07 Jan - 10 Jan 2012 Kuala Tahan

Pahang Darul Makmu
Kampung Kuala Tahan
Adequate and clean double room with shared bathroom and river view for MYR 50.- or US$ 15.90 per night. Indifferent staff.

Click below for an interactive road map of the Dakili House in Kuala Tahan and for directions:









Hiking the mostly secondary rainforests of the Taman Negara (touted as “the oldest rainforest in the world” and wildly overrated) around park headquarters and exploring (i) the easy-to-follow Bukit Indah trail along Sungai Tembeling with its abundance of fungi, ferns and moss, (ii) the Bukit Teresek trail with fine views across the rainforest and (iii) the world’s longest (500-m long and 45-m high) hanging-bridge canopy walkway aka titian silara (entrance: MYR 5.- or US$ 1.65 per person, from the ticket: “… any accident, injury or death will be at your own risk during canopy walkway’s activities …”) thus having close encounters with innumerous sucking leeches, stinging mosquitoes and biting ants but luckily also spotting (a) an oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris), (b) an olive-backed woodpecker (Dinopium rafflesii) and (c) a red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) as well as a beautiful sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) at the Tahan hide (Bumbun Tahan).


Oh mercy, mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land
How much more abuse from man can she stand?

(Marvin Gaye)

Noticing once more the negative side-effects of mass tourism and greenwash on the attitude of local people at Kuala Tahan where many of the usually friendly, generous and sincere Malays have lost their welcoming smile and their monetary honesty under the daily onslaught of hundreds of hectic international backpackers who want to tick off "The Rainforest" as fast as possible in order to go back to their a/c rooms and banana pancakes (three out of four of the floating restaurants tried to overcharge us, repeatedly; the only trustworthy: LBK Restaurant).


Taking the Pahang Lin Siong bus from Kuala Tahan back to Jerantut (70 km, 1 ¼ hours, MYR 7.- or US$ 2.30 per person) and the comfortable Metrobus Ekspres bus +60320311154 on the highway from Jerantut back to Kuala Lumpur’s Pekeliling Bus Station (180 km, 2 ¾ hours, MYR 16.80 or US$ 5.60 per person), terimah kasih.


Click below for more blog entries about West Malaysia's Taman Negara
06 Jan - 07 Jan 2012 Jerantut
23 Jan - 24 Jan 2010 Dabong
21 Jan - 23 Jan 2010 Kuala Koh

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2012 Map Konni & Matt 

Visit the Konni & Matt Online Albums and order high-res travel photos
Konni & Matt Travel Photos
 

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