The Rain Forest During Rainy Season

On Sunday we headed out for Taman Negara, the national park. Our trip underscored the tedium and discomfort of adventures. We started with a 3 hour bus ride from KL All seats were equipped with plastic bags (much less sturdy than the airsick bags of yore), but they seemed to serve primarily as props. The next leg was a 3-plus hour boat trip up the river. The photo does not begin to capture how uncomfortable the boat was. We had limited room to shift position. After awhile no position was comfortable. Once we landed we still had to negotiate the chaos at the dock - people were competing for directions to toilets, resorts, and scheduled activities. We were sent up a hill to meet a mini-bus. The hill was slick. I held my breathe that I wouldn't fall, which at best would result in being covered end with mud from head to toe.

At the Rain Forest Resort we met our guide who confirmed that the continuous rain made most organized activities impossible. Not a problem - a night jungle walk over slippery trails was uninviting. Visiting caves seemed unnecessary since we are going to the Mulu Caves next week. We decided to meet Monday morning to "shoot the rapids."

On Monday before heading out we took advantage of a lull in the rain to walk and photograph some of the foliage. (Our goal was to avoid areas around mosques that might be used to celebrate the Feast of Sacrifice where Muslims slaughter cows, goats, and sheep.)





When we met, our guide told us that shooting the rapids was too dangerous and the canopy was closed. So we set out on a jungle walk over slippery trails. Our guide had grown up in the area and was conversant on medicinal uses of plants. He also talked about how life had changed. When he was a boy he went down to the river to bathe accompanied by his mother, who had a heavy load of laundry. Neither of these are missed. He told us that although his children's school is close to his house, they live at the school's hostel. Since his job involves travel he wanted to make sure that they actually attended classes and studies. He expressed a desire for his children to have a better life, which he seemed to define in terms of a university degree, a predictable income, and benefits.

By the we neared the canopy walk it was open. (The guides communicate events along the trail via SMS.) The canopy is over 1/2 a kilometer and has 9 stages. By the end of the first stage the heavy rain resumed. (We were among the last group to be allowed to cross.) People have to keep 5 meters apart and only 4 people at a time are allowed on any one platform. The result was a slow, wet crossing. At one point I actually resorted to using my umbrella. A humiliating decision given my hiking experience. (I had taken literally the comment that "Malaysia has no weather. You wear the same clothes all year. You carry an umbrella to shelter you from the rain or sun." I forgot that the same clothes might include some type of rain protection.)



As we worked our way down we stopped to view this asp. Later we took a boat trip - high waves and a strong current. Our clothes were thoroughly soaked. We washed them and attempted to get them somewhat dry, but ended up filling our suitcase with wet clothes and the dry ones went into my back pack.