From Malaysia, October 30, 2000
(The post below is from a group email I sent to my friends and family while traveling years ago. I include it in this blog as an archive to my travels. It remains in the the raw state that I originally sent it, foolishness of younger years intact, typos and sics untouched.)
it's just a week i've been in malaysia, but what a
throw back! quite different from theoz world, but
thoroughly exciting. i flew into Kuala Lumpur, the
capital, and spent three days there. it's a hectic
city filled with bustling people holes in sidewalk and
craziness throughout chinatown where i was staying.
everyone was so nice, but i can't even tell you how
many double-takes i got as this lanky blonde white boy
stumbling around carelessly... and how about this:
this fashion stylist i met offered me a gig modeling
for a shoot for FHM magazine of Malaysia (Maxim in the
states)... too funny eh?! but, i turned it down...
there's no way i could hang around that city a week
when the jungle is just next door.
so i split. and headed to Taman Negara National Park,
the oldest rainforest in the world! sooo much better.
little cabins with large hornbillbirds squaking about
and monkeys swinging from trees... to get into the
park you must take this 2 1/2 hour boat ride up the
muddy-brown tahan river in this beautiful long boat
40' long by 4' wide holding 12 passengers. so i hit
the resort and decide it's time to chill. i figured
i'd spend my b-day there rather than in transit to the
next stop (which is what i'm doing now...). so i
figure what the hell i'll do this right. none of those
handbag trails for fat out-of-shape tourists, no i'll
do it proper. i decided to head up north about 10
miles to these limestone caves where i'd spend the
night and head backthenext day. by myself of course.
youknow a rite of passage gone cavemanthing...
so i catch i ride up the river the day before my bday
and head out on on this ambiguous trail. i had a map,
although it was virtually useless and my trusty
compass. the trail meandered north but was extremely
difficult to tell where it was (at some points it just
consisted of some worn leaves and completely overgrown
ominous looking jungle plants) or which one to take.
its a trail that's used no more than once a week...
so somehow i do that all right, dodging the sketchy
looking plants, climbing over huge fallen trees,
crossing streams (24 to be exact, kind of bizarre...),
and jumping at the rustling noises coming from the
bush. it was truly amazingly beautiful. and dense.
but i finally reach the first cave. it was nice.
stalagmites. stalagtites. (which is which, can someone
remind me?) bats. that was nice, but i was restless to
see more and find a camp before the sun went down. i
hiked on. to the next cave...gua kepanyang besar. the
biggest of the region and truly a natural cathedral!
it was huge! the ceiling at least 50' high with two
huge openings. i had been told by local guides that
elephants and tigers often stayed there (the same
guides told me not to do it without a guide,
especially alone. they just wanted me to hire their
services!). and indeed i found elephant dung amongst
other types of dung as well. i decide this is where i
will camp. so i set out to find some firewood as the
smoke and flames will keep the large animals away. let
me tell you, it is damn hard to find firewood and
start a fire in the rainforest. my attempts at
lighting a fire in the cave were slow and frustrating
(even though i am a raging pyro) and i started to get
freaked out as it started to get dark, the rains set
in, and the unidentifiable jungle noises started
hitting my ears. and no joke, i heard the elephants!
in my desparation i had to use the first 70 pages of
the book i am reading ("The Power of One", sorry Bryce
Courtney!) to get it started but once i did i felt
safe. for the rest of the night i chilled out, ate
dinner, reflected and reminisced, and dance around the
cave nude...
the next morning i woke to a feeling of invincibility.
it was this unbelievable sense of confidence and
comforting isolation (if that is possible). i
regretfully broke down camp and set out again, back to
civilization and drinking water (which i was running
low on...). all in all it was unreal. definitely one
of the stupidest (although i prefer to call it crazy)
yet mosty rewarding experiences.
in the end i saw monkeys, boars, lizards, countless
types of butterflies and mushrooms, a poisonous snake
(don't worry i didn't pick it up this time), and
leeches, lots of them... and i came out of the jungle
today with a variety of rashes, bites, a dozen leech
holes and a year older. not bad eh?!
so now after the 2 hour boat ride out of the park, the
1/2 hour taxi, and the 9 hour wait, i will jump on a
train to kota bharu at 1:30 am hoping to reach the
perhenthian islands and some of the best diving in SE
Asia...
more later,
jef
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