My last night is spent in a little hostel across the river as Julia's sister has arrived. After food and a few card games on the river we say our goodbyes. Julia and I have just spent the day walking, 17km in seven hours which I think was pretty good. The jungle (once again) was beautiful. This time, as I was wading through the river a snake fell out of a tree from above and landed next to me. We both looked pretty shocked, eyed each other up, and the snake legged it, or I might say slithered it, out of the river and to safety. My fight or flight mode had a dysfunction and as Julia described it: 'I sort of hopped with fear and curiosity' Now I am making my way back to KL and from there catching a flight to Langkawi. Taman Negara will be missed.
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Ah, the joys of a rainforest: lizards passing your path; butterflies fluttering around; red, white, orange fungus cropping up in beautiful shapes; tracks; bird calls; slipping in the mud; leeches squirming into your shoes; getting painfully stung by an unusually looking flying bug .... Oh wait. In all seriousness: the rainforest is beautiful. Julia and I start off the day by making our way to the canopy walks. The track is made up of an easy catwalk of wood. The terrain of the forest is missed but it's still stunning. Surrounded by thick jungle and by thick jungle sound we make our way on. Up to the canopy we go, on a not so easy to walk on, vertigo inducing structure. It's made of ladders with planks if wood on them and some rope around that. Despite the imminent danger it's great fun looking at the landscape at this level. After that we make our way up Bukit Teresek: one of the smaller hills in Taman Negara, and I can tell you openly that I am hot and flustered. (Walking around KL doesn't touch how hot I am). But, unlike most, we carry on round in a loop. And happily the catwalk stops and we continue on the open ground of the rainforest. The wet, muddy, slippery open ground. And it's great. Totally alone you can truly see the rainforest. The shy nature opens up (as much as shy nature can) and we see lizards and geckos and little birds. There's tracks of foraging wild pigs. And there also are unusual looking flying bugs that sting you. But it doesn't matter. Because I'm there. Slipping and being stung and listening and taking in its beauty. Light patches on the floor where it falls through leaves, as I look up I am covered in that patchy light. Sun shines through those leaves like in a film. But I'm there, it's real and it's shining on me. Today started with my journey to Taman Negara. A tricky place to get to, with only one bus leaving at only one time in the day. Then to another bus. And then on a little boat for three hours. The boat was great. A little motorised thing with a tin roof and an oar in case the motor died. Great! On top of that, it's near impossible to hook up a hostel before you get there, Lonley Planet Guide says 'there's a sweep at the end of the day for all the travellers who are lost in the rain!' Fantastic. So I start my journey. Meet a nice German girl called Julia. Turns out she's staying in the beautiful four star hotel on the right side of the river. The only one in Taman Negara. Turns out she was meant to be coming with her sister but she checked her passport the day before and it was out of date - sounds familiar - turns out she has a spare bed in this beautiful place and I can stay with her if I want. Of corse I do Julia, Thank you!! We all pile into the boat and Julia (who's just flown in) falls asleep pretty fast so I can sit happily and take in the beautiful surrounding. The wilderness is incredible. Miles and miles of uninterrupted rainforest. Swallows sweeping around us. The wind is on my face but I am warm. 2 hours in and it starts to rain! (I needed a kagool!) We curl up together trying to dodge the droplets leaking through the roof. But nothing can take away from this beauty. We finally arrive make our way to the hotel. It is just lovely. Probably the best I'll stay in. And I'm so happy to have a companion in this great mass of humid forestry. We quickly drop of our bags and off out again. We have a stroll and then jump onto a floating restaurant to grab some curry. Red bulbs make red lighting and cheesy Malay songs sing out of the cheap speakers. But it's heavenly. A soundscape of insects and frogs and mumbling and songs. The river calmly speeds past us. Sneaking. We chat and look out at the veiw as the night arrives and darkness takes over. We finish our food and an army of ants arrive to take their pick from what's left. Perfect timing. I pay and we hop off onto a little boat to take us back to the hotel on the other side of the river. So now I'm tucked up in a lovely bed - air con and all - listening to the cacophony of forest outside my door. Heaven. Today I head out to Taman Negara! It's bitter sweet leaving KL but I take another step mirroring my childhood. A place with questionable wifi, you may find me going quiet for a few days. It's been an incredible time here and he met some very kind people. After my reminiscent morning, I found the quiet within central Kuala Lumpa. A quick snack and I'm off to see the biggest park within the centre of KL - The Botanical Gardens. I trek there in the hazy heat, sorry for the gory details, but sweating like a horse. I enter this little gate, like into the secret garden, only tropical, and make my way down to the centre. Empty. Completely empty. In this huge landscape of manmade gardens and lake with unremarkable fountains, there's isn't a soul in sight. It is quiet, I feel to quiet. I wonder if I'm meant to be in here, whether that little gate was meant to be open. I sit down to take a rest and finaly see over the lake a father and child strolling along. Relief. I look away, just for a second, and they are gone. Or were they ever there. What is this ghost garden! As I walk on I see a very real group of people and realise I was over reacting. I go to the lovely Orchid Garden. And then I make my way to the National Mosque, a beautiful modern building with a funny dress sense. There are lots of pillars and it is very calm. So calm one talks in hushed tones when the need is there to do so. Peaceful and calm, sublime. Back I go to china town - and there's the loud. After visiting the Batu Caves, a Hindu temple, a Chinese temple and the twin towers yesterday, I'd thought I'd leave out the touristy section of my day till the afternoon and instead visited Alice Smith School (my old school). This was quite a releif. What was missing from Lorong Taman Pantai yesterday had returned in Alice Smith. I was shown around the school, and like the house it had changed, but this time for the better. New facilities, an award winning building; but the old was still there, the old assembly hall, the old second head, the old uniform, the old atmosphere, which, rather than musty, still felt fresh and new. What I missed from LTP, thriving growth and joy, was in abundance at this school. Children running around in little green and white checkered dressed with frilled sleeves filled the classrooms. Young, carefree things who were experiencing my experiences as a child. It was lovely! Today started with a thrilling journey. One of heading home. My head was full of memory and anticipation. Thoughts of walks up that long steep hill before school, monkeys being shooed away, The Jungle Book story time by the pool, painting hands on kitchen walls, watching mum kick ass in Thai boxing outside, piggy backs, learning to cycle, ponds with ceramic ducks, … the list goes on. I was hoping to find a similar family growing and fighting and learning just as we did many years ago in the joyful paradise we called 25, Lorong Taman Pantai 1. I was hoping that they may even let me into the house, allow me to take some pictures. I was wondering if they might have painted over the kitchen. So as I walked from the station my emotions were brimming. I come to the sign, it's changed in height but it still has the wonderful road name. I walk up the long steep hill, which doesn't seem to be quite as long and steep as it used to be, and while I do I pass houses that I slightly recognise and some that have changed completely. I instantly recognise our house in the distance, it hasn't changed. Just the same. But different. The gates are locked and the drive way is full of old cars and crates and vases (maybe even a canon), I climb over the fence and take a look around, there are things all over the place and the doors are locked. I peak inside and can see the house is just as full as the drive with antiques. The old pond is still there, I walk around to the pool, now a thick green sludge, which looks like something could be living in it. No young family welcoming me into their home, questioning me on the past. It's just how it was only now it's not a home. I can't get in so I ring on the neighbours gate and out comes a lady - May - who chats to me, I tell her I used to live here, she mentioned she was invited to a barbecue years ago - Yes, that was us! We had an open fire and a tandoori made out of an oil drum. Her daughter knew our neighbour Briany. I ask who owns the house now - it's actually a man who owns the developed houses on the street - she points to a house. I say thank you and move on. I ask but he isn't in. The houseman says the man who has the keys is coming now. A little man with a balaclava on turns up on a bike. He doesn't speak any English but he lets me into the house. Years start flooding back and tears start flooding. Every room I know. Full of vases and logs of wood where our life used to be. I try to explain to this little man what this means. He doesn't know what I'm saying but he understands and all he can do is touch is heart. May and (now) Benni, her husband, are outside when I come out. They see I'm upset and offer me a lift into KL central. They take me for lunch and send me on my way. I'm in the hostel! Whoop. Feeling pretty tired after the flight and journey in which I was blessed by being surrounded by young children but planning to catch a bit of street food to wake me up. Lacking a window in my room ... that situation should be rectified tomorrow. But looking forward to venturing out into the hazy city that is Kuala Lumpa. After a long search I have finaly found a wifi spot at Heathrow, hence the thrilling title that you now see. I'm about to board the flight and am incredibly excited. Thi s is a short one as the metal tube that flys is calling for me, but await an exciting message after touchdown in the hostel. Xx |