Jungle Trekking
While you’re trying to remove the sweat, bugs and mud off with handkerchiefs, moist towelettes and Off (in the environmentally friendly pump containers), you’ll find insects that look like sticks and frogs that look like leaves and moths that look like birds and lizards that look like anything they sit on. There seem to be problems with identity in the jungle. Among the various things the wet forest needs is, probably, psychiatric help.Every kind of plant and animal has some sort of stringer, barb, thorn, prickle, spine, poison. There’s a fierce competition for nutrients on the ground which is why rainforest soil is so notoriously poor and easily damaged by horticulture. The tremendous hardwood trees of the jungle, rising 120 feet with prodigious buttresses and trunks as big around tract houses are rooted in earth where you couldn’t grow petunias.
The wet forest is not, however, scary; not even in the dark. Though it is dense, tangled, and filled with remarkably icky things like bugs, you start looking at the multitude of insects. The astounding number of them. The great smacking bogs and oodles, the scads, the lasings of bugs galore. Why do people spend so little time contemplating the ugliness of nature? How many humans get all the way through even the most fabulous sunset without getting up for a beer or going inside to check the evening news? But you can watch an enraged fruit bat trying to take out a professor’s face. An enraged Malaysian fruit bat looks like a colonel in the RAT Airforce. It has a set of teeth that look like it could perform an appendectomy. If I were a local resident, I’d keep the fruit out in the garage or rent a mini-storage space.
Trekking along the footpaths and rocky outbacks of Asia’s forests you come across water camps. Here, really sophisticated efforts at simplicity have been made. The camps are nothing but wobbly, bamboo platforms with a roof of palm leaves. Some camps get balsa plaques carved by previous tour groups. The plaques bear names of travelers and descriptions of some of the highlights of their travels. Some contain poems in the order of:
Though the bugs made noise,
Our trip was full of joys,
Because the monkey howls’
And the wise owl hoots,
That it is bad to pollute.
So, we all know what awaits us: muggy outcrops, swampy mangroves, river floodplains. In the forest, an unknown number of animal, plant and insect life wait to be discovered. They can be reached by air and land travel. What strikes many tourists’ fancy nowadays is having a taste of life in the rainforest.
Sites for Nature and Jungle Adventures
*Kuala Selangor Nature Park, Selangor, Mangrove forest
*Templer Park, Selangor, Mountain forest
*Ulu Bendol, Negeri Sembilan, Mountain forest
*Endau Rompin, Johor, Lowland rainforest
*Lowland rainforest, Johor, Highland rainforest
*Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Highland & mountain rainforest
*Taman Negara, Pahang, Lowland and hill rainforest
*Tasik Chini, Pahang, Freshwater swamp forest
*Tasik Bera, Pahang, Freshwater swamp forest
*Genting Highlands, Pahang, Highland rainforest
*Fraser’s Hill, Pahang, Highland rainforest
*Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu, Freshwater swamp forest
*Danum Valley, Sabah, Highland and mountain forest
*Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Highland and mountain forest
*Kinabatangan Floodplain, Sabah, Freshwater swamp forest
*Gunung Emas, Sabah, Highland rainforest
*Bako National Park, Sarawak, Mangrove and mixed forest
*La Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Hill rainforest & limestone pinnacles
*Niah National Park, Sarawak, Lowland rainforest
Jungle Adventure Tips
*Find out as much as you can about the trail and surroundings.
*Plan your route carefully to allow enough time for you to complete it before darkness sets in.
*Know you physical limits and only undertake trails that you know you can handle.
*Inform the park official or other people of your plans for the day, especially if you are going alone.
*Pack plenty of water and a few snacks to maintain your energy level.
*It is best to set out at dawn when animals begin to seek food and the warmth of the early morning sun. Move about as quietly as possible to avoid scaring any wildlife.
*Wear thin, loose, cotton clothing to remain comfortable.
*Long trousers and long-sleeved shirts protect arms and legs from mosquitoes and thorny plants.
*Wear sturdy shoes that support your ankles well and allow your feet to grip the ground as you walk Leech socks or long socks prevent leeches from getting at your legs.
*A poncho, large enough to cover you and your belongings, will provide protection from sudden rain showers.
*A wide brimmed hat is highly recommended for providing shade from the tropical sun.
By ANGEL DULAY