An Orang Asli village on the way into the jungle...and cooling cows in the river...
chilled out cows...
It took quite a work of persuation to convince Elisabeth that we should go visit the Malaysian jungle, but I desparately wanted to see it. I was determined to get my way if it was at all possible, so I was persistant. Elisabeth has never been much a fan a forests, much less even the thought of a jungle. There is something about the word ‘jungle’ that conjures up images quite distinct from the idea of mere forests. Big and nasty snakes, for example. The idea of a ‘jungle village’ is not much better, but this is where we would be staying if we were to indeed visit the jungle. But the truth is not necessarily as dramatic as the stereotype image, if you have an idea what to expect in reality.
Eventually, a detailed outline of just what it was, this jungle village, as described once again in our trusty Lonely Planet, along with a lengthy discussion about exactly the sort of things I was thinking about doing while we were there, and my full assurance that I was quite capable of doing the hikes on my own, Elisabeth didn’t have to do any of it aside from sit on the balcony of our room there, if this was all that she felt like doing, eventually did the trick. The jungle village in any event was a civilised place with a couple hotels and so forth (along with much more primative accomodation as well for those who desired it). So to Taman Negara, the large Malaysian National Park which consists of one and only one thing - jungle - we headed.
Different people inevitably have their own individual semi-rational (and semi-irrational) fears. Or perhaps hesitations is a better word to use. A recent example from earlier this summer, before this Asian trip.
It was a hot July day when I went on a little sailing trip for a day with some friends back in Denmark. We anchored the boat a short distance from shore at one point to go for a swim. Some of those on board began diving off the sailboat, a moderately sized boat - 35 or 40 feet. Dives from the top of the boat required taking a small leap to clear the distance to the water. Myself, though I am quite able to dive, have never been overly comfortable doing head-first dives of the sort that require leaping any distance to reach the water. I know I am well able to do it, I just always have a slight hesitation that holds me back. The others on this day had no such hesitations, plunging gracefully into the water. I eventually followed, though not quite so gracefully.
A few moments later, flapping around in the water, I began diving underwater and under the sailboat, then emerging up on the other side. Back and forth. I really get a kick out of doing this for some reason. My Iranian friend who shall remain otherwise anonymous ;-) had just been questionning me when we were getting ready to dive off of the boat. as to why I was so hesitant to dive - to which I obviously had no entirely rational answer. Now in the water, the situation literally turned upsidedown. When it came to diving under the boat, he quickly started asking me how I was able to do that - he wouldn’t even consider the idea of trying. So there you have it - fears tend to lurk quite randomly.
So back to the Malaysian jungle.
Eventually, Elisabeth agreed to hike a couple of the jungle trails - ones that we had been assured were very well marked and frequently travelled. The first lead to the famous Taman Negara canopy walkway - a rope suspended and surprisingly lengthy walkway high up in the trees. Arriving at the walkway, Elisabeth and I did it without a moment of hesitation - though once we were on it, there were a couple of particularly high sections which were more than a little scary as the rope bridge swayed and creaked with each step, the ground practically hidden by the dense and distant foliage far below.
pure trust in Malaysian craftsmanship...
cool as a cucumber...
Coming to the end of the walkway, we met a fellow sitting on a bench outside the exit whom along with his girlfriend we had eaten dinner together with the day previous. He was waiting for his girlfriend to finish the canopy walkway, since he himself had decided it was too much for him to take after he had crossed the first two walkway sections. He had a fear of heights, and this wasn’t the way he was going to conquer it. So back to the beginning he had returned to wait for his girlfriend who was completing the walkway without him. Another victim of semi-rational fear. Incidently, these two were planning on taking a 3 day hiking trip through the deeper parts of the Taman Negara Jungle, so obviously it was hardly the jungle in itself that he feared.
As for the epilogue of out jungle trekking in Teman Negara - well, it was a mixed outcome which I would nonetheless clearly judge a success and a positive experience (hmmm, I sound a bit like some sort of self-help therapist here using expressions like ‘positive experience’).
You see, things got a little tense at a point towards the end of our little jungle trek, after the canopy walkway part. At this point, we had hiked in total about 4.5 km since the start of the day, which though not a huge distance, is a pretty fair way to go in the Malaysian heat and humidity. I was entirely confident that we were close to our destination - a swimming spot along the river that was apparently quite close to the starting point - and on the right track. The path was rather steep, winding and narrow and seemed like it had been going on a little longer than the distance it was supposed to. At this point, we couldn’t hear any water sounds, as we had earlier when the path was closer to the river, and furthermore we hadn’t seen anyone else on the path for quite some time. But there was really no way we could have made a wrong turn, the path was quite clear, so I wasn’t really worried myself. But Elisabeth began to lose her nerve at that point, momentarily, and panicked somewhat. Panic, if you have never quite experienced it yourself, is a state when it is very difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to calm you down, no matter how hard they try. Elisabeth, at this point, suddenly didn’t want to be anywhere near a jungle, much less in the middle of it. A few minutes later (looong minutes they seemed to me as I futilely tried to offer reassurances about the situation), we arrived. All was well. A couple guys sitting along the river told us it was less than 5 minutes to the village.
So the conclusion regarding the whole jungle experience. It had been a remarkable turnaround from a few days previous simply to find Elisabeth agreeing to go on an unguided jungle walk at all since back then the whole jungle leg of our trip was looking unlikely at best. By the end, a few short days later, we both could agree that another jungle trek in the future was possible. That, in my judgement, is success.
restaurants on the river in the jungle village...
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