I know, i know, it has been a while after i came back but i couldnt find enuff free time to write about the trip. There is so much to blog, so i need to gather my thoughts properly in order not to miss anything interesting :D
And so i went to the ever famous Taman Negara last Sat with 3 of my colls. We booked for the trip from NKS just 3 days in advance... because i couldnt decide whether i wanna go or not. Yeah, i was the culprit, i admit. But that's because i was sick!! I need to make sure im fully recovered, u see, or else i might be fainted and someone is gonna carry me back to the hostel from the jungle. No one is willing to make such a big sacrifice and that is why i gotta make sure i wont end up alone in the wild (knowing that u guys are some heartless creatures). Agree? ;P
Day 1
We had breakfast at the mamak stall nearby before the bus picked us up @ the Hotel Mandarin Pacific, Petaling Street around 8.30am. Everyone was pretty excited. Reached Hotel Seri Emas, Jerantut for lunch before setting off to the Kuala Tembeling jetty to take a 3 hours boat ride. Gosh, i cant feel my butt anymore, all numb. *pressing the butt*
Here comes the numb-the-butt activity.
Choo was caught sleeping soundly *ZZZzzzzzzZZZ*
Spectacular!
Buffalos taking a shower under the hot sun.
I got to know 2 Scottish kids, Caylan and Ayla, who were on the trip with us with their parents. They are such a cutie! *cubit pipi*
Caylan, Jane & Ayla.
By the time we reached our hostel, it was already 5++pm. Activities will only start @ nite, so we can settle in and rest for a while before getting ready for dinner.
Our hostel room in Ekoton Village.
First, we watched the Taman Negara Video Show @ Mutiara Resort. Then off we go for a Night Jungle Walk. Our guide, Eddy (we called him CheekyEddy, yes, he is indeed cheeky) done a very good job, explaining to us all sorts of trees, leaves, insects and even some survivor skills. Too bad we didnt manage to catch a glimpse of the deers and lazy monkeys :(
Day 2
Alarm was ringing and the guys still cant get their a** out of the bed. So i woke up and get myself ready first b4 waking them up manually. Tee Hui had shorts and sleeveless on, when i told her about leeches wandering in the jungle. She freaked out... muahahaha..
"oh my gosh, i think im gonna change to long pants and tshirts"
"y?"
"i dont want leeches crawling up my arms and legs"
"but wearing long pants and tshirt wont stop them if they want to.."
"hand me the insect repellent! i wanna spray my whole body!!!"
"what??" *kekeke*
Although jungle trekking is not supposed to be taken easily, but if u have the determination, i am sure there wont be any prob. Hiking up Bukit Teresek was real fun. We went to the canopy walkway, which is the longest in the world and we saw some fright in the eyes of those who is scared of height. Anyway, there is no expression at all in Masato, our Japanese tour mate. He even hike up the hill with a pair jeans! Can u guys believe that!! There's a photo as a proof.
Masato with his pair of jeans.
Holding tight to the rope.
Reaching the top and final point of the hill really pulled out a satisfaction grin on our face. The view was spectacular, u can still see a bit of the Gunung Tahan, the tallest mountain in Peninsular M'sia. Part of it was covered by the clouds.
We have conquered the top of Bukit Teresek with the help from Eddy (on the far right).
Later during the day, we visited the Orang Asli Village. We saw how the Batek tribe live, but i still wonder if they are paid to do that. Seems like they are already accustomed to all the outsiders going in and out of the village. And yes, they are very civilized dy. The chief, Mr Kumbang a.k.a John Beatle can even speak Engrish!! *phwoar*
We have our chances to try shooting the dart using the 'sumpit', and i managed to hit the board @ the 2nd attempt. *phew*
"Shoot the rapids" session (mind u, it is not shoot the rabbit) is on next. Everyone keeps on mistaking it for that, but i dont blame them, cos i tot we were going to shoot the "wabbit" too initially! *wabbit*wabbit*
Note : Shoot the rapids ~ riding on a boat and hit the rapids to get all the water excitement.
Jeff wasnt too contented though, cos he didnt get wet at all. He tot that by sitting at the first row of the boat, he will get all the excitement, but NO! All the water skipped him and went to us instead. *muahaha* Nevertheless, he was drenched too, cos he threw himself into the river to have a nice swim.
And that was supposed to be the end of the trip. But not for us.. we extended another day. Another day of exciting things to happen. Yes, u bet!
Day 3
Woke up early to collect my wet clothes hung outside the hostel, and to my surprise it was gone! My goodness, from the bunch of clothes hanging there, only mine were missing. WTF! How could that have happened?? There's a thief in the village! ***** Censored words *****
There goes my mood (at least for a while). I luv my shorts, in my favourite color some more. DAMN! *waaa*
The cave exploration was good though. We slipped into the tiny openings in between, crawled under the rocks and sat on bat's droppings. It was quite windy inside cos basically all the bats were flapping their wings just next to u. But dont talk with ur mouth wide open, as u may get some extra flavour from the lil creatures. Luckily i brought a pair of gloves with me, so my hands are clean, well protected. We saw a tiny mouse deer, and all of us went *hoo*hah* as if we never seen it before in our whole life. Hehe...
The Ear Cave.
Bats.. or Batman Begins?
Lotsa termites....
The good things end, and nightmares come into the picture. The electricity was out @ noon, and the weather is hot. We took a shower one by one, and as the last person came out, the water was out too! This is seriously back to the nature, no joke man!
The weather was becoming unbearable and the room was like a sauna. We tried to hang around at the restaurant as we have no more activities planned, but the situation aint getting any better. Fortunately it rained later at nite, but we were feeding the mosquitoes -_-
But that wasnt the worst. Water supply is the main prob. No water for toilet, so u can really imagine how it smelled. Im quite impressed how we survived the nite.
Day 4 and final day
Took the same boat ride back to the jetty, same set of lunch @ Hotel Seri Emas, got our graduation certs (yippie!) and headed back to KL. Everyone was tired, so most of us knocked off in the bus.
Taman Negara National Park.
Overall, it was a great trip. There's no regret at all, and it was worth the $$. So, where is the next destination? :P