting up camp, we headed to the river, and right at that moment, all the worries in the world vanished from our minds. The deep pool was so inviting that we jumped into it and swam around. The water was cold and the rock was warm, and we lazed around for hours before heading back just because it was getting dark. That was the best part of the trip, I have to say.

It was good to spent the night in the wilderness. Luck was on our side because the weather was perfect, eventhough rain clouds were threatening menacingly above, no rain followed. We woke up to a sunny morning, and after breakfast, we headed back to the park.

Of all the places I've been to, Taman Negara has always been one of my favourites. One thing for sure, this will not be my last trip there. Next year, I'm planning a whole week hike, to conquer Mount Tahan.

Feel free to tag along.