Tinned mackerel on kaya buns

After Singapore, we went back into the jungle. And what a change it was. From a well-kept, tidy city to the wilderness of Taman Negara. Taman Negara means national park, , the main national park in Peninsular Malaysia. 8 hours on a Malaysian train took us to Jerantut, from where we caught a riverboat and reached the village of Kuala Tahan, the gateway to the national park, where we stayed in the cheapest chalet with squat toilet. Once again, a bit of a change from Singapore facilities.

Taman Negara is supposed to be one of the oldest rainforests on Earth. The main draw here is spending the night in a hide in the middle of the jungle to see wildlife, obviously we went for it and chose the furthest hide from park headquarters. It was supposed to be a 11 km hike, lasting 5 hours. Mind you there was no guide. We asked the rangers at the beginning of the trail if it was going to be easy to follow the path and they said 'yes yes very easy, no problem so far'. So we set off. The jungle was awesome, really dense vegetation and lots of monkeys, birds and bugs. And leeches! The place was crawling with them. It was great walking around with no guide, just us and the sounds of nature. We were able to stop whenever we wanted to try and spot some wildlife, or have a break. It was really hot and humid and I was carrying a big pack, so we stopped every hour or so for about 5 minutes. The trail seemed easy and safe enough. There were all the ingredients for a wonderful day.

All went well, until Nick almost stepped on a 4-foot snake which was right in the middle of the path and was poised ready to strike. With the aid of his tripod Nick was able to guide the snake into the bushes, after having taken a picture of it to show to the rangers. So we kept going. The heat was unbearable and the big backpacks full of camera equipment and the stuff for the night were getting heavier and heavier. Around 3 pm it started raining, and we were nowhere near our destination. We were starting to feel the unconvenience of having taken so many breaks. We probably weren't going to make it. The rain was a problem because we had to wade through a river to reach the hide, and rain could make the river swell quickly. So we ran for a while. As we crossed a creek we noticed the trail finished, all we could see was shrubbery, trees and fallen logs. And the rain kept falling heavier and heavier, we were soaked to the bone and my trousers were ripped all over the place, plus we were covered in leeches. We could not find the trail. We spent an hour frantically looking for it. We kept going back and forth from where we lost the trail, adventuring into the shrubbery, where rattan palms scratched and other spiky plants dwelled so deeply into our flesh that we were being pulled back as we walked. The forest which looked warm and inviting only a few minutes before now appeared looming and daunting, a mass of darkness where light was getting less and less by the minute. After two hours, the option of spending the night out was sadly starting to become real.

As it was getting close to 5, we decided to go back the way we carme and spend the night in another hide nearer to headquarters. We set off and walked as quickly as possible, but we were a long way away and probably wouldn't have reached shelter before nightfall. It was frantic, one of those moments where thoughts come out distorted and irrational. For a few minutes I honestly thought we were going to die. The forest is home to elephants, tigers and various kinds of poisonous snakes. Spending the night out, without shelter, all of the above would've been a serious possibility. At some point I tripped over and fell face down on the mud. I wasn't hurt, as the rainforest floor is softer than a mattress. I just got a glimpse of my life, I sudden urge to see my family, plus the realisation I have to become a writer. I want to tell people about the world, this welcoming yet daunting place; help people overcome the fear of all that's foreign. Help people find out that for travelling you don't need lots of money or special skills, that you won't be robbed, kidnapped or ripped off stepping out of a plane. It was rather surreal, sitting in the impending darkness of the Malaysian rainforest, contemplating the idea my life may be coming to an end, that I was having these thoughts. It took me a minute to realise, I just had to keep going. In travel as in life, one has to keep going. So I got up, confident we were going to find our way.

After about an hour we reached a river. We panicked because we didn't pass any river before. Then we found a sign which said the hide we were bound for in the first place was only 500m away. We found our way. I was so tired and happy I could not stand up. The hide looked like the most beautiful 5 star hotel that night. I felt relieved, everything turned out well. Sadly, after a dinner of tinned mackerel on kaya buns, which were all the supplies we brought with us, we collapsed with exhaustion. We saw no animals besides civets and leopard cats. The following day we caught a boat back to headquarters and showed the snake picture to the rangers. Guess what! It was a fire viper, very poisonous. Just a reminder.