Welcome to the Jungle and a Beautiful Island Ruined by Bad Weather

I left Malaysia's capitol to get away from the city life and into a more natural environment for an outdoorsy feel. My first stop for this new focus was the Cameron Highlands. After being on my bus for most of the day, I ended up in a small mountain town in central Malaysia. The attraction here are the tea plantations, strawberry farms, other fruit and flower farms and jungle trekking. I was there for three nights and filled my days doing guided and unguided jungle trekking. My nights were quiet as there is no nightlife and I was still on antibiotics.

From the Cameron Highlands I made my way to Taman Negara which boasts as the world's oldest tropical rain forest. Taman Negara is now a national park and one can stay in the park for a price. However, most opt to stay on the other side of the river in Kuala Tahan. This is where I ended up after a three hour exhilarating bus ride (driver pushed that thing like a Ferrari down those country roads and the suspension was absolutely shot) and a three hour boat trip. 

When I arrived it took me about 10 minutes to scout the entire town for a place to stay and I ended up right back where I was dropped off to room at Rippi Hostel for RM10/night (about $3.30). Believe me when I say that this was not a steal of a deal but more an accurately priced accommodation. Still, the vibe was great as most of the budget conscious travelers crowded the porch and mingled as the only form of entertainment. 

I only had one full day in Taman Negara but made the most of it by trekking all day through the jungle. They heavily advertise and promote paying for guided tours but it seemed to me to be a rip off. I was able limit my trekking cost to RM12 ($4) for an entire day of activity where tours were advertised for close to RM100 ($33). The guy running the guesthouse, Richie, was great entertainment and helped advise the cheapest ways to enjoy the jungle. On my last day he had me leave my mark by helping him hang his new signs and creating a, sort of, welcome sign. 

 

From Taman Negara I, once again, literally traveled all day to the Perhentian Islands. It consists of two small islands on the north eastern coast of peninsula Malaysia. I opted to stay on the smaller of the two which offered a more backpacker friendly vibe while the other caters to a more resort seeking crowd. The smaller island is made up of two beaches with a path between that can be walked in about five minutes. This path, made up of bricks, is the only thing resembling a road on the island. Everything else is beach front. Other than the higher prices and limited electricity (most places have electricity from 6pm-8am and if they have it all day they advertise the shit out of it), it would seem like a great little getaway. Buuuuuuuuut, I saw rain everyday that I was there. Not just a few light showers but typical SE Asia fuck-off monsoon rains. With the weather clearing up every night the beachy laid back night life helped keep things entertaining.