Taman Negara Adventure Tour     (Kim Ong)

Day 1 – Friday 25/01/2002
It was a beautiful night when 32 of us gathered outside Miharja Condo, Cheras to start our much-awaited adventure to the oldest rain forest in the world, Taman Negara.  After loading our baggage into the bus and some last minute shopping for mineral water, batteries and film, we were off at 9.00 pm. KS Ong briefed us on the itinerary and then did a general introduction / getting – to – know- U session. Tired out after a long day’s work, most of us went to sleep until we reached Jerantut and checked into Hotel Sri Emas. After that, it was off to Dreamland.

Day 2 – Saturday 26/01/2002
Morning call at 6.30 am. We quickly dressed and hurried down to the bus and was off to the Kuala Tembeling jetty at 7.30am. While waiting for the boat, we had our breakfast. It was a 3 hours scenic boat ride from the jetty to the Mutiara Resort Taman Negara. Upon arrival, we checked in and unpacked our things.

We had lunch at one of the floating restaurants opposite the resort. Our first adventure was cave exploring at Gua Telinga. Equipped with our flashlights and gloves, we slowly made our way through the entrance of the cave. We squeezed, squirmed and crawled through the narrow cave. Flashing our lights on the ceilings, we saw bats  everywhere and someone reported seeing 5 slimy snakes !! It was such an eerie feeling, the bats hanging upside down and flapping their wings, watching us as we invade their land. We were so scared that bats would fly into our faces and sighed with relief when the guide told us that bats actually have an internal radar system that can detect large objects (meaning humans like you and me) in front of them. When we finally emerged from Batman’s lair, all of us were covered with mud; it was lucky that Ong told us to wear our oldest clothes there.

Rapid shooting was next on the itinerary. Natural rapid shooting was too mild for us, so the boatmen decided to jazz it up by a bit of man made rapids. All of us got well and truly wet during this exhilarating event. Reaching the resort, all of us headed for the bathrooms to clean up and get ready for dinner. Dinner was again at one of the floating restaurants.

Night Jungle Walk was our last programme for the day. It was a Nature lesson by our guides, they showed us lot of different insects, a bird hiding under a leaf, a 3-horn-frog (Katak 3 tanduk) and many others.

Hats off to those who still have the energy and stamina to go for drinks and chit chat to the wee hours, I am sure you people enjoyed yourselves . As for me, I was dead beat and could hear my bed calling me to “Lord Chau”.

Day 3 – Sunday 27/01/2002
Morning call at 7.30 am. After breakfast, we set out for Lata Berkoh Waterfall. It was another long boat ride there, however the scenery along the way and at the waterfall made it worth-while. Some of us took a dip in the cool gushing waters while the others took photographs or simply enjoying each other’s company.

After lunch, it was off to the Orang Asli settlement. The village head was on hand to greet us and to show us around. We saw the huts where these people live and a bit of their way of life. There was a demo on how to make the darts used in the “sumpit”and how to use the sumpit to shoot animals for food. Such a simple life, and yet these people appeared happy and content.

At around 8.30 pm, we adjourned to the Interpretative Room to watch the video show on Taman Negara and its offerings. The dimness and cool atmosphere of the room lured many of us to doze off, hah ... it has been a long and happy day. Time to turn in ..

Day 4 – Monday 28/01/2002
Our last day started with the 7.30 am morning call by Ong (doesn’t he need to sleep ?? ). After breakfast, we set out for our canopy walk with great excitement. This is something we are all looking forward to. We reached there at around 10.00 am, the officials were kind enough to allow us to start early. The canopy (something like a bridge), made out of strong ropes and wood, spanned a total of ?? km, gave a magnificent view and insight into Taman Negara., a photographers’ haven (Hey, was that why the walk took so long, you people in front were busy snapping away?). Joe told me she came all the way for this, well, it did not disappoint us. It was a terrific TOP-OF-THE-WORLD feeling and great view, standing and swaying on the canopy. Most of us took photographs there for remembrance.

After the canopy walk, we quickly hurried back to the hostel to clean up and to do our last minute packing. We had a quick lunch and then got on the boat to take us back to the Jerantut jetty.  At around 5.00 pm, we boarded the bus and left for KL. En-route to KL, we stopped at Mentakab for a scrumptious dinner.

We reached Miharja Condo at exactly 9.30 pm, perfect timing by our tour leader, Ong. After exchanging goodbyes, we made our way home, tired but satisfied.

Taman Negara, with its crispy refreshing air, magnificent scenery and gushing streams and waterfalls – indeed an experience to remember and worth repeating. And of course, not forgetting that the success of any trip depends on the people. Yuan Circle, you have done yourself proud and I look forward to future trips !!